All fish / Potamotrygonidae

Smooth Back River Stingray

Potamotrygon orbignyi

Also known as smoothback stingray, reticulated freshwater stingray, orbignyi stingray, dragon ray, potamotrygon reticulatus, reticulated stingray, smooth back ray, กระเบนน้ำจืด, ikan pari air tawar, オルビグニー, ポタモトリゴン・オルビグニー, pari air tawar

A flat, round-bodied river stingray with a brown upper side covered in a fine darker net or honeycomb pattern and a fairly short, slender tail. It is kept by dedicated hobbyists for its graceful gliding over sand and its interactive, intelligent feeding behaviour, and it stays smaller than many other Potamotrygon species.

Care at a glance

Care level

Hard

Temperament

Peaceful

Adult size

30 cm

Temperature

25 to 30 °C

pH

6 to 7.5

Smallest tank

1000 litres

Keep as

Single or a pair; groups need a very large tank

Diet

Carnivore: earthworms, prawns, mussels, white fish, bloodworm and sinking carnivore pellets

Swims

Bottom of the tank

Lifespan

10 to 15 years

Water

Freshwater

Wild range

Amazon, Orinoco and Guiana river basins (Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana)

Breeding

Livebearing, with females giving birth to a handful of fully formed pups after a gestation of several months. It has been bred in captivity by experienced keepers in large tanks with excellent water quality, but this is not common.

Good to know

The tail carries a venomous barb that can cause a very painful wound, so handle with care and keep away from small fish it can eat. Export and keeping are regulated in some places, such as Brazilian quotas and bans on Potamotrygon in parts of the USA and elsewhere, so check local law; it needs a large sandy floor area and pristine, well filtered water.