Freshwater Stingray, The Best Pet Fish? 

**Important note: There are now available additives that can be used instead of live fish to cycle a tank. It will still take time, but this is a better and more humane method that we would definitely recommend.

"It may even be one of my favourite animals!" - Clint when talking about every animal in the world. Please never stop with the enthusiasm, Clint.

Animal: *Exists* Clint: “I love you”

"And... they don't drop their tail!" I legitimately burst out in laughter.

I love their little faces •-•

From this video I learned that bullsharks can live in freshwater and suddenly the shark filled moat of my childhood dreams feels possible. Laserbeams optional of course

Ever since my dad has been recovering from cancer, we've been watching your channel. Neither of us are reptile keepers, but we're both hardcore fish keepers both freshwater and saltwater. However, your enthusiasm and information is infectious and we've been both saying how awesome it would be if someone did something similar to you but for fish. So we're both delighted to see this. Hopefully this means even more fish content in the future!

Litterarily any animal in the whole wide world: Exists Clint: ”This might be one of my favorite animals of all!”

Hey Clint, stingrays don't drop their tails, but they do shed their stingers. Kinda like a cat's claw or a shark's tooth, they will fall off after so long and be replaced by the next in line. That shed stinger can potentially injure you or another fish, so you need to keep an eye out for those.

Clint’s catfish impression was adorable! It honestly never occurred to me that some fish had lungs to breathe air. I mean, we’ve all heard about mudskippers and things like that, but I didn’t realize other fish had that ability.

Notes from a stingray keeper: 1) The tank is the biggest challenge. Standard aquariums tend to emphasize height moreso than width, and stingrays care about the latter far more than the former. I have never seen a standard off-the-shelf aquarium that I would be comfortable housing an adult ray in. Be aware that you're looking at something custom. You can DIY it for relatively cheap, but if you want something built by a pro, you're looking at big money. I would consider 72"/180cm× 36"/90cm the bare minimum floor footprint for a single adult ray, and I wouldn't want it any shallower than 24"/60cm. For those curious, that's a minimum volume of 270 US gallons/1020L, and the same footprint as a reasonably-sized dinner table. That same tank is going to weigh about 2500lbs/1135kg. The flooring under it may well need some structural reinforcement, and once it's full of water, it's going to be essentially impossible to move. 2) Once you actually have a tank, you're about a year and a half away from getting a ray. You need to cycle that aquarium for the first year, either using a fishless ammonia-dosing method or with really hardy fish(large, messy, South American cichlids are the best for this). After that year, get yourself some more delicate species to switch the big messy guys out with. I like earth-eater cichlid species for this: they'll generally accept a ray as a tankmate, they're attractive, and they're more sensitive to uncycled tanks, so they'll let you know if your tank isn't set up right. After you've gone 4 months without losing ANY of your second round of fish, you could start looking for a ray. 3) Decorating a ray tank can be boring. Jagged rocks can do some damage to soft ray undersides, and they'll uproot anything nestled in the bottom. I've started growing tropical plants above the back side of my ray ponds, which make them more appealing to look at. Sand looks really nice and is not awful to clean, but very deep sand beds can, over time, build up pockets of anaerobic bacteria in the depths that can be extremely toxic. Sand is also EXCELLENT at plugging up filters and suction hoses. Ceramic tile is easier to keep clean and can look really nice. 4) Rays are not aggressive, but anything that fits in their mouth counts as a snack. I wouldn't house any fish with a body length under 4"/10cm with a ray, lest it end up on the menu. When choosing tankmates, look for fish that dwell in the upper and middle strata of the water column, because rays are highly active and will constantly be disrupting other bottom-dwellers. I could(and have) write an entire article on keeping freshwater rays, but this covers some basics.

"He breeds moths..." *Starts to get Silence of The Lambs flashbacks*

you don't know how much I wanna wake up, go on youtube and see a "IS A MOTH THE BEST PET INSECT FOR YOU"

"Stingray is basically a flat shark" Finally, someone else said it!

I love sting rays so much. I got to pet one recently at an aquarium, and I was so charmed by the enthusiasm on its little face when it came up to me. Then I saw another video where a sting Ray used its wings to slap the side of a pool in excitement for food. I’ve been sold. Stingrays are my new spirit animal.

There's something I enjoy so much about these sorta videos that are very much reality checks for a lot of people. It's too often on the internet, when animals species of any type are just hyped up no matter, how difficult or sometimes illegal they might be to keep. These videos just add to the respect I have for you guys and the work you do.

".. and everyone will be like; well you're a weirdo!" As far as I'm concerned, there can be no greater praise! 😂👍 Once again, I've learnt a very interesting scientific fact about animals whilst watching Clint's reptiles👍

Growing up in Key West I always knew rays were the puppies of the ocean. They are so amazingly friendly. My dad dove for and sold tropical fish so our entire downstairs was a giant Aquarium and I never wanted an aquarium until now! I never thought of keeping a ray but it would be so worth it

Oh my goodness a ray! Of all fish thats amazing for two reasons. Reason 1: its a weird flat pancake alien Reason 2: they are very closely related to sharks so clint effectively just dipped his toes into giving us shark husbandry tips Love ya loads man keep throwing us these stinkin rad curveballs!

This was a great video, and I would love to see more fish (And other aquatic animals like Shrimp, Corals, etc!) from you! Some fish make amazing pets, even if most of the time you can only watch them. A few things that I thought I would bring up. I really liked your explanation on cycling, though it's a bit out of date, as the fish-keeping community has come up with better, more humane ways of cycling that don't involve subjecting any fish to toxic ammonia or nitrite. The current standard method is to get a "Bacteria in a Bottle" solution, some are better than others, Safestart I've found is best for Freshwater, but Fritz TurboStart is pretty good as well. Dose the tank with that solution, then dose the tank to 2-4ppm of ammonia, under 2 is fine, but never go over 4. Test daily, making sure to add ammonia when it starts going away as the bacteria colonizes your filter. If the Ammonia doesn't go away, unfortunately your bacteria probably died on the store shelves so you will need another bottle. Ammonia will go up, then will start falling as nitrites will go up. Ammonia falls off completely and nitrites peak, then nitrites will go down and nitrates will show up. When you have nitrates, your tank is established and safe for fish. Also a secondary comment. The reason why Freshwater Rays produce so much waste, is that they are still a saltwater fish, but with a special adaptation that allows them to live only in freshwater. Basically, they produce urea to maintain a higher salt level in their body than the surrounding water. Since they will always lose salt to diffusion, they produce a lot of urea, constantly. This means they put out a lot more waste than a fish their size. I normally like to think of them as being equivalent to a fish 3x their mass, and that is a conservative estimate. Anyways, some fish/shellfish I would love to see- Goldfish (cause care for goldfish is a lot harder than people think), Bettas (cause most people don't understand a proper habitat for them), Clownfish (most common saltwater fish, and very much a good intro to salt), and to list a few more off, Oscars, Common vs Bristlenose Plecos, Cherry Shrimp, Pistol Shrimp, Tangs, and benthic Saltwater Rays.

I heard the word Basilisk and then heard the phrase “we’ll be featuring a lot of those in the future” and suddenly my heart was filled with joy.

I love these guys. When I was a kid (around 35 years ago) my family had a massive salt water tank and we had a little blue spotted stingray. I learned a lot about nitrogenous waste because my dad and older brother were really into chemistry. We also had live coral and anemones. I loved that guy.

A suprise but a welcome one

Stingrays are fantastic adorable animals! I always wished I was a mega rich person so I could have one. And an octopus, oh I love those too, they are incredible.

as much as i love the reptile content, i love even more how the channel is branching out into other diverse and interesting animals.

Absolutely on the fish videos! The marine world is vast and I'd love to learn more about what people are keeping. Maybe some rad coral videos?! 😁

So. I've been around some sting ray tanks and I'm always amazed at their personality. Whether it be food motivation or what (even though they don't show disinterest when they figure out you don't have food), I don't know, but when I put a hand in these tanks some just either slide under the hand and almost excited when they pass by a person. I was in an aquarium and a very large group of loud kids came in. I was talking to the keeper from that area and asked if the all the noise of the kids (and the motion and hands in the water) freaks them out, she said they actually seem to like all the attention. On a side note, one animal that was surprisingly friendly in this tank was a horseshoe crab. It never ate the food from me, but it just came and settle under my hand as I pet it.

When he said ''Fill my heart with joy'' It just warmed my heart so much to know there are people so passionate about animals, spreading knowledge about them and that are so dedicate on what they do, all best wishes from Mexico

As a fish keeper, I think you should do a guppy video. They’re like the mourning geckoes of the fish world since they’re so hardy and easy to breed. One of my favorite and most beginner friendly fish out there

So, I posted a video with a manatee yesterday on Instagram ( instagram.com/clintsreptiles ) and nobody commented on Emily from Snake Discovery's voice twin!

That ray is adorable! The way it moves reminds me of a roomba.

Any animal that doesn't drop their tail is Clint's extra favorite animal, I think 😂

....Still better than a Stunfisk.... Anyways, cute catfish impression at the end, Clint. 😂

Me: "That one's a male, that one's a female" My cousin: "You're wierd" That's totally happened to me before😅🤣🤣

your "hi there" always make my day better

I truly hope your page has reached many people and helped prevent them from making commitments for animals they weren't ready for. I LOVE your channel and LOVE you enthusiasm!

I'm just waiting for Clint to say "is a lion the best pet mammal for you?" 😄😂😂

I love these! My roommates had one of these a few years ago, by far the coolest fish I have ever had! Hand feeding was the best.

Clint is such a likable personality.

I’m a simple man I see Clint’s reptiles, I click

He did it! The madman actually did it!

I didn't realize you could keep stingray as pets! I got to feed some once at the Denver Zoo and it was one of the coolest experiences of my life. I didn't stop gushing to everyone about it for weeks! The idea of having one in my home is amazing! But I need to learn to keep a regular aquarium thriving first 😅

I love you branching out! These videos are such a delight :D.

Hey Clint and Team! I absolutely adore your videos and am so happy to see you all grow. One thing that I am requesting that you include is mention the size of each full grown creature maybe even with an hand gesture approximation to get a better understanding. Several of the creature you talk about are young and look to be a reasonable size only to grow much larger than in the videos. I believe it would be really helpful to know the full extent of what it means to care for these amazing animals. Ps this wasn't aimed at the stingray itself but at all creatures. Great video btw

Please never stop with the amazing videos Clint, they’re fun and educational! I always look forward to Saturdays!

That was an unexpected topic - a splendid surprise 🙂 Shouldn't you blur the imagery of the claspers?

I’ve been watched this video but I love coming back for Clint. He’s a blessing to man kind ❤

Stingrays are super fun to visit at aquariums, and are very intelligent, friendly creatures. My local aquarium has a bunch of smaller stingrays and then a big southern stingray named Priscilla, who constantly goes up to people for attention and pets. She has various moves she does. Unfortunately she is not allowed to be hand fed like the smaller ones cause her mouth is so big, but trust me, she gets plenty of food throughout the day!

Love your videos!!’ You’re the actual mr Rogers of animal education!!!

Love these guys!!!! Iv kept and bred them and they are so special. Thank you so much for being the amazing team you guys are, and for rekindling my love for reptiles, because of you iv just this last week got a pair of 2 month old captive bred indian star tortoises.

Really enjoyed this one! My niece and I had a virtual tour yesterday and it was wonderful! Her mom will be incorporating this channel into their homeschooling! Keep up the good work, Clint and family!!!

Hey Clint love your work. Please keep up the dynamic videos with great variety including aquatic fish birds and other interesting oddities

I remember when I was 10 I wanted a shark for Christmas and my parents got me a bala shark and I thought it was a real shark and I was bragging to all my friends lol

Laughed out loud when you said they don't drop their tails! 😂

Your excitement is so lovely to see!

I was looking up whip scorpions. I was shown this channel’s pet vinegaroon video. I am now hooked, because this guy’s joy and barely contained excitement for animals is what everyone needs in their life.

“Oh and they don’t drop their tail :)” Clint you better HOPE a stingray doesn’t drop it’s tail 😂

Thank you for having the spelling of the scientific names in the corner, so many videos say the word but then i don't know how to spell it.

I just discovered this channel yesterday. I'm about 4 videos in. Clint reminds me of Gabe from the Office. I love his enthusiasm for these animals. Great channel

it’s a coincidence that you’ve made this video recently as i’m always searching up stingray stuff since they’re my all time favorite animal and despite the setbacks, you really make me so hopeful to one day have my own pet one! thank you for the lovely, entertaining and informative video and i’ll definitely stick around to see whatever more you come out with! who knows, you might help me finally make a decision on which pet reptile to start with 💜

As much as I enjoy Clint's videos about reasonable pets, his videos about unreasonable pets make me laugh quite a bit more!

hey clint have you ever considered doing a video on varanus glauerti (kimberly rock monitors)? they're a swarf monitor that come from australia and resemble miniature water monitors in appearance as opposed to the ackie's more unique look. ive heard that they make pretty good pets due to them being docile and about on equal terms with ackies when it comes to care. would love to see your take on them!!!!!

I love Clint's videos. They always brighten my day and teach me at the same time.

What a great instructor and such a personable guy! Cool video.

Wow, I didn’t know my dreams were possible

1:13 Fun fact! Buffalo wings actually were invented in Buffalo, NY! (My best friend is a Buffalonian and makes it a point to remind me of this fact every few days 😂)

I love your excitement about everything you do videos on!

I always enjoy and learn something from your videos, Clint. Thanks!

yes these fishes r amazing. reminds me the time i watch them in River Monsters.

YESSSSS FINALLLYY FISHHHHH, I am a huge fish guy and I hope to see more of this content Clint! We all know how humble you are :). Even if the animal just breathes it is "stinkin' rad!" for you so what is your actual favourite animal???

Thumbs up Clint! Nice breakdown of husbandry.. hopefully people won’t rush out to buy one just for the cute factor without having the years of experience needed with more demanding tropical species before attempting these.. far more complex and less forgiving to mistakes than most reptiles ..

Watching your videos make me so happy, your enthusiasm is contagious 😂

Whenever I see stingrays I think of Steve. Rest In Peace.

Clint: cartilaginous fish from the genus Potamotrygon. Me: glubglub roomba!

Just found your channel and subscribed! Your content makes me smile from ear to ear! Awesome animals!

Loved hearing you talk about aquariums! More fish please :3

Woah last week a mammal now a fish Very epic

That’s a male, that’s a female and now everyone thinks you’re a weirdo lmao! It’s too true it hurts

That little mouth when he was hand feeding it 3:28 I don't know why but I found that incredibly cute!!🤣🤣

You fill my soul with joy, THANK YOU

Steven Irwin wants to know your location.

Awe man. I feel like the scores should go up. It's not the animal, it's the people. If you wanna keep anything, you godda be obsessed with it😌... As a marine biologist, I love your appreciation for the great white.

Wow! This one was pretty rad. Thanks, Clint!

Clint, since you asked so nicely, I would enjoy watching more fish vids. I have been keeping herps, birds, fish and inverts and bred many species of each as a hobby for over 40 years and really enjoy your videos.

I have 3 black diamonds in my indoor pond they are awesome and expensive lol

I've been stung by one roughly that size... saltwater florida species of some kind. I was messing with it...didn't fully grasp how it would use the sting. They bat you with it. Like swinging a venomous knife on a rope. Fun times. Hand swole up from the venom.

This was my first time watching one of your videos, was a wonderful treat that really made the end of my day... Thank you!

Tough to get a stingray blooper. That might be its only down side. They are beautiful! You did not disappoint when you said all videos to the end of the year would be AMAZING! So cool! Thank you, thank you!

If you are new to fish keeping, stay away from these. Get something reasonable like Guppies. If those won't do since they won't impress anyone: Stay away from pet keeping.

Steve Irvine would like to have a word with you.

I love these lil' water Roombas.

I would LOVE more videos about fish! Please do more!

Seeing you so enthusiastic about stingrays makes this video 10x better

*Everyone gangsta until the reptile man starts rating the aquatic roomba*

Clint...i could listen to you all day...it shows you love these critters...👍✌🖐👏👏👏👏👏

really nice video :) to often i see videos where they give advice with to small tanks, so it is nice to see proper advice for fish :)

YES! More fish videos please! Love this!

Thanks! I’d love to see more videos like this 😀

Solid discussion of tank cycling and tank upkeep. Proceed.

More aquatic lifeforms!!! Loved it!