Urobatis halleri
| Identification | A small, round-disced stingray, mottled brown above and pale below, with a short tail bearing a venomous barb. It spends most of its time buried in sand. Also called the Round Stingray. |
|---|---|
| Maximum Length | 10″ disc |
| Origin | Eastern Pacific (temperate) |
| Minimum Tank Size | 180 Gallon (open sand base) |
| Reef Compatibility | Not reef safe. Eats worms, crustaceans and small fish; needs open sand, not rockwork. |
Behavior
A hardy but temperate/subtropical ray that prefers cooler water and a large, open sand-bottomed tank with no sharp obstacles. It buries itself and forages along the bottom. More manageable in size than the bat ray, but still a specialized animal.
Diet & Feeding
Meaty foods — shrimp, chopped fish, clam and worms placed on the sand.
Cautions
Prefers cooler water than a tropical reef and carries a venomous tail barb — handle with extreme care. Needs a large open sand footprint and cannot be kept with rockwork it will scrape against.