1968oldsma
Member
My finacee was looking at a comercial online and she saw a dragon fish and she really liked one i'm sure there very hard to keep like a Seahorse, or something i was just curious cause i think they look really cool.
Anyone Keep A Dragon Fish?
- Thread starter 1968oldsma
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celacanthr
Active Member
they need 500 gallons for a pair. Only one person besides museums has been able to breed em. He is in australia. Little live rock. nothink except for them in the tank. lots of plants like kelp. And the tank should be round.
cartman101
Active Member
Originally Posted by CELACANTHr
they need 500 gallons for a pair. Only one person besides museums has been able to breed em. He is in australia. Little live rock. nothink except for them in the tank. lots of plants like kelp. And the tank should be round.
they dont need a 500gal
They are like sea horses and very difficult to keep. Leave them in the ocean
they need 500 gallons for a pair. Only one person besides museums has been able to breed em. He is in australia. Little live rock. nothink except for them in the tank. lots of plants like kelp. And the tank should be round.
they dont need a 500gal
celacanthr
Active Member
yes yes they do need 500 gallon aquarium if you don't believe me check at syngnathid.org
fallinmor
Member
yeah from what i understand they are close to impossible to keep, a friend of mine tried to catch one when he was in austrialia (have no idea how to spell that.... none) but the ones he said he caught died in the container they were in on his boat. his story is probably bs but i would like to get one but they are not avalible sux but it's probably better that way. just my 2.20001567 cents
batman1820
Member
A friend of mine who works in a warehouse told me that you need a permit to keep them. Also, since they are so incredibly difficult to keep and also an endangered species, I strongly urge you to not buy any and just leave them in the wild. Just my opinion.
fishnerd
Member
Originally Posted by Dogstar
From what I know about them which is little is that they come from Austaila and the Gov. there has limited their collection and sale to only public aquariums and for research only.
This is correct. The Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques) is endemic to Southern Australia and are HIGHLY protected.
The simple fact is that realistically, you CAN'T get one. I work at a major public aquarium, and it took us app. $5,000 each, and a 4 year wait to obtain ours. We are researching and breeding them to help depleted wild stocks, and we still had to go through that much.
BTW- Cealacanth, I'm not saying you are wrong, but I will say your reference page is wrong. They do not need 500 gallons for a pair.
From what I know about them which is little is that they come from Austaila and the Gov. there has limited their collection and sale to only public aquariums and for research only.
This is correct. The Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques) is endemic to Southern Australia and are HIGHLY protected.
The simple fact is that realistically, you CAN'T get one. I work at a major public aquarium, and it took us app. $5,000 each, and a 4 year wait to obtain ours. We are researching and breeding them to help depleted wild stocks, and we still had to go through that much.
BTW- Cealacanth, I'm not saying you are wrong, but I will say your reference page is wrong. They do not need 500 gallons for a pair.
celacanthr
Active Member
ok sorry they need 390 gallon tank for a pair as a bare minimum.
here is the right link click here!
here is the right link click here!
fishnerd
Member
I am not criticizing you, but I do want you to be aware that the gallonages people post are based on their experiences, or what they saw posted/published elsewhere. What are Tracy Travid's credentials? Is she the leading biologist for Australia's fisheries, or a bored lady spending time on her computer? I don't mean to sound accusatory towards her, but there are no requirements of competence in posting in a forum. All you/I/anyone know about posted information is how well experienced they lead us to believe they are.
I could be Jacques Cousteau reincarnated, or a well versed 12 year old who has never even cared for a goldfish.
I am not trying to start a flame war. I simply want everyone to take online advice with a grain of salt, and not take what they read online as factual information.
I could be Jacques Cousteau reincarnated, or a well versed 12 year old who has never even cared for a goldfish.
I am not trying to start a flame war. I simply want everyone to take online advice with a grain of salt, and not take what they read online as factual information.
celacanthr
Active Member
well she has cofounde both syngnathid.org and seahrorse.org, has had 6 years syngnathid experience, and is one of only a few citizens in the world that has succesfully kept seadragons. What reason do I have to not believe her?
( I do not mean to sound angry, i just love to argue!
)
( I do not mean to sound angry, i just love to argue!
fishnerd
Member
"and is one of only a few citizens in the world that has succesfully kept seadragons" quote from CELACANTHr.
My professional understanding is that they are extremely hard to AQUIRE, let alone breed. I disagree with anyone who claims they are "next to impossible to keep". These posters are most likely quoting others, because virtually no one has been able to EVEN TRY to keep them in captivity.
I don't believe people understand the difficulties involved with aquiring one or more of these. I don't care if its legal or not, this species is VERY hard to get a hold of, even with a million dollars or governmental support.
I support responsible care of captive animals, and I feel certain animals SHOULD be left in the ocean (Moorish Idols, Chambered Nautilus, pelagic sharks, etc). However, I believe that many species- kept by professionals- will live a better and longer life in captivity.
I will, hopefully, post some pictures of "our" Leafy Sea Dragons soon.
My professional understanding is that they are extremely hard to AQUIRE, let alone breed. I disagree with anyone who claims they are "next to impossible to keep". These posters are most likely quoting others, because virtually no one has been able to EVEN TRY to keep them in captivity.
I don't believe people understand the difficulties involved with aquiring one or more of these. I don't care if its legal or not, this species is VERY hard to get a hold of, even with a million dollars or governmental support.
I support responsible care of captive animals, and I feel certain animals SHOULD be left in the ocean (Moorish Idols, Chambered Nautilus, pelagic sharks, etc). However, I believe that many species- kept by professionals- will live a better and longer life in captivity.
I will, hopefully, post some pictures of "our" Leafy Sea Dragons soon.
celacanthr
Active Member
ok i agree that they would probably live a better life in a museum or with someone who knows how to keep em. I do think someone like me should not try and keep em even if they had em at my lfs.