Has anyone ever keep a sea dragon?????????

[whipple]

Hey has anyone ever keep a sea dragon? I just saw on at the LFS and they said it was moderate to take care of. I have a sea horse is it about the same or whats the difficulty and also does anyone know the life span is this gonna die in a week? Any info would be great cause im not gonna buy it till i find out if i can keep it?

 

[whipple]

Help me. any info PLEASE!

 

[joe5_15]

idk what ur talkin about? whats a sea dragon

 

[duff]

Is it a leafy of weedy sea dragon? If it is I believe they are endangered and it is illegal to own one.

 

[teetee]

A sea dragon? Perhaps from Australia? Yes, they are not for beginers and rarely seen in the trade.
Or, is it a Dragon Wrasse? If it is the wrasse, they are pretty easy and not reef safe. They like to move rubble/substrate around from place to place. Also bear in mind that the stirking appearance occurs in juveniles. They mature into a rather large and more dull looking fish.

 

[whipple]

NOT SURE WHAT TYPE IT LOOKS LIKE A SEA HORSE HEAD WITH A PLANT BODY ITS IN THE BACK OF THE LFS AND THE GUY SAID HE'LL SELL IT TO ME FOR $135.00 BUT ITS THE COOLEST THING I'VE SEEN. WHAT IS ITS LIFE SPAN? AND NO COPS LIVE AT MY HOUSE SO THATS NOT ONE OF MY WORRIES. BY THE WAY THE COLOR IS A GOLDISH TAN COLOR IF THAT HELPS ANY.
THANKS BILL

 

[doh]

The endangered one is Phycodurus eques (The Leafy Seadragon). But you probably saw Phallopteryx taeniolatus (the Common Seadragon). It lives in the Indo-West Pacific and southwestern Australia and can grow to eighteen inches in length(nearly 3 times that of regular seahorses). It is tan-green in color and has fewer "leafy-growths" on the body whereas The Leafy SeaDragon is litterally covered in these growths. From what I have read it has an extremely low survival rate, but if it is eating and healthy it has been known to do well in captivity. I hope this helps, but I dont have any experience with these(or have never see one in person) so it is only from what I read.
Jon
P.S. I would do a seach for "Phallopteryx taeniolatus" on hotbot or similar and see if you can find info or pictures to see if it is what you saw.

 

[jonthefb]

As far as i know these guys are extremely hard to keep alive in captivity. I have several years experience in keeping seahorse, and them being enough of a challenge, this guy must be one heck of a toughy. I would make sure that he is feeding in the LFS tank, and make sure that you watch him eat before you buy him. Also, try and e-mail or contact public aquaria that keep these guys in captivity adn ask them questions as to what they feed, how often, and the requirements for keeping one alive. One place i would definately check out is the Shedd Aquarium, as they have an exhibit called Seahorse symphony, and actually keep seadragons! HTH
Jon

 

[whipple]

WOW THEN IM GONNA SAY IF SEA WORLD CANT KEEP IT ALIVE THEN I REALLY DONT WANT TO TRY BUT THANKS FOR ALL THE HELP.
BILL

 

[fishymissy]

Hey Whipple, go here to see which one the LFS has www.dragonsearch.asn.au/video/video.html
You don't have to watch the movies, just look at the photos.
If what the LFS has is the leafy seadragon, then you can report them to Wildlife Services at www.aphis.usda.gov/ws/
these are endangered animals and it is everyone's responsibility to protect them! You might also get a reward for doing so!

 

[whipple]

hey missy i think its the weedy from the pictures but in any case the guy is my freind and i realy wouldnt want him going to jail. but i do agree on not catching endangered species

 

[blind voyeur]

I shot a video of some at a local Ripley's Aquarium they had aroung 6 of them

 

[blind voyeur]

And

 

[ophiura]

I question anything that is "in the back of the store" (assuming this means it is not out in public).
This is not just an endangered species, this is an endangered species that is very difficult to keep alive in captivity. That is even worse, IMO, then wanting something like a Tiger...which just might kill you. Fair game, IMO.