rubberduck
Active Member
well is it rare, hard to get and does it not survive long? i need some help.
thx, TRAVIS
thx, TRAVIS
is a SEADRAGON possible to obtain in the fish trade?
- Thread starter rubberduck
- Start date
rubberduck
Active Member
i heard they were rare, i guess so. stilll waiting
rubberduck
Active Member
wow do u kow any requirments they need?
moraym
Active Member
Originally posted by fishy411
i know a guy that has one. His is very healthy an dhe doesnt even run a skimmer
Sorry, I'm going to have to throw the BS flag on that one.
Sea dragons are unique to the waters of southern WA and South Australia, making its home in seagrass. So even if they were allowed in aquariums, they would be $1000 due to difficulty in locating them, much less acquiring and transporting one (more to come on this).
Due to pollution (leafy seadragon has no natural predators), in 1991 the Department of Fisheries declared it a totally protected species. So it's now 100% illegal to "collect" them.
Also, it's guaranteed BS that your friend has one b/c sea dragons are often found dead on the beach due to their bladder. Their flotation bladder is EXTREMELY fragile and is unable to cope w/ sudden changes in water pressure or depth. So much so the leafy seadragon is known to die in storms and bad weather due to only the flucuating water pressure and depth. So unless your friend is the Smithsonian or Baltimore Aquarium, he doesn't own a pressurized tank nor does he have a tank of the proper depth. That is another reason you only see these species in professional aquariums.
Sorry RUBBERDUCK, I don't know why people make things up on these boards, but doesn't look like you can get one. If you could get one, i'd be first in line w/ you to buy one. But I guess I don't have the thousands to invest in a proper tank for its requirements anyways.
moraym
Active Member
RUBBERDUCK, if you want to see them alive, you will surely want to go diving in Australia. The seagrass dives are amazing, there's actually some cool information on dragons and Australian diving on Australia's Fish Dept website: http://www.fish.wa.gov.au
I've only been once, but want to get there again sometime next year.
I've only been once, but want to get there again sometime next year.
veganman
Member
Scripps in San Diego has them in their seahorse breeding display.
From what I have heard, they are nearly impossible for the home aquarist to keep for any extended period of time.
They are extremely expensive. The guy I talked to at Scripps said they go for over $5000.00 each, on the rare occasion that they are available.
There are some privately kept in the US, but not many.
I know I'll never have one.
From what I have heard, they are nearly impossible for the home aquarist to keep for any extended period of time.
They are extremely expensive. The guy I talked to at Scripps said they go for over $5000.00 each, on the rare occasion that they are available.
There are some privately kept in the US, but not many.
I know I'll never have one.
rubberduck
Active Member
THX EVERYONE SOOOOOOO MUCH I REALY APPERCIATE ALLL THE INFO
unleashed
Active Member
Most sources of information about sea dragons say they are found in the ocean waters of southern Western Australia, South Australia and further east along the coastline of Victoria province, Australia. Sea dragons are protected under Australian law, and their export is strictly regulated. A 1996 assessment by the Australian government's Department of Environmental Heritage indicates "It [the Leafy Sea Dragon] is now completely protected in South Australia because demand for aquarium specimens threatened the species with extinction." Currently the specific law which protects them
harlequinnut
Active Member
Originally posted by joker_ca
all i know is that its a regular exhibit, we went there to see the great white they have there
Joker...
Sorry to steal this thread, but can you elaborate on what you think of the Great White exhibit. Thanks.
joker_ca
Active Member
it was cool but the shark was around 5ft long, they had him in with some huge and i mean huge tunas and some other sharks and also a school of sardines, the cool thing about the exhibit was that its on two floors and most of people are on the second floor, on the first floor there is hardly anyone
the only bad thing is that you cant use the flash on your camera, i took some pics buy they didnt come out good at all very blurry looking but you can make him out
anyone in CALIFORNIA should go see it, they say shes doing good and she is supposed to have broken all records of keeping GREAT WHITES in captivity, also the MONTEREY AQUARIUM said if there is any sign of trouble they're going to release her back into the ocean
i'll post the pics i took when i get home from work
:happyfish
the only bad thing is that you cant use the flash on your camera, i took some pics buy they didnt come out good at all very blurry looking but you can make him out
anyone in CALIFORNIA should go see it, they say shes doing good and she is supposed to have broken all records of keeping GREAT WHITES in captivity, also the MONTEREY AQUARIUM said if there is any sign of trouble they're going to release her back into the ocean
i'll post the pics i took when i get home from work
:happyfish
fmarini
Member
actually over the years I've seen a few leafy seadragons for sale primarily on japanese websites (SPLASH in particular). These were subadult animals around 3-4" in size they were going for $5000 USD at the time. supposedly if these critters could be captive bred/CR then their offspring are not covered under the CITES restriction. I believe thats the loophole this retailer was selling the leafys under.
Thats said, these fish required chilled systems (i've never heard of them pressurizing the systems) and live food, I attended a talk about these fish by the director of a public aquarium and he joked that the cost of the food supply for that exhibit alone was more than his annual salary.
right back to the question...
that animal you describe is called a "sea moth" pegasus not a sea dragon.
yes they are available, they are extreme fussy eaters and cannot compete w/ any swimming fish, they basically crawl on the bottom and suck up small crusteans, worms. I've seen a few recently. Only about 3-4" long.
Cool looking for sure
frank
Thats said, these fish required chilled systems (i've never heard of them pressurizing the systems) and live food, I attended a talk about these fish by the director of a public aquarium and he joked that the cost of the food supply for that exhibit alone was more than his annual salary.
right back to the question...
that animal you describe is called a "sea moth" pegasus not a sea dragon.
yes they are available, they are extreme fussy eaters and cannot compete w/ any swimming fish, they basically crawl on the bottom and suck up small crusteans, worms. I've seen a few recently. Only about 3-4" long.
Cool looking for sure
frank