There you go - here be leafy sea dragons aplenty:
http://images.google.com.au/images?q=leafy+sea+dragon&ie=ISO-8859-1&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search
They live in my local waters. Glorious things.
Gorgeous creatures, Deb. Hands down.
Omigosh... I had to post this image... these are fantastic! Could you really have an aquarium with these??
Well, because they are so sought by the Chinese for traditional medicine that the poaching is threatening numbers, and they have been protected (crossed fingers), someone is trying to breed them in captivity in large numbers. I saw a TV program about it ages ago. I am not sure how it went/is going.
There is no obvious reason why you could not - they are all just pipe-fish, like the sea horses, and they do ok, I think.
However, they cannot be taken from the wild, legally, at least in Australian waters.
They're incredible! We have pipefish in the chillier waters of Puget Sound... fun to spot because they look so much like a strand of eel grass. These dragons though... they'd look so obvious, I think, but their leafy fins must be a protective. Have you seen them in the wild?
Those dragons are stunning!
I don't think I'm ready to go past pretty goldfish, but ohhhhhhhh!
I would pretty much have to scuba dive to do so, I believe. Not sure if you can snorkle and see them.
They must be amongst weed, I think - their seahorse cousins like to attach to weed.
I imagine they might look a bit like drifting bits of seaweed when swimming.
Glorious, in' they?
They have a bunch of 'em at the Shedd Acquarium (Chicago). They are among the sozlet's favorites.
So beautiful and delicate and feathery.
Rae wrote:During the eighteen month tenure at my pet store, I found sea horses to be the most difficult to keep.
My biggest (and costliest) memory from the pet store......Never, ever mix tetras and puffer fish. Ever. (Puffer fish are a delicacy to other fish species......and they are WAY expensive. Jeezopete.)
LW ~ an afterthought.....I managed to pick up a fifty gallon tank for twenty bucks. The guy selling it knew that it leaked, but I don't think he realised how cheap cilicone sealant is ~ that tank has been in use for over ten years now ~ with no problems.
I don't know if it was a Puffer I once introduced into a tank but a few days later, a lot of the fish were missing fins. The aguarium store said they were fin nippers.
Anyway, I've decided to get exactly what I want (as it is going to sit atop a long dresser), I will go to the local guy and have him order it. 50 Gal. is a bit too big -- I may go as high as 30 in a show tank.
Hooray for the local store owner! Cool beans, LW! Send pics when you get it all up and running!
sea dragons
They had a tank of them at the Monterey Bay Aquiarium where I grew up. I've been fascinated with them ever since. they look like something out of Atlantis...or something God thought up on a really good LSD trip. Love to have a tank of them some day!!
Yes - I was gonna say seahorses on acid - but thought better of it...
apparently not better enough :wink: would never have pegged you for such a right-winger, Dlowan
Hmmm - discretion is the better part of valour.
Sort of.
What I like about show tanks is their narrow profile. They take up less space as far as protuding into the room and on top of my low dressers, it will still leave room in front of the aquarium for my keys! (I wonder how many of the fish will swim up to my keys and wonder what the hell they are?) My one cat is going to be exgtremely curious about the fish and it will probably make my bedroom very popular with Irma.
Irma the Cat? <snort>
Remember to put the cork base down... and be sure to have a nice comfy spot for Irma.
I will get the acrylic tank and use the under-the-tank bumpers or whatever they provide. Irma can curl uo on my bed and stare at the tank. There may even be room for her to tip toe in front of the tank but I doubt it. I'll undoubtedly find her on top of the hood over the tank trying to figure out how to get in. My Siamese cats used to try diligently but could never figure out how to get at the fish so they became satisfied with pawing at them through the glass.
Ah..all the fish talk..love it.
Went to one of the local places last weekend and surprisingly had one seahorse....they are lovely creatures but, Im not up to doing salt water myself.
My cats dont really bother with the fish, strangely. Once in a while a flitter of fish will catch their eye but, even when I had the tanks set up a few feet off the floor they really only looked on occassion. Maybe because the fish were here first, I donno know.
Regarding the under gravel filters....I really really wouldnt do that if you have the option I have found its much healthier and easier to manage with the usual filter systems.
Glad to hear you're getting a nice sized tank LW, best of luck whatever you put in there...enjoy!
