Leafy Sea Arowana - A rare fish with a unique appearance

The leafy sea dragon, an endemic fish found only in Australia, is a rare, strictly protected, non-commercial fish with an impressive, unique appearance.

Leafy Sea Dragon , also known as Leafy Sea Dragon (Phycodurus eques), is a fish endemic to Australia, with a special appearance, impressive with a body with many fake leaves that look like seaweed, has a very good camouflage ability, is gentle, and likes to live alone. This fish species is extremely rare and strictly protected in Australia, not allowed to be traded on the international market, usually only appearing in licensed oceanographic institutes.

In today's article, let's go deeper with nice fish to learn more about sea dragons to understand their origin and habits!

Information about leafy sea dragon fish :

Origin of leafy sea dragon fish

A leafy sea dragon is floating in the ocean.

Leafy sea dragon, also known as leafy sea dragon, is an endemic fish species found only in the temperate waters of southern and southwestern Australia, specifically as follows:

• Cape Wilson (Victoria) to Jurien Bay
• North of Perth city in Western Australia.

In nature, this fish species often lives in rocky reefs covered with kelp and seagrass at depths of 3 - 50 meters below sea level.

Today, the leafy sea dragon is considered the distinctive marine symbol of the state of South Australia.

Leafy Sea Arowana Appearance

The distinctive appearance of a leafy sea dragon.

The leafy sea dragon is a marine aquarium fish with the most impressive and unique appearance in the world, even being mistaken by many people for a branch of seaweed. Let's learn more about the appearance of this fish.

• Color : Yellow brown or olive green, combined with white or yellow stripes, this color can change depending on the environment.
• Head : Seahorse-like with a calyx snout, large eyes, and the ability to move independently.
• Stem : Long, slightly curved, with many "false leaves" growing at the head, stem, and tail.
• Pectoral and dorsal fins : Transparent, very difficult to see with the naked eye.
• Tail : Cannot curl like seahorse, has many long pseudo-leaflets.
• Swimming fins : Small, located near the neck, transparent.

Leafy Sea Arowana Behavior

Leafy sea dragons have excellent camouflage capabilities thanks to their special bodies.

Not only does it have an impressive appearance, the leafy sea dragon also has very special habits to adapt to the unique marine environment of Australia.

Slow swimming is very smooth

Leafy sea dragons swim very slowly, appearing to float in the water. They swim using their small, transparent dorsal and pectoral fins. The "false leaves" are just for camouflage.

Like to live alone, gentle

In the wild, leafy sea dragons do not like to live in groups, but live alone or in pairs. They are very gentle and almost never aggressive or attack other fish. Even when threatened, they only know how to hide and camouflage.

Very good camouflage

Leafy sea dragons are considered masters of camouflage in the marine world. With their unique bodies, they look very similar to seaweed floating freely in the water if you don’t observe closely. Their body color can even change depending on the water environment they live in.

No teeth, suck food through long snout

Leafy sea dragons are toothless marine creatures that feed by sucking food through their long, straw-like snouts and never chase their prey, but rather quietly approach their prey and suck them in with force.

Unique reproduction

Leafy sea dragons have a very unique reproductive habit, similar to seahorses and pipefish, the male takes care of the eggs, while the female only lays the eggs. The eggs will be attached to a large plate on the male's tail, where they are protected, kept warm and fully oxygenated until they hatch into baby fish.

No migration

Leafy sea dragons will live in a fixed place or small territory and never migrate seasonally. Even a fish can live its entire life in a fixed area of ​​only a few hundred square meters.

Instructions on how to raise leafy sea dragon fish professionally

Leafy sea dragons like environments with lots of seaweed and aquatic plants.

Raising leafy sea dragons is an extremely difficult challenge because this fish species not only requires an extremely stable living environment but also has the most special diet and care. You can refer to the following instructions:

Prepare the tank for raising leafy sea dragon fish

Leafy sea dragons are fish that like a stable, less volatile environment with not too strong currents, so when designing a tank to raise them, please note the following:

• Tank capacity : Minimum 300 - 500 liters or more, long instead of high so that fish can swim comfortably in the tank.
• Oxygenation system : High, ensure enough oxygen in the water, use a light aerator to avoid creating strong currents in the water.
• Water Filtration System : Choose a gentle flow, coarse filtration to help maintain consistent water quality, such as an external filter or a wall-mounted filter system.
• LED lights : Choose specialized lights for aquariums, with soft light, lighting from 10 - 12 hours/day,
• Landscape and tank decoration : Plant lots of kelp or soft seaweed to create camouflage for the fish, choose soft corals, avoid using sharp rocks because they can hurt the fish.

Ideal water parameters for raising leafy sea arowana

In order for the Leafy Sea Arowana to quickly adapt and grow well in an artificial tank, maintaining the parameters to reach the ideal standards is the most important thing. Below are some necessary water parameters:

• Ideal water temperature : 14 - 19 degrees Celsius, avoid sudden changes
• Salinity : 1.020 - 1.025
• pH: 8.1 - 8.4
• Dissolved oxygen : High, above 5mg/liter
• Amoniac, Nitrit: 0 ppm
• Nitrate : Below 10 ppm
• Hardness : 8 - 12 dGH

Tips for maintaining stable water parameters :

• Use measuring equipment and check the water quality in the tank regularly by using a pH meter, salinity meter, and dissolved oxygen meter.
• Use a strong, effective filtration system
• Change water regularly: Change 10 - 20% of the water in the tank every week.
• Good control of excess food.

What do leafy sea dragons eat?

Leafy sea dragons are omnivorous, in the wild they can eat a variety of foods such as zooplankton, shrimp, and crustaceans. However, when raised in an artificial tank, you need to provide a complete and varied diet. You can refer to some of the following types:

• Live or frozen shrimp.
• Pelleted or frozen food specifically for marine fish containing algae and high animal protein.
• Algae, seaweed.
• Vitamin tablets specifically for marine fish.

Note :

• Fish should be fed 2-3 times a day with enough food for the fish to finish within 15-20 minutes.
• Provide a varied, nutritious diet.

Prevention and treatment of diseases for leafy sea arowana fish

Preventing and treating diseases for leafy sea dragon fish is very important, deciding whether the fish can grow well and live long or not, follow the instructions below.

Disease prevention for Leafy Sea Dragon :

• Quarantine new fish for 10 - 14 days before introducing them into the tank to control disease.
• Clean the pond, change water, and vacuum the bottom regularly.
• Avoid sudden changes in temperature and salinity.
• Avoid keeping with many aggressive, fast swimming fish to avoid stress.
• Add vitamins to food to increase fish resistance.

Treatment for leafy sea dragon fish :

Leafy sea dragons are strictly protected.

Currently, the leafy sea dragon is an endemic, extremely rare fish species that is strictly protected in Australia. Therefore, it will not be freely traded in the aquarium market. Only oceanographic institutes or research facilities with special licenses are allowed to breed this fish species.

If you like the unique beauty of the Leafy Sea Dragon, you can consider trying some marine aquarium fish with similar unique shapes such as: Grassy Sea Dragon, Seahorse, Pipe Fish,...

Leafy Sea Arowana Image

If you want to fully admire the unique and strange beauty of the leafy sea dragon, don't miss the images shared below!

Image of a sea dragon with leaves that look like seaweed.

Image of leafy sea dragon fish hovering near the bottom.

A leafy sea arowana with a striking appearance.

Thus, through the article on nicefish.net, we have shared with you all the information about the leafy sea dragon fish . This is an ornamental fish with a special, impressive and very valuable appearance, strictly protected in Australia, and almost never appears on the ornamental fish market, so you can only see them through pictures on the web.

Don't forget to visit our Blog section to discover more beautiful and unique aquarium fish!