How do I set up and hatch my new Aqua Dragons pets? It’s very easy!
See our video of Victor, Amy and Christian setting up and caring for a tank of Aqua Dragons:
Or read through our step by step instructions on how to set up and care for Aqua Dragons:
Once you’ve taken your tank out of the box, check the contents. Remember you need to have two sachets, Aqua Dragons eggs and their food, a pipette to oxygenate the water, a small spoon to feed your Aqua Dragons, the information booklet, and in case you bought the Aqua Dragons Deluxe Kit, you will also have a battery instruction sheet, the LED lights in the base of your tank and a magnifier to be able to see your hatchings up closer!
Once you have identified everything, open the tank and fill it with spring or filtered bottled water or alternatively, if you decide to use tap water (not recommended), you should leave it to sit still for 24 hours before you put the eggs in so that the chlorine has evaporated. Do not use mineralized or carbonated water.
Once the tank is filled, carefully open the eggs sachet and pour the full contents into the tank, you will see a cool effect while the salts dissolve and the eggs disperse throughout the tank!
In case you have bought the Aqua Dragons Deluxe kit with led lights, the batteries are included, so you can switch them on whenever you like using the button on the side of the tank.
Once the tank is set up, how should I take care of them?
You have already filled your tank and poured your Aqua Dragons eggs?
Perfect! From now on you will have to take care of your growing babies.
Remember that the room temperature shouldn’t be more than 31ºC or less than 17ºC. Aqua Dragons love sunlight but be careful; the tank shouldn’t be left in direct sun in summer where it could overheat.
Once the Aqua Dragons eggs become water borne, they will hatch, don’t worry if you don’t see them immediately, but they are starting to wake up from hibernation! If you have a magnifier the best time to use it and see them hatch is usually about 24 hours after you set up the tank. And in about 48-72 hours you will be able to see some tiny white dots swimming against the current without a magnifier, these are your Aqua Dragons!
It’s important to oxygenate the water as your Aqua Dragons need it to breathe, especially in the first few weeks of life when the dragons are still tiny and it takes a lot of effort to swim up to the surface for air. To oxygenate insert the pipette into the water and expel the bubbles of air, then pull the pipette out before you release the well so it doesn’t suction up water from your tank, repeat for a minute or so.
How do I feed them?
After you have seen them which is usually about 48 hours after setting up the tank, they will be ready to be fed for the first time, but just half a spoonful using the special tiny feeding spoon as they are still very small. From then on you will have to feed them with one level spoonful every 2 or 3 days, depending on the amount of Aqua Dragons you have (more often if you have hundreds, less often if you have few). But don’t overfeed them, as little as the spoonful may seem to you, they have plenty and overfeeding can make the water go off.
Observe your new pets closely; you could even make a little diary to record how they grow! You will be able to see the difference between a female and a male, see how they grow through the different stage of the life cycle, how they eat and how they behave. You will even see differences between them, so you can tell them apart and be able to name them!
What to do if something goes wrong?
Be patient every Aqua Dragons hatch is different as it depends on the light and temperature, so it may take you a week to see them swimming. As we told you before, feed them every 3 or 4 days once you’ve seen them and oxygenate them every day during the first month, after that they will have grown and will be able to get to the top of the tank to breathe.
If you think you are doing everything as explained and even though after two weeks you still haven’t seen anything, check over every process to see what could have gone wrong:
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Bottled water
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17-30 ºC temperature
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Natural light
If you have lots of baby Aqua Dragons but some of them are dying, the reason may be because they don’t have enough oxygen, so you should oxygenate the water more often. You can also pour water into another recipient and back to re-oxygenate, but be careful not to tip the water out the tanks!
It’s also natural and normal that some of them don’t survive; this is part of the natural life cycle.
Ongoing care - Should I change or clean my Aqua Dragons Water?
NO! The Aqua Dragons water contains salts and minerals so you shouldn’t change it, if you see that it is too muddy, stop feeding them for a couple of days, they may have too much food. If you see kind of seaweed inside the tank, you shouldn’t clean it, it’s part of their ecosystem. If the water is evaporating then you can refill with room temperature bottled water. And if some of your Aqua Dragons die, don’t try to take it out, they will sink to the bottom and decompose/disintegrate.
And remember always to have fun!
