We were very kindly sent an aqua dragons habitat kit to review. I’ll be honest, I thought they were pretend, like some sort of toy, so I got a bit of a shock when I realised they were actually real live aquatic creatures that would start swimming about and that we would indeed need to care for them and keep alive! If, like me your new to aqua dragons but have kids that are desperate for them, or you are already sold on the idea of getting some, either for yourself or a child, then here is everything you need to know in advance, from what they are to how to keep them alive, plus our review as total newbies.
What are aqua dragons?
Aqua dragons are LIVE aquatic creatures that you can care for in your home. They arrive as eggs and once placed in the aquarium with water they hatch and grow to about an inch long. You can buy kits that contain everything you need to care for them, including the tank, eggs and the food direct from the Aqua dragon website, most toy shops and amazon.
Aqua dragons are great for kids that have an interest in animals or science as they are educational and fascinating, especially as you can watch the full life cycle from egg to adulthood. The sets are aimed at children aged 6 and up if they are going to care for them by themselves but I think that younger children will still enjoy setting up their habitat too, as long as they have some help, our two year old loved it.
How do you look after aqua dragons?
Looking after the aqua dragons has been relatively easy. All you need to do is
- Set up their little tank
- Keep them in a well ventilate room
- Place them somewhere they will be exposed to sunlight
- Feed them every 2-3 days
- Ensure their water stays between 17-30 degrees Celsius
What do aqua dragons eat?
The kit contains a packet of food that you can feed to your aqua dragons. You only need to use a very small amount every 2-3 days so this will last a long time. However, if you do run out you can buy more food online from amazon.
How long do they live for?
Aqua dragons can live for up to 6 months if they are in the right conditions. It is also possible that they will reproduce in their aquarium meaning you will have aqua dragons for as long as you continue to care for them. Should the aqua dragons reach the end of their life cycle you can, if you wish, leave the tank on the side and allow the water to evaporate and then add fresh water. Doing this will allow any eggs that are still in the aquarium to hatch and you can watch the life cycle of the aqua dragons all over again. If you do not want to wait for the water to evaporate, or you do not think you have nay eggs in the tank, you can purchase packets of new eggs instead.
Our honest review
As soon as the Aqua dragon kit arrived, Connor (9) was fascinated with it and couldn’t wait to set it up. This is most likely because he had a better understanding of what it was then I did and as an animal lover he was desperate to raise his own pets. The instructions were easy to understand however, I would recommend you read the instructions fully before you start as half way through it tells you that you need to use bottled water not tap, luckily we had some in.
Setting up the aquarium was very easy and very quick. I would say that children over 6 could do it themselves but that a parent should be on hand to offer help with opening packets and double checking measurements if needed. Once set up is complete there is nothing left to do except find them somewhere to stay and wait 2-3 days for the eggs to hatch.
Those first few days felt very slow and the kids wanted to keep checking the tank for any movement. By day 3 we could just make out a few tiny dots in the tank and the kids enjoyed looking at these through the magnifying glass. By day 6 we definitely had some movement and could see that the aqua dragons were growing rapidly and swimming around.
There are several sets you can buy, ours came decorated with cute aqua dragon pictures and LED lights that give of a lovely blue shine when the room gets dark making it a great feature in the children’s room. The LED lights require two AAA batteries which were also provided with the kit.
Overall this has been a great project that has been so much fun for both kids (2 and 9) as well as very educational and I would highly recommend getting your very own aqua dragons. It does not require a lot of time, either at set up, or to maintain, and eventually it becomes a bit like a fish tank, only you don’t need to feed them as often or clean them out.