Instant Sea O Wonder's

Sea O Wonders General Care

1. Will I ever need to add more salt to my Sea-O-Wonders once it has been set up?

   No.

   Once you have set up your little Sea-O-Wonders with the correct amount of Instant Sea-Formula for the size of tank that you have chosen to use, you will never need to add anymore salt again. (Unless you are starting over or doing a water change). When the water evaporates it leaves behind the salt in the water and only the water leaves the aquarium so the water begins to get saltier. As long as you do not change to a larger aquarium at a later date you will never have to add anymore salt. In fact, even when using tap water (which we do not recommend) to top up evaporation your Sea-O-Wonders water will slowly grow more salty and saltier as the tap water (which has a tiny amount of salt in it) evaporates away. Because of this "increasing salt problem"  with tap water and the dangerous nature of chlorine in the water supply, we recommend that you only top up you Sea-O-Wonders Aquarium with pure bottled drinking water. By doing this your little ocean community will live for the longest time. 

2. What temperature should the water be?

   Room temperatures around 22° C/72° F should be fine.

3. How often should I feed my Sea-O-Wonders?

   When you feed the animals in your Sea-O-Wonders collection we suggest feeding them once per week using the large end of the feeding scoop, almost all of the Sea-O-Wonders animals will enjoy being feed with Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons Food but remember that if the water gets cloudy you're feeding them too much and you must skip a feed until the water becomes crystal clear again.

4. I accidentally poured the whole Sea-Dragons Food packet into my little Sea-O-Wonders or Sea-Dragons Hatching tank, what do I do?!

   Do not panic!

   Find a clean jar to transfer your Sea-Dragons into.

   Using your Aqua-Slurpa extract water from the center of the tank since the surface of the water will have floating food all over it and there will probably be some on the bottom too and transfer them to the new jar. You could also use a siphon made from a piece of fish tank air line if you have it laying around.

   Using your Aqua-Slurpa, transport as many of your Sea-Dragons and other swimming tank mates as possible.

   Also transfer any other tank mates like Sea-Bubbles along with your Sea-Dragons. If you have snails these can be picked up with fine tweezers.

   Place a clean white paper towel, or coffee filter over another clean jar.

   Pour the remaining water from your Sea-Dragons tank through the filter. This will filter your water, but will unfortunately filter out any extra Sea-Dragon eggs and possibly some of the Sea-Bubbles.

   Rinse your Sea-Dragons tank with clear water.

   Pour your filtered water back into your Sea-Dragons tank

   Pour your live Sea-Dragons back into the their now cleaned tank.

   Cross your fingers!

5. Are there any benefits to owning a little Sea-O-Wonders?

   You bet ya! Just like with keeping fish, owning Itsy Bitsy Sea-Dragons or a little Sea-O-Wonders tank in your home or office has been scientifically documented to have a calming health giving effect. Picture a tank on your desk at work and your little Sea-Dragons frolicking about mini ocean world. They are quiet, and easy to care for needing only to be fed once a per week and you will need to clean up after them like with larger pets!

6. Can I use any salt to make my sea water? What about rock salt or cooking Salt?

   For the health of your sea critters, please do not try to use the wrong type of salt! Marine animals including our Instant Sea-O-Wonders Critters can not survive in just cooking, rock or supposed pure sea salts available from the grocery store (used for pickling or spicing food). They also can not survive in Fresh water Aquarium salt used for gold fish for disease as it is missing very important minerals needed for you're sea pets survival. If you are in doubt leave it out! Read more at [All About Aquarium Fish]

Sea O Wonders - Receiving New Tank Mates

1. I am wondering how I can get my new sea pets out of their little transport baggies? They tend to cling to the bag and I am worried that I wont be able to get them out safely. Have you any suggestions on how to transfer them over to their new home?

   There are couple of ways to transfer your new pets.  Simply cut the top off the transport bag with a clean pair of scissors. (Kids parental supervision please) Then place the entire bag in the water and your new pets will crawl out of their transport bag in their own time. If you have a small clean "medicine dropper" you can gently rinse your new arrivals of of the inside of the bag surface. Once loosened they should tip out out quite easily. If whilst emptying the bag you notice a stray trapped in the corner of the bag then you can further rinse the transport bag with your medicine dropper so that any strays are washed out.

    

Itsy Bitsy Sea-Dragons General Questions

1. Why must I wait 24 hrs before adding the Magic Powder(Eggs)?

   So the Water conditioner can completely clean the water of any bacteria or harmful impurities.

2. It's been a week and I still don't see any Sea-Dragons, do I start over?

   Did you follow all of the steps to setting them up carefully? Sometimes Sea-Dragons take a bit longer to hatch if the water temperature is to cool, try moving them to a warmer position and give them some more light a desk lamp would be perfect. Just be sure to make sure that you dont over heat them by placing a thermometer next to their tank. Also do you have good eye sight? hey are only about the size of a pinhead so you have to look very close to see them!

3. What is the gloop on the bottom of my Sea-O-Wonders tank? Are those dead Sea-Dragons?

   It is a natural part of their ecosystem, this "gloop" (also known as detritus) is actually decaying Sea-Dragon skins, waste products and eventually there will be the odd dead Sea-Dragon too. Sea-Dragon's molt up to 7 times during their lifespan. What you saw was probably just the dark-colored decaying skin or shell from a Sea-Dragon. Dead Sea-Dragons look like normal Sea-Dragons, only they are on the bottom and don't move.

4. Why are my Sea-Dragons Fighting?

   Like other animals, (including some humans unfortunately) Male Sea-Dragons may fight to win the right to mate with a female Sea-Dragon!

Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons - Water Quality

1. Should I remove the Sea-Dragons shells after they shed them?

   No it is not necessary, all of the gunky stuff that collects on the bottom of the tank is part of the Sea-Dragons and the Sea-O-Wonders ecosystem.

2. I have a film of blue-green algae growing on the walls of my Sea-O-Wonders, should I clean it?

   Even though it may not look so good this algae normally occurs if you keep your tank near a bright light source. It's very beneficial to your Sea-Dragons and snails like Teeny Weeny Winkles and Coco Snails, for them it is one of the best foods of all. But you can use the Aqua Leash or one of our mini-magnetic aquarium cleaners available at the Little Aussie Products Shop to clean the tank if you wish we also have a medicine called blue-green be clean to use if the blue-green algae is particularly rampant.

3. Should I change the water periodically?

   No. You should not need to change the water unless it gets particularly dirty. You should be able to keep your Sea-O-Wonders in their tank as is for at least 12 months to two years. But you should regularly add clean, purified bottled water to the origional level as it evaporates.

Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons - Reproduction

1. How can I tell if I have any pregnant Sea-Dragons?

   The female will look noticeably more pregnant and you will be able to see the individual embryos or eggs near her stomach.

2. How many young do Sea-Dragons have at a time?

   They usually have about 10 - 20 babies every month or so.

3. Why are my Sea-Dragons stuck together?

   Well, ahem. Your Sea-Dragons are making babies! Pretty soon you'll be the proud new owner of new baby Sea-Dragons.

4. How do Sea-Dragons reproduce?

   The male and female can mate together to form babies or the female can fertilize her own eggs with out the help of a male if need be. She can also choose to either give birth to eggs or have live young. You'll know when she has had live young instead of eggs because you will see 10 - 20 little baby Sea Dragons "stitching" about in the water after she has given birth. Very Cute!

5. How long does mating take because mine have been stuck together for days now?

   Sea-Dragons really, really. enjoy mating so its no surprise that they remain together for so long. There have been some instances where Sea-Dragons had not finished mating for a week!

6. The babies are swimming to the surface of the hatching tank a lot, is this ok?

   It is natural. Baby Sea-Dragons require more oxygen and are going to the more oxygen rich layer to get it. If you are particularly worried or they are swimming quite slowly then you should increase the daily amount of oxygenation.

Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons

1. What happens if one of my sachets is damp?

   If one or more of your Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons sachets have gone damp there is no need to worry. Dampness of the sachet contents will not harm the sea dragon eggs or prevent them from hatching. However because the salt contents can become sticky when it is damp it can make it a little difficult to empty the whole contents into your water when mixing which is very important. Here is how to get all of the contents from the sachet into the water. Take a clean pipette or medicine dropper and add a little bit of water from the hatching tank to the open sachet. Slowly massage the sachet being careful not to squeeze the water back out causing it to spill. Once the salts have dissolved sufficiently you can tip the solution into the hatching container. Repeat this procedure until the interior of the sachet is completely clean of salts. Now you know that you have emptied all of the contents into the hatching container.

2. When the water level drops down should I add more Water Conditioner?

   For natural evaporation, You can either use "pure bottled drinking water", or if using tap water you can use our "Super Concentrated Water Purifier" When adding fresh water just fill to the original level again.

   Remember that during evaporation the salt never leaves the water so as the water level gets lower the water gets saltier which eventually can get so salty the sea animals can die so never add extra water conditioner when topping up evaporation - just pure water!!!

3. Why do I have to add Water Conditioner before adding the Magic Powder?

   The Water Conditioner is a combination of buffers and special micro nutrients and beneficial bacteria that help Baby Sea Dragons to hatch out and grow properly in their first few weeks of life it is very important to add when setting up a brand new set of Sea Dragons. It is not necessary to use water conditioner again when doing evaporation top ups or if you are using our Little Aussie's Sea Formula because the conditioners are added to the sea formula. If you are extra cautious you can purchase Little Aussies Super concentrated water conditioner which you only use a very tiny amount (one level Sea Dragons mini scoop to three liters (3/4 US gal) of evaporation top up water) to eliminate any chlorine in the water you are using. 

4. Why must Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons be set up by themselves in the begining?

   When setting up a new batch of baby Sea Dragons, Its important to provide your newly hatched babies with a special "quarantine" period where they are kept by them selves which should last for the first two weeks. This is so "friendly microbes" can colonize  your Sea Dragons which will then keep them safe from bad microbes. These "friendly" microbes help to protecting your Sea Dragons from "bad" bacteria that can harm them or cause illness such as  "Baby Fade disease" and Adult Sea Dragon Disease.

5. Why is the water cloudy?

   You're probably feeding your Sea-Dragons too much. 

   Two things can happen the water takes on a smoky hazy appearance which is bacteria breaking down the excess food. This is very bad because it can consume the oxygen in your sea dragons water so  stop feeding your Sea-O-Wonders until the water begins to clear. Don't worry, there's plenty of food and algae for your Sea-Dragons and other tank mates to thrive on during this time! The other type of cloudiness is caused by microscopic algae, this is in fact your Sea-Dragons preferred food, and it will also produce lots of oxygen in the water in contrast to the bacteria issue previously mentioned. The only problem is that it also look a little unattractive if you cant see your sea dragons through all that greenish goodness, so what you must do is again stop any extra feeding. This condition can also be reduced by dimming the lighting or reducing the amount of time it is switched on if you are relying on natural window light moving their tank to a shader place. 

6. Do Sea-Dragons like the sun? Should I put them in sunlight to stay warm?

   Sea-Dragons love to play and frolic in the sunlight and will always swim towards the sun lit parts of your little Sea-O-Wonders aquarium. However indirect sunlight or a desk lamp is safest. Direct sunlight can be dangerous and is not advised because their tank can get hot very quickly and in such a case they can die from heat exhaustion!

7. How often should I feed my Sea-Dragons?

   When you first set up your Sea-Dragons we suggest feeding them once per week using the small end of your feeding scoop. If you have a large colony, you may feed them with the larger end of the scoop, but remember if the water gets cloudy you're feeding them too much.

8. I'm running out of Sea-Dragons food, is there something else that I can feed them like fish food perhaps?

   Unfortunately, your pets cannot survive on anything other than the foods we have provided in our kits for them. Fish foods can easily pollute the water so please dont risk using them and wrecking your little Sea-O-Wonders. You can purchase food packets and more from our online store.

9. I'm worried that there are too many Sea-Dragons in the tank. How many is too many?

   Your 280 ml (12 Oz) hatching size tank will safely hold about 100 Sea-Dragons, more than that and there may not be enough oxygen for all of them. If you do have a lot, it is best to oxygenate the water more regularly, perhaps even three times a day to allow more oxygen.

10. What are they?

    Itsy Bitsy Sea-Dragons are a collection of Australian native species of brine shrimp called "Artemia and Parartemia". "Branchiopoda" is the family they belong to, which includes Fairy shrimp, Billabong Bugs (Triops) Aqua-Aliens(Clam Shrimp) and of course Brine shrimp (Sea Monkeys). 

11. The sales person in a pet shop insisted that Sea-Monkeys and Sea-Dragons are just brine shrimp?

    The sales person in the pet shop should visit this website.

12. How big can they get?

    Itsy Bitsy Sea-Dragons can grow between 1cm(1/2") and about 1.7cm(3/4") in length.

13. All my Sea-Dragons have died! How can I bring them back to life?

    There are still many unhatched Sea-Dragons eggs on the bottom and sides of your tank. DO NOT POUR OUT THE WATER. Try this first: Let the water in your hatching tank completely evaporate, so that all there is left is salt. Then refill your tank with clean fresh water. Also aerate your tank for about 1 1/2 weeks Look closely as you should see new baby Sea-Dragons appear.

14. All my Sea-Dragons have died! How can I bring them back to life?

    There are still many unhatched Sea-Dragons eggs on the bottom and sides of your tank. DO NOT POUR OUT THE WATER. Try this first: Let the water in your hatching tank completely evaporate, so that all there is left is salt. Then refill your tank with clean fresh water. Also aerate your tank for about 1 1/2 weeks. Look closely as you should see new baby Sea-Dragons appear.

15. All my Sea-Dragons have died! How can I bring them back to life?

    There are still many unhatched Sea-Dragons eggs on the bottom and sides of your tank. DO NOT POUR OUT THE WATER. Try this first: Let the water in your hatching tank completely evaporate, so that all there is left is salt. Then refill your tank with clean fresh water. Also aerate your tank for about 1 1/2 weeks. Look closely as you should see new baby Sea-Dragons appear.

16. I aerated my tank for over a week and new Sea-Dragons did not hatch, what do I do now?

    Try adding Egg-Splosion formula to the tank following the directions. Wait a few days and you should see new Sea-Dragon babies!

17. Are there any benefits to owning Sea-Dragons?

    You bet ya! Just like with keeping fish, owning Sea-Dragons or a little Sea-O-Wonders tank in your home or office has been scientifically documented to have a calming health giving effect. Picture a tank on your desk at work and your little Sea-Dragons frolicking about inside. They are quiet, and easy to care for needing only to be fed once a per week and you will need to clean up after them like with larger pets!

18. What is the black streak running down the length of my Sea-Dragons body?

    That stripe is a good sign! When you see what we like to call the racing stripe it means your little Sea-Dragons are getting lots of food from the water, actually just what you can see is the food in their digestive system.

19. Are Sea-Dragons and tank mates harmful to other animals native to my community?

    Not at all! If anything, the other animals may be harmful to your Sea-Dragons. Never release them into the wild because they will not survive! If you need to give up keeping your Sea-Dragons you can either let their tank dry up and then store in the cupboard for a rainy day to start again or you could give them away to your school teacher or a friend.

20. Can I put Sea-Dragons in with my fish?

     

    No! Fish will eat them!

21. Sometimes I notice my Sea-Dragons are different colors, why?

    Because Sea-Dragons are able to change colour! Their colours can range from white to dark red.

22. Should I separate the Sea-Dragons if they are fighting!

    No, you should never try to separate them because you may do more harm than good. Remember they are very small and when they fight they rarely ever do any harm to each other.

23. Can I raise my Itsy Bitsy Sea-Dragons with just the refill packages? Because if I can house them in an aquarium, I won't need the entire kit. Right?

     

    Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons or Sea Monkeys kits (i.e. "newly hatched Artemia set up with "special hatching formula") must always be set up in a container that holds 280 - 300 mils (12 US oz). Following this basic rule is absolutely essential for your success with keeping all "Instant Pets" (whether they be made by Little Aussie Products or others) the special formulas that come with "Instant Pet type kits" have been scientifically formulated to work perfectly with a pre-measured volume of water (namely 280 - 300 mils (12 US oz) for Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons and Sea Monkeys kits) 

    If you set up your new pets in a the wrong sized container then the water may be either too salty, not salty enough, have to many eggs (will cause over population), not have enough pre-mixed baby food (which will cause starvation),or (just as disastrously) have too much baby food particles which will cause over growth of bacteria and an oxygen shortage because of the bacteria that is eating up the over supply of baby food. Unfortunately this mistake can only result in the demise of all your freshly hatched Sea Dragon babies and will be a miserable end to all your hard work.

    
    

    Secondly - both Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons and Sea Monkeys are very sensitive to disease in the early stages of their development and so must never be set up with any other Sea-O-Wonders critters, adult Sea Dragons or Sea-Monkeys for that matter. All baby Sea Dragons "just like human babies" need a period of protection from the outside world (known as quarantine) to grow up strong and healthy and also to allow time for the correct friendly types "micro-flora" to colonise their delicate digestive system before they can safely join the others in your Sea-O-Wonders community. Consider this first hatching tank as your Itsy Bitsy Sea Dragons - Hospital Tank. 

    Once your new Sea Dragons are approximately 2 weeks old, they will be ready to be transferred to their larger home. See how to transfer your Sea-O-Wonders with an "Aqua-Slurpa".

     

Teeny Weeny Winkles

1. The instructions that came with my Teeny Weeny Winkles Kit - "add on pack" says to add the salt formula salts to a small portion of my existing sea dragons water that has been placed in another container for not less than 24 hours (one day)

   We need to dissolve the salt formula first before adding it to our Sea Dragons because the undissolved salt crystals can be very sharp which will hurt your little pets as they dive down to investigate (What to them must be beautiful sparkly crystals falling through the water) and being the innocent little critters that they are will accidentally eat some of the salt which will be very harmful to them indeed. To do this dissolve the sea formula in proximately 20 mils (½ US once). A very clean medicine cup would be ideal to measure out 20 mils from your existing sea dragons tank. In this volume the salts will dissolve away quite quickly and completely over 24 hours. After one day has elapsed, you can then pour the solution into their tank and mix it well with either a pipette or Aqua-Bubbler or even by stirring gently with a clean tea spoon.

2. So what are Teeny Weeny Winkles?

   Teeny Weeny Winkles are a small species of sea-snail (Marine Mollusc) who are in the genus Nodilittorina and the family Littorinidae which are more commonly known as "winkles" or "periwinkles".

Sea Puggles

1. How do I transfer my Sea-Puggles form one tank to another?

   Sea-Puggles can be safely transferred with an Aqua-Slurpa.

Aqua-Slurpa

1. How do I use the Aqua-Slurpa

   Just pump the bellows with your thumb several times just once a day to fill your Sea-Dragons water with bubbles that carry life-supporting oxygen.

   These are Perfect for REALLY serious Sea-O-Wonders owner.

   Can be used for Sea-Monkeys too.

2. What is the Aqua-Slurpa?

   The Aqua-Slurpa is the perfect Sea-Dragon pick-it-upper-a tool that works by suction, it is the only way safley pick up a belloved sea pet when attempting to move him to another tank or for any other reason, The Aqua-Slurpa also doubles as a vacuum cleaner to suction up the muck that settles on the bottom over time. It cannot injure even the biggest Sea-Dragons, can be used to transfer Sea-Bubbles and Sea-Puggles as well and can also be used for Sea-Monkeys.

Aqua-Bubbler

1. What is the Aqua-Bubbler?

   The Aqua-Bubbler is a manual aerator made specifically for your Sea-O-Wonders. Whats really neat is it requires no electricity or batteries! In fact, it can not wear out or break! Can also be used for Sea-Monkeys.

2. How do I use the Aqua-Bubbler?

   Put the end with the white sponge like bubbler in the water and simply depress and release the top several times. You will add a lot of oxygen into your tank that will help your Sea-O-Wonders to thrive!

3. Can the Aqua-Bubbler hurt my Sea-Dragons?

   No, just be careful not to squish your little pets! Vigorous bubbling is not recommended, just slow gentle bubbles.

4. What if the white spongey bubbler falls off the end?

   It shouldnt, but if it does just push it back onto the tube.

5. Should I clean my Aqua-Bubbler?

   Keeping your Aqua-Bubbler clean to prevent bacteria from entering your tank.

   Use a cup of clear water and depress several times, then rinse under clear water.

   Make sure that it dries before using it again.

    

   Never use detergent!

Isy Bitsy Sea-Dragons - Feeding

1. Can Itsy Bitsy Sea-Dragons be fed other diets advertised as "food for artemia" or even a home-made food mix found on the Internet?

   We can only recommend our specially designed feeds that have been formulated right here at Little Aussie Products.  This is because each sea critters diet has been scientifically formulated for health, growth and well-being so you can be certain that you are feeding each pet the correct diet. Most of the commercial formulations that you may find in the aquarium and pet stores advertised "for raising large quantities of feeder brine shrimp" are designed for large tanks or even out door ponds. In such systems, hundreds of gallons and mechanical aeration are the norm! Your Sea-O-Wonders community on the other hand is just a few litres and for the most part with out aeration so the feeds need to be more precisely balanced to not cause any issues with the water quality of your Sea-O-Wonders. The other issue we have with "home made recipe's for brine shrimp"  are that they are often overly simple in composition to be of any real long term benefit for your sea pets and often contain ingredients that are again liable to either pollute the water quickly or consume the oxygen in the mini tank thereby causing great distress for your Sea-O-Wonders community and possibly the eventual demise of the whole ecosystem. Please stick to our formula's for a guaranteed success.