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Why
Haven't I Heard of Jellyfish
Aquariums Before?
The
home jellyfish aquarium industry is the newest trend
in
saltwater aquarium keeping. Just a few decades ago it was thought
impossible to
keep jellyfish alive in captivity. The world’s first
jellyfish exhibit opened
at the Monterey
Aquarium just over twenty years ago. The technological advances
necessary for
keeping jellyfish alive in captivity paved the way for the home
jellyfish
aquarium market. The home jellyfish aquarium industry is still in its
infancy.
It isn’t even a decade old yet.
Can
I keep Pet Jellyfish in a Regular Aquarium?
Not
if you want to keep them alive. Jellyfish can not be
kept in a standard rectangular aquarium. Jellyfish have no brains. They
will get
stuck in the corner and won’t be able to get out. A jellyfish
tank has to have
sufficient water circulation for jellyfish to be able to swim properly.
Without
proper circulation your pet jellyfish will be reduced to a helpless
blob of
gelatinous goo lying on the bottom of your aquarium.
A
jellyfish fish tank must have the correct filtration
system. Jellyfish consist of 95% water. There is only a thin outer
membrane
holding them together and keeping them alive. If
this membrane is ruptured they will die. Traditional aquarium filters
are deadly to pet jellyfish. They will be sucked into them and
liquefied
instantly.
Aren’t
Jellyfish
Dangerous?
That
depends on the jellyfish. The box jellyfish is one
of the most deadly creatures on the face of the planet. A box jellyfish
sting
can kill you in less than 2 minutes. But most jellyfish are not deadly.
In
fact, most jellyfish stings range from totally harmless to human beings
to
mildly irritating.
Moon
jellyfish, for example, typically lack enough
pressure in their nematocysts (stinging cells) to penetrate the human
skin.
That
said; common sense and do
diligence should be applied when handling any venomous creature.
It
should
also be
noted that every individual reacts
differently to invasive toxins being introduced into their system. A
bee sting
to most of the worlds population amounts to no more than a minor
annoyance. Yet
there are a small percentage of individuals who suffer from potentially
fatal
allergic reactions from bee stings.
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of FAQ
Jellyfish
are actually easier to take care of
than regular saltwater fish. Jellyfish have a slower metabolism and
produce
less waste than fish. And with AquaBella Organics in your jellyfish
fish tank, routine
maintenance and tank algae removal is a thing of the past!
Do
I Need to Cycle my Jellyfish Aquarium?
You
already have! Your JellyTank Starter kit contains
AquaBella Organics bio-enzyme water conditioner. When
introduced to your JellyTank, this 100% natural blend
of over 20 species of
beneficial naturally occurring non-pathogenic bacteria and other
microorganisms
is all you need to establish and maintain the perfect saltwater
ecosystem in
your jellyfish tank. Aquabella Organics backs its product with a no
water
changes for one full year guarantee. If, within, a year’s
time your JellyTank’s
ammonia or nitrate levels rise enough to call for a partial water
change they
will replace the product no questions asked. With AquaBella, keeping
your pet
jellyfish alive and healthy couldn’t be any easier.
What
is the Most Common Jellyfish Kept in a Home Jellyfish Aquarium?
Moon
Jellyfish are the most commercial obtainable jellyfish
for home aquarium use. That and the fact that they are the easiest
jellyfish to
keep alive in captivity make them the perfect choice for a novice
jellyfish
keeper. The reason they are both the easiest to find and to care for is
related
to their diversity in nature. Moon jellies commonly frequent shallow
water
lagoons and estuaries. Which
means the
aquarium trade doesn’t have to go on a deep sea fishing
expedition to capture
them. They are found in virtually every ocean on the planet and can
survive
water temperatures anywhere between 42-88 °F (6-31 °C).
This explains why they are the most readily obtainable and
the easiest to keep alive in captivity. Moon jellyfish are currently
being tank
raised by two different companies for the growing jellyfish home
aquarium
industry.
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What
Kind of Water do
I Fill my JellyTank With?
We
strongly recommend
purified rather than tap water.
Overall
water purity including mineral trace elements and other water born
particulate
matter ranges dramatically from one region to another.
Reverse
Osmosis treated water is the optimum
choice for filling your JellyTank with. Any purified bottled water will
suffice
as a second runner up.
Exotic-Aquariums
understand that what kind of water you use to fill your jellyfish fish
tank tank
with is a matter of your own discretion. Your Jelly Tank Starter kit
contains a
bottle of Ocean Pharmaceutical’s Stress Coat.
Stress
Coat removes
chlorine,
neutralizes chloramines, and detoxifies heavy metals from tap water.
As
a JellyTank owner, however, you should be
aware that jellyfish have a potentially fatal adverse reaction to high
levels
of copper trace elements in their water.
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What
Salinity Should a Jellyfish Aquarium be Kept At?
Although
many jellyfish
species can survive in brackish water conditions, a salinity level
(specific
gravity) of 1.023 will mimic their native marine environment. Your
JellyTank
Starter Kit comes with the
easiest
and most accurate way to measure your JellyTank’s salinity
level for its price.
Do
I Add Salt When it's Time to Top Off My Jellyfish
Aquarium?
Absolutely
not! Salt
does not evaporate. Salt should only be added to a jellyfish tank when
a routine
water change alters you tank’s salinity levels.
How
Long do Jellyfish Live?
In
the wild, most jellyfish species are cyclic
in nature. Their lifecycle typically lasts one calendar year from start
to
finish.
Jellyfish
kept in a jellyfish
aquarium, however, are not subject to the seasonal changes that dictate
a
jellyfish’s natural lifecycle. Moon
Jellyfish have an average life expectancy of three years in captivity
if
properly cared for.
How
Big do Jellyfish Get?
That
depends on the species of jellyfish. In the wild moon
jellyfish can easily grow
to up to 12 inches in diameter. Commercially tank raised moon
jellies typically arrive ranging from 2-7 inches in diameter.
Their growth
rate and maximum disc size is proportional to their caloric intake.
This means
that in a jellyfish aquarium tank they may never grow to their
potential
maximum disc size. You can, in fact, prevent them from doing so by
monitoring
their caloric intake.
How
Many Moon Jellyfish Can I Keep in a Jellyfish
Aquarium?
That
depends on the size of the jellyfish. A
good rule of thumb when keeping moon jellies is ¾ of a
gallon of water for
every inch of diameter. The 35G JellyTank, for instance, will
accommodate up to
9 jellyfish with a 5 inch bell (umbrella).
What
Do Jellyfish Eat?
Jellyfish
in nature, depending on their size and species,
eat anything from zooplankton to fish and crustaceans. All of the
species
commonly kept in home jellyfish aquariums survive primarily off of
zooplankton.
Zooplankton consists of 1000s of different species of aquatic organisms
that
drift on water columns in the ocean. They are the most abundant food
source
found on our planet. Hump Back Whales are zooplankton feeders.
Zooplankton
ranges in size from microscopic to being able to be seen by the human
eye. The
most readily recognizable form of zooplankton to the home aquarium
owners is
brine shrimp.
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Are
Brine
Shrimp Hard to Raise?
Brine
Shrimp are quite easy to hatch and maintain. Both
freshwater and saltwater aquarium enthusiasts raise their own brine
shrimp for
feeding their fish with. Your JellyTank Starter Kit contains everything
you
need to create your very own JellyTank Food Factory including a 1.75
oz. (50
grams) jar of Grade A Brine Shrimp Eggs (cysts).
Brine
shrimp eggs will last for years if the
jar is stored in the refrigerator with a tightly sealed lid to prevent
moisture
from getting in.
Simply
fill your JellyTank Food Factory aquarium with
properly balanced saltwater and add one gram of brine shrimp eggs to
the water. If
you place the JellyTank Food Factory
under an incandescent light to raise the water temperature between
77-86 °F your brine shrimp eggs will hatch
in
15-20 hours. If you choose not to not to raise your JellyTank Food
Factory’s
water temperature the brine shrimp eggs will still hatch. It will just
take
longer. One gram of brine shrimp eggs will yield approximately 225,000
nauplii
or baby brine shrimp.
Once
the brine shrimp have hatched, their discarded eggs will float to the
water’s
surface.
Brine
shrimp are naturally
attracted to light.
Simply
unplug your
water filter in a dimly lit room and the brine shrimp will settle to
the bottom
of the tank.
Use
your brine shrimp net
to remove the discarded eggs from the surface of the tank. Click
Here
for more information on hatching
and raising brine shrimp.
Do
I Really Need to Raise Brine Shrimp to Keep Pet Jellyfish?
Raising
brine shrimp for your pet jellyfish will allow
them to feed as they would in nature. If you choose not to raise brine
shrimp
your jellyfish will have to be manually fed individually. This consists
of
adding prepared food products such as Instant Brine Shrimp or other
plankton
based food products to a small amount of aquarium tank water. Simply
draw up
the dissolved food product with your baster and inject it directly
below the
base of your jellyfish’s umbrella for absorption.
Manually
fed jellyfish should be fed on a daily bases. This
does not mean they are in danger of dying if you forget to feed them
every once
in awhile.
You
are not chained to your
JellyTank. If you want to get way for the weekend simply feed them a
little
more before you leave and once you return home.
Where
Can I buy
Jellyfish?
The saltwater aquarium industry has yet to catch up with the new trend
of
keeping jellyfish in home aquariums. The most commercially
available pet
jellyfish is the moon jelly.
They
are
currently available for home delivery from two different websites,
Jelliquarium
and Jellyfish Art. Jellyfish
Art’s prices
are cheaper. Buy Moon Jellyfish
Here.
LiveAquaria
is currently the only US based website
offering upside down jellyfish for sale. Remember; upside down
jellyfish
require specialty lighting to maintain the algae growing
inside them.
Buy Upside Down
Jellyfish Here.
Will
You Guarantee That I can Keep My Pet Jellyfish Alive
& Healthy?
Don’t
be silly. No Aquarium manufacturer or distributor can
monitor or predict the range of circumstances under which any specific
aquatic
organism will be subjected to. Keeping pet jellyfish is just like
razing any
other species in a home aquarium. It is up to you to keep them alive.
Exotic-Aquariums
does, however, provide you with
everything you need to help your pet jellyfish live a long and healthy
life in
their new home. The
JellyTank is keeping pet jellyfish
Made EZ!
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