Jelly fiSh

ballpython2

Arachnoprince
Old Timer
Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
1,670
Does anyone keep jelly fish?

Do they make good display pets?

How do you sex them?

Can you keep all species together?
 

Lucas339

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 28, 2009
Messages
448
jellyfish make horrible pets. they require alot more than most can give. they require live food and special tank setups. they are also very sensitive to water quality issues.

you cannot keep different species together.
 

Matt K

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Messages
941
jellyfish make horrible pets. they require alot more than most can give. they require live food and special tank setups. they are also very sensitive to water quality issues.

you cannot keep different species together.
Jellyfish require very large aquariums to thrive for any length of time with the averages ranging from 800 to 2000 gallons, though some species can be kept in 200 gallon tanks. Different species cannot be kept together, and you cannot keep any other species of anything in the same tank. Most species require you to add a refridgeration unit to chill the water, depending on the species 50 to 70 degrees, with a few that will live in 80 degree water, though cooler is better with them. The very critical thing is that thier aquarium have alot of water flow through filtration which would amount to a very large wet/dry filter, an oversized protein skimmer, then the chiller, then through a resin absorbtion unit and a calcium reactor. Once the water goes into the tank (which needs to be modified so the corners are curved preferably) the water current needs to go in a steady and consistant manner completely through the tank and attention paid to the flow over the bottom surface. As long as you can maintain the jellies in suspension they won't fall apart. Water must be screened and skimmed as it exits the tank with a pass-by flow aross the exit screen to avoid filtering out the jellyfish.
Jellies are typically fed nutrient enriched formulas that are absorbed by brine shrimp naupilii and immediately fed to the jellyfish. Some species get large enough that you can also feed adults pieces of raw shrimp or fish. Water chemistry and salinity should be check every day or two, as if anything gets too far out of whack the jellies will die/dissolve within hours.

To keep all but one species of jellyfish is a delicate and expensive proposition that requires your attention 365 days a year no exceptions.

The one exception is that if you have 5 of the 60 gallon tanks, 4 20 gallon tanks and two 10 gallon tanks you can make a steady culture of the cassiopea (or Upsidedown) jellyfish at room temperature, but then you have to culture brine shrimp naupilii, mysid shrimp, and chlorella algae and rotifers to keep them fed and growing/reproducing. Jellyfish are not males or females so you do not sex them. They are both male and female in each animal.

...and that is just the basics. I have done all this before for the Dallas World Aquarium and in conjunction with several other public aquariums, but gave it all up for lizards instead... ;)
 

Matt K

Arachnoangel
Old Timer
Joined
Mar 27, 2007
Messages
941
...especially considering that you are limited to very small species of jellies which can be hard to obtain. Many of the more popular species like Chrysaora fuscescens and other colorful species get way too long to fit in those, and what happens is the jellies get tumbled and wrapped up in thier own tentacles as in a washing machine.....
 

Lucas339

Arachnobaron
Old Timer
Joined
Jun 28, 2009
Messages
448
Cassiopea sp. are photosynthetic. they will require a supliment of brine but they mostly need light. i too worked at a lab with an aquairum attached. we had both Cassiopea and Sea nettles. one important thing not metioned by the above poster is that most aquairums have had success keeping them in a circular flow. in fact i would say this is the only way to keep them. a soft circular flow in a round tank is a must. in my experience with them, when put into square tanks, they repeatedly bump into the sides of the tanks damaging the bells. this happens in transport tanks or holding tanks. all of the tanks at the aquarium i worked at were clylinder laid on their sides. it worked well and we were able to keep them for a long time.

not a beginer animal and not for someone who dosen't have the time or money to put into a project like this.
 
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