Can I See Your Jellyfish?

[PlecMama]

Does anyone have jellies?

I was watching them on Tv tonight, being bred in Florida for their aquariums, they were so cute.
Do any of the board even keep jellies? or are they to difficult to look after? The Marine Biologist on TV was saying how much effort they put in to their breeding program, it sounded like hard work.

 

[crazyelece]

I haven't seen too many successful jelly tanks except in comercial settings such as local aquariums. I believe they need a species only tank and a ton of devotion.

 

[AMS]

Not to mention specialized equiptment. They can easily be sucked into filter and powerheads.

 

[GuppyDude]

The only jelly fish iv seen in captivity have been at the zoo in a large special looking aquarium. They are pretty cool but i imagine since they cant move very well under their own power, theres alot of equiptment needed to keep them from being sucked into a filter or hitting teh substrate.

 

[Mr Miagi]

The only jelly fish iv seen in captivity have been at the zoo in a large special looking aquarium. They are pretty cool but i imagine since they cant move very well under their own power, theres alot of equiptment needed to keep them from being sucked into a filter or hitting teh substrate.

Some can move very well under there own power. There way of life has made it possible for them to just drift freely. They wouldnt touch the substrate, power heads yes maybe, but substrate, na. Otherwise all the jellies in the ocean would would sink hundreds to thousands of meters below. A closed loop, with good protection would be fine. Youd just need to plan it well. There are some jhellies who make it into our tanks by mistake as hitch hikers, youd need a good camera to take any pics.

 

[Dragonscales]

There are numerous species which move via propusion similar to cephalopods (octopuses, cuttles, etc). As long as any powerheads, inlets, outlet, etc are well covered and there is plenty of filtration and flow (in the case of the less vigorous swimmers) they can be kept. I certainly wouldn't recommend them to someone who wants one on a whim but if a person is willing to put in the time and devotion needed there is no reason why one can't be successful. I have long contemplated it myself but am wary due to being a fair distance from a decent marine lfs who could get one for me and I am dubious about how well they would keep in the car after being shipped (not to mention the shipping itself), hence why I have put it off to date.

 

[Chac]

Here are some pics that I took at The New York Aquarium

 

[PlecMama]

Beautiful.

Oh I shall never have one, I am more of a plec-girl myself, but they are way cool.

When we were in the sea at Galveston once, a whole shoal (swarm, troop, herd, whatever) of them washed right past us and on to the beach. Amazing that we weren't caught in the middle of them coming ashore, but there were hundreds. Poor little guys

 

[AMS]

There are numerous species which move via propusion similar to cephalopods (octopuses, cuttles, etc). As long as any powerheads, inlets, outlet, etc are well covered and there is plenty of filtration and flow (in the case of the less vigorous swimmers) they can be kept. I certainly wouldn't recommend them to someone who wants one on a whim but if a person is willing to put in the time and devotion needed there is no reason why one can't be successful. I have long contemplated it myself but am wary due to being a fair distance from a decent marine lfs who could get one for me and I am dubious about how well they would keep in the car after being shipped (not to mention the shipping itself), hence why I have put it off to date.

You are right, Jellyfish and shipping are two things that dont go together. A while back I was quite interested in the Magrove jelly (Cassiopeia andromeda), this particular jelly is brackish to marine, hence the common name "Mangrove Jellyfish". I have read that the DOA's on jellyfish shipments are ridicuolus, much harder than shipping a sea star or even the most delicate corals.

What threw my dream off of a mangrove jellyfish tank was their need for meticulous care. Everything must be specialized to the fullest extent. Powerheads must be covered, MH lighting for their symbiotioc algae, pristine water conditions, filter feeder foods, etc. etc.

IMHO jellyfish are best left to the experts. Seriously thinking about purchasing one only set you up for disappointment.


On a side note, Dr. Smith and Fosters quarantees no DOA's on Mangrove Jellyfish. Interesting.