Ocean drifters: Are you interested in ever keeping a Jellyfish?

[Peace River]

Ocean drifters: Are you interested in ever keeping a Jellyfish?

You may have seen jellyfish tanks at public aquariums, and you may have even seen jellyfish tanks at reef shows, but have you ever seriously thought about keeping jellyfish yourself? The pulsing and soothing movements make jellyfish tanks mesmerizing to watch and the slowly changing colored lights that are included with many jellyfish tanks only add to the experience. Keeping jellyfish is not a decision to be taken lightly and their care is different than other fish and corals, so you can’t just throw them into your reef. The extra commitment starts with learning their care and setting up a tank specifically designed for them. Yes, it may be a lot of extra work, but still, have you thought about it? Are you interested in ever keeping a jellyfish?

Pro Tip: Specialized care, specialized tanks, and specialized food as well as specific water parameters, flow, lighting, and acclimation procedures are all important for keeping jellyfish. Although most jellyfish are kept in species-specific tanks, other species may be added with careful consideration.

Image by @MNFish


This QOTD is sponsored by Nutramar: https://www.qualitymarine.com/nutramar/

“Nutramar’s 100% natural food products are used by public aquaria and breeders around the world. They offer superior nutrition to your most finicky and delicate fish and invertebrates.

 

[Lemons]

With my luck the poor thing would turn into a pancake on the return slats... even with all the engineered safety features

 

[Stomatopods17]

I've considered jellyfish on numerous occasions but the biggest flaw about them that turned me off completely: they only live a year.

Jellyfish sadly just don't do enough to justify the expense of setting up a tank and taking up space, cause their life spans in general are just very very short. They are very pretty but unless you can have a rotation of them via breeding they can be annoying having to replace annually, and during that years time they... don't do anything. You can't decorate their displays only pretend they're living lava lamps basically with possibly slightly longer life spans than actual lava lamps, where as a reef you can have moving coral, fish, inverts, etc. For their care requirements, special equipment that isn't worth recycling for much else after, and general expense I just never tried jellies except for that one time I had upside down jellyfish in a floating breeder, 1 died, 1 got lost in the display, 1 I actually was doing well with but ended up donating to the store.

I feel the same way about octopus but octopus are very interactive (sometimes), there's always enjoyment in watching them and feeding them while you can doll their tank up a bit. I've setup tanks for octopuses but last minute changed my mind cause something else turned up, jellyfish you need a really special setup to commit on and their reward is just floating there, ain't like they swim after the food. If I ever did them it'd be more of a "I can say I did this" type thing rather than something I'd keep up with.

 

[1112-425XL]

No, never crossed my mind.

 

[Griev]

My gorgonia came with two solitary-hydroid hitchhikers, and they're closely related enough to jellyfish for me to count it as a "kinda" here. I've had them a few months now and they haven't spread. Unfortunately one of my fish seems to have developed a taste for them, but they grow back from the stalk every time.

 

[EricR]

I kept moon jellyfish for about 2 years -- free after in-law never used a gift setup for many years.

Only issue was if a jellyfish got stuck in slats covering substrate, it could pretty much burn through a significant amount of body mass overnight or sever tentacles -- after that, seemed difficult to catch enough food (dried phyto, I think).
*mine was an OLD design tank, like a slice of a sideways cylinder -- think they have better designs now but never tried to move on (with jellyfish),,, but this is what got me started in aquariums down the path to corals

 

[vetteguy53081]

At Macna 2022 we placed a Jellyfish unit on hold with 3 jellyfish and went to pick it up at the end of the show. We came to find out the unit got sold on us. This also happened at two other vendor booths where they took out names and sold the items on us.
We were very turned off to say the least.

 

[doubleshot00]

The last thing I would ever consider. More people (non reefers) suggest octopuses as the weird oddity to add to my tank.

 

[Slocke]

If only I knew a professional jellyfish keeper.....
@dodojojo you know of anyone?

 

[dodojojo]

If only I knew a professional jellyfish keeper.....
@dodojojo you know of anyone?

I still think "professional" associated with me sounds weird but I guess that's correct lol.

Personally I love jellies but I'll admit they're a pita. The floating children of the brainless goo are entirely worth keeping IF they are truly what you enjoy having but aren't what I'd recommend to anyone not completely committed to them. Well cared for, they can live over a year but they definitely do not have the lifespan of fish and coral.
Cassiopeia and Mastigius are some of my personal favorites!

 

[argiBK]

Anemones are the closest I’ll ever get to keeping jellyfish. Both groups are Cnidaria after all.

 

[whybenormal]

I started my *obsession* with saltwater when I found someone selling a jellyfish tank on FB marketplace for $40. I knew nothing!
But happen to live outside of Charlotte where Jellyfish Warehouse is, so I didn't have to have them shipped.
Long story short, I was 3 hours north of home, the tank was 2 hours south of home.
Headed home I bypassed home to get the tank. (My husband thought I was nuts, but was in separate vehicle)

Anyway, I set it up, got my moon jellies, and keep them alive for 9 months. But it was a lot of work.

 

[dodojojo]

But happen to live outside of Charlotte where Jellyfish Warehouse is, so I didn't have to have them shipped

Travis and the jellyfish warehouse are the best!

 

[whybenormal]

Travis and the jellyfish warehouse are the best!

Yes! So helpful.
I should add that the tank I got was the jellyfish art. I think the tanks Travis has on the site are a much better design.
When I try again, I was one of those.

 

[besskurz]

I had one upside-down which appeared out of nowhere. It didn't lived long time.

 

[zoomonster]

Thought about it several times including at RAP Orlando then thought better of it after a little research and thinking about it some more LOL. If you want a jellyfish tank, there's some really cool, realistic, lamps out there for a lot less money and hassle. Best part is the jellyfish don't die

 

[bushdoc]

No, but I keep jello in my fridge. Does it count?

 

[mattdg]

I can appreciate the unique husbandry and technology that goes into caring for jellyfish. That said, it is enough for me to appreciate a display at my public aquarium, once or twice a year. I think I'd get bored, quite quickly, given the stark nature of such displays.

 

[Rubymoon286]

I put a jelly tank for my mom's classroom, and it's still running strong 5 years later. The food set up was probably the hardest part, but we have a system for it that she teaches the kids at the beginnings of each year, and her students really buy into keeping the tank healthy and interesting. I'll see if she can send me some photos of her set up when she goes by to feed them since they're out for summer right now.

 

[hexcolor reef]

Who sells jelly fish? Never found a vendor that did