Upside down Jelly?

serafino

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
One issue is that they have pneumatocysts that can sting and potentially kill your fish or your corals. Also because of their stinging cells they can harm you and inflict serious pain. Jellyfish of any kind are usually a bad idea. You will also need good lighting because of the symbiotic relationship they have with the algae that lives inside of them. I assume you have that though if you are planning to put it in a reef tank. One more reason if your not discouraged already is that they grow fairly large some say 12 inches diameter of their bell some others say only 8 but either way you would need some room since that is a lot of area on the bottom of your aquarium that it will take up and in actuality more than that because you have to keep other corals/living things away from it.
IMO unless you are just going to have a tank for it its a bad idea and its not reef safe.
 

Reefscape

All Gr8KarmaSF's fault....
MFK Member
Apr 2, 2007
1,800
4
36
50
Staffordshire UK
serafino;1701908; said:
One issue is that they have pneumatocysts that can sting and potentially kill your fish or your corals. Also because of their stinging cells they can harm you and inflict serious pain. Jellyfish of any kind are usually a bad idea. You will also need good lighting because of the symbiotic relationship they have with the algae that lives inside of them. I assume you have that though if you are planning to put it in a reef tank. One more reason if your not discouraged already is that they grow fairly large some say 12 inches diameter of their bell some others say only 8 but either way you would need some room since that is a lot of area on the bottom of your aquarium that it will take up and in actuality more than that because you have to keep other corals/living things away from it.
IMO unless you are just going to have a tank for it its a bad idea and its not reef safe.

Pretty much sums it up....agreed...i would only have these as a species tank, not a reef tank...
 

princess

Fire Eel
MFK Member
Apr 13, 2007
1,060
1
68
34
England
serafino;1701908; said:
One issue is that they have pneumatocysts that can sting and potentially kill your fish or your corals. Also because of their stinging cells they can harm you and inflict serious pain. Jellyfish of any kind are usually a bad idea. You will also need good lighting because of the symbiotic relationship they have with the algae that lives inside of them. I assume you have that though if you are planning to put it in a reef tank. One more reason if your not discouraged already is that they grow fairly large some say 12 inches diameter of their bell some others say only 8 but either way you would need some room since that is a lot of area on the bottom of your aquarium that it will take up and in actuality more than that because you have to keep other corals/living things away from it.
IMO unless you are just going to have a tank for it its a bad idea and its not reef safe.
wow lol.......kudos! :headbang2
 

philliptobin

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Nov 17, 2005
190
0
0
53
Indiana
serafino;1701908; said:
One issue is that they have pneumatocysts that can sting and potentially kill your fish or your corals. Also because of their stinging cells they can harm you and inflict serious pain. Jellyfish of any kind are usually a bad idea. You will also need good lighting because of the symbiotic relationship they have with the algae that lives inside of them. I assume you have that though if you are planning to put it in a reef tank. One more reason if your not discouraged already is that they grow fairly large some say 12 inches diameter of their bell some others say only 8 but either way you would need some room since that is a lot of area on the bottom of your aquarium that it will take up and in actuality more than that because you have to keep other corals/living things away from it.
IMO unless you are just going to have a tank for it its a bad idea and its not reef safe.

Upside-down jellyfish are almost completely photosynthetic and are completely reef safe. I have kept them before in my reef tank. The belong to the genus Cassiopea which are unlike the rest of the Cnidarians in that the sting is very mild if at all. There is no way that I could see a Cassiopea killing a coral or fish, the nemocysts just aren't that strong. This is definately a creature that you have to watch filter intakes and strong water currents in the tank with as they don't take to either well. Also, they have a tendency to get caught in anemones and need a minimum of 3 watts per gallon of light. I had a thread with pictures a while back, but I couldn't find it so the thread must have been deleted. If you have a big enough tank and like boring sea creatures get one, if you are worried about the nemocysts don't get one; but then don't get anemones or corals either because their sting from the nemocysts is worse than the Cassiopea!!! :eek: Just my opinion, take it or leave it, it really doesn't matter! I am open to all who want to flame me (but I am speaking from personal experience not from reading in a book or article online)!!:FIREdevil
 

sweeTang21

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Mar 10, 2007
2,009
0
0
Wisconsin
just IMO, i wouldnt add a jelly either. i feel its to much of a risk, with the money invested into a reef tank, i would hate to see it possibly wiped out. Very well put serafino
 

serafino

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Upside down jellies are not completely photosynthetic. They have to feed on zoo plankton to provide energy for the algae. They still have pneumatocysts/nematocysts (same thing different spelling its a more common variation though). Most Scyphozoa, Cubozoa, and Hydrozoa have pneumatocysts that have barbs long enough to penetrate our epidermis. Here is a basic version to people unfamilar with it http://www.users.totalise.co.uk/~darrenbarton/id93.htm
Even anemones have them they are just to short to go through our epidermis and into the blood stream.
With jellies the barbs are long enough to enter our blood stream and then they release a neurotoxin which is very painful. It might not kill you or even hurt too badly but it will kill your fish and possibly your corals. Corals aren't natural to their habitats by the way. They live in mangrove forests not reefs.
So still not reef safe IMO.
All this coming from a 15 year old kid. I guess thats why I get to help out at the UC Merced lab with the research of Marine Lake Jellies.
 

cdf_1873

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
Apr 30, 2006
89
0
0
Maumelle, AR
Well either way i appreciate the take. I was only curious as to if anyone else had tried these. It is a tank set up for reef but no corals in there yet. and would prolly be a species only tank. I do thank you for your advise and i will think long and hard on the idea.
 

serafino

Feeder Fish
MFK Member
I would love one myself but the challenge is too daunting. It is a lot of work and money to have a system for one. I really discourage it. They are amazing organisms but probably best left to zoos and aquariums because of the cost and risks. I admire your passion for this organism they are pretty amazing.
 
zoomed.com
hikariusa.com
aqaimports.com
Store