Desktop...Jellyfish Tank...

[jschall]

There are a lot of questions to answer and I will try to get to them all. If you have more questions, feel free to post them here.

Re "The Desktop Tank is just a BiOrb with a very high markup":
A regular BiOrb is not suitable for jellyfish because bubbles will get trapped underneath the jellyfish, which can cause embolisms. We modify the BiOrb in order to make it habitable by jellyfish. Also, the BiOrb you buy from Petco for $127 does not include a heater, thermometer, salt, cycle, dechlorinator, glass pebbles, dropper or a hydrometer. This brings our price to $249. If you search for prices for all of these items separately, I think you'll find that our price tag on the Desktop Tank is reasonable.

Re "The tank does not have the proper water flow for jellyfish":
All of our tanks have been carefully designed to have the proper water flow for jellyfish. A kreisel is one kind of jellyfish tank design (it looks like a rotating circular current). Our cylindrical designs, with a laminar water fow pattern that goes up through the middle and mushrooms out at the top, is another water flow design that works for jellyfish.

Re "It is cruel to limit food dosage":
Jellyfish naturally grow and shrink according to the food availability. This is an adaptation that helps them in the wild: when plankton is plentiful they can grow an inch in several days and when plankton is scarce they shrink in size while remaining perfectly healthy. In captivity, you can get the same effect and with a large tank you are free to have very big jellyfish. However, with the Desktop Tank, you obviously don't want your jellyfish to get too big, so you can feed them an amount that will allow them to remain at a stable size without growing too much.

Re "Collecting jellyfish from the wild will diminish their population":
Yes, some of our jellyfish are collected from the wild. Jellyfish populations are actually OVER-populated. Do a Google Scholar search on "jellyfish population" for peer-reviewed journal articlies on the matter. An international conference called the Jellyfish Bloom Symposium was formed three years ago to address the matter.

Re "Jellyfish need cold water":
Jellyfish are found all over the world in a wide range of temperatures. The moon jellies we sell for the Desktop Tank require water at 77 degrees.

Alright, I can agree with all points except the food. I can't find anything about jellyfish growth. Can you reference any articles describing this size-limiting phenomenon and proving that its not simply stunting what would otherwise be a constant normal growth rate for the species, preferably in relation to lifespan (does limiting their food and thus preventing their growth shorten their lifespan?)

Furthermore, I don't see an extended lift tube or other modification to prevent these air embolisms in your video or any of your product photography. Do you have an updated photograph?

I may have responded in haste before.

 

[Fat Homer]

I must say personally i've always wanted a (small) jelly tank, although i must also admit i'm a bit skeptical about this desktop tank working as effectively as it claims???

 

[Iffrat]

maybe zoodiver or someone could tell us .. there has to be someone here who has exp with keeping them .. at work or at home ..

 

[Lepisosteus platyrhincus]

if you want to keep a jelly fish. get around 2000dollars and then well talk. this is crazy.

2k..... right..... u can keep them for alot less.....

 

[Jellyman]

Re "It just looks like a regular BiOrb in the demo video":
Yes, you are right, but that is an old demo video. We filmed a new one and are hoping to have it up on the website within a few weeks. We started out putting Blue Jellies (Catostylus mosaicus) in a regular BiOrb because the air bubbles don't affect them. However, the Blue Jellies do not do nearly as well in captivity as Moon Jellies, so we stopped selling Blues.

Re "How do you keep the jellyfish from getting stuck to the heater":
They occasionally bump into it, but there are no sharp edges on the heater so they just swim around it.

Re "Average lifespan of Moon Jellies is 3 - 4 months":
In some places, Moon Jellies occur in seasonal blooms that may last 3 - 4 months, although usually it's more like 8 months. In captivity, as you aquarium hobbyists know, the lifespan depends a lot on the owner. The average lifespan for our customers is about a year, although I know someone who has had the same jellyfish in his tank for 8 years and still going.

Re "Jellyfish should be kept in a bigger tank":
We do offer the Monaco, which is a 40-gallon cylindrical jellyfish tank. This tank is significantly more expensive than the Desktop Tank because of the high cost of acrylic tube, which is used to build the tank.

Re "There is no evidence for jellyfish being able to shrink and stay healthy":
I have not found any journal articles on the subject either. I was getting my information from anecdotal evidence after speaking to a number of jellyfish aquarists at public aquariums. Chad Widmer, one of the top jellyfish aquarists at the Monterey Bay Aquarium, published this theory in his book "How to Keep Jellyfish in Aquariums."

 

[bob965]

$54 for a 6oz package of brine shrimp, and $2400 for an acrylic tube....

 

[CaptainNegatory]

Jeez, that's crazy I thought it was joking.

 

[BigfrankieD]

Seems pretty intereresting,where can ya get the setups?

 

[SeaweedPimp]

$54 for a 6oz package of brine shrimp, and $2400 for an acrylic tube....

 

[FishManMoe]

Alright, I can agree with all points except the food. I can't find anything about jellyfish growth. Can you reference any articles describing this size-limiting phenomenon and proving that its not simply stunting what would otherwise be a constant normal growth rate for the species, preferably in relation to lifespan (does limiting their food and thus preventing their growth shorten their lifespan?)

Furthermore, I don't see an extended lift tube or other modification to prevent these air embolisms in your video or any of your product photography. Do you have an updated photograph?

I may have responded in haste before.

Check this out

http://www.monsterfishkeepers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317007