About Jellyfish: The Kreisel Tank Jellyfish Aquarium

Fish keeping dates as far back in antiquity as ancient Sumerian, 2,500 BC. The Romans, Greeks and Egyptians all kept fish as pets. The Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first person known to have studied fish (382-322 BC). He documented the characteristics of 115 different species living in the Aegean Sea.  Roman ingenuity allowed for one of the marble walls of a fish tank to be replaced with a glass pane for better viewing in 50 AD. The Chinese began crossbreeding the Prussian carp to create the forerunner of the modern goldfish over 1,000 years ago. In 1369, Chinese Emperor, Hongwu, established the first porcelain company to manufacture porcelain tubs to keep goldfish in. The world’s first public aquarium opened in Regents Park, London in 1853, even before man harnessed electricity. The number of fish kept as pets in the USA is only surpassed by that of cats. There are more fish in American homes than there are dogs. Yet the first jellyfish exhibit ever to be seen by the public opened in Monterey California only twenty years ago. 

The advent of public jellyfish exhibits created a ready made market among serious saltwater aficionados. It was only a matter of time before this technological advancement in marine biology advancement sparked the minds and ingenuity of adventurous entrepreneurs looking to capitalize on this niche market. And thus was born the first home jellyfish aquarium fish tank.

About Jellyfish: The Birth of an Industry 

Jelliquarium cabinets also feature digital thermostat controlled heating and both blue Actinic and white lighting standard on every model. The LCD controller on the digital thermostat provides a constant readout and can be programmed in either Fahrenheit or Celsius.  

Cabinet sizes are currently available in the 24” mini-jelliquarium and the full size 32” models. The mini jelliqaurium is available in black.  The 32” cabinet comes in a vast array of finishes from laminate cabinets to a variety of wood finishes to compliment any home or workspace décor. Jelliquarium cabinets are also available in gigantic 48” models. Jelliquaium will also design and install custom in-wall set ups for both commercial applications and private residences.

If you are an avid DYI type with prior experience in saltwater aquarium set up you can also buy just the jelliquarium tank. Tank sizes range from 24-60”. The 24 and 30 inch tanks can be set up for table top use. Serious do-it-your-selfers can build their own custom in-wall jellyfish tank ranging up to 60” in size. The Jelliquarium staff will gladly provide any technical advice necessary for advanced DYI enthusiast. The 24 and 30” jelliquarium tanks make the perfect biosphere for pet moon jellyfish and blue jellies. Larger tanks can accommodate species such as Pacific sea nettles. Find Out More About Pet Jellyfish. 

The latest entry into the field of pet jellyfish is 24 year old entrepreneur Alex Andon of JellyfishArt.com. When the Duke University graduate found himself jobless in May 2009 due to economic downsizing of the biotech firm he worked at, Alex decided to put his degree in biology to work for him. The jellyfish exhibit he saw as a child at the Monterey Aquarium led him to believe that keeping jellyfish in home aquariums most be commonplace. It did not take many search queries on Google to find out he was mistaken. The field of pet jellyfish was wide open. Alex immediately started to find out why. It did not take much to find out that keeping jellyfish alive in captivity was trickier than he realized and that the ability to do so was only a few decades old. Armed with this information, he set about create an affordable desktop aquarium for jellyfish.

JellyfishArt’s first desktop jellyfish aquarium was entrepreneurial ingenuity at its finest. Alex settled on a fishbowl manufactured by Biorb. The fishbowl’s airflow design was conducive to the special water circulation needs of jellyfish. He took this preexisting product and pieced together a complete saltwater upgrade kit that would convert it into the affordable desktop jellyfish aquarium he was determined to offer the public. The end result was an  8 gallon table top jellyfish aquarium. 

As the owner of Exotic-Aquariums.com, I must say that I am impressed by the level of ingenuity involved in taking a preexisting product and repurposing it for an entirely new niche in the aquarium industry. This is one of those times when you’re left scratching yourself on the head and saying, “Gee, I wished I would have thought of that.”

Although nowhere near as affordable, JellyfishArts’s second offering in desktop jellyfish aquariums is none the less impressive. The Monaco is a 40 gallon cylindrical desktop model. Just like its smaller counterpart, it comes complete with everything you need to get started. The aquarium itself measures 18 inches in diameter and stands 36 inches tall. It weighs in at approximately 400 lbs. when full. Its forty gallon capacity offers enough room to house up to ten 6 inch moon jellyfish. Filtration for this unit is provided by a top of the line Eheim canister filter that can be easily hidden from view below the aquarium.

The Monaco is the ultimate statement in sheik minimalist design. An optional LED fader lighting system is also available for the Monaco. This will transform your jellyfish tank into the same kind of dazzling jelly light show seen at the public aquarium exhibits.

JellyfishArt.com has just released its second table top jellyfish aquarium. This exquisite 8 gallon cylindrical aquarium mimics the modern design lines and minimalist ascetics of the larger Monaco tank but at a price anyone can afford.

Accompanied with the (optional) POWERPLUS L575 remote controlled lightning system, your pet moon jelliennnnnn will dazzle with the same brilliance of the jellyfish exhibits previously only found in public aquarium displays in the convenience of your own home.

You may find this hard to believe but a jellyfish tank is actually easier to maintain than a standard saltwater aquarium. You can learn how to keep your pet jellyfish alive and healthy in no time at all. Jellyfish have slower metabolisms than fish. You can use a smaller filtration unit and water parameters will still remain well within acceptable tolerances. A 25% water change twice a month is more than sufficient to keep your tank clean. You may occasionally have to remove algae from the walls of your tank but this would need to be done with virtually any tank.

Moon jellies nematocysts (stinging cells) do not typically fire with enough pressure to pierce human skin tissue. Never the less, caution should be exercised when feeding your moon jellies with the basting method.

The second method of feeding your pet moon jellies is live brine shrimp. Brine shrimp are available at any fish store that carries saltwater fish. They are cheap to buy and keep well in a refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Many saltwater enthusiasts prefer to raise their own brine shrimp. Brine shrimp are very easy to raise and can be added directly to the jellyfish. With this approach, your moon jellies will catch and ingest their food just like they do in nature. Watch the DYI Brine Shrimp Hatchery Tutorial.

If you provide your jellyfish with sufficient nutrients their mass will grow accordingly until they reach their maximum growth potential. If you need to spend a weekend out of town you can even skip feeding them as long as you feed them a little extra before and after. Larger jellies can be fed ghostshrimp or other inexpensive feeder shrimp.