Upside down jellyfish - reef safe?

[Mihai]

I plan to get an upside-down jellyfish and I'm not clear on its reef-safety:

Several places on the web, including on this board mention its ability to eat fishes after it stings it. LiveAquaria http://www.liveaquaria.com/product/prod ... pCatId=543 lists it as "not reef-safe".

On the other hand, on this board many (including the description at LiveAquaria) describe it as "filterfeeder"...

Does anybody know if it really eats fish or not? I don't mind so much for other things (corals are far away, copepods I have tons).

Thanks,
M.

 

[Anonymous]

I think the jellyfish could get harmed by a common reef tank, in any powerhead, pump intake, overflows, etc. (sucked in and blendered)

 

[Anonymous]

Do a search on this board. We've had multiple threads on Casseiopeia. Bottom line is they're not suited for a reef tank. I don't know where you read they catch fish, but it would surprise me greatly. We feed ours baby brine shrimp.

 

[danmhippo]

The question is not what the jellyfish could do for your tank, but what your tank could do to the jellyfish!

I had their egg hitchhiked to my refugium once. Within a week, the whole refugium is filled with them, and they quite happy there. I tried scoop a few to my display tank, fish do not mind touching them, and the puffer and the wrasse tried a few. Their sting is relatively mild to reef inhabitants it seems.

They are however facing with lots of hazards in typical tank. First the powerhead, then the strong current. There are also the danger of anemone and larger predator fish. However, they would do well in your refugium, providing gentle flow and lots of detritus in the current.

 

[Anonymous]

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t ... asseiopeia

They would actually make a great refugium inhabitant if you had very, very low flow, no live rock, and a sandy bottom. They do need intense light though.

 

[Mihai]

OK, I'll put them in the refugium (no pump, very little LR, lots of sand, good food). I'll let you know how it goes.

M.

 

[Anonymous]

I thought the genus is spelled Cassiopea :? Anyway, I posted a link to the up-side down jellyfish a few days ago. Just do a search on "invasive species of hawaii"

 

[Anonymous]

I've seen it spelled Cassiopeia and Casseiopeia, but I'm pretty sure the former is correct (Yes, I misspelled it). But never Cassiopea.

 

[HClH2OFish]

Low flow, very high light. They can eat fish but only when they get full size (like 8" across) The largest I've ever seen in a tank in my LFS is about 1-2"

They seem to like a slightly higher level of nitrates, likely due to their zooxanthallae utilizing it as fertilizer. They're fascinating creatures and can really make a great mangrove/jelly display if you want to put the time into it.

Do a search on here for jellyfish and you'll see a few really good threads.

Oh, and most definitely do *NOT* put them in your display. They won't last. The flow in the display is usually too high for these guys. They are 95% water or more and if they get washed around hitting rocks, they'll get torn up really quick. I've found a 10gal will work fine with a couple of nano filters for low flow in the tank. Use a single MH pendant on a tank that size, elevated far enough so you don't have to fight evap too much. Since they are mainly water they are highly sensitive to any salinity changes in the tank.

Oh, and a side note..if you notice them 'shrinking' do some small water changes to get your water perfect. They get smaller due to stress, or not enough food.

 

[Mihai]

Thanks a lot. Mine is about 2.5" diameter and looks gorgeous. It's in the refugium and it seems to like it. I have very low flow, no powerheads and good light (2 x 65W PC in a 20 gal long). It seems happy in there, the water quality is good and will stay so for the SPS in the main tank.

Thanks for the advice,
M.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes, i thought about getting one...I even considered putting it in my mantis tank but was unsure to their adulthood size...I was at the LFS the other day and saw one but alas I didnt buy it without more info...Mihai keep me posted on the success or failure you have with it..Im really curious on this little guy.

 

[Mihai]

Sure, so far so good, it seems to like the spot I put it on (was not easy feat to convince it to go there though ;-) ) as it did not move since yesterday. It periodically (every few seconds) contracts, other than that it just look gorgeus in there . I'll let you know.

M.