Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) are a new frontier in the home aquarium. These jellyfish are breath taking to look at and are not as hard to keep as you may think. The key to keeping Moon Jellyfish in a home aquarium is proper set up and weekly maintenance.
Jellyfish need a special kind of aquarium called a Kreisel. The Kreisel is designed to provide a circular current to keep the Jellyfish suspended. It also has a current that keeps the Jellyfish from getting sucked into the overflow. Jellyfish aquariums usually have a simple wet/dry filtration with a small UV Sterilizer to help prevent algae blooms. Moon Jellyfish are a cold water species and there for you will also need a chiller to help keep the aquarium between 60 - 64 F. The water flow rate in a Jellyfish aquarium is set to the size of Moon Jellyfish you have so a good valve in a easy to use place is a must. Smaller jellyfish will need less flow than larger jellyfish to keep them from getting thrown around the aquarium.
The maintenance of a Jellyfish aquarium must be done at least weekly. A complete wipe down of the aquarium will prevent your Jellyfish from being injured from slime build up on the aquarium walls. Also since there is a low flow rate you will need to do a small water change and siphon and debris off the aquarium floor. Water chemistry is very important when maintaining jellyfish and you should strive for a consistent pH and water salinity. The other problem with Jellyfish aquariums is when performing water changes you must remember you are dealing with a cold water system and you must have your replacement water the same temperature as the aquarium.
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