Jellyfish come in many colours, from pale white to vibrant shades of pink and blue. You can create an atmospheric aquarium at home with different coloured jellyfish.

 

There are over 200 different species of jellyfish, both in freshwater and seawater. A jellyfish aquarium requires a lot of care, as the jellyfish are sensitive, but they reward us with an extraordinarily beautiful and atmospheric decoration.

 

For a jellyfish aquarium, it is best to buy a round aquarium tank, a so-called gyro aquarium. Rectangular tanks do not allow the optimum water flow that jellyfish need to develop their full potential in the water. A tank with a capacity of at least 100 litres of water is recommended.

Jellyfish need bright light to thrive. Apart from that, it is a matter of personal taste whether you use neon lamps or halogen lamps to bring out the full colourful splendour of the jellyfish.

Salt water for the aquarium can either be bought from a pet shop or converted yourself. For every 30 litres of water, add one teaspoon of dechlorinating agent and 400 to 500 g of aquarium salt.

Special products are available from pet shops to create the right environment for the jellyfish. To remove slag, for example, certain bacteria are added to the water.

The optimum water temperature may depend on the type of jellyfish, but is generally between 12 and 18 degrees.

To acclimatise the jellyfish to the new water environment, they should first be placed in the aquarium for a few hours in the plastic bag in which they were purchased. Then open the plastic bag and wait until the jellyfish swim out of the bag on their own.

If the gyro aquarium is not already equipped with a protein skimmer, you should install one. However, the protein skimmer must be specially designed for gyro tanks and jellyfish, as otherwise normal skimmers for salt water will draw too many nutrients out of the water with the sludge.