My EON Jellyfish Tank Isn’t Level. So What?

 

Your jelly friends are in danger, that’s what!

Let me start by saying this video and post were inspired by a real customer of ours, and the tank pictured is his real system. He was doing everything right to cycle his tank before he ordered his jellies, but for some reason the bacteria just weren’t doing what they were supposed to and his tank’s ammonia levels wouldn’t go down.

As we can see in the video, his tank was not quite level on its stand, and that was forcing the water to trickle unevenly over one side of the drip tray and bypass the other side. While that might not sound like such a big deal, it’s actually a recipe for disaster.

When your tank is leaning to one side, most of the water will obviously tend to flow that way, which means that all of your system water is flowing through only a very small part of your filter media. So not only will that water not be filtered properly, but the bacteria on the dry side of the filter media won’t be able to survive well enough to cycle your system and keep it healthy. Beyond that, keeping your tank on uneven surfaces can create uneven flow from the spray bars, cause a full sump to overflow and create troublesome air bubbles.

So what happens if you notice your tank isn’t quite level? Don’t panic! Just do what this customer did: wedge something underneath the low side of your system and adjust it until the drip tray gets proper flow! A simple fix like this can be the difference between a healthy system and toxic water, so keep an eye out!

Flow Control: A Matter of Life and DEATH

valves

Okay, it might not be that dramatic, but the amount of flow in your tank does have a huge impact on the health of your jellies.

Jellies are considered planktonic, which means they cannot swim freely against a current and therefore rely on some sort of flow to stay afloat. However, this doesn’t mean they need to be propelled through your system at mach 3. When you make your jellies race each other, nobody wins!

When the valves in the behind your EON jellyfish tank are fully open, like the one on the left side of the picture above, the your jellies will move so fast that they won’t be able to catch their food efficiently, nor will they be able to hold onto it if they do capture some. It’s almost like they’re getting motion sickness on the tilt-a-whirl at a carnival… forever. Understandably, they won’t react well to starvation and will stop belling and start shrinking until they die.

Instead, keep your valves at about 50% flow like the picture on the right. This gives them enough circulation to stay off the bottom of the tank while still giving them enough freedom to bell around and hold down their lunch.

Just remember: if the flow is too high, jellies die, moderate flow, good to go!

EON Instructional Video Series! “Part 3: Acclimating Your New Jellyfish”

Now that your EON Jellyfish System is completely cycled, it’s ready for jellyfish! Watch Part 3 in our EON Instructional Video Series to learn about optimal water quality parameters for moon jellyfish and how to properly acclimate your new jellyfish once they’ve arrived at your doorstep.

SCRIPT.

Part 3: Acclimating Your New Jellyfish Opening sequence.

“It’s the moment you’ve been waiting for! Your tank is cycled and you’ve placed your very first order for jellyfish! Now wait one business day for delivery…”

“In the meantime, why don’t you double check to be sure your system water is suitable for new friends?”

“Your pH checks out.”

“Oh no, looks like your salinity is a little too high. You’ll need to bring it down by adding reverse osmosis or distilled water.”

“You can add freshwater to two places in your tank: the main viewing area or the sump.”

“NEVER add freshwater into your filter box.”

“This can kill all of the tiny bacteria you’ve worked so hard to grow!”

“Excellent, it looks like your tank is ready for jellies.”

“Well what are you waiting for? Let’s get them into their new home!”

“Don’t forget to take a look in the bag first to make sure they arrived safely.”

“Cut the bag below the metal bracket, then pull the tab to release the rubber band—No, no, no! Didn’t you read the sticker on the box?”

“You have to acclimate them first.”

“Take out a little water and slowly place the bag in your tank to float for 15 minutes to acclimate them to the water temperature.”

“Gently transfer your jellies with a ladle into a small cup full of water from the bag.”

“Carefully perform small water changes in the cup every 20 minutes for one hour to acclimate them to your tank’s water chemistry.”

“Now your jellies are ready to be released into your tank. Just look at those little guys go.”

Closing sequence.

EON Instructional Video Series! “Part 2: Cycling Your EON”

After setting up your new EON Jellyfish System, you’ll need to cycle it before introducing jellyfish! Cycling is one of the most important steps in setting up any saltwater aquarium. Watch Part 2 of our EON Instructional Video Series to see how to properly cycle your new jellyfish aquarium.

 

SCRIPT.

Part 2: Cycling Your EON Opening sequence.

“So now you’ve unpacked your new EON jellyfish system as explained in part one of this series— Whoa whoa, hold your horses there, partner! Your tank isn’t ready for animals yet! Your system has to cycle first! Cycling is one of the most important steps in the whole process.”

“No, no, no. NITROGEN cycling.”

“Your system needs to establish stable nitrogen levels in the water! Establishing a stable community of helpful bacteria in your tank is essential to the health of both your system and your jellies.”

“All you need is:

  • bacteria source,
  • saltwater test kit, and
  • ammonia source (in this case, shrimp)”

“First, place a pea-sized piece of the shrimp on the top of your mechanical filter pad underneath the drip tray.”

“Give your bacteria a good shake and pour about 3 ounces down the filter box and let the cycling begin!”

“This is where your test kit comes in handy. You’ll need to check your water chemistry every week to monitor your system’s progress. Hmm… maybe this would be more helpful in color. Ah, that’s better. After one week, there won’t be much of a change.”

“By week two, we should see a spike in ammonia.”

“During the third week we see the ammonia start to fall while the nitrite begins to spike.”

“And finally after about four weeks your system’s bacteria have eaten up all the ammonia and nitrite.”

“So, congratulations! Your tank is ready for jellies.”

“If you’d like some help with the process, visit sunsetmarinelab.com and click the black banner to signup for our Fish-less Cycling Program©. If you successfully cycle your tank through our program, you’ll receive three jellies!”

“Our customer service team is standing by to help you through the process step-by-step.”

CLOSING SEQUENCE.

EON Instructional Video Series! “Part 1: Your EON & You”

Introducing our EON Instructional Video Series – a new and improved video series to show you how to set up, maintain, and care for jellies in your new EON Jellyfish System from start to finish.

We made this series last year as a better way to actually show new and prospective EON owners what it takes to get one up and running with moon jellyfish (and how simple it is to do so!). We’ll be posting each video from the five-part series every week.

Below you’ll find the video and a follow-along script.

 

SCRIPT.

Part 1: Your EON & You Opening sequence.

“So, the day has finally come, your very own Sunset Marine Labs EON jellyfish tank has arrived at your door! Now what are you going to do?”

“Well, take it out!”

“But wait, do you have a proper surface in mind?”

“Well, is that surface level?”

“Can it hold more than 85 lbs.?”

“Excellent! Your EON jellyfish system should also be situated away from direct sunlight and nearby an available power source!”

“NOW would you like to see what’s inside?”

“In addition to your EON jellyfish tank, you’ll find:

  • shelves for the filter box,
  • the remote,
  • power supply and instructions for your tank lights,
  • mechanical filters,
  • carbon filters, and
  • bio balls.”

“Now, let’s add your premixed salt water, plug in the pump and put it all together!”

“First, place a shelf at the bottom of your filter box and add in the bio balls in an even layer…”

“…Then add a shelf…”

***please note: the micron pad is no longer included with EONs***

“…And place the three carbon bags on top, adjusting them so they completely fill the space for optimum filtration…”

“…Then add the thick mechanical filter pad…”

“…And place the drip tray flush to the inside just below the drain.”

Closing sequence.