Tag: pet jellyfish

DIY: Build Your Own Extension Scrub Brush for the EON 2ube and 3ON

by sunsetmarinelabs, posted in DIY Jellykeeping Tools

Jellyfish Tank

If you have the Eon 20 gallon Jellyfish System, you may have had difficulty cleaning the bottom of the tank.  It’s easy to clean the sides of the tank with an aquarium cleaning magnet, but how to clean the bottom & back?  There are some extension scrubber brushes out there (the black unit on the left in the picture), but in our experience these tend to be in adequate. They do extend nicely but…..

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The cleaning heads are minimal and after only 2 uses tends to fall apart.scrubrush2

You can easily and cheaply build your own scrub brush using a standard acrylic aquarium scrub brush purchased at any fish store & a couple 1/2″ PVC fittings, 1/2″ PVC pipe & electrical tape found at Home Depot, Lowes or any home improvement store.

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What you will need:

8″ long piece of  1/2″ diameter threaded grey rod

4″ long piece of 1/2″ diameter PVC pipe

1 PVC fitting: 1/2″ coupling Slip x Slip

1 PVC fitting: 1/2″ coupling Thread x Thread

electrical tape

First thing you want to do is secure the 1/2″ PVC Thread x Thread fitting to the scrub brush handle using electrical tape.  Place the PVC fitting just below the hook on the scrub brush & using the electrical tape (about a 9″ long piece) secure the fitting to the scrub brush.  Electrical tape stretches nicely, so stretch and then pull on the tape to join the two together & then continue wrapping the tape around the fitting and the scrub brush handle like the picture. Make it snug and tight!

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Now you can attach the  extension handles.  First, the threaded grey rod & then the white PVC pipe.

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Lickety Split! Easy! And cheap!

DIY: Stop Your Turkey Baster from Dripping

by sunsetmarinelabs, posted in DIY Jellykeeping Tools

 

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If you have the Eon 10 gallon Jellyfish System, you may have been using a turkey baster to either feed your jellies or quickly pick up any detritus or uneaten food at the bottom of the tank, or both.  Most turkey basters drip terribly unless you seal the bulb to the pipette.  Once sealed properly the baster creates better suction and you can quickly and easily pick up any unwanted algae or uneaten food and deposit right away into the filter box–no dripping!  This makes for a quick tidying of the tank without having to pull out the siphon tube and do an entire water change.

Using a 5″ piece of electrical tape you can easily solve this problem.  Electrical tape comes in many lovely colors and has the unique characteristic of uniformly stretching and creating a nice watertight seal around the bulb and the pipette.

Step 1.

Cut a 5″ long piece of electrical tape.

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Step 2.

Place the 5″ long piece of electrical tape half on the bulb and half on the pipetteturkeybaster2

Step 3.

Place your thumb on the electrical tape and hold it firmly while firmly pulling on the tape to stretch it.turkeybaster3jpg

Step 4.

Continue pulling the electrical tape tightly all the way around to create a nice seal like this!turkeybaster4This is easily removed & repeated when you need to clean the turkey baster once a month or so.

Tip: Use a Swivel Base to Turn the Eon Around

by sunsetmarinelabs, posted in EON Tips and Tricks

Here’s a wonderful tip from veterinarian Jennifer Pullium from New York City.
Using a Lapworks turntable she is able to turn her 10 gallon Eon Jellyfish Aquarium around with ease!  The rotating base holds up to 150 pounds and glides nicely giving you access to the back side of the aquarium for LED adjustment or to check the water level in the sump reservoir. It’s also nice to be able to change the angle of the tank for added viewing options. I purchased one and tested it– and she’s 100% correct!  It’s fantastic! The swivel base comes in 10″, 12″ and 15″ diameter and smoothly turns the aquarium.  The picture below shows the 15″ diameter swivel supporting the Eon 10 gallon jellyfish tank.  It extends a bit beyond the base so the 12″ diameter swivel will be better for this tank.

This is the 15" Lapworks Swivel base. It holds up to 200 pounds. I think the 12" is the best bet for the 10 gallon Eon Jellyfish Aquarium!
This is the 15″ Lapworks Swivel base. It holds up to 200 pounds. I think the 12″ diameter swivel will work better for the 10 gallon Eon Jellyfish Aquarium.

The Eon 2ube sits nicely on the 15″ base and it holds up to 200 pounds. Perfect!

Eon2ube_backsideEon2ube_frontswivelEon2ube_backswivel

Problem with Your Jellyfish? Undissolved Salts Could Be the Culprit

by sunsetmarinelabs, posted in Sick Jellyfish?

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Another common problem concerning salt levels in your jellyfish aquarium, besides inaccurate hydrometers giving a false reading, is how the saltwater is made.  Undissolved salts can also give you an inaccurate reading which is a problem since jellies are very sensitive to salinity changes & high salinity levels can also impede their movement, eating and overall cellular activity. It is important to know what your salinity is and how it changes over time.

 

The point I need to make here is about how you make up your saltwater with distilled or RO water.

Always prepare the saltwater at least 24 hours ahead of time.  Adding undissolved salts to your jellyfish aquarium will damage the jellies tissue and can cause them to be very still and not bell or pulse much…their bell can curl under and they will fully retract their tentacles and not eat because of the tentacle retraction. They will look and be sad….sad jellies.  Also a dusty film of white on the interior of your tank will form, which can make the tank look cloudy.

Properly aerating saltwater involves a small submersible pump called a powerhead,  and a bucket.  A simple “bubble wand” or “bubbler” will not degauss and dissolve the salts completely.  I know the words “aeration” and “bubbler” tend to go hand in hand, but in this case it’s just not the right tool for the job.  You need more mixing power in the water which a powerhead can give you.  Once you add the desired amount of salt, vigorously mix for a minute or two with your hand or 2 foot length of PVC pipe as a stir stick.  After that, you can let the powerhead pump ( in this scenario a Lifegard 800 is perfect!) do the rest.  See diagram above to see how to set this up in a 5 gallon bucket.  It could be any size bucket as long as you position the powerhead pump at the water level allowing it to pull in air as it mixes.  You want the water and air to be churning vigorously.

If you have some residual stuff still swirling around the bottom of the bucket after 24 hours don’t worry about it.  Just leave it there and don’t try and mix it into the water you will be using for a water change.  You can rinse that out and get rid of it before making another batch of saltwater.  It’s just undissolved minerals and is totally normal.

Important Side Note!! 

Never use tap water to make up your saltwater–not even if you use some sort of water conditioner that removes chlorine.  There are heavy metals, pesticides and ever more increasing levels of pharmaceuticals in city tap water supplies.  No sort of chemical conditioner will eliminate these things from the water. You must use distilled or RO (reverse osmosis) water.  Do not use “spring water” or “mineral water” or “drinking water” — it must say “Distilled” or if you are purchasing from a water store, it must be RO or RO/DI.

When Your Jellyfish Takes a “Personal Day”

by sunsetmarinelabs, posted in Sick Jellyfish?

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As you populate your eon jellyfish tank with jellies, you may sometimes notice a jelly acting differently; belling oddly or sometimes infrequently.  Is that jelly sick?  Should you take some action to make it better?  Not necessarily.  First of all, jellies don’t get sick, per say; however, they can plateau in their development.

Take a look at your other jellies.  Are they behaving in the same fashion as the jelly in question?  Take some water quality readings and see if they are in range or not.  Correct any levels that are off and wait a day or two. The jellies are 96% water. So, if your water quality checks out A-OK, then your jelly in question could be taking a personal day—having personal issues.  This does not mean you need to take action on your whole system.  If your water parameters are in range, be patient and keeping observing.

We have noticed over the years that sometimes a jelly will sort of plateau and change behaviors for up to two weeks and then get back to normal.  Some jellies grow quick and fast and are always in action, but then their growth rate slows down and they can plateau.  Some don’t grow at first and then take off later in life. Be patient with your jellies as they settle into your system and with your maintenance practices.  It’s good to be on the ball observing their health and wellbeing; however, think about your tank as a system–an aquatic system. Don’t be quick to judge one or two “off” days with a jelly here or there.  And do not go the route of forcing more food into the equation thinking that is the answer.  Let nature do its thing and just maintain good water quality and maintenance practices.  These guys are resilient and given the chance, they can rebound nicely in a well-kept environment.

Another thing to consider is that you are observing animals in a closed system and natural selection is taking place in front of your eyes!   The stronger jellyfish will bell more, eat more food and grow faster and bigger.  While, at the same time,  the weaker jellies will grow more slowly and the very weak jellies will stay the same size as when you first introduced them, or will shrink.  This is completely normal.  We liken it to the “varsity”, “junior varsity”, and “bench warmers” of the jellyfish world. It is to be expected. In very rare cases will all the jellyfish remain the same size in a closed system.

P.s.

…in some cases they take a personal day for the rest of their lives and there isn’t anything to be done.  They can still eat and live and be just fine.  Embrace the existentialists!!!

Expectations for Keeping Jellyfish as Pets

by sunsetmarinelabs, posted in Five Must Reads When Considering Jellyfish as Pets

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As with any pet, having a pet jellyfish takes some time, dedication and care on your part, the pet owner. Taking care of jellyfish means taking care of their watery environment & feeding them something nutritious— given you have a proper jellyfish tank for them to survive.

What is expected of you now that you have a pet jellyfish or two or three in the house?  Well, you will have to feed them daily and conduct a few simple water tests each week. You will also change out some filters & some water and clean the interior of the tank.  Of course, the size of your jellyfish tank will determine just how much time these tasks will take—the bigger the tank, the more time & water is needed.  Below is the maintenance schedule for the 10gallon Eon Jellyfish System, just to give you an idea of the maintenance required.

•Once a week you test the water quality & will change 1 gallon of saltwater, change the mechanical filter & clean the interior surfaces of the tank (30 minutes time).

•Every other week you will also change 1 of the 3 carbon filters (an additional 5 minutes).

•Every three months you will clean out the spray bar holes and the drain screen, along with the pump and check valve (an additional 20 minutes).

•Every year you will remove the jellies & filters and bleach & dechlorinate the system.

Because moon jellies are 96% water, most of your attention will be on the quality of the water your jellies are living in—they literally are what they swim in—so keep it nice!  On a daily basis, the Eon’s built in wet/dry filter will maintain your biological & chemical filtration and therefore, water quality and clarity, only requiring a 1 gallon water change each week.

It is a simple routine that is easily followed.  And in doing so, you can certainly expect to see happy, growing jellies in your home! Enjoy!