I’m sure many of us have been mesmerized by gracefully floating jellyfish at a public aquarium at some point. Up until recently, it has been extremely difficult to keep jellyfish at home successfully as they have unique care and feeding requirements.

Today we are going to show you the Orbit 20 Jellyfish Aquarium and how this ingenious all in one aquarium makes it possible, and easy, to successfully keep jellyfish at home.

At first glance, the Orbit 20 looks more like a contemporary lava lamp than an aquarium. The round shape actually serves a very important purpose. Jellyfish are not strong swimmers and need just the right amount of water flow to thrive. With too much flow they can easily be whisked away into your filtration system and with not enough flow, the jellies will sit on the bottom of the tank.

Jellyfish’s flesh is very delicate and can be easily damaged. The round “Kreisel” design creates a gentle circular flow to keep the jellyfish in suspension. This design also eliminates corners that may cause the jellyfish to settle in a dead spot. Being void of any strong suction or rough surfaces also prevents injuries to the jellyfish’s delicate tissue.

The filtration system is built into the outside ring as you can see here and includes some biological filter media along with a water pump. The black decorate trim hides the filtration and is held in place by a couple of magnets for easy removal.

Out of the box the tank needs minimal assembly and all you need to do is place the media, attach the pump, then connect the power wires and you are all set to fill it with water.

Adding some additional filter media such as the Chemi-Pure Blue Nano will help keep water clean. These are nice because they are pre-packaged in convenient nano-packets that you simply drop into your aquarium.

The water outlet is a spray bar that gently pushes the water over the intake vent which prevents the jellyfish from getting harmed by the filtration system.

Since the design of the tank does not allow for ample surface agitation, it is a good idea to add an air pump to the tank.

Do not use an airstone, just the airline, and keep the large bubbles away from the pump since microbubbles can be problematic for your jellies. The extra surface agitation from the large air bubbles will help with proper gas exchange and keep the pH stable. Without the bubbler, dissolved CO2 will cause the pH to drop overtime which is very dangerous for the jellyfish.

The tank has a couple of auxiliary ports located on the bottom that allow you to easily attach an external chiller, heater, or filter which is really nice if you need to control temperature or boost the filtration.

A color-changing LED light is included and can be controlled via a remote. This RGB LED light really adds some character to the tank and looks pretty cool over the translucent bodies of most jellyfish.

Before adding the jellies you will want to let the tank cycle. Jellyfish are sensitive to water quality and it is important to keep up with regular maintenance after they have been introduced.

If you have an existing aquarium; you can actually just place the biological filter media inside your filter or sump for a couple of weeks to help establish a healthy bacteria population. Then just fill the Orbit 20 aquarium with water from your existing tank and transfer the bio media to quickly establish and stabilize your new aquarium.

Adding a bacteria additive such as Brightwell Aquatics MicroBacter 7 is also a great idea to help get the tank cycled quickly and help maintain a healthy population of bacteria in the system. Always be sure to test for ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates before adding any jellyfish to ensure the tank is ready. Ammonia and Nitrites should not be present in the water.

Jellyfish are sometimes available at local fish stores but can be a rare find. A good option for acquiring jellyfish is an online retailer such as Sunset Marine Lab—which is where we purchased our Jellyfish.

They have been researching and breeding jellyfish since 1996 and offer some of the heathiest jellyfish you can find. You can find their website at www.sunsetmarinelab.com. Since this is a fairly small tank you want to choose a Jellyfish species that stays small and is fairly hardy. Sunset Marine Labs offers a strain of moon jellies which are a great choice for the Orbit tank.

Upon arrival it is important to acclimate the jellyfish. First, float the jellyfish inside the bag for about 15 minutes to allow the temperature to equalize.

Next, remove 20% of the water from the bag and replace it with water from the Orbit tank every 15 minutes.

Repeat 4 to 5 times and each time be sure to retire the bag and continue to float inside the tank.

Rotate the bag occasionally to stimulate the jellies to bell so they can move the newly introduced saltwater through their system.

Lastly, open the bag to let the jellyfish gently float out. The entire procedure should take 1-2 hours.

For food, the Jelly Deli is a great and simple option. It is a unique powder food that includes probiotics to help keep your water clean. Jelly Deli can also be mixed with baby brine shrimp, zooplankton or a commercially prepared food, to fortify their nutrition. Just be sure to soak it with aquarium water and feed a substantial amount. You want the Jellyfish to naturally filter the food from the aquarium water so just dump the food directly into the tank without spot feeding. They should be fed at minimum once per day and since they are transparent, you will easily be able to see the food inside their stomachs.

Maintenance is very simple as long as you don’t overstock or overfeed your jellyfish. A simple 10% weekly water change and monthly filtration system maintenance will keep your jellyfish happy and healthy.

With advancements in aquarium design and nutrition, it is now possible to keep these fascinating and mesmerizing jellyfish at home. With a sleek tank like the Orbit 20, they will also add a unique and interesting addition to your home décor.