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M$10 August 18, 2009 04:32 AM

Fishtank Emergency! Mini Jellyfish Infestation

I need some quick answers here.

We have a 12 Gallon fish tank, had it for a few years now, currently we got two Clown Fish, a Brittlestar and some Hermit Crabs... Within the last couple hours what appears to be hundreds if not thousands of tiny jellyfish, about 1 millimeter in diameter started appearing around the tank.

No idea what they are or how to get rid of them, I imagine they are bad, but I would really like to know what they are and how they got in my tank.
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August 18, 2009 07:38 AM
Your jellyfishlike creatures are probably the medusa stage of some kind of hydrozoan. Many hydrozoans undergo alternate metamorphosis: A sessile polypoid form releases free-swimming medusae, which produce eggs, which in turn develop into the polypoid form of the organism. (The common hydra is a hydrozoan, but it is a freshwater organism and lacks a medusa stage; it reproduces is entirely by budding.)

http://library.thinkquest.org/26153/marine/sketch/600.jpg

Hydrozoans are common worldwide and could have entered your aquarium along with any local marine life, rocks, or seawater you may have added. I'm specifically thinking of your hermit crabs. Their shells are ideal places for hydrozoans to settle, and they would have had to be kept moist during transport. In fact, one hydrozoan species, Hydractinia, grows on hermit crab shells in such numbers that a symbiotic relationship might exist: The hydrozoans protect the hermit crab from predators, while the crab's messy feeding habits provide an open buffet for the hydrozoans.

Because of their defenses, hydrozoans have a limited number of predators. Some sea slugs consume hydrozoans, and many sea slugs are also quite attractive.

http://www.biology-blog.com/images/blogs/Sea-Slugs-32132.jpg

If your mystery jellyfish really are hydrozoan medusae, you may want to try to collect a few for identification. There may be a specific natural predator for your particular species of hydrozoan which could make eradication very simple.
Source(s):
http://en.allexperts.com/e/m/me/medusa_(biology).htm
http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/cnidaria/hydrozoalh.html
http://www.reef.edu.au/asp_pages/secb.asp?FormNo=18

Asker's Rating:
• Thanks for the quick response and the info.

I think your right, we found a whole bucket of info, apparently these outbreaks can be caused by overfeeding the fish (which is something we have been guilty of recently) all the extra food around becomes a fast breeding ground.

Happy to report we were able to settle the problem by skimming out the jellys and doing a water change. I hope the [[Clown Fish]] weren't too traumatized.


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Helpful: videopia

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August 18, 2009 07:58 AM
I've read about those fellas, the most perplexing part of the whole thing is that we haven't added any new Hermits in well over a year. In fact nothing new has been added to the tank in 6+ months.

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August 18, 2009 08:16 AM
Some hydrozoans can survive as polyps for months without releasing medusae. Maybe some recent environmental stress triggered medusa formation. Such a change could be subtle, such as a slight temperature drop which crosses a genetically determined threshold level.

http://sciencelinks.jp/j-east/article/200706/000020070607A0129141.php
http://www.facebook.com/note.php?note_id=230241680300

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August 18, 2009 09:03 AM
It's a classic survival strategy. When food is scarce, lie low and concentrate your energy on survival. When the food supply increases, shift into reproduction mode to get as many of your offspring as possible into that favorable environment.

I'm glad you were able to solve the problem, and glad I could help.

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August 18, 2009 04:52 AM
Wow! I don't think they are jellyfish, probably hydra in the medusa stage:

http://www.biology.iastate.edu/Courses/211L/Cnidar/%20CnidINDX.htm

You should be able to buy a predator that eats them. I had a puffer fish that was incredibly voracious at eating stuff like that. Also, pepermint shrimp are fun little eating machines. A dedicated tropical fish store clerk should definitely be able to help you.

How did they get there? New rocks. New hermit crab shells. Lots of ways.

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Helpful: smartweb

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August 18, 2009 05:31 AM
i didn't believe it either, but they look like jellyfish and swim like jellyfish.. just tiny

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