Something new everyday....Jellyfish??

jeff10

Member
So today...I got little tiny white jellowfish (the ones that look like an umbrella) in one of my tanks now

Hehe, pretty cool, worried they are going to die getting sucked into my powerhead but I need the powerheads on
 

mrdc

Active Member
Not sure what you should do because that seems like it could happen. I would enjoy your post much more if it had pics! Don't get to see jelly fish too often.
 

meowzer

Moderator
LOL...I had an upside down jellyfish when I first started,.....that was before I knew they needed very very special care
take a pic, I hate to tell you this.....it won't live long :( Mine lasted 2 weeks I think....before it disappeared
 

flower

Well-Known Member

I watched a documentary on little tiny jellyfish, they were deadly in large numbers and had a much worse sting than the larger ones. I would be very careful until you indentify exactly what you have.
Look up Irukandji jellyfish .
 

gill again68

Active Member
I really love this hobby. When I pet my dog I worry that she may get excited and pee on the floor thats pretty much it. When you stick you hand in our tanks well.......
 

flower

Well-Known Member

I was wrong, it isn't deadly in large numbers at all

Irukandji jellyfish are very small, with a bell about one centimeter wide and four tentacles, which range in length from just a few centimeters to up to 35 cm in length.[6] The stingers (nematocysts) are in clumps, appearing as rings of small red dots around the bell and along the tentacles.[6]
Very little is known about the life cycle and venom of Irukandji jellyfish. This is partly because they are too small and sufficiently fragile to require special handling and containment.[1] Its venom is very powerful, 100 times as potent as that of a cobra, and 1000 times as potent as that of a tarantula. Researchers conjecture that its venom possesses such potency to enable it to quickly stun its prey, which consists of small and fast fish. Judging from statistics, it is believed that the Irukandji syndrome may be produced by several species of jellyfish, but only Carukia barnesi and Malo kingi have so far been proven to cause the syndrome
Irukandji syndrome is produced by a very small amount of venom and includes severe pains at various parts of the body (typically excruciating muscle cramps in the arms and legs, severe pain in the back and kidneys, a burning sensation of the skin and face), headaches, nausea, restlessness, sweating, vomiting, an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and psychological phenomena such as the feeling of impending death. The syndrome is in part caused by release of catecholamines.[6] The venom contains a sodium channel modulator.[6]
The sting itself is only moderately irritating; the severe syndrome is delayed for 5–120 minutes (30 minutes on average). The symptoms range from hours to weeks, and victims usually require hospitalization. As with box jellyfish, vinegar will deactivate unfired nematocysts on the skin, but has no effect on the venom already in the body.[9] Treatment is symptomatic, with antihistamines and anti-hypertensive drugs used to control inflammation and hypertension and intravenous opiates, such as morphine and fentanyl, to control the pain.[9] Magnesium sulfate has been used to reduce pain and hypertension in Irukandji syndrome,[10] although it has had no effect in other cases.[11]
Irukandji are usually found near the coast, attracted by the warmer water, but blooms have been seen as far as five kilometres offshore. When properly treated, a single sting is normally not fatal, but two people in Australia are believed to have died from Irukandji stings in 2002,[12][13] greatly increasing public awareness of Irukandji syndrome. It is unknown how many other deaths from Irukandji syndrome have been wrongly attributed to other causes. It is also unknown which jellyfish species can cause Irukandji syndrome apart from Carukia barnesi and Malo kingi.[14]
The average jellyfish has stingers only on its tentacles, but the Irukandji also has stingers on its bell. Biologists have yet to know the purpose of this unique characteristic. They hypothesize that the feature enables the jellyfish to be more likely to catch its prey of small fish.
A jellyfish stinger works like a long sock turned inside out and coiled like a spring. When the stingers are triggered, they are pulled right side out and uncoiled in a fraction of a second, launching themselves into the flesh of the "attacker" that touched the jellyfish. These millions of microscopic, prolonged stingers then excrete venom only from its tip, which causes a delayed pain reaction. When the enemy pulls away, the stingers are torn off the tentacles of the jellyfish, and they remain in the body of the attacker.
What the irukandji does differently from other box jellyfish species is that it has the ability to fire stingers from the tips and inject venom. Currently, it is not known whether this is for some special purpose.[8]
 

cranberry

Active Member
If they are super small.....you may see a few more. They are hydroids. Harmless unless you are raising fry or dwarf seahorses.
 

navigator

Member
Originally Posted by Gill again68
http:///forum/post/3295368
I really love this hobby. When I pet my dog I worry that she may get excited and pee on the floor thats pretty much it. When you stick you hand in our tanks well.......
This made me laugh really hard!
 

flower

Well-Known Member

Hydroids look like an umbrella? I thught they looked like snowflakes or tiny spiders.
I wish OP had some pictures, my camera is no good for tiny things either.
 

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3295406

Hydroids look like an umbrella? I thught they looked like snowflakes or tiny spiders.
I wish OP had some pictures, my camera is no good for tiny things either.

I believe there are different types of hydroids
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by meowzer
http:///forum/post/3295407
I believe there are different types of hydroids

I have sooo much to learn. I thought hydroids were really bad but Cranberry said they are harmless unless you are keeping sea horses. A hydroid that looks like a jellyfish would be pretty cool to have. At least you could put your hand in the tank and not die..LOL
 

meowzer

Moderator
Originally Posted by Flower
http:///forum/post/3295408

I have sooo much to learn. I thought hydroids were really bad but Cranberry said they are harmless unless you are keeping sea horses. A hydroid that looks like a jellyfish would be pretty cool to have. At least you could put your hand in the tank and not die..LOL
FLOWER...clean out your private message box
 

jeff10

Member
Id take pics but my Camera is not working and they are so tiny I doubt I can get a good shot of them. They look like tiny saucers with the mouth or "jet" thing or whatever in the middle and the Saucer goes up and all to move it around.
Definitely NOT hydroids, from all the pics I just looked at, closer to FLOWERs but there are not tentacles hanging down
 

cranberry

Active Member
The medusa stage of hydroids have many many varied looks. They appear in pretty much in everyone tanks at one point or another... not always seen, however.
When you do a google search, it really doesn't come up with any of the pics of the type I'm talking about. Hydroids look like perfect little jelly fish.... hence the common name Hydroid Jellyfish. But they can take on a plethora of different little characteristics like long vs short tentacle.... different colours... etc etc.
Keep looking at the glass and see if you notice a few little ones that have landed.
They can kindda look like this on the glass.... but the do vary greatly.
 

jeff10

Member
None on the glass just yet, but I will keep looking...If I ever get a new battery for my camera I will try to take some pics
 
i watched a documentary on discovery about those jellyfish flower was tlking about VERY DEADLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it is not wat jeff has it doesnt describe it. i wouldnt be to woried ...... but i would put on rubber gloves wenever your performing maintnence just in case!!!!!!
 

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by ernestpolska
http:///forum/post/3297248
i watched a documentary on discovery about those jellyfish flower was tlking about VERY DEADLY!!!!!!!!!!!!! but it is not wat jeff has it doesnt describe it. i wouldnt be to woried ...... but i would put on rubber gloves wenever your performing maintnence just in case!!!!!!

LOL...I feel like I'm chasing you around the forum...I believe it has been established it was hydroids not tiny jellyfish. I watched the same program you did.
 
actually im chasin you cuz i need to learn and your one of my teachers , u no magazines books and websites dnt explain it all.....
 
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