My Challenge: The Ephyra in the Loophole

The husbandry of jellyfish started in 1965 at the Ueno Zoo's Aquarium in Tokyo just by a lucky chance. In one of the reserve tanks ephyra larvae of the Moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) were one day observed, quite unexpectedly. These creatures awoke the interest of the aquarium curator and he succeeded by trial and error to keep and exhibit this jellyfish continuously. It was the first time that an aquarium succeeded in the husbandry of jellyfish and could show the visitors the whole life cycle of jellyfish. Because of this success the Ueno Aquarium became famous worldwide, and aquarium curators from the US and Europe visited the Ueno Aquarium to learn their husbandry and exhibition methods. After these colleagues returned home again, it was Antwerp Zoo in Europe and the Monterey Bay Aquarium in the US, which tried the jellyfish husbandry as the first on their continents.

In the meantime Jellyfish exhibitions became very popular, and most aquariums today keep jellyfish successfully, although it is even today difficult to keep jellyfish continuously over several years. But some aquariums have specialized in the exhibition of jellyfish. The Kamo Aquarium is an example for such a new trend.