Atlantic Sea Nettle
Chrysaora quinquecirrha
The Atlantic sea nettle jellyfish could be best described as hiding in plain sight. Only discovered in 2017, the common name Atlantic sea nettle was applied to all of the nettles found along the Atlantic coast of the US. But, as it turns out, there were truly two species here, one much more common than the other. The most frequently encountered was renamed the bay nettle, due to their preferred environment. The Atlantic nettle, on the other hand, lives out in the great open ocean, and is rarely encountered.
Caring for Atlantic Sea Nettles
The Real Difference Between Atlantic and Bay Nettle Jellyfish
There are some physical differences between these two species which are explained in their original description published in 2017. Bay nettles have fewer tentacles, 24 total, whereas Atlantic nettles have 40 total. Bay nettles also have much longer, trailing mouth-arms. Atlantic nettles tend to have shorter, more ruffly arms. Despite these quantified differences, I always felt like the two nettles looked very similar. It wasn't until I witnessed an Atlantic sea nettle in person that I understood how different they really are. Atlantic nettles have a surprisingly sturdy and rigid bell- this makes sense as they have to survive the harsh open ocean currents. The surface of their bell is covered in nematocysts that form a rough, almost sandpapery texture. In contrast, bay nettles feel quite delicate and gelatinous, with a slippery texture.
I have found Atlantic nettles to be pleasantly easy to care for. They adapt well to captivity, despite living in the very pristine and stable environment of the open ocean. The grow to be much larger than bay nettles and specimens in the wild may already be quite large. So housing them in a large enough aquarium is one factor to consider.
Stocking density: Atlantic nettles should be stocked at a low density so they don't tangle. They have particularly large and ruffly arms, which can tangle if too many jellyfish are present.
Flow: Medium to high flow is ideal, you want enough flow to keep them suspended in the water. Ideally, the jellies should be swimming against the current.
Feeding: Can be fed baby brine shrimp, minced mysis shrimp and other jellyfish species. This species needs to eat other jellyfish to meet their nutritional needs. Without it, they will stop growing and begin to shrink in size. They can be fed ctenophores, hydromedusae or moon jellies.
Compatibility with other species: Will eat other species, best kept with other Atlantic nettles.
Temperature Range: 65-75 F, This species is found from St. Augustine, FL to Cape May, New Jersey during summer months in water that is usually around 60-68 F, which would suggest they may have a preference for slightly cooler water.
Salinity: 1.026 SG or 35 ppt
Life Cycle
There are numerous papers about the life cycle and life stages of Chrysaora quinquecirrha. These are all likely about C. chesapeakei, however. The actual life stages of C. quinquecirrha are not well described or may not have been observed at all yet. They likely resemble other Chrysaora species.