Blue Blubbers (Catostylus mosaicus)

The Blue Blubber Jellyfish (Catostylus mosaicus) is a resilient species popular in aquariums worldwide. While typically white to light blue and growing up to 30cm in regions like Australia, a unique variety from the Philippines, known as the “colour jellyfish,” is notably different. These smaller jellies (reaching only 10cm) display a vibrant array of colours, including dark blue, brown, pink, dark red, and even multi-coloured patterns. Thriving in warm Indo-Pacific waters, they are hardy, adaptable, and captivating to watch due to their energetic, pulsing movement as they feed on plankton.

Notes: To maintain their size, they must be fed multiple times a day in captivity; otherwise, they will gradually shrink. The polyps can be kept at room temperature and will periodically undergo strobilation (reproduction). Both polyps and young ephyrae can be fed freshly hatched brine shrimp. About 20 days after being released from the polyp, the ephyrae begin to develop their body colour. It is observed that all the ephyrae from a single polyp develop the same colour.