Raising Aiptasia hunters: Have you tried to breed Berghia nudibranchs?

[Peace River]

Raising Aiptasia hunters: Have you tried to breed Berghia nudibranchs?

Aiptasia can be a significant pest in the reef tank and, while there are several suggested remedies, they all seem to have their limitations or draw backs. Some solutions can annoy the Aiptasia which end up replicating at an increased level and other solutions eat the Aiptasia as well as other corals in the tank. One option that will only eat Aiptasia is the Berghia nudibranch. Because of the cost there is reason to set up a system to breed Berghia and recoup the cost and maybe even offset some of the other costs of reefing. Have you ever tried to breed Berghia nudibranchs? If so, tell us about your experience and share any tips that you may have.

Photo by @prsnlty

Lately there have been several threads on R2R about breeding nudibranchs so, in addition to adding your thoughts in the thread related to this question of the day, please use the R2R search feature to learn about how others have attempted to breed Berghia. If you try to breed them yourself, good luck! There are plenty of reef keepers with Aiptasia that are cheering for you!


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.dinkinsaquaticgardens.com

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[littlebeard]

I bought some berghia to deal with my aiptasia problem in my display. Set up another 10 gallon to grow aiptasia... Was growing slow, thought I'd be smart and seed a few more large aiptasia from my display. Unfortunately there must have been some eggs on the base of one of those aiptasia and soon I had zero aiptasia in my 10 gallon.

 

[therootcause]

One of my favorite off-shoots I got into a few years ago was aiptasia farming for Berghia. This is a large shallow basin designed to sit under a sink or washing machine that I set up for aiptasia grow out with a bucket sump.

What a fun time.

Profile view of the tub on the table.

 

[Kristopher Conlin]

I just recently had some eggs hatch! They are about a month old now.

 

[GARRIGA]

One of my favorite off-shoots I got into a few years ago was aiptasia farming for Berghia. This is a large shallow basin designed to sit under a sink or washing machine that I set up for aiptasia grow out with a bucket sump.

What a fun time.

Profile view of the tub on the table.

Goes to show how effective they are as a survival species.

 

[Daniel]

I added 10 to my system, had them work effectively for a few months, got about 80-90% clearance of aiptasia then stopped seeing them roaming after lights went out. Slowly the aiptasia came back in full force and now I’m debating if I try them again or not… interested to see other folks experience.

 

[therootcause]

I added 10 to my system, had them work effectively for a few months, got about 80-90% clearance of aiptasia then stopped seeing them roaming after lights went out. Slowly the aiptasia came back in full force and now I’m debating if I try them again or not… interested to see other folks experience.

Do you happen to also have other forms of aiptasia predators in the tank like a file fish or peppermint shrimp? I hear they may also develop a taste for the berghia, which to me is logical. You are what you eat.

 

[1979fishgeek]

The adults always lay the eggs but either they hatch and disappear or somethings eating the eggs. Tried so many times now, setups just for rearing them and several different tanks. No luck.

 

[Reef By Steele]

We just started breeding them. I have a Red Sea XXL750 just full ofaiptasia. I was going to go the nuclear route, but when we started selling pods and phytoplankton I decided to let that aiptasia work for me.

 

[Kristopher Conlin]

The adults always lay the eggs but either they hatch and disappear or somethings eating the eggs. Tried so many times now, setups just for rearing them and several different tanks. No luck.

Amphipods will devour the eggs if they are in the aquarium. I had good luck putting the egg spirals in a gallon jar of water from my aquarium with no substrate or pod hitchhikers.

 

[1979fishgeek]

Amphipods will devour the eggs if they are in the aquarium. I had good luck putting the egg spirals in a gallon jar of water from my aquarium with no substrate or pod hitchhikers.

That makes sense as my tanks are swarming with pods. The bid tank from a refugium and the others only have Frogfish in so no predators for the tiny critters. Thank you!

 

[Rjramos]

Got berghias breeding and multiplying now. I read a paper back on Berghias from Dean Banger. From there I learned of predators and method. I kind of went smaller scale, and added a small 2 gallons tank circulating from on top of one of my frag tanks( 60 gal).
Inside is a mini power head and water is recirculated via a small pump in the frag tank. Output water goes through a sleeve with filter mesh sock, to keep berghia larvae from getting out. The output gravity feeds into frag tank overflow below. Hardest thing is keeping free of amphipods, which eat eggs and larvae. And even harder, is keeping a healthy supply of aiptasias which reproduce!
I actually found a rock quarry through a friend down in the keys that is full of aiptasias! Only problem is 4 hrs of driving and 2-3 hours in the water harvesting. Nowhere else in south Fla have I seen aiptasia. Lived here all my life. Culturing aiptasias is the way to go I. A dedicated tank, but a good filtration system and feeding is a must.

 

[Pamperedfish]

In March, my 125g had an aptasia infestation. No coral was happy and my trans were eating the aptasia off the rock and in water column.

I bought 8 for a good price, 5 made it in my 125g, not knowing how to release and care for the bergia nudibranches.

After research, in April I bought 24 more. Finally now in October can say my problems are 95% gone.

I had an extreme infestation in my tank!
These are my notes.

Use a cup with sand to release bergia @ bottom of rocks with lights off.

Aptasia eats Bergia!!!
Amphipods eat the eggs.
Using a mandarin to manage this is not a successful option.

When you blow off your live rock/ flip a rock and see eggs, your aptasia should be noticably disappearing in sections.

I harvest aptasia from tank, put them in mason jar with fresh water ( shake vigorously ).
100% water change with ( new salt water ).
Add egg spirals to jar, with as little water from tank.
Top off fresh water 4-6 weeks.
Your water will be dirty!
Bergia hatchlings are free floating.
@ this point single aptasia will not be the happiest.
In a couple of days, I noticed 1 pen tip sized Bergia, then 3,5,8.

I harvest Bergia from canister filter, sump and 125 display.

Pics
1 125g display.
2 example of problem.
3 size comparison.
4 bergia eating in daylight, both aptasia gone in hours. The rock is so clean!!!
5 bergia in torch @ night with red flashlight
6 hatched eggs, dropped the whole jar with water and debris in to a reefers tank.

 

[Cichlid Dad]

Ok, story time! I would say 6 months ago I had a tank full of aptasia and purchased 4 1/4 inch nudibranch. C note down the drain. Let them go in the tank. Never saw them again. Purchase a copperband, never ate much lasted 3 days. Picked up another one ate right away never touched aptasia. Purchase 6 peppermint shrimp they started eating my aptasia . Meanwhile I started a new tank, moved all my coral, fish and peppermints to the new tank. Old tank still running with aptasia still on the rocks, but seem to be disappearing some. Today I look in the tank and find a bunch of adult nudibranch all together in three different areas of the tank. At least 10, so I know there's more. So unintentionally have farmed Nudie's. I kept the tank going because of the live rock but was basically ignoring it.

.

 

[Anthony hobbyist 101]

I just recently had some eggs hatch! They are about a month old now.

Good evening,

Where are you from

I just recently had some eggs hatch! They are about a month old now.

Good evening

Where are you from Kristopher?

Would really be interested to buying a few and maybe even breeding them,

Please let me know,

Thanks

 

[shwareefer]

I was to buy 2 berghia off a fellow reefer years ago. The next day I went to get them but 1 had died so he gave me an egg coil as a substitute not knowing if they would hatch. I put the single nudi in and literally chucked the egg coil on top of some live rock hoping nothing would eat it. Sometime in the next month there were hundreds of berghia scouring my tank. Wiped out a huge aiptasia infestation over the next few months and they have never come back. I don't know if there was further breeding but they definitely hatched so "other".

 

[kilnakorr]

Been breeding them on and off for a while.
My young ones just laid eggs, so cycle continues

The food-tank, that might cause nightmares:

 

[captpetefl]

Important note that they DON’T tell you…

Although you should drop the Berghias near or on an Aptasia, do NOT drop them straight INTO the Aptasia’s mouth!

I was told to “drop them right on top” of an Aptasia, which I did.

Bergia - “Large”, about 1/2” maybe
Aptasia - small to medium, not even dime-sized.

The outcome?

CHOMP! It about two seconds the Aptasia closed up and swallowed that $24 Berghia like it was just getting warmed up!

Little Berghia tentacles came out over the next 10 mins and then it was all over folks!

He still lives today

 

[Cichlid Dad]

So I collected some nudibranch and traded for a pintail fairy wrasse. I still have a tank full and 5 egg clusters

 

[Operation Philo Beddoe]

So I collected some nudibranch and traded for a pintail fairy wrasse. I still have a tank full and 5 egg clusters

Great subject. In 2020 I bought Breeding Berghia Nudibranches the best kept secret https://a.co/d/1iIP4dQ built it and it works. Book is $12.