Berghia Nudibranchs

[Kizmar]

Has anyone tried to keep Aiptasia under control with Berghia Nudibranchs?

Thinking about ordering some but don't know anything about these. Looking for opinions from people that had / have some. How effective are they? How few can I safely start out with in a 120 and have them breed (cause they're not cheap)?

Thanks!

 

[ErinCahir]

How bad is your aiptasia problem? From what I've read on them, unless you have a MASSIVE outbreak they're hard to sustain.

 

[Kizmar]

How bad is your aiptasia problem? From what I've read on them, unless you have a MASSIVE outbreak they're hard to sustain.

As far as I can see, I'd say I have at least 30-40 in the display, several in the overflow, and some in the sump. I don't have past experience to compare this to, so I don't know how bad it is, I just know it's rapidly becoming an issue.

I've recently seen a couple spots go from one or two of them to six or seven, so if I don't do something soon I will have a larger problem on my hands.

I've had to AiptasiaX a few of them because they were irritating other corals. All that stuff does is hold them back for a week or two. It's not effective. I've tried Peppermints and a Filefish, but both picked at my RBTA and that's grounds for removal. I'm not willing to try those again.

I'm at the point where, if I have to buy a few Nudi's a couple times a year to keep the Aiptasia down, that's better then the alternatives (so far).

 

[Aquarian]

Have you tried to inject them with strait calcium? That always works for me when the shrimp don't eat them.

 

[Kizmar]

Have you tried to inject them with strait calcium? That always works for me when the shrimp don't eat them.

No. I can only reach about half of them without moving rock that has SPS on it. Some of them are impossible to catch because they shrink into holes in the rock. At best I could maybe get to 1/4 of them to inject. That said, maybe I'll try that on a couple of the larger ones. :)

I've heard that the injection methods aren't ideal because you can cause the Aiptasia to spit out seeds (what ever that are called) which makes the issue worse.

 

[Aquarian]

Never had a problem with that but on some big ones I've had to inject a couple of times. I believe it's the sudden drastic change in ph that kills them when you hit them with strait calcium. It's like putting salt on a slug.

 

[noy]

Has anyone tried to keep Aiptasia under control with Berghia Nudibranchs?

Thinking about ordering some but don't know anything about these. Looking for opinions from people that had / have some. How effective are they? How few can I safely start out with in a 120 and have them breed (cause they're not cheap)?

Thanks!

Can't say I've ever tried them myself but from all accounts they are the most effective means of controlling aiptasis. The problem usually is keeping them alive after they chomp down on your aiptasia problem. I don't think they eradicate them but they will reduce it to a level where you can do chemical spot control with stuff like aiptasia X. Most people get around 2-3 depending on size of tank.

Just curious - have you tried Aiptasia X - I find it very effective because it coats the area where the aiptasia is and basically smothers it (along with the chemicals). I know people who putty up the hole after the aiptasia X to make sure there is not re-growth.

30-40 in the display is a problem you need to address.

 

[Shep]

I had a couple in my tank and they were pretty effective at taking care of the problem but after they had I could not maintain them and they died off. I would say that it is worth a shot, maybe start on a small scale first and see what happens. Just to note I did not have any corals in my tank so I can not speak to any risks that there might be.

 

[Kizmar]

Just curious - have you tried Aiptasia X - I find it very effective because it coats the area where the aiptasia is and basically smothers it (along with the chemicals). I know people who putty up the hole after the aiptasia X to make sure there is not re-growth.

I have, in fact I just did again the other night. The issue with that stuff, is that all it seems to do 95% of the time is make them hide for a week. They almost always end up coming back. I'm looking for a stronger natural solution.

Maybe I'll get 3 and see what happens.

 

[ErinCahir]

Just make sure you put them close to where the problem is. 125 gallons is a lot of space to cover when you're teeny.

 

[phastroh]

Nudibranchs, Nudibranchs, Nudibranchs!!! You could always give them to the LFS when you are done.

 

[noy]

Ok, this thread inspired me to get some berghia nudibranchs. I found a guy locally who was ordering them so I got three. I wanted to get more but he only had three left.

Here's what I learned so far.

1) They come in bigger sizes than I thought - I have one that is 3/4 inch big!
2) Acclimate slowly - especially considering how expensive they are.
3) When transferring to tank - turn off all flow. They need to be established and get a grip onto the rockwork. Otherwise they get blown around.
4) Do not put them directly onto an aiptasia - they will get eaten. This almost happened with one of mine.
5) Use a turkey baster to transfer them.
6) if you are putting them in an area without rockwork (overflow) put them onto a cleaner magnet and let them crawl onto the glass.
7) You won't see them much in a display setup. They are nocturnal and only crawl out at night.
8) They sneak up on aiptasia on the side and chomp them down. I'll try to get a video going.
9) Takes a while for them to work on a aiptasia but they sure do eat them. No doubt about that.