Berghia for Aiptasia

[Crystal08]

Back in Aug I purchased 5 Berghia for about 20-30 aiptasia. No improvement at all, actually way worse probably 100 Aiptasia now. I spent $150 with the shipping for no improvement. So my question is does anyone know how many i would need now and where is the most affordable place to buy some. I’m getting desperate because they are killing my soft corals. I do not have a wrasse or peppermint shrimp so I not sure what happened to the first ones i bought. Thanks in advance!

 

[Seagre1]

Buy aiptasia x and try kill them that way its reef safe just syringe it onto there mouths they will die

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

If the Aptasia has gotten this bad I would suggest other methods. Like dipping the rocks in a bucket with water and scrubbing away all the Aptasia with a course brush, or you could use "Aptasia X" but that has limited results. I used Pepperment Shrimp to destroy Aptasia when it was in my system, but I had caught it early on. They were able to take care of it. Your best solution in my opinion would be to scrub the rocks of fin a separate container; then introduce some Berghia or Pepperment Shrimp. Maybe even a file fish to help with the rest.

 

[Crystal08]

Buy Aiptasia X and try kill them that way its reef safe just syringe it onto there mouths they will die

I was told only to use that if I had a few aiptasia. I really think I have way too many at this point. I’d never be able to get to all of them and I’d be afraid what that much aiptasia x would do to the water. I tried killing them in the beginning with boiling RO water and a needle syringe. That made the population explode and most retracted into the tiny rock holes.

 

[Crystal08]

If the Aptasia has gotten this bad I would suggest other methods. Like dipping the rocks in a bucket with water and scrubbing away all the Aptasia with a course brush, or you could use "Aptasia X" but that has limited results. I used Pepperment Shrimp to destroy Aptasia when it was in my system, but I had caught it early on. They were able to take care of it. Your best solution in my opinion would be to scrub the rocks of fin a separate container; then introduce some Berghia or Pepperment Shrimp. Maybe even a file fish to help with the rest.

I would have to take every rock out and mess up the whole tank to do that. I would really like to try again with the berghia before doing that. The rocks are glued together and somewhere in the rock holes my little Pom Pom crab lives. I don’t want to accidentally kill him.

 

[Reefering1]

If the Aptasia has gotten this bad I would suggest other methods. Like dipping the rocks in a bucket with water and scrubbing away all the Aptasia with a course brush, or you could use "Aptasia X" but that has limited results. I used Pepperment Shrimp to destroy Aptasia when it was in my system, but I had caught it early on. They were able to take care of it. Your best solution in my opinion would be to scrub the rocks of fin a separate container; then introduce some Berghia or Pepperment Shrimp. Maybe even a file fish to help with the rest.

This sounds like a horrible idea.. any bit of flesh remaining will grow a new aiptaisia. Not to mention how difficult it would be to even locate a aiptaisia on a rock out of the water. And what if it closes up and pulls into a hole? Horrible idea. My experience with bergia was it took 6-8 months to even start seeing their impact. Those 5 bergias won't do much for aiptaisia removal. The subsequent generations, when there are hundreds, make the impact

 

[Poulpo]

Berghia can be really effective but you have to be patient. I bought 6 Berghia a few years ago and put 2of them in the display (never to be seen again) and try to reproduce the four other. It. Took me some while to find an easy way to do so but after two months I had over a hundred and they ate the 1000 aiptasia in the display very fast. Now the Aiptasia are slowly back and I will try again but only with a couple of berghia.

 

[Poulpo]

If you want to go that route, I can share what has been effective for me. There was very little maintenance at the end.

 

[Crystal08]

This sounds like a horrible idea.. any bit of flesh remaining will grow a new aiptaisia. Not to mention how difficult it would be to even locate a aiptaisia on a tick out of the water. And what if it closes up and pulls into a hole? Horrible idea. My experience with bergia was it took 6-8 months to even start seeing their impact. Those 5 bergias won't do much for aiptaisia removal. The subsequent generations, when there are hundreds, make the impact

I don’t think taking the rock out is the way I wanna go either. It would destroy my whole tank set up. I have been waiting for the population to get bigger but I did buy them in Aug so I thought I would have seen even a little improvement and that has not been the case. I’m really just hoping someone can point me in the right direction of somewhere I can buy them a little cheaper so I can buy more. I’m in Texas dfw area if anyone knows where I can buy some locally to save the expensive shipping by chance

 

[Crystal08]

If you want to go that route, I can share what has been effective for me. There was very little maintenance at the end.

I’m fine with waiting for them to work. I’m just afraid that they didn’t survive for some reason and I’m waiting for nothing watching the problem get worse. I put 5 med size ones in Aug and I did see one a few weeks later on the rock so they at least lived a few weeks but I don’t know if they are still alive

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

I don’t think taking the rock out is the way I wanna go either. It would destroy my whole tank set up. I have been waiting for the population to get bigger but I did buy them in Aug so I thought I would have seen even a little improvement and that has not been the case. I’m really just hoping someone can point me in the right direction of somewhere I can buy them a little cheaper so I can buy more. I’m in Texas dfw area if anyone knows where I can buy some locally to save the expensive shipping by chance

Its not a "Horrible Idea" Its a way to get rid of Aptasia without spending over 300$. It just requires maintenance, but I can see if you have a big tank why you wouldn't want to do it.

 

[Seagre1]

I was told only to use that if I had a few aiptasia. I really think I have way too many at this point. I’d never be able to get to all of them and I’d be afraid what that much aiptasia x would do to the water. I tried killing them in the beginning with boiling RO water and a needle syringe. That made the population explode and most retracted into the tiny rock holes.

I'm afraid it would take a lot of time .. no matter what you do if you have that many it will take forever. You could try a filefish, copperband butterfly but they can nip lps so be careful with the copperband. Using Aiptasia x you could do like ten a day or so that won't affect the water or anything in the water it's completely safe.

 

[EgotisticObeseChihuahua]

I don’t think taking the rock out is the way I wanna go either. It would destroy my whole tank set up. I have been waiting for the population to get bigger but I did buy them in Aug so I thought I would have seen even a little improvement and that has not been the case. I’m really just hoping someone can point me in the right direction of somewhere I can buy them a little cheaper so I can buy more. I’m in Texas dfw area if anyone knows where I can buy some locally to save the expensive shipping by chance

Just replace the rocks...

 

[Crystal08]

Just replace the rocks...

I have corals growing on them I don’t want to lose.

 

[Crystal08]

If you want to go that route, I can share what has been effective for me. There was very little maintenance at the end.

How did you get them to reproduce? Could I put them in a breeder box in the tank so i could keep an eye on them instead of just letting them loose in the tank.

 

[alysak6075]

How big is the tank? a copperband butterfly would clean it all up.

 

[Midrats]

Berghia do work, as has been said, it just takes time. I wouldn't want to destroy my tank or try to navigate a syringe around either.

 

[vanguard]

I can't tell you how strongly I want you to stay away from Aiptasia-X.

I watched a video where Ryan from Bulk Reef Supply told about this experience. He used Aiptasia-X to kill aiptasia and it went away in that spot but came back in several others.

Well, Ryan has staff for this so he told them, "Overpower it. Every day kill every aiptasia with Aiptasia-X until they are gone."

They tried. Every single day they went after the aiptasia in a way that only somebody being paid to do it would. It failed. The aiptasia only multiplied.

The thing is, I'm semi-retired and did the same thing. Every single day I went after the stuff and it just got worse. I have two solutions.

1) F-Aiptasia will actually kill aiptasia without causing it to pop up in five more places. This is my experience and it seems to match what I see and read on the internet.

2) I bought peppermint shrimp, about 1 per 10 gallons, and they keep it away. I know it's in my system because a few popped up in the sump. However, my display is perfect. You may want to F-Aiptasia the biggest ones just to give the peppermints a helping hand.

I bought a few more recently and found them at a good price. I have nothing to do with this company other than the fact that I bought from them the first time recently and it worked out well.

Salty Bottom Reef Company - Your Source for Premium Marine Aquarium Life

 

[1112-425XL]

Reeftown.com has Berghia Nudibranch

 

[Crystal08]

How big is the tank? a copperband butterfly would clean it all up.

36 gallon. I don’t know how true it is but I was told the butterfly fish and file fish will eat them but they are messy eaters and it can spread the spores and make ever more aiptasia