bannshy
Why be Normal?
Aiptasia-Eating Berghia Nudibranchs
Five packs - $55
Does your tank look like this?
If so, you need berghia nudibranchs to solve your problem. The berghias shipped are 1/2" or larger egg-laying adults. Since they are not juveniles, they can go directly into your tank as soon as you receive them. You would normally pay $15(+s/h) or more for berghias this size.
Berghias are amazing little creatures in that they ONLY eat the pest anemone aiptasia. The biggest problem that people have is that they don't get enough Berghias to combat the problem. These creatures are quite small, only getting up to 1"-1.5" at the most, and only about 1/4"-1/2" wide. They will wander around the tank looking for food, and if the tank is large, they could wander a lot if there are only a few aiptasia.
'WANDERING' is probably the number one issue with berghias. So if you have a 300 gallon tank, you will need quite a few berghias to combat an aiptasia problem (30 minimum). If you have a 10 gallon tank, you will need at least 2. A SOLUTION is to take a rock or two out of the tank and put them in a 5 gallon bucket with parent-tank water, and then put the berghias in the bucket with the rocks. Since they are in a much smaller area, they will clean the rocks quickly and efficiently. Once the berghia have cleaned the rocks, they will float or crawl to the top. You can take them out, replace the rocks and start all over again. After going through this process with all the rocks that are removable from your tank, put the berghias in your tank to finish off the remaining aiptasia. Using this process requires significantly less berghias than if you were to put them directly in your tank at the beginning.
Suggested number of berghias: The standard suggestion is 2 for the first 10 gallons and 1 for every 10 gallons after that. If your aiptasia outbreak is really bad, then you should consider doubling that number.
Common Questions about Berghia Nudibranchs
Are they reef safe?
Absolutely. They are smaller than regular nudibranchs that most people are used to and they fit down in between cracks and crevices well. They are very delicate creatures and don't disturb corals at all. Also, nothing has been reported, to my knowledge (and I have done extensive research on this), to eat Berghias.
I've heard that they don't do anything for the first couple of weeks, is that true?
You can put a dozen in a tank and not see them for weeks and weeks at a time. The reason for this is that they will first eat all the aiptasia they can find under and inside the rocks...the ones that you can't see. Then they will start coming out to eat the aiptasia on the top of the rocks. This is when it seems like all of a sudden the aiptasia starts to disappear. If you talk to someone that has used berghias in their tank before, you will hear them say, "They didn't do anything for weeks, and then all of a sudden, the aiptasia was gone". This is why...they had lots of aiptasia inside the rocks that they didn't even know about.
How long do they live?
It's been said that they live about 6 months; however, I've had one live at least 8 months and counting. But nudibranchs are extremely prolific and are always laying egg strands. So if you have 2 berghias in your tank, you can be sure that there will be baby berghias that will be hatching and visible in about 2 months.
What happens after they eat all the aiptasia in the tank? Do they just die?
That's really up to you. Once they have eaten all the aiptasia in a tank, they will crawl or float to the surface of the tank where they can be removed and placed in another tank to start the whole process over again. If you have another tank with aiptasia or know of someone with an aiptasia problem, you can use the berghias in that tank. Just be sure to acclimate them again to the new tank. If you do not take them out of the tank...yes, they will die from starvation. The easy way to tell if they are starving is to look at their color. If they are extremely white, they are starving and can only live about 5 days in that state.
Do you have any additional information?
Yes, lots actually. We have written a 14-page paper on how to effectively use berghia nudibranchs to eradicate your aiptasia problem. If you are interested in a copy before purchasing, please send us a message with your email and we will send you a copy.
How many berghias will I receive?
Berghia nudibranchs are sold in a 5-pack. If you are interested in 10 berghias, then purchase 2 packs and your shipping charge will be the same as for one pack. If you want more than 10 and don't want to order in groups of 5 after that, please contact us and we can adjust the price for you.
SHIPPING
We will only ship to confirmed addresses and after we have confirmed with you the shipping date via email.
We only ship on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday due to the sensitivity of the animals. We don't want them to accidentally get lost in the mail and take more than 2 days to get to you.
We only ship within the U.S.
Please provide an email address when you order.
Live arrival guarantee: Someone must be there to receive the package and a digital picture must be sent within an hour of arrival if DOA. Berghias are shipped with heat or cold packs (depending on weather conditions), so if there is a problem with the overnight shipping and it takes 2 days instead of one, they are still guaranteed.
SHIPPING FEE
If you order more than one set of 5 berghias, you will only be charged once for shipping.
PAYMENT
We only accept PayPal.
Please specify with your payment which day you would like to have them shipped. Also list your email address and verify your mailing address. Thank you.
Berghias for sale
Here are some pictures of a group of berghias eating an aiptasia.
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