Aiptasia eating Berghia Nudibranchs - Questions, Answers, Discussion

First I want to thank R2R for creating such a sweet forum.
Are Aiptasia invading your tank? Berghia are a natural solution...
Berghia Nudibranchs, as they are known in the aquarium trade, use to bear the name Berghia verrucincornis, and were renamed to Aeolidiella stephanieae. But they will probably always have the common name "Berghia". They are an Aeolid nudibranch with multiple cerata on the body which serve the purpose of digestion. Berghia are best know for their single incredible appetite for the pest anemone (Aiptasia pallida). Most nudibranchs are highly speciallized in their diet, and Berghia are no exception. They have one diet and one diet only;.....Aiptasia species anemones.

Enough of a diatribe.... let the discussion begin.

 

They rock!
4 or 5 will knock out a nasty aiptasia population in about 2-3 months!!
Nothing else compares....

Just remember flatworm exit will kill berghia, so hold off on one or the other if you need to eradiacate 2 different pests

 

Thank you ChiCity......agreed they do rock....and absolutely, there are many things that can kill your Berghia once in the aquarium, so be very careful what you do once you add them to your tank to take care of your Aiptasia. I have had people say they shot up their aiptasia with Aiptasia X after putting the Berghia in to "help them along" but the Aiptasia X is also caustic to a Berghia that might try to eat that Aiptasia. So care should be given to any new additions.
Further, ChiCity, for being my first responder to this tread I am giving you a 5% discount to your next order with us...however, I hope you never need it. (just PM me)

 

Ok so i have a 65 gallon tank. I could count about 10 aptasia anenomes so far. How many would i need to take care of this. And when they are gone what do i feed the Berghia with when there is nomore aptasia?
Thx
Brani

 

Brani,
First, Are the Aiptasia you have threatening any corals? Have you done anything to them lately to try and get rid of them?

 

If you have been treating with Aiptasia X or some other chemical, about 2-6 weeks after your treatment, you run the risk of having hundreds of baby Aiptasia popping up everywhere. The most important thing to do is stop treating with chemicals. Aiptasia are ubiquitous as all get up and will usually have the last laugh with that approach.
The quantity you need, a loaded question since you have just a few. It is easier for Berghia to eradicate a tank with hundreds of Aiptasia, than just a few, because there is plenty of food everywhere they turn. It is more difficult for them to find just a few in a large tank before they starve. We typically recommend 1 medium Berghia per 10 gal of tank volume, sump not included and a normal Rock load. (obviously if you only have one rock in your tank you don't need many).. This gives a typical eradication rate of 2-4 months. That guideline is a little skewed, in that it requires more in smaller and nano tanks and fewer in larger tanks. This guideline was made for an intersect point of 100 gal of tank volume. I would probably recommend a minimum of 5 mediums. With our present special you would receive 1 Free medium with that order 1 Free egg whorl and as a R2R member I'll throw in a small berghia Free.

 

That is a double edged sword. Unfortunately, they die because Berghia only eat Aiptasia species anemones. The upside is they don’t begin munching on your corals. We recommend you try and get them out, once all your Aiptasia are gone and give them to a friend or sell them to your local fish store to recoup your costs. It is Mother Natures way and that is how it happens in the wild.

 

Guess this is a good time to let everyone know that I will throw in a free small Berghia with every order from a R2R member. Just mention you are a R2R member in the comments section on your order.

 

Well they are mostly on one of my mag rock with zoas and it's annoying them a bit. I took that rock out. Cut them and scrubbed but guess didnt do a good job cuz now from thise 2 i got like 8. I have few on oveflow and on some random areas. I did blast one with hot water like a month ago hes gone and new ones did grow on that rock.

 

Sounds as though you may be on the beginning stages of a bunch of Aiptasia. Once you eliminate these, don't mess with them anymore and above all don't look at them crosseyed, cause they'll reproduce..LOL...(just a joke, well maybe not) That is what keeps me in business...everyone messing with them, scrubbing them, cutting them shooting them up. It only takes one cell of the basal disc to grow a new aiptasia and if you threaten their survival, they may send out hundreds of planulae larvae in the water column.

 

I have 5 fairly wrasses and 3 leopards (adults), do you think they will eat Berghia over time? my 300g have quite few Aptasia growing . Tried file fish but she didnt touch it...

 

That's kinda opinion, to be fair.

 

I have as of now only 2-3 aiptasia . Shoul I wait for the population to reach a critical mass before I erradicate them with nudis ?

Regards,
Abhishek

 

Yes, you are correct, as there are times that you can keep it under control, that way. Problem is that one Aiptasia you treat with a chemical and it sends out the planulae larvae and then you definitely have a problem, especially in a deep large tank. But, to be fair, absolutely there are multiple ways and organisms that can be successful in any instance and each comes with its caveat. Even Berghia have theirs, they may not work in every instance for an unknown reason, (predation, acclimation, large temperature swing, treating for retrogena (as the previous post mentioned) etc.
Thank you for the post... this is a discussion, the good with the bad...

 

Wrasses (except for fairy wrasses & cleaners) tend to be major pickers on the Live Rock of invertebrates and therefore, COULD end up eating a berghia or two. However, the big upside is that, they have opposite "sleep/wake cycles" . Since Berghia are nocturnal the wrasses are typically under the sand before they emerge to forage. Also, if a wrasse were to eat a Berghia, it will taste like a hot jalapeño (because it incorporates the nematocysts of the aiptasia in their tissues) and he probably will spit it out. It will unfortunately kill the one it spit out but unlikely to eat another. Many clients have reported having success with wrasses present. I just recommend getting a couple "sacrificial" Berghia, so you will still have sufficient quantities to do the job and try and introduce your Berghia after the wrasses have been well fed and put to bed with the lights out (reading bed time stories could help that ).

 

hahah..Not always. I've beat em before with the App x..

Glad you understand. Bergia aren't the the ONLY solution but definitely a good one.

 

If it were my tank and they were not infringing on any corals or creating any problems, absolutely.......Leave them alone and they probably won't reproduce in any discernible manner, just get bigger and happier.

 

Absolutely, we have to use all available ammo in our arsenal to keep a healthy reef. Just be careful not to just try things cause unfortunately there is quite a bit of snake oil out there. I typically wait til there is quite a bit of feedback before I make a plunge. I've always found the saying "Less is More" has treated me well.

 

How many would you recommend for 300g tank? Also, i saw some Aptasia in overflow box, any solution for it?
I notice that you only ship Wed for Thur arrival , is there any other days you can ship?

 

Yea. Im kinda old n been around the block my friend..