berghia nudibranch Eggs experience

tsdpurdue

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Here is a picture of some smaller berghia. I have a photo of them extremely small but cant find it right now. If I do I will post it. I am currently using Sixty_reefers way of raising aptaisa and it seems to be working!!
20201114_101755.jpg
 

tsdpurdue

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Found it! This is what small berghia look like once they are big enough to be seen by our eyes. Only way I Know there in there before I can see them is aptaisa keep disappearing.
20201030_201526.jpg
 

Brad Miller

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Thanks for this post @sixty_reefer !

I’ve tried all the remedies for Aiptasia in the past and was amazed when I finally broke down and bought some bergiahs !

After that, I was Aiptasia free for the longest time.

Aptasia is back with a vengeance again now.
I thought that trying AiptasiaX while there were only a few would be helpful, but it just got worse and even harmed some of my coral from getting it on it this time.

I’m going to try my hand at raising the berghia with an Aiptasia farm and see how it goes.
 

WallyB

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Hey there,

It's been a while and now my Frag Tank is totally infested with Aptasia, and I'm considering to add some Berghia with hope they multiply.

Did you Berghia Farm work out?
 
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sixty_reefer

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Hey there,

It's been a while and now my Frag Tank is totally infested with Aptasia, and I'm considering to add some Berghia with hope they multiply.

Did you Berghia Farm work out?
Hi, yea went all good just restarted to build it in the new house. If you can get hold of eggs you should be good to go as long as there isn’t amphipods in the frag tank. Found the hard way that they love nudibranch eggs.
 

WallyB

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Hi, yea went all good just restarted to build it in the new house. If you can get hold of eggs you should be good to go as long as there isn’t amphipods in the frag tank. Found the hard way that they love nudibranch eggs.
Around here, I don't see any eggs for sale. Only Adult Nudis.

I guess without eggs, you need to get enough adults (probably 6) hoping you have at least one pair (female/male) so they mate and lay eggs. Correct?
 
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sixty_reefer

sixty_reefer

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Around here, I don't see any eggs for sale. Only Adult Nudis.

I guess without eggs, you need to get enough adults (probably 6) hoping you have at least one pair (female/male) so they mate and lay eggs. Correct?
No two will do as long as no one dies, they change sex. People normally get 3 just in case one perishes
 

((FORDTECH))

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yeah for as bad as it sounds I just cut them right down the middle, it’s labour intensive but it does work well. I use a some tweezers and long scissors for the job

all the eggs that I’ve put in the container haven’t hatched, which makes it a bit odd to see people selling eggs online, I haven’t removed the eggs since. I wasn’t in rush to get baby’s as I wanted to master the food supplies first.
berghia are similar to clown fish and do change sex wend they ready to mate so you could well end up with 3 females and a male or 2 pairs. Wend I read on the subject it said that they get fertile inside nudibranch will have to see now what happens if I don’t remove the eggs.
When you say cut right down the middle do you mean top and bottom or like you would do a mushroom left and right trying to have some mouth on both sides ?
 
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sixty_reefer

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When you say cut right down the middle do you mean top and bottom or like you would do a mushroom left and right trying to have some mouth on both sides ?
Top and bottom a new sip will firm from the foot and the top half will develop a new foot
 

WallyB

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Hi, yea went all good just restarted to build it in the new house. If you can get hold of eggs you should be good to go as long as there isn’t amphipods in the frag tank. Found the hard way that they love nudibranch eggs.
Hey there, back again.

I got 4 adult Berghia's, guarenteed Breeding age. Big ones.

I just started with a 2.5 Gallon simple tank.
A black pipe/objects and black background so I could see eggs.
Airstone and heater. Not sure I even need heater.
Berghia-Farm-4-Adults-1.jpg


100% made sure there were no amphipods transfered with Aiptasia I brought over with an Ornament from my Infested Frag tank.
Berghia-Farm-4-Adults.jpg


At first I thought they all died even thought I properly acclimatized. These guys can realy hide into the smallest of placed but a few days later I saw one, then two and every so often I see a pair. No idea if it's the same two or all 4 adults made it.

I certainly saw one eatting an Aiptasia, then next day it was gone. Since they no more aiptasia dissapeared, even thought they are alive. Maybe when you have a few they eat slow?

Anyways I guess I shouldn't expect Eggs even thought it's been over a week. From reading I thought they lay eggs daily and need the 2nd berghia to fertilize the eggs.

Any input. Just wait and eggs will come?
 
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((FORDTECH))

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Hey there, back again.

I got 4 adult Berghia's, guarenteed Breeding age. Big ones.

I just started with a 2.5 Gallon simple tank.
A black pipe/objects and black background so I could see eggs.
Airstone and heater. Not sure I even need heater.
Berghia-Farm-4-Adults-1.jpg


100% made sure there were no amphipods transfered with Aiptasia I brought over with an Ornament from my Infested Frag tank.
Berghia-Farm-4-Adults.jpg


At first I thought they all died even thought I properly acclimatized. These guys can realy hide into the smallest of placed but a few days later I saw one, then two and every so often I see a pair. No idea if it's the same two or all 4 adults made it.

I certainly saw one eatting an Aiptasia, then next day it was gone. Since they no more aiptasia dissapeared, even thought they are alive. Maybe when you have a few they eat slow?

Anyways I guess I shouldn't expect Eggs even thought it's been over a week. From reading I thought they lay eggs daily and need the 2nd berghia to fertilize the eggs.

Any input. Just wait and eggs will come?
It took mine a month to start to lay eggs. I got them about 1/2 inch size.
 

davidcalgary29

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Mine took about two weeks to start breeding. I had a bunch of halymenia that was infested with aiptasia, and so put it and the nudis in a jar with an airstone: success! I was able to breed enough to clear out my 65g RSM, RSR 350, and Evo with a seed stock of four nudibranchs.
 
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sixty_reefer

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Hey there, back again.

I got 4 adult Berghia's, guarenteed Breeding age. Big ones.

I just started with a 2.5 Gallon simple tank.
A black pipe/objects and black background so I could see eggs.
Airstone and heater. Not sure I even need heater.
Berghia-Farm-4-Adults-1.jpg


100% made sure there were no amphipods transfered with Aiptasia I brought over with an Ornament from my Infested Frag tank.
Berghia-Farm-4-Adults.jpg


At first I thought they all died even thought I properly acclimatized. These guys can realy hide into the smallest of placed but a few days later I saw one, then two and every so often I see a pair. No idea if it's the same two or all 4 adults made it.

I certainly saw one eatting an Aiptasia, then next day it was gone. Since they no more aiptasia dissapeared, even thought they are alive. Maybe when you have a few they eat slow?

Anyways I guess I shouldn't expect Eggs even thought it's been over a week. From reading I thought they lay eggs daily and need the 2nd berghia to fertilize the eggs.

Any input. Just wait and eggs will come?
They will lay eggs soon, probably already laid, they always choose hidden places if you providing hiding spots. They will do it in stages regarding eggs, one stage you’ll see them laying daily and den stop for a wile.
 

bcarl77

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I have been trying to successfully breed for a few months. Biggest issue for me is trying to keep amphipods out of the breeding tank when moving in aiptasia from the display.
 
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sixty_reefer

sixty_reefer

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I have been trying to successfully breed for a few months. Biggest issue for me is trying to keep amphipods out of the breeding tank when moving in aiptasia from the display.
They probably one of the worst things to have if you breeding nudis. Not so bad if they are in a tank with pest nudist as they will eat all the eggs
 

WallyB

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One more question, since we have some experienced Berghia Farmers paying attention.

Do you think it would be safe to DIP the pieces (ie small rock carvings), with aiaptasia, to ensure no amphipods hitchhike over to to the bergia farm. Of course, just a quick DIP in REVIVE, then few fresh water rinses and One FINAL soak in clean Fresh-Salt water.
That DIP makes all the Amphipods jump out squirming, and they come out of any hidden spots falling into the dipping container.

I actually did that before bringing over the current Aiptasia, and was worried I killed the berghia since maybe there was dip absorbed in the Aiptasia and they consumed it. However it looks like I'm ok since the Berghia's are alive.

I find it hard to get all aiptasia off rocks. Much easier to carve out a tiny piece of live rock under the aiptasia.
Easy to get the aiptasia's off smooth surfaces, since I just use a sharp razor blade.

This is my Aptasia Source tank. A 35 Gallon holding tank that got taken over by Aptasia. Separate from all two main DT's.
2021-09-20_Frag-Tank.jpg

ONce I get enough Berghia's in the Berghia farm, I'll release them into this tank for hopefully a full Aip wipe out.

I also hope I will have enough berghia's to release extra's into my DT's that don't have many Aiptasia's, but still a nusiance I wish to get rid of.

I'm open to any other suggestions for a safer Aiptasia transfer procedure.
 
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sixty_reefer

sixty_reefer

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One more question, since we have some experienced Berghia Farmers paying attention.

Do you think it would be safe to DIP the pieces (ie small rock carvings), with aiaptasia, to ensure no amphipods hitchhike over to to the bergia farm. Of course, just a quick DIP in REVIVE, then few fresh water rinses and One FINAL soak in clean Fresh-Salt water.
That DIP makes all the Amphipods jump out squirming, and they come out of any hidden spots falling into the dipping container.

I actually did that before bringing over the current Aiptasia, and was worried I killed the berghia since maybe there was dip absorbed in the Aiptasia and they consumed it. However it looks like I'm ok since the Berghia's are alive.

I find it hard to get all aiptasia off rocks. Much easier to carve out a tiny piece of live rock under the aiptasia.
Easy to get the aiptasia's off smooth surfaces, since I just use a sharp razor blade.

This is my Aptasia Source tank. A 35 Gallon holding tank that got taken over by Aptasia. Separate from all two main DT's.
2021-09-20_Frag-Tank.jpg

ONce I get enough Berghia's in the Berghia farm, I'll release them into this tank for hopefully a full Aip wipe out.

I also hope I will have enough berghia's to release extra's into my DT's that don't have many Aiptasia's, but still a nusiance I wish to get rid of.

I'm open to any other suggestions for a safer Aiptasia transfer procedure.
One good way to remove amphipods from rocks is a fresh water dip, 5 minutes will kill all the pods in a rock. The Aipatasia will stress for around 8 hours but won’t die, you could (if enough space in your aptasia tank) put a full rock at the time using this method.
 

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