How long until Berghia Nudubranchs start helping

[Tom800]

I have a 180 gallon reef tank. I placed in my tank at night 10 berghia nudibranchs (they were small) on December 5. Up until now, I have not seen a single one of them, nor have I really seen a decline in my aptasia yet - I keep reading that it takes over four weeks for them to reproduce and that’s when you start seeing them, but I just wanna get input to confirm how long it could take before I should start getting worried.

The only potential predators in my tank of these guys based on what I read, is I do have a cleaner wrasse because it says some wrasse eats them but I was told by the person who sold them to me that the cleaner wrasse typically won’t bother them. The other one I have is a coral banded shimp who I read, sometimes goes after them, but I don’t think he can get into all the rock crevices that they would go in and it’s a very large rockwork. Again, it doesn’t surprise me that I haven’t seen them since they could be deep inside the rockwork and are really small, but I just wanna know how long I should be waiting until I should start getting worried.

Thanks.

 

[Tonycass12]

It can take months for you to notice the aptasia starting to reduce in number. Once that starts happening though the process starts to speed up exponentially since the balance will start to flip from more aptasia than nudis to more nudis then aptasia. You profitably won't start seeing them until the aptasia starts to dwindle. They will only really come out at night and will stay hidden away if the aptasia are plentiful and they dont have to hunt for them.

 

[Bruttall]

Copper Band Butterfly fish in your display with speed the Aptisia elimination process.

 

[Tonycass12]

Copper Band Butterfly fish in your display with speed the Aptisia elimination process.

They will also happily gobble up any berghia they can find. Anything that will eat aptasia will eat the berghia.

 

[CHSUB]

Took about 6 months to complete eliminate, took about 4 months to notice anything. Was amazing once I started noticing….

 

[Uncle99]

Copper Band Butterfly fish in your display with speed the Aptisia elimination process.

^^^^ this.
+30 days.
100%

3 x berghia…..no change.

 

[Tom800]

^^^^ this.
+30 days.
100%

3 x berghia…..no change.

I have a copper band butterfly in the display tank. I’ve had him in for about three months, I haven’t seen him touch Aptasia at all.

 

[Tom800]

They will also happily gobble up any berghia they can find. Anything that will eat aptasia will eat the berghia.

Hopefully that’s not the case – this copper band is not eating the aptaisa yet, so maybe he won’t eat them yet.

 

[Uncle99]

I have a copper band butterfly in the display tank. I’ve had him in for about three months, I haven’t seen him touch Aptasia at all.

Mine didn’t do nothing for a month. Thought the same as you. Then 1 Aptasia went missing, then another.

After another month, found none except in places he could not get too easily like behind pumps.

It’s like they don’t recognize them as a food item but once tasted, should get them all.

I guess there’s always a chance, some just never try them.

 

[Tom800]

Mine didn’t do nothing for a month. Thought the same as you. Then 1 Aptasia went missing, then another.

After another month, found none except in places he could not get too easily like behind pumps.

It’s like they don’t recognize them as a food item but once tasted, should get them all.

I guess there’s always a chance, some just never try them.

I mean, if it’s just a waiting game that would be great, cause that means eventually he will eat my aphasia. I have a medium aptaisa outbreak in my tank. It hasn’t taken over the entire tank, but it’ll happen eventually. Hopefully either the copper band figures out he can eat it or the nudubranchs multiply and eat it.

 

[Dom]

I have a 180 gallon reef tank. I placed in my tank at night 10 berghia nudibranchs (they were small) on December 5. Up until now, I have not seen a single one of them, nor have I really seen a decline in my aptasia yet - I keep reading that it takes over four weeks for them to reproduce and that’s when you start seeing them, but I just wanna get input to confirm how long it could take before I should start getting worried.

The only potential predators in my tank of these guys based on what I read, is I do have a cleaner wrasse because it says some wrasse eats them but I was told by the person who sold them to me that the cleaner wrasse typically won’t bother them. The other one I have is a coral banded shimp who I read, sometimes goes after them, but I don’t think he can get into all the rock crevices that they would go in and it’s a very large rockwork. Again, it doesn’t surprise me that I haven’t seen them since they could be deep inside the rockwork and are really small, but I just wanna know how long I should be waiting until I should start getting worried.

Thanks.

From what I've read, they need to be at least 3/4 to 1 inch before they begin producing eggs and populate the tank. Less than that, they need to grow first.

 

[Dom]

Copper Band Butterfly fish in your display with speed the Aptisia elimination process.

This is true, but it has limitations.

Copper Banded Butterflies and even Peppermint shrimp can not get into the smallest crevices. There is no where for Aiptasia to hide from nudibranchs.

 

[tymo92]

In a prior tank I had to add Berghias twice as they went through a cycle of eliminating most of the aiptasia then starving, but a few aiptasia inevitably make it through and repopulate the tank.

If I had to do it again I’d try to culture a few aiptasia and nudibranchs to keep them alive in case the aiptasia comes back.

 

[CHSUB]

In a prior tank I had to add Berghias twice as they went through a cycle of eliminating most of the aiptasia then starving, but a few aiptasia inevitably make it through and repopulate the tank.

If I had to do it again I’d try to culture a few aiptasia and nudibranchs to keep them alive in case the aiptasia comes back.

My experience was total elimination with Berghias, even found Berghias in the filter chambers.