The Berghia Project, take 3!

Well, I've tried my hand at raising Berghia, twice before.

Attempt #1. I started with about 15 adult Berghia. Everything was going great, with lots of eggs, lots of babies, and running out of Aiptasia to feed them. Then I screwed up and crashed the whole thing! Grrr

Attempt #2. Not worth talking about, as it lasted about 4 days, before they all died. GRRRRR!!!

Attempt #3. I'm doing things different this time, hoping for more success, even though I'm only starting out with 2 adults.

My last two attempts failed because I wasn't diligent in keeping water quality up, and keeping a stable temperature. This time, I'm making it much more convenient, so I'll keep up on it easier. I'm starting out with 2 of these containers, hanging inside my 40 breeder.



The larger container holds the 2 adult Berghia and Aiptasia. The smaller container will be the egg nursery.



Some eggs will remain with the adults, some will be moved to the egg nursery. I'm doing this because the larger aiptasia will actually eat tiny Berghia. I'm allowing the eggs to mature, for a couple of days, after being laid, and then transferring them to the smaller container. Here's some eggs, in with the adults.





There are currently 4 egg strands, in with the adults and 2 egg strands, that are about a week old, in the egg nursery.

This set up will accomplish a couple of things. It'll make it very easy for me to do water changes. This tank is right next to our bathroom. I remove about 12 ounces of water, from each container, every day, dumping it down the toilet and replacing it with tank water, from the 40 breeder. I'm also topping off each container, every day, as I top off the 40. Also, with the containers hanging inside the 40, the temperature stays stable.

In the smaller container, I'm seeding baby aiptasia by collecting large ones and cutting them up. My main concern, right now, is running out of aiptasia. The only place I have any growing is in the overflows of the 200...lol. They're HUGE in there, but not spreading to the display or sump/fuge area, so I've always left them alone. They're coming in handy now! Anyone got aiptasia??

Nudibranchs are so cool, I hope you succeed with this one! Would definitely like to try them out in my next tank!

good luck. Just cut those babies up and let them grow in your sump. They will actually help to keep your tank cleaner too.

Thing about nudibranch's is they feed on one food source only, as I'm sure you are aware of. The problem with it is people want them to eliminate aiptasia but if that is successful then the nudibranch's die. It's a win lose.

It's so much easier to just use boiling water in a syringe and blast the aiptasia to death.

Cool project none the less.

I would think the nudis would be easier because they do all the work of aiptasia killing and they can get it those hard to reach places where the tiny aiptasia live. Boiling water is ok for big ones, but its utility is limited.

How does the water circulate in that hang on container?

oh, n/m... I just read that part.

I think it would be beneficial to have some sort of aeration/water movement. At the very least, have an airline hose on a slow bubble in there. You are probably getting some significant PH swings and ammonia spikes without any water movement.

what if you cut two holes in the sides of that basket and glued a fine mesh over them? that would pretty much eliminate the need for any water changes.

Judging by the size of those eggs, the hatchlings could probably slip right through most mesh screens and ones that are fine enough to contain the babies will probably clog up within a few hours anyways. However the aerator sounds like a good idea, everything needs oxygen.

How are you transferring the eggs? We breed some of these 5 or 6 years ago and its not as easy as one would thing. We had an LFS close by that had a bunch of aiptasia in their tanks so i would go collect them once a week.

Im pretty sure there is a write up in Coral magazine about raising them. It was a few years back but good info in it.

Originally Posted by TimH07

Thing about nudibranch's is they feed on one food source only, as I'm sure you are aware of. The problem with it is people want them to eliminate aiptasia but if that is successful then the nudibranch's die. It's a win lose.

It's so much easier to just use boiling water in a syringe and blast the aiptasia to death.

Cool project none the less.

Once they've eliminated all of your Aiptasia, they usually show up on the glass, in the mornings or evenings, appearing white in color. They take on the color of the Aiptasia, so are brown/gray, when fed and white when hungry. When you find them on our glass, you can easily remove them and sell them/trade them/use them in a different tank.

Originally Posted by RCA

How does the water circulate in that hang on container?

oh, n/m... I just read that part.

I think it would be beneficial to have some sort of aeration/water movement. At the very least, have an airline hose on a slow bubble in there. You are probably getting some significant PH swings and ammonia spikes without any water movement.

what if you cut two holes in the sides of that basket and glued a fine mesh over them? that would pretty much eliminate the need for any water changes.

There is not any water circulation in the containers, though I've considered drilling the large one and adding an airline nipple, siliconing it in place. However, a lot of people have had great success, breeding them in Specimen Containers, using no circulation at all, but doing regular water changes and keeping the temperatures stable. From the reading I've done, some people have airated the adults, but as the eggs get close to hatching, airation is usually stopped. Otherwise, the babies stay suspended in the water column and can't find the Aiptasia.

Originally Posted by chris&barb

How are you transferring the eggs? We breed some of these 5 or 6 years ago and its not as easy as one would thing. We had an LFS close by that had a bunch of aiptasia in their tanks so i would go collect them once a week.

Im pretty sure there is a write up in Coral magazine about raising them. It was a few years back but good info in it.

One of the egg strands was laid on the water surface, so I just dipped it out. The other as adhered to the side, as they usually are. When this is the case, only the first egg, of the strand, is adhered, the remaining just sit there. You can use the edge of a razor blade to lift the strand up and out. It's actually very easy.

I've read a lot of write ups, on the breeding of these guys, and spoke with some people who've had great success, long term. Hoping this time, I'll be one of them...lol.

I didnt know that only the first egg was attached. Thats a pretty neat trick removing them. When we tried raising them we did it all in one 10g tank. Our success was ok at best. We stopped because we got tired of messing with them but it was fun while it lasted.

awesome thread mike! thank you for sharing! ..........I'd love to start this project again even if it's just for trading the babies - - - I wonder how "in demand" these would be for lfs? we're pretty good about aiptasia control right now - except for in our frag/sump tank ....I'm sure we'd have enough for food though.........hmmmmmmmm..........I'm gonna follow along and see the progress and learn from you!

On of our LFS, she buys Berghia, when we've put together group buys. She always ends up selling out, within a couple of days. I believe, if you could build a sustainable population, a lot of LFS would be willing to buy them from you.

hmmmmmm.......I think you might be right.......I'm gonna start questioning a few of ours around here and see what they say ..........I really enjoyed doing this before and would love to try it again.......thanks mike!

so how is all of this going so far with yours???? can you give/show us any updates?

So far, not much to update, other than more Berghia Porn! I'm up to about 8 egg strands, in with the adults.

I recently tried to artificially hatch one of the egg strands, that I'm sure should be ready. I've read about the artificial hatching, a lot, using a pipette, to pump the strand in and out, separating the eggs. However, it hasn't worked...lol. I'm thinking that particular egg strand may not be viable, but I'll leave it alone and see what happens.

A close neighbor, who was involved in one of the Berghia group buys that I put together awhile back, found another Berghia in his tank, the other day. Since he doesn't have any Aiptasia, he brought it over. It's teeny tiny. Here's some pics I took, the other day.

Here's one of the adults, laying eggs.



Someone asked me, recently, how many eggs are in a strand. I have NO IDEA, but this may give us a clue.



Eggs I attempted to hatch, artificially. This photo was taken, afterwards. I need to work on getting a better photo.

wow. lots is the correct answer

Originally Posted by Barbara

hmmmmmm.......I think you might be right.......I'm gonna start questioning a few of ours around here and see what they say ..........I really enjoyed doing this before and would love to try it again.......thanks mike!

so how is all of this going so far with yours???? can you give/show us any updates?

I dont know if i want to try it again Barb. Last time i had to go to the fish store every week and collect aiptasia and the aiptasia factory i went to has since closed.

Success!!

After thinking that the egg strands must not have been viable, but leaving them alone, last night, we discovered some visible baby Berghia. This morning, I was able to take a few pictures of them, though they aren't the best photos. I did a quick look and removed 5 babies, with a pippette, to move them to a container, for photographs. I placed a dime near them, for size comparison. The largest appears to be about 1/16"!

I believe there are probably more, that are too small to see yet.

Very cool, and they are eating too. What are you doing to get aiptasia? That was the hardest part when we were doing this.

How cute! How good are they at surviving into adulthood?

Originally Posted by chris&barb

Very cool, and they are eating too. What are you doing to get aiptasia? That was the hardest part when we were doing this.

Being able to provide enough Aiptasia was actually a concern, as I started this project. Early on, I placed several large aptasia in the "nursery" container, allowed them to attach and then cut them in half or quarters, through the mouth, with a pair of scissors. This allowed me to cultivate very small aiptasia, which are needed to feed the babies. I've also been able to keep a supply of larger aiptasia, for the adults, by pinching the aiptasia that grow in my overflows, on the 200. However, today, I hit the Aiptasia Motherload!! I was replumbing a guys tank, who was having a plumbing leak. While doing so, I collected several Aiptasia. Also, since I replaced his Durso stand pipes, I kept his old stand pipes, which were absolutely covered with Aiptasia!! Between his tank, and his stand pipe, I must have collected 50 Aiptasia, some large, some small.

Originally Posted by spinycheek

How cute! How good are they at surviving into adulthood?

They actually survive quite well, as long as you can keep them supplied with Aiptasia, as this is their only food source, being "obligate feeders." Also, in a display tank environment, there are some fish that will eat them, primarily Wrasses. However, Berghia are more nocturnal, so are usually pretty safe from being eaten.