It makes complete sense because in the wild (and in a reef tank) there are predators eating them, their eggs, and their fry. So in the wild there will be a balance which prevents that there are too many Berghia or too many Aiptasia.
In a reef tank the odds are generally stacked against the Berghia with amphipods going after eggs and fry and shrimp and certain fish (wrasses) going after the adults.
I had success with them cleaning up the rocks I put them with in a low flow tank without fish and shrimp but they were unable to reproduce there due to the abundance of amphipods in the rocks.
I only got my guys to reproduce when I put them into a separate tank without fish, shrimp, and amphipods and plenty of Aiptasia. However, all the juveniles I dropped into my infested system were never seen again and the Aiptasia only get more.
What I'm looking for is not general information but specifics on their incubation period, larvae development,... basically, how to breed them most efficiently.
Sorry - thats what I was trying to give you - the place where I bought them told me specifically - you need to start with a large enough population - and then wait - they will eventually breed and populate the tank to the point where the aiptasia is gone - this might help
Berghia nudibranchs are hermaphroditic, with each nudibranch possessing both female and male reproductive organs. However, the Berghia requires a second individual to mate with in order to fertilize the eggs. (Image at left is of two Berghia mating)
Young Berghia may begin laying eggs as Juveniles as early as 28 days old. Eggs are laid in a spiraling strip referred to as an ‘egg ribbon’.
In the image to the right, you can see the egg ribbon. The eggs ribbons are typically laid in concealed places, such as on the underside of the live rock, or beneath a large live coral.
While egg laying begins in the juvenile stage of development, egg development is low (approximately 60-80 embryos in an egg cluster) and fertilization often incomplete.
After 60 days, the Berghia reaches sexual maturity and is capable of laying 1000 to 2000 embryos in a single ribbon with near 100% fertilization.
The time required for the eggs to hatch varies by species of nudibranch, as well as the water temperature during development. The Berghia eggs usually hatch in about 10-14 days with the newly hatched Berghia emerging as both free-swimming veliger larvae and fully metamorphosed juveniles. The form the hatchlings take is based on external factors present during their development within the egg (such as agitation of the eggs). This duel form of development allows the Berghia to increase its population within the immediate area, as well as spread to other areas.
Those Berghia nudibranchs that hatch as veliger larvae swim using cilia and are approximately 100 micrometers in size. Usually one day after hatching these berghia larvae settle on the bottom and retract into the larval shell. During the process of metamorphosis, which does not take longer than 48 hours, the beghia then cast off their larval shell. Within 24 hours after metamorphosis the early juveniles start to crawl, though they are not yet actively feeding on aiptasia. At this time rhinophores begin to develop on the larva. As development proceeds, body elongation increases and more pairs of cerata are formed.
Around 48 hours after metamorphosis, the larva, now juvenile Berghia, begin to actively feed on
Aiptasia.
At this stage the juvenile Berghia are approximately 600 microns long.
As the image at the right shows, they are nearly invisible, not yet having acquired their pigmentation, which is harvested from the
Aiptasia anemones they consume.
The actual life span of the Berghia nudibranch is around 10 to 12 months if provided plenty on aiptasia anemones to eat. Lacking a readily available aiptasia, Berghia will starve to death within 5-7 days.
, they’re like dandelions only worse because they have no season and always come back
