Berghia nudibranch breeding

[maleks.reef]

Because you only got a few Aipatasias I would let them settle for a few days before start doing fragments, some times at the beginning they can die from stress.maybe spot feed the ones you got first to increased health.

Yes i will let them be for a week at least before i start cutting, meanwhile ill try feeding reef roids for now since brine isnt an option. Also, when it is time to cut, do i just randomly chop them or do i cut the tentacles etc?

 

[sixty_reefer]

Yes i will let them be for a week at least before i start cutting, meanwhile ill try feeding reef roids for now since brine isnt an option. Also, when it is time to cut, do i just randomly chop them or do i cut the tentacles etc?

I find the best cut is as below:

on several online shop they sell long curved scissors for planted aquariums I find them ideal for the job.
You could try Decapsulated brine shrimp eggs as a alternative to live brine shrimp also. It could work.

 

[maleks.reef]

I find the best cut is as below:

on several online shop they sell long curved scissors for planted aquariums I find them ideal for the job.
You could try Decapsulated brine shrimp eggs as a alternative to live brine shrimp also. It could work.

Yes I do need scissors, ill look into it thank you.

When you cut the aiptasia at the stalk, the stalk will grow a new head and the now loose head will grow a new body, effectively making 2 from 1, correct?

 

[onlytoby]

Great insight into aiptasia breeding here, I'm planning on the same thing and will give it a try. Reefdudes has recently been doing this too, his nudis are in a small jar with no heater or flow and doing fine. The aiptasia in a 20 long with flow.

Due to the cost of using a heater I think I will avoid that as our house is usually quite warm anyway but will definitely try that carbon method! Will save me money on rock too!

 

[sixty_reefer]

Yes I do need scissors, ill look into it thank you.

When you cut the aiptasia at the stalk, the stalk will grow a new head and the now loose head will grow a new body, effectively making 2 from 1, correct?

Yes, that’s correct. This is the main reason I encourage the use of activated carbon as substrate. You will see that the new cut will anchor quite fast and produce a new foot and the foot will produce a new head as long as you keep them well feed. Once you start feeding your nudibranch you only use the top half that has been cut and leave the rest in the tank to create a new body. Technically you should never run out of Aipatasia using this method as you will always leave something behind to regrow instead of using the hole anemone to feed.

 

[maleks.reef]

Great insight into aiptasia breeding here, I'm planning on the same thing and will give it a try. Reefdudes has recently been doing this too, his nudis are in a small jar with no heater or flow and doing fine. The aiptasia in a 20 long with flow.

Due to the cost of using a heater I think I will avoid that as our house is usually quite warm anyway but will definitely try that carbon method! Will save me money on rock too!

Good luck. As mentioned above, start with a healthy amount of aiptasia before getting any nudis.

 

[maleks.reef]

Yes, that’s correct. This is the main reason I encourage the use of activated carbon as substrate. You will see that the new cut will anchor quite fast and produce a new foot and the foot will produce a new head as long as you keep them well feed. Once you start feeding your nudibranch you only use the top half that has been cut and leave the rest in the tank to create a new body. Technically you should never run out of Aipatasia using this method as you will always leave something behind to regrow instead of using the hole anemone to feed.

Great technique. I believe i read it on your original thread. And as you said, theoretically speaking, i should never run out of aiptasia. Lets see how this goes. I will update the thread once I see growth. Thank you again!

 

[sixty_reefer]

Great insight into aiptasia breeding here, I'm planning on the same thing and will give it a try. Reefdudes has recently been doing this too, his nudis are in a small jar with no heater or flow and doing fine. The aiptasia in a 20 long with flow.

Due to the cost of using a heater I think I will avoid that as our house is usually quite warm anyway but will definitely try that carbon method! Will save me money on rock too!

If you already got Aipatasia in the system and you got a sump there’s a hack we’re you could use your system to breed the Aipatasia, the nudibranch are the most forgiving as needs to keep them alive.

 

[onlytoby]

If you already got Aipatasia in the system and you got a sump there’s a hack we’re you could use your system to breed the Aipatasia, the nudibranch are the most forgiving as needs to keep them alive.

Im in the process of upgrading my tank at the moment, just waiting on correct plumbing as WB sent the wrong sizes - will be having my old tank and the aiptasia growout which I'm hoping to culture aiptasia until there's no more space!

 

[sixty_reefer]

Im in the process of upgrading my tank at the moment, just waiting on correct plumbing as WB sent the wrong sizes - will be having my old tank and the aiptasia growout which I'm hoping to culture aiptasia until there's no more space!

That’s good, the other method would of be by using a couple containers in the sump as the sketch below:

it doesn’t need to be anything crazy in size as the Aipatasias will benefit from the heating and filtration from the main system.
I would even recommend this method to anyone that is just trying to raise numbers before introducing the nudis to the main system or got a fish that the diet requires Aipatasia like some copper bands that will only eat Aipatasia.

this is a example of what can be achieved in a short period of time:

 

[onlytoby]

That’s good, the other method would of be by using a couple containers in the sump as the sketch below:

it doesn’t need to be anything crazy in size as the Aipatasias will benefit from the heating and filtration from the main system.
I would even recommend this method to anyone that is just trying to raise numbers before introducing the nudis to the main system or got a fish that the diet requires Aipatasia like some copper bands that will only eat Aipatasia.

this is a example of what can be achieved in a short period of time:

Cheers for that!
My only concern would be actually having them in the sump, I know I would have a surplus on nudis to take care of them, but would rather keep them as separate systems to avoid introducing aip to the DT (can they travel via water column?)

I might try it for a month or two without any heating first and see what success I get an add as necessary. My house sits at around 71F

 

[sixty_reefer]

Cheers for that!
My only concern would be actually having them in the sump, I know I would have a surplus on nudis to take care of them, but would rather keep them as separate systems to avoid introducing aip to the DT (can they travel via water column?)

I might try it for a month or two without any heating first and see what success I get an add as necessary. My house sits at around 71F

This sketch is ideal if you already got Aipatasia in the system but you want to grow your nudibranch population before adding it to the main system. If someone got a large infestation and wrasses and amphipods are present it will make very hard for the population of nudibranch to grow in the main system, amphipods will eat all the nudibranch eggs. This is a sketch for a refugium were they can grow the numbers before they go in the main tank.
In addition having the aips in the first tank will avoid spreading as anything that escapes that system will settle in the nudibranch tank.

 

[Avner]

since march 9th, I have 3 gal tank heater and air pump
I brought 2 berghia I call them gen 1.0 after
added rock with some Aiptasia when they clean it i added new one

after one month they start to ley eggs all over the tank,
unfortunately one die in accident and the other just die after two months

few day later i have noticed that there is one new burghia since then i see everyday new currently about 20 from 2 mm to 2 cm gen 2
planning to move few of them to the main tank and I'll see how many will be on gen 3

 

[maleks.reef]

since march 9th, I have 3 gal tank heater and air pump
I brought 2 berghia I call them gen 1.0 after
added rock with some Aiptasia when they clean it i added new one

after one month they start to ley eggs all over the tank,
unfortunately one die in accident and the other just die after two months

few day later i have noticed that there is one new burghia since then i see everyday new currently about 20 from 2 mm to 2 cm gen 2
planning to move few of them to the main tank and I'll see how many will be on gen 3

Do you know why or how the first gen died? How often do you feed them?

 

[((FORDTECH))]

I’ve just had another 1 of my last 3 nudi die last night. Pretty much look in the tank and it’s a dead white blob of white mucus. This morning I looked again and the blob is gone. This is why I didn’t even realize they all are dying. No dead bodies to remove.

 

[maleks.reef]

I’ve just had another 1 of my last 3 nudi die last night. Pretty much look in the tank and it’s a dead white blob of white mucus. This morning I looked again and the blob is gone. This is why I didn’t even realize they all are dying. No dead bodies to remove.

are you sure salinity, temp, no3 are all in check?

 

[((FORDTECH))]

are you sure salinity, temp, no3 are all in check?

Salinity and temperature yes are good as far as nitrates are usually very high between 60 and 80 in that system

 

[((FORDTECH))]

Which in a fish only system is not uncommon to have those types of numbers and I’m sure Nudis Have been used with success in those tanks at least I’m thinking

 

[maleks.reef]

Which in a fish only system is not uncommon to have those types of numbers and I’m sure Nudis Have been used with success in those tanks at least I’m thinking

IMO i think it is either your salinity or NO3, however since you're very sure it is not the salinity then maybe it is the NO3. Is your berghia system connected to any other system? or is it a separate system on its own?

 

[((FORDTECH))]

IMO i think it is either your salinity or NO3, however since you're very sure it is not the salinity then maybe it is the NO3. Is your berghia system connected to any other system? or is it a separate system on its own?

It’s own system. 5 tanks total about 50-60 gallons