berghia nudibranch Eggs experience

[PR_nano]

How many aiptasia can a nudi eat per day? I know this is subjective since it probably depends on multiple things like size of both, proximity, tank size to name a few. I placed an order of 3 small nudi and was recommended to get some adult nudi which I agreed. Have around 30 visable aiptasia irritating a few zoas and want to get a plan to either relocate or breed them.

 

[sixty_reefer]

How many aiptasia can a nudi eat per day? I know this is subjective since it probably depends on multiple things like size of both, proximity, tank size to name a few. I placed an order of 3 small nudi and was recommended to get some adult nudi which I agreed. Have around 30 visable aiptasia irritating a few zoas and want to get a plan to either relocate or breed them.

my experience is still short on the daily consumption of aiptasia, as a reference I can tell you that I have 2 adults for a week now and on average they have only been eating one aiptasia every 2 days. I believe the reason it takes some time to see a relatively large difference on the population in a reef tank is wend they start breeding in large numbers and that can take up to 30 days to happen, breeding them in a separate system it gives you more chance for it to happen as some natura predators can reduce their chances. Amphipods will prey on their eggs reducing number of hatching eggs if not all and wrasses and peppermint shrimps will prey on the nudibranch it self. By using a separate system you can breed them and pop a few in your display at night wend most predators will be sleeping. This will increase chances to eradicate aiptasia in your system, it is a long process but I believe the experience is quite enjoyable and if you produce more nudibranch that you need you can always share it with local reef clubs and friends.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Update on the aiptasia production in my system.

1. Spawning

Due to a failure on my lights controller I won’t be able to try to make them spawn. My initial idea was to give them some blue light and increase temperature along with live food feeding to induce spawning.

2. Laceration methood

I find the laceration method has some issues, filling a container with aiptasia and waiting for them to move and multiply not good enough sometimes it can take months for a aiptasia to decide to move.

3. my trial method

on my trial method I’m going with fragging. On my container I’ve used activated carbon as a substrate (further down the thread I will give more details on this) one of the reasons why is that for some reason they like this soft ground to attach more than to hard surfaces for some reason, this makes the fragging fairly easy I just pick them up with my tweezers and frag them in half no need for scraping them.
my intention is to frag one or two aips every time I need to feed the nudibranch and differently from other breeders am hoping that this will keep my aiptasia stock in check by not giving them the full anemone I will always keep some part of the anemone behind to repopulate the farm, I believe if we give them a full rock to clean eventually there won’t be enough anemones to keep them going.

Diet
Live brine shrimp twice a week.

light
keeping it dark ish for the moment

Update on the nudibranch

since I’ve got my two adults they have laid they’re first eggs a few days in I will leave them alone for now and let them arch naturally. The reason I went for two and not 3 as it is recommend is mainly because I have a safe place for them to breed and the chances of me losing one are minimal compared to dropping them straight in on the DT.

Feeding

I’ve been feeding them one aiptasia every two days, this seems to be the average so far, some times they take longer to eat it but two days seems the average so far.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Pic of today after a fragment session last night most looking recovered now

 

[sixty_reefer]

Pic of today after a fragment session last night most looking recovered now

7 days after messing around

 

[sixty_reefer]

My breeding pair they just keep laying eggs daily now

 

[WallyB]

Hey @sixty_reefer,

I'm going to join in and do what you did. A Berghia Farm.
My DT has no more Aptasia after Adding the Berghia Adults.

But my Isolated Frag Tank, is getting close to Infested.....
So it will become a Berghia Farm (with Luck). If no Luck, just no more Aptasia.
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/★...oot-★-sps-110g-★★★.694515/page-7#post-7514756

 

[WallyB]

7 days after messing around

WHOA!! I missed this Post.
That is insane!!

 

[WallyB]

My breeding pair they just keep laying eggs daily now

Amazing. Your Pair is breeding and laying Eggs!!!
What are you doing?
The container is keeping the pair together?
How are you keeping water Fresh and oxygenated, in the Cup thing?
Great Idea but I don't get it.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Amazing. Your Pair is breeding and laying Eggs!!!
What are you doing?
The container is keeping the pair together?
How are you keeping water Fresh and oxygenated, in the Cup thing?
Great Idea but I don't get it.

hi @WallyB, hope it all goes well in your new venture, I am really enjoying mine. I’ve been able to double my aips every week now. Started with around 30 and am just over 200 now am aiming for 1000 anemones a week in this set up. My pair is laying eggs every day I’ve added the cup in the tank to collect the eggs, I still want to know if is possible to hatch the eggs with just 10% daily water changes. The hole set up is benefiting from my 60g filtration system so water quality is always good in both container.

 

[Katrina71]

I love this! Nudis are some of the coolest critters I've ever had. I had a couple that got well over an inch long.

 

[sixty_reefer]

I love this! Nudis are some of the coolest critters I've ever had. I had a couple that got well over an inch long.

me too, I still dream of a nudibranch only tank, I got a spaghetti nudibranch last week and the thing is awesome just over 3 inches, a right beauty. The berghia are cool to watch in this kind of set up as they are quite active with low lighting.

 

[WallyB]

hi @WallyB, hope it all goes well in your new venture, I am really enjoying mine. I’ve been able to double my aips every week now. Started with around 30 and am just over 200 now am aiming for 1000 anemones a week in this set up. My pair is laying eggs every day I’ve added the cup in the tank to collect the eggs, I still want to know if is possible to hatch the eggs with just 10% daily water changes. The hole set up is benefiting from my 60g filtration system so water quality is always good in both container.

Did I miss a post?
Are you actively doing something to encourage AIPs? So more grow...

Normally we never want more AIP but in a Berghia Farm is'a a must.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Did I miss a post?
Are you actively doing something to encourage AIPs? So more grow...

Normally we never want more AIP but in a Berghia Farm is'a a must.

Yes, I want to improve the current way to breed nudibranch by exploring new ways to get the aips to reproduce faster. The aim is to remove the limiting factor (aips) from the equation and hopefully bringing this expensive method to remove aiptasia to a more affordable concept. I think so far am doing ok by increasing numbers by fragmentation, hopefully in the coming months I will also be exploring the sexual method by inducing spawning. The spawning method could give me up to 10,000.00 anemones every 3 months from a single specimen.

 

[WallyB]

Yes, I want to improve the current way to breed nudibranch by exploring new ways to get the aips to reproduce faster. The aim is to remove the limiting factor (aips) from the equation and hopefully bringing this expensive method to remove aiptasia to a more affordable concept. I think so far am doing ok by increasing numbers by fragmentation, hopefully in the coming months I will also be exploring the sexual method by inducing spawning. The spawning method could give me up to 10,000.00 anemones every 3 months from a single specimen.

Any updates. I need any tips you've come across.

I just got 4 Adult Berghias, and hacked together a little tank container.
Have a peek. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/★★★-project-genesis-ii-2020-★-frag-tank-reboot-★★★.726245/

Did your beghia ever escape?
I'm wondering if I should put some kind of floss to block them from getting out of their container, since it's fed by a trickle flow like you did.
What about eggs? Do they appear on glass, or rocks. How do you ID them? Visble by eye, or I need to zoom with Camera or microscope to see them?
Also my Beghia look really white. Don't they get more yellow if they eat Aptasia.

I have limited Aptasia in my Frag Tank, so have you found a ways to get them to multiply? (I can't believe I said that)

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

These Berghia are not cheap, and if I get some to breed, then I can add them to my 3rd tank and say bye-bye to all aptasia I have in my setups.

 

[sixty_reefer]

Any updates. I need any tips you've come across.

I just got 4 Adult Berghias, and hacked together a little tank container.
Have a peek. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/★★★-project-genesis-ii-2020-★-frag-tank-reboot-★★★.726245/

Did your beghia ever escape?
I'm wondering if I should put some kind of floss to block them from getting out of their container, since it's fed by a trickle flow like you did.
What about eggs? Do they appear on glass, or rocks. How do you ID them? Visble by eye, or I need to zoom with Camera or microscope to see them?
Also my Beghia look really white. Don't they get more yellow if they eat Aptasia.

I have limited Aptasia in my Frag Tank, so have you found a ways to get them to multiply? (I can't believe I said that)

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

These Berghia are not cheap, and if I get some to breed, then I can add them to my 3rd tank and say bye-bye to all aptasia I have in my setups.

hi, not much have changed since the last update.

luckily they haven’t tried to run away yet, mine don’t move about much they seem to spend most of their time near the back wall, they more comfortable in dark places. Yours do look underfed soon should gain some colour. The eggs will be visible straight away, they small spiral rings, you’ll have to look for them under the rocks and decorations.

Aiptasia propagation is doing well so far am thinking in starting a second tray as this one almost full.

This is a 400x250 millimetres tray

I’m still hatching baby brine shrimp daily to feed the aiptasia, they seem to recover really fast from fragging wend they well fed. Normally around 7 days for a full clone to recover.

 

[WallyB]

WOW. I see the difference in the Berghia Colors. Your's have the dark pigment.

Remind me, how are you doing Aptasia Propagation? Just feeding them the Brine Shrimp?

 

[sixty_reefer]

WOW. I see the difference in the Berghia Colors. Your's have the dark pigment.

Remind me, how are you doing Aptasia Propagation? Just feeding them the Brine Shrimp?

Basically yeah I feed them every day and every week I tend to cut a few in half, it seems to be working well so far. Below is some pics taken more or less 7 days apart

I think am missing a picture between 3 and 4 they more or less been duplicated every week by cutting them in half this definitely sounds better than waiting for them to split and grow from tiny fragments.

 

[WallyB]

So do you slice the aptasia in half with a blade right where they are? And the split into two attached in original spot.

 

[WallyB]

Another question.

Have any of your eggs hatch to produce baby berghia's ? (Maybe I missed a post...but I figure that by now if you have had eggs some would have hatched).

Not sure how berghia's work. Do the females lay eggs regardless and then you need a male to fertilize the eggs. (Ie if all males then you wouldn't get eggs, if all females eggs would never hatch)

I only have 4 Berghia so odd on most likely there is at least one of each gender)