berghia nudibranch handling

[mfinn]

I am getting some berghias to help with a small aptasia problem and I saw a video on a website that explained how to care and handle these little guys. I can't find it now.
Anyone know the video and have a link?

 

[2FarNorth]

Sorry no link or video, but hopefully this will help.....

The easiest way I've found is to either use a Turkey baster, and gently suck them and a little water into, or you can get some of the large Pipettes, cut the small ends off and use them.. But generally I just use a Turkey baster.....

Suck them up, and when you go to release them, gently, and slowly squirt them out, just enough that they grab onto the rock work and and slowly pull the baster from them....

Hopefully that makes sense!!

 

[saltyg135er]

If you ordered it from a good webiste, they should supply the pipett. But if you didn't then you will have to do what 2farnorth said and cut the tip off the turkey baster. When they attach on they are kind of hard to take off. I tried to suck them up but then had a strong grip. I had to blow then off what they were holding on to then suck them up.
Gl

 

[mfinn]

The person did supply a pipett, but as you said they have a strong grip.
I have a small baster that should help with removing them.

Instead of buying a ton of them and risk having my melenarus wrasse eat them, I took a old hang-on refugium and attached some magnets to the side, put a small eggcrate shelf in the bottom. I can put this near the top of my main tank and swap out zoanthid colonies and frags when they are free of aptasias.

 

[KingRicky]

I just put 4 in my tank and my clowns sucked them up and spit them right back out (they must not taste too good). They landed on the rock work and have disapeared into the rock. I saw one yesterday evening moving to another location on a piece of rock. I am anxiously waiting until I notice the Aps disapearing.

 

[iceman0124]

be sure and squirt them in an unoccupied space.....you get one in an aips mouth....it will eat it insted of get eaten.

 

[mfinn]

I ended up buying a 14 gallon bio-cube to house the berghias. My hang-on fuge idea didn't work. Just not enough flow for the zoanthids.
Anyway the berghias are doing their thing, eating the aptasias.
I'm moving pieces in with aptasias on them and moving them out clean.

And yes, I did find out that you have to be very careful when moving the berghias. If there is a aptasia in the area you are trying to move the berghia to, the berghias seem just to drift towards to aptasia and it's all over for that berghia.