Berghia Nudibranch initial placement?

[SirRoadwolf]

After giving up on peppermint shrimps and filefish that like to eat my peppermint shrimp, I decided to go with Nudibranch's as the method for controlling my over population of Aptasia. It seems to be everywhere thru my system. Even in the DT drain cavity. There are still some peppermint shrimp alive in the DT, and I ordered 4 slugs. I was pondering where they should be placed first. I am guessing in the drain cavity of the DT, which would give them a safe area to feed and maybe lay eggs, then I am hoping they will follow the pipe down to the sump, and from there maybe get sucked into the DT, or enter the DT from the drain area when established? Anyone have any experience with how these little guys travel and propagate to clarify if my theory is a good one?

 

[725196]

I have had them and some fish will eat them, wrasses. However they like low flow areas and will avoid high flow.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Place in the rock that has aipstatia on it, allow them to crawl into the rock holes, and they will disappear for a couple of weeks, then boom they are everywhere. Keep them in the display.

 

[jesspal]

I added the to rockwork with lights out after feeding fish. They survived but I don't think I had enough aptasia for them to survive and I haven't seen them after the first few days.

 

[SirRoadwolf]

So being in the drain area of the DT, where a lot of the Aptasia is currently, won't be a good idea?

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I added the to rockwork with lights out after feeding fish. They survived but I don't think I had enough aptasia for them to survive and I haven't seen them after the first few days.

They are there, just hiding and breeding

 

[SirRoadwolf]

I guess I am just wondering if these critters are small enough to travel through the piping system into the sump and refugium, and eventually back out into the DT?

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I guess I am just wondering if these critters are small enough to travel through the piping system into the sump and refugium, and eventually back out into the DT?

Yes, but unlikely to happen, they don't float around, they are like caterpillars.

 

[Chuk]

I like to put the container ups ride down on top of the rocks at dusk and let them climb out on their own rather than dumping or placing them in a specific area. I try and get the container near an infected rock so I know they can find some food easily.

 

[ScottB]

First, since you only bought four, they need to be together near an easy food source. They will multiply but it takes some time. They need to be together.
You are asking the right questions about placement. That is the hard part. I did put some in my overflow. I shut off pumps for some time to let them attach. They cleaned that area well. The hard part was when they were done it was impossible to safely move them. Also in my refugium they did a good job. In my tank they had a harder time as the flow there (this is an SPS frag system) was too high for them to get to work properly.

For reference, I bought 24 on a 300G system. They are capable, but you have to carefully manage their environment so that they can eat and multiply.