Berghia Nudis......where have they gone?

[Lousybreed]

About a month ago I put 20 Bergs in my 250 that has a healthy amount of aptasia in it. I never see them. Even at night. Is it safe to assume they are dead? I have a leopard wrasse but I was told they would leave them alone. I had peppermint shrimp in the tank a while back but I think they are not in there anymore. I never see them. Normally when you are feeding at night you see them out and about. Any thoughts? I think the aptasia are going down in one small area of the tank but I am not sure.

 

[Chris'sReef]

I have the same issue I put some in the tank and haven't seen them since

 

[Angel_Anthias lover]

Leopard wrasses I'm sure are capable of eating small ones

 

[SuncrestReef]

They are amazingly good at hiding, and can squeeze themselves into very tight holes in the rock as a survival technique. I have 10 in my Reefer XL 425 and on any given night I’m lucky to spot one of them for only a couple of minutes as they move from hiding spot to hiding spot in search of food. My aiptasia are slowly disappearing, so I know they’re active.

 

[Michael Naegeli]

They do only come out at lights out... I have a Melenarnus wrasse that I saw mowing a couple down.. I figured a few would go down from him, but when he got a upset tummy from eating the Aptasia in nudi belly would stop... he didn’t stop, tears em up.. I actually just ordered a dozen 1/2” plus nudi’s in hopes bigger ones may fare better against his relentless love for the snacking on them.. anyway, you may wanna look latenight well after lights out and may find some then perhaps

 

[Firemanreefkeeper]

I bought 25 and put them in my 75 gallon. I saw 1 about a month later crawling along the glass about halfway up in the tank. After that I never saw them again. Aiptasia has not slowed down either. I think reef tanks have too much flow for them and they become victims of everything else in the tank.

 

[Michael Naegeli]

I bought 25 and put them in my 75 gallon. I saw 1 about a month later crawling along the glass about halfway up in the tank. After that I never saw them again. Aiptasia has not slowed down either. I think reef tanks have too much flow for them and they become victims of everything else in the tank.

Actually I had great luck w 1/4” nudis in my 180 gal, and I have ripping current in there.. they cleaned up hundreds of Aptasia in a matter of 2 months.. my smaller tanks r the ones I have had issues w them disappearing and there’s nowhere close to the flow as the 180.. I did cut down flow to almost motionless while adding them in efforts to give them a chance to get grip and hide before turning pumps back on.. I only saw a few until the Aptasia was almost completely gone. Then they started showing up on the glass, that’s when I grabbed em up and moved to other systems where they didn’t fare so well

 

[Lousybreed]

Ok. Well I guess I will keep on the lookout for them. Fingers crossed as usual.

 

[reefwiser]

All you can do is wait. Adult nudis do better but people don’t sell them they sell you the little ones. Generally have of them will be eaten or washed into the sump and get chopped up by pumps.

 

[Biokabe]

You'll rarely see berghia until their job is almost done. My 55g was almost completely overrun by aiptasia, so I added about 8 in there, tiny little ones. Added them after lights out, turned off the flow in the tank, placed them near smaller aiptasia using a pipette. For about 6 weeks, there was no discernable change in the aiptasia population, and I never saw the Berghia. After about two months, I thought I noticed the aiptasia thinning. After about three months, the aiptasia were down to manageable numbers, and after another week or two, the aiptasia were completely gone. Starting about month 3, I'd usually see 6-10 berghia per night - yes, more than I had put into the tank.

Basically, the berghia that you put into the tank aren't the ones that actually clean up your aiptasia problem. It's their descendants that multiply into large numbers and finally eradicate the aiptasia population. Once that happens, they make quick work of the aiptasia, but until then you'll barely notice them.

 

[Lousybreed]

You guys give me hope!!!

 

[maroun.c]

+1 on them breeding to make a difference. wrasses might affect that but I'd wait couple of months before adding more. if things doesn't workout in few months and you need to add more, no harm trapping and isolating your wrasses for few weeks.

 

[jd371]

Out of all the fish I had the only one that I though might give me trouble with them was my melanurus, but since they're nocturnal and my wrasse is in the sand before lights out I took a chance. I put a total of 16 in my 75g and didn't see any for the first week, and thought they had been expensive snacks. A week later I saw three of them crawling on the rocks at night and was relieved they were still alive, but that was the last time I saw them. In the following weeks no sign of the nudis but the aptasia was disappearing little by little each day. Three months after I put them in all of the aptasia was gone. That was two years ago and unfortunately the aptasia has come back, not an infestation like last time so I've been taking care of them by injecting. If it gets out of hand I will use the nudis again.
The thing with Berghia Nudibranch is they start by eating the aptasia that is out of sight and deep in the crevices and caves first so you think nothing is happening. Slowly they work they're way out and weeks later you notice the ones out on the rocks start disappearing each day.

 

[Terry Brown]

I bought a dozen small Berghia and put them in my 60. They disappeared quickly and I never saw them. I just figured what a waste of money. About a month later I noticed the aptasia disappearing. Then one evening I saw a big healthy Berghia. Today I am aptasia free, but have never seen the Berghia again.

 

[Lousybreed]

The first day I see one I will let you guys know. I am feeling better about them still being alive.

 

[Lousybreed]

Still do not see them. And now I am not sure if any aptasia are actually being eaten.

 

[Scdell]

I put a bunch in about a year ago. The only time I see them is when one dies and floats around in the tank. About once a week or so. So I know they are active. It does take awhile for them to do their magic. So patience is the key here.

 

[hatfielj]

Same story with mine. I think they survived in one area of the tank where the aptasia have disappeared, but not in the rest of the tank. I wonder if they can get taken out by bristle worms? I also have emerald green crabs that I wonder if they took them out too? I doubt my fish are responsible. I only have one fairy wrasse and it hides all night.

 

[mta_morrow]

I Put 25 in my 100 gallon. Never saw a single one until 2 months later, after all aiptasia was gone.

I saw it on the glass once, and haven't seen one since...…..or any aiptasia!