Got Aptasia and a microscope

[William Bruckmann]

Interesting idea.

Disclaimer-I am biased as I sell adult Berghia (which I think are the better product), but as you say are expensive mostly because it is a pain in the behind to grow enough aiptasia to raise/feed them. Adult Berghia do not ship well unless you use overnight.

My suggestion-if you are trying to come up with a cheaper way to do this, why not just try shipping larvae or small juveniles? These are easy to generate and viability after delivery is easily verified with a simple hand lens. Even the little guys will survive 2-3 days without food, and you could just include a couple of tiny aiptasia in the container anyway. For small juveniles even an 8 ounce jar is virtually an ocean of water so there probably won’t be any issues with oxygen depletion, ammonia, etc.

This is a good idea too. I recently had a heater thermostat issue in my Berghia only tank that got the water to 96 degrees. I pulled it out and came back in a couple hours expecting to start pipetting the corpses. To my surprise they were all alive and moving around. So I have faith that summertime 3 day should work. To your other point...I have come to realize I don't raise Berghia....I am an Aiptasia farmer that has a bug problem.

 

[William Bruckmann]

Put some in a box. Set it outside. Kick it a few times per day. On the last day really give it hell. Then inspect.

Actually your comedy may have the perfect solution here. The goal is not to see if they survive shipping but to see if they survive the temp swings of shipping. If I place them in a 4 oz jar, put a little insulating wrap around it, then box them up and place them in the garage I am doing the same thing? Now, I am not going to get the coldness of a plane cargo hold, and SC to CA priority would definitely have to go on a plane. So out west address might need the full experiment.

 

[William Bruckmann]

I am going to be looking into the viability of shipping Berghia Nudibranch egg spirals first class mail instead of overnight.
Berghia eat the pest Aptasia and only Aptasia. They eat, sleep, and make spirals with hundreds babies. Then they die off when your Aptasia is gone, so they are the perfect Aptasia clean up crew. Unfortunately, they are expensive to buy and you need a good number of them to get your colony going. Couple that with $50+ shipping and most people spend north of $150 to get results. I am hoping the egg spirals are hardier than the adult Berghia, and can survive the harsher conditions of 1st class mail instead of overnight. So, if you have Aptasia and a microscope let me know and maybe we can get this experiment off the ground. Berghia larva are active in their egg sac when alive, so that is what you will be looking for. See the video below.

 

[Cell]

Actually your comedy may have the perfect solution here. The goal is not to see if they survive shipping but to see if they survive the temp swings of shipping. If I place them in a 4 oz jar, put a little insulating wrap around it, then box them up and place them in the garage I am doing the same thing? Now, I am not going to get the coldness of a plane cargo hold, and SC to CA priority would definitely have to go on a plane. So out west address might need the full experiment.

Do you have a fridge or freezer?

 

[bakbay]

@William Bruckmann Update — sorry but the spirals didn’t make the trip.

 

[William Bruckmann]

@William Bruckmann Update — sorry but the spirals didn’t make the trip.

ohh well good to know.
Thanks for your participation!

 

[bakbay]

ohh well good to know.
Thanks for your participation!

I’ve dumped the spirals into the sump anyway. Perhaps those babies were jet lagged?