How long before Berghias start snacking?

[JCOLE]

I recieved 7 small Berghias in today to help start on this Aiptasia problem I have in my frag tank. They seem to be just chilling around the same area.

I have a couple questions.
1. Do they do their hunting at night and if so, how long does it take for them to start hunting?
2. How long does it take to consume a medium size Aiptasia?
3. How long does it take for them to start reproducing?

I have a ton of Aiptasia so they should be busy for a while.

 

[MnFish1]

I just bought 12 - for a 210 gallon tank. The aitpasia look 'bad' - but not dead. I have not seen any new ones - Im surprised that you can see the Berghia - from what I was told from the person bought from - they eat the Aiptasia from the inside out - and at night - and its normal 'not to see them'

 

[Daniel92481]

They definitely hunt at night. I read somewhere that they have to eat an aiptasia every 24 hours. Once they start munching, you’ll be able to see less aiptasia every day. I’m not sure on their reproducing.

 

[Billldg]

They hunt only at night. I always explain it as such, the ones you put in the tank initially don't take care of the aiptasia in the tank, its there offspring that do. They hunt best in packs. They can stat to reproduce within a couple of days after adding to your tank, but they will need to lay the eggs and the eggs will need to hatch.

 

[JCOLE]

They hunt only at night. I always explain it as such, the ones you put in the tank initially don't take care of the aiptasia in the tank, its there offspring that do. They hunt best in packs. They can stat to reproduce within a couple of days after adding to your tank, but they will need to lay the eggs and the eggs will need to hatch.

Ok. They are in my frag tank. All I have in there is turbo snails and bristle worms. Will bristle worms attach the Berghia?

 

[Billldg]

Ok. They are in my frag tank. All I have in there is turbo snails and bristle worms. Will bristle worms attach the Berghia?

No, the main things that will eat berghia are things that naturally eat aiptasia as they taste like aiptasia. Some wrasses will eat them though.

 

[JCOLE]

Well that was quick. Laid eggs yesterday. How long does it take for them to hatch.

 

[Billldg]

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. That is a good sign though. Berghia are never a quick fix, but they are the best fix.

 

[JCOLE]

Honestly, I couldn't tell you. That is a good sign though. Berghia are never a quick fix, but they are the best fix.

Just getting a little excited over here that's all. I have high hopes for them.

 

[Billldg]

LOL, I hear ya.

 

[ScottB]

I am just crossing the 2 month mark after introducing $480 worth of berghia. I'd say I didn't notice any change in aiptasia population in the first month in either system (120DT, 300FT).

Then I kinda stopped paying attention and poof! I can't find any aiptasia in the DT.

My FT still has a few kicking around, but the overflows are clear and they were pretty ghastly at one point.

 

[living_tribunal]

I recieved 7 small Berghias in today to help start on this Aiptasia problem I have in my frag tank. They seem to be just chilling around the same area.

I have a couple questions.
1. Do they do their hunting at night and if so, how long does it take for them to start hunting?
2. How long does it take to consume a medium size Aiptasia?
3. How long does it take for them to start reproducing?

I have a ton of Aiptasia so they should be busy for a while.

Others have mentioned they only feed at night which is true.

A couple of other things is the main goal of berghias is to reproduce. You won't begin to see massive elimination until the first batches of babies start popping out. After a month or two, a pregnant momma will lay about 1,000-2,000 eggs. These things reproduce fast and that's when you will see the aptasia disappear overnight sometimes.

Berghias typically start with smaller aptasia they can find and wait until they have large enough numbers to attack the larger aptasias. This is because aptasias can and will sting/kill/eat them.

So depending on how many you have, you will not see much impact for the first couple of weeks. Then you will see a very fast elimination shortly thereafter.

 

[MnFish1]

I am just crossing the 2 month mark after introducing $480 worth of berghia. I'd say I didn't notice any change in aiptasia population in the first month in either system (120DT, 300FT).

Then I kinda stopped paying attention and poof! I can't find any aiptasia in the DT.

My FT still has a few kicking around, but the overflows are clear and they were pretty ghastly at one point.

This...

 

[YaboiNathan]

they should work right away

 

[MnFish1]

they should work right away

Not my experience - they go into the tank - establish a population - and then they work - it takes a couple weeks - to see any change - and longer to see eradication - IME

 

[Phycodurus]

Not my experience - they go into the tank - establish a population - and then they work - it takes a couple weeks - to see any change - and longer to see eradication - IME

same experience on my 180G DT. i was worried the berghia population couldn't get established. i first introduced a dozen in march, and couldn't find a hint of anything several weeks in. i ordered two dozen more in may.

one night several weeks ago, i found a very fat adult. it does take time IME.

 

[j.falk]

Will cleaner shrimp/blue legged hermit crabs eat the berghias? I've been wanting to get some for my aiptasia problem...but worried my inverts would eat them.

 

[j.falk]

Anyone?

 

[MnFish1]

Anyone?

t is important to remember that just because a fish or invertebrate is reef safe it does not mean that they will not eat Berghia sea slugs. Many popular fish species do sometimes eat them including some wrasses, filefish, butterfly fish and dottybacks. This is not a complete list of fish that might eat Berghia and it is important that you keep an eye on your tank to see if your sea slugs are being left alone. There is also a lot of invertebrates that will eat them including emerald crabs, sally lightfoot crabs, arrow crabs, pom pom crabs and peppermint shrimps. Emerald crabs seldom eat Berghia if there is plenty of algae around for them to eat.

The fact that peppermint shrimp eat Berghia can be a problem since peppermint shrimp often are added to aquariums to control and eat Aiptasia in reef aquariums. They do however enjoy eating berghia and will therefore need to be removed from the tank before you add the sea slugs. Peppermint shrimps are easy to remove using a trap constructed from a PET bottle. Simple cut the top of the bottle and but it back in backwards to create a entrance that becomes more narrow as they go into the trap. Shrimps will find their way out of the trap if you give them enough time so you will need to to check on and empty the traps on a more or less hourly basis. It is not a problem if you leave it longer but it can take longer before you catch all the shrimp if you do.

Berghia (Aeolidiella) Nudibranch – Natural Aiptasia Control - Reef Aquarium

Aiptasia can be a big problem in a reef tank and there are plenty of different methods available for getting rid of Aiptasia ranging from chemical products to spot application with lemon juice. Click to learn more about Aiptasia and how to get rid of Aiptasia. In this article we are going to...

www.reefaquarium.com

 

[living_tribunal]

Will cleaner shrimp/blue legged hermit crabs eat the berghias? I've been wanting to get some for my aiptasia problem...but worried my inverts would eat them.

Some will eat the eggs.