The Good Stuff

Here you'll find all the goodies we wish we had when first starting out in the hobby, in one centralized spot. 

If this is your first time purchasing berghia nudibranchs be sure to check out our frequently asked questions (FAQs) guide. This will help answer all of your questions, pick the right amount of berghia for your tank, and properly treat the aiptasia nuisance. 

Once you have your berghia, you'll probably wonder why you may not see your new aiptasia terminators roaming around busy at work. Well, unless you are a night owl...you likely won't see them during the day, as they are nocturnal creatures. So don't fret...your berghia are still likely existing within your tank. Stay up late one night, grab your flashlight, and you will see your busy-bee berghia nudibranchs feasting on your aiptasia. 

First Time Buyer (FAQs)

If this is your first time purchasing berghia nudibranchs, be sure to check out our frequently asked questions (FAQ). This will help you purchase the correct sized berghia nudibranchs and quantity pack for the most effective aiptasia elimination strategy in the shortest amount of time.

Purchase Berghia Nudibranchs

Why Don't I See My Berghia?

First and foremost, berghia nudibranch are nocturnal…so unless you too are a wild night owl, you likely will not see the berghia feasting in their late night rave throughout your tank. Do not panic if you do not see the berghia. Pull in all-nighter, take out your head lamp, and you’ll be surprised when they creep out of their crevices at night.

Prevent Future Aiptasia

  • DO NOT pluck/pick aiptasia in hopes of removing it. This will cause the aiptasia to spread throughout the tank as they are a regenerative species. Any free floating pieces of the aiptasia will reattach and regrow into a brand new head, essentially a recipe for disaster.
  • Quarantine your corals before you place them in the tank.
  • Inspect your coral for aiptasia prior to purchasing, even if you are purchasing from a reputable store.

Acclimation Guide

  Just Got My Order. Now What?  

Well, the good news is you’re on the right track since you are reading this.  

Unpacking Instructions 

  1. Carefully remove the container out of the shipping box. 
  2. Immediately remove the lid and get some fresh oxygen in the container for our new friends. Before you toss that lid to the side, inspect the bottom. Make sure there are no berghias  stuck on the bottom-surface of the lid. If there are, use a pipette to gently squeeze some water on the berghias to allow them to move off the lid and back into the container.  

Oh wait..they aren’t moving. Now what? Don’t worry –this is perfectly normal. Keep in mind these little guys traveled 1,000s of miles to get to you in some cases. How would you feel if someone abruptly turned on the lights when you were taking a nice long nap? 

Sometimes shipments may include cool or heat packs to keep the berghias safe throughout their travel. Upon first arrival, the berghia may be in a lethargic state and bunched as a group at the bottom of the container. This too is perfectly normal. Once the container has been opened, oxygen will increase in the container, and you will see them wake up and start moving around. 

Now it’s officially time for the acclimation process to begin.  

Acclimation Process 

  1. While keeping the berghia in the container, remove small amounts of water from the shipping container by either using a Turkey Baster (pipette) or by pouring out a little water (be extra careful to make sure no berghias are floating on the water’s surface when removing the water).
  2. Next, directly add water from your tank into the container to replace the same amount of water removed. We recommend doing this process slowly, little by little. The goal is to match your tank’s temperature and chemical parameters in the container environment. Depending on the size of your shipping container this process can take 15 to 30 mins. Take your time. No need to rush, as this is one of the most important steps.  Do you have wrasses or other known berghia predators? If so, jump to the section “Wrasses & Other Predators.”
  3. If you do not have any wrasses or berghia predators, then you are ready to add them into your tank.  

The moment you have been waiting for... 

 Add Berghias into Your Tank 

We recommend two methods, choose the method that works best for you. The second method is faster but can be more risky if you are not extra careful when removing each berghia from the container.  

First method: Place the Whole Open Container (keep the lid removed) into The Tank  

  1. Turn the return pump and any wavemakers off to stop all water movement.  
  2. Carefully add the shipping container into the tank slowly allowing the tank water to enter the container. Do not allow the water to rush in, this will cause the berghias to splash around inside the container and potentially flow out into your tank. Beware, this may cause the fish in your system to attack the berghias as they may have the appearance of frozen food.  
  3. Lower the container to the bottom of the tank and wedge the container next to an object near some aiptasia. Make sure the container is secure and not able to dislodge itself, resulting in the container floating around the tank. 
  4. The berghias will crawl out of the container onto a nearby rock. However, this may take some time, no two berghias are the same.  You do not have to release all the berghias in one location, but it is recommended to allow at least 3 of them to gather as a group in one location.  
  5. If the berghia have no come out of the container in more than your normal feeding period of keeping your return pump and wavemakers off, then turn them back on. Be sure to monitor to make sure the wavemakers do not directly flow against the container as this could potentially dislodge the container or any of the berghias trying to exit the container. Alternatively, you may also keep the wavemakers off until all the berghias are out of the container.  
  6. Move the container to another part of your tank and allow the others to crawl out. 

Once all the berghias are out of the container and have discovered their new home, it is important to remove the container from the tank and turn on the wavemaker and the return pump, if you have not done so already. 

 

Second Method: Using a Turkey Baster (Pipette).  

  1. Once the acclimation process is completed, prepare your tank by turning your wavemakers and return pump off.  
  2. Gently using the Turkey Baster (pipette) extract one berghia at a time, and place them on a rock structure close to the aiptasia. DO NOT PLACE THEM DIRECTLY ON THE AIPTASIA, the aiptasia can damage the berghia. We recommend placing them in groups of 3 or more at a time in the set location. Keep in mind the berghias work best together to tackle aiptasia.   
  3. Are you having an issue removing the berghia from the container with the pipette? Then, lightly blow water on the berghias using the pipette, as this will help them dislodge off the container wall.  Once the berghia are floating around, extract the berghias and place them in the tank.   
  4. Once you’ve seen the berghias secure themselves onto a rock, you can then turn on the return pump and wavemakers and let the berghias adapt to their home. Be mindful of how long you are keeping your returnpump and wavemakers off and do not deviate from your normal feeding cycle time, to not inflict any additional stress on your tank.  

 

Wrasses & Other Predators 

If you have wrasses, file fish, peppermint shrimp, and other known berghia predators we then highly recommend placing the berghias in at night time, once your lights have been off for several hours. We also recommend that your fish have been well fed prior to placing in the berghias to avoid any curiosity “bites” which can potentially injure your new berghias nudibranchs. While the berghias have a distinct taste and are not appealing to all fish, occasionally a fish might mistakenly think its a piece of frozen food, hence why we recommend they are well fed when introducing them to your tank. If you fall in this category, customers have had the best success using our second method, by using the pipette when introducing berghias to their tanks.