Anyone using _Berghia verrucicornis_ to control Aiptasia?

[Dr Drudge]

Does anyone have an info (success stories) on this approach (using the
nudibranch berghia verrucicornis) to controlling aiptasia?

Would like to try this myself...

TIA

[Richard Reynolds]

> Does anyone have an info (success stories) on this approach (using the
> nudibranch berghia verrucicornis) to controlling aiptasia?

yea its ok ish

> Would like to try this myself...

if i had it to do over i wouldnt, to do it right you have to buy the nudi's then keep
some aiptasia alive to keep from killing all the nudi's and all your pumps need to be made
nudi safe, but it does work. they will eat any aiptasia so its not like certain shrimp or
fish which pick and choose based on arbitrary things like size/color. if you had a way of
returning the nudi's they work good.

>
> TIA
--
Richard Reynolds

[Dan Norgard]

A Peppermint shrimp took out four Aiptasia in one night in my tank and they
never returned.
Dan

"Dr Drudge" > wrote in message
om...
Does anyone have an info (success stories) on this approach (using the
nudibranch berghia verrucicornis) to controlling aiptasia?

Would like to try this myself...

TIA

[Dragon Slayer]

yeah but like Richard pointed out they can be particular about the
size/color if they will eat them or not, also you have to just about starve
them IME to get them to eat the aptasia. it seams the aptasia are a less
preferred food source to them. I have 25 peppermint shrimp in my 180g and
while the 2 aptasia that are in there do not spread (due to the shrimp
eating any small ones I'd guess) they do not eat these. they are about 1"
across in size. I could kill the two with a nice injection of boiling ro/di
but just haven't got up the notion to do so.

the shrimp were added as part of the clean up crew and not as a means of
aptasia control FWIW.

kc

"Dan Norgard" > wrote in message
...
> A Peppermint shrimp took out four Aiptasia in one night in my tank and
they
> never returned.
> Dan
>
> "Dr Drudge" > wrote in message
> om...
> Does anyone have an info (success stories) on this approach (using the
> nudibranch berghia verrucicornis) to controlling aiptasia?
>
> Would like to try this myself...
>
> TIA
>
>

[Pszemol]

"Dragon Slayer" > wrote in message ...
> yeah but like Richard pointed out they can be particular about the
> size/color if they will eat them or not, also you have to just about starve
> them IME to get them to eat the aptasia. it seams the aptasia are a less
> preferred food source to them. I have 25 peppermint shrimp in my 180g and
> while the 2 aptasia that are in there do not spread (due to the shrimp
> eating any small ones I'd guess) they do not eat these. they are about 1"
> across in size. I could kill the two with a nice injection of boiling ro/di
> but just haven't got up the notion to do so.

This is about right. Large aiptasias are too big prey for peppermint shrimps.
When you use peppermint shrimps you have to help them with the big ones, but
other then that peppermints are the cheapest and the easiest method I know.
Because they to not eat aiptasia only you do not have any problem what to
do with bergia or copperband fish after they do their job and do not eat
anything else. Peppermints are also good to keep in the tank just for common
reocuring aiptasia infestation with bringing new corals/macro algae...