FishProfiles.com Message Forums

I got it real bad and i have been using joes juice and it works great but i have about 30 rocks with about 10 heads on each and with the joes juice i kill them all but the next day there is 5 new ones on each rock so its a never ending battle!

The tank has a puffer so i cant use a shrimp as the puffer will eat him in a sec! I was looking at getting a butterfly fish i think that is what they are but i was told that with my tank running higher nitrates around 20-50ppm that it wouldnt live in my tank and would die?

I also have 1 percula clown and 1 clown goby as tank mates But they all grew up together so he leaves them alone! I added a blenny and the puffer tried to eat it but it was a really small one, I think a butterfly will be okay with the fish i have but i was told there very hard fish to keep alive

So with that being said what else can i do? I mean this stuff is taking over my tank and is starting to even grow on the glass and sand bed so its time to figure somthing out but i dont know what to do so if you can help great, Thanks

Tank pics at link below

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2571255/2

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2571255/2

Berghia nudibranchs will eat Aiptasia anemones.

In fact I wrote a piece on them some time ago, but where in the list of threads it lives is anyone's guess, because I posted that sometime around 2005 or 2006 and there's been a LOT of new threads since then!

Hang on ... well, look at that. I kept a copy of the original post in a text file in my archive. So I'll reprise it here just for you.

Aiptasia Anemone Plague?

Glass Anemones of the Genus Aiptasia are notorious among reef keepers for being one of those 'nuisance' species that can stage a campaign for world domination - or at least, domination of your much-loved reef aquarium if they get a hold! Once upon a time, the only solution was a strip down, and even then, the little pests could re-emerge.

However, we now have a biological weapon to deal with them. And one which may mean that in future, Aiptasia anemones cease being a 'nuisance' species, and become acceptable in the reef aquarium.

This biological weapon comes in the form of a Genus of nudibranchs called Berghia. I was introdued to these courtesy of an article in the January 2004 edition of Today's Fishkeeper, and it covers the subject of Aiptasia control with Berghia nudibranchs in detail.

First of all, what are Berghia nudibranchs like? Well, they're rather pastel coloured, although they are interesting enough in appearance in their own right especially to nudibranch fans, and attain a maximum size of 25mm. Usually, they are encountered as 12.5mm subadults. The one species whose taxonomic name is mentioned in the article is Berghia verrucicornis, though the taxonomic situation is still fluid, as the variation in both colour and morophology suggests that the number of species may be somewhat greater than the currently known tally. Most specimens in the aquarium trade originate from the Florida Keys, though the Genus is prevalent throughout the Atlantic, Caribbean and Mediterranean.

The article recommends acclimatising Berghia in isolation, and warns that newly mixed sea water is NOT to its liking (as is the case with many invertebrates). However, the article states, and I quote:

"Patience with quarantined Berghia can easily translate into tens or hundreds of propagated nudis to fight the Aiptasia battle".

However, Berghia has a voracious appetite for Aiptasia anemones. They need to be fed anemones on a daily basis. Indeed, the keeper may find that it becomes necessary to maintain a separate culturing vessel or refugium, and actually start cultivating the dreaded Aiptasia to maintain the nudibranch population! These nudibranchs are capable of laying eggs once every two days, with each egg mass comprising 100 eggs or more, so they are seriously prolific! Each individual nudibranch can consume two Aiptasia anemones per day, and so, if one wishes to use Berghia for anemone control in display aquaria, full-time culturing becomes the only realistic option. However, if you have fellow reef keepers in your locality, you will become immensely popular when you start asking them to send you their Aiptasia for destruction!

Note that young Berghia (12mm or so) are unlikely to fare well if simply dropped into an aquarium full of Aiptasia. First, they are not likely to be able to take on full-sized anemones until they are adult themselves, and second, they are e to being sucked into filter tubes etc., with the obvious disastrous results (with nudibranchs this size, the result is sickeningly like the 'frog in a blender' animation on the web - eeew). Adult Berghia, on the other hand, will start munching away at your unwanted anemones at a blistering pace, and it won't be long before even the worst infestation is thoroughly exterminated. The trouble is, however, that if you wish to have Berghia on hand to deal with Aiptasia plagues in other aquaria, you'll be committed to their full-time culture, and, as a corollary, have to set aside an aquarium for the deliberate cultivation of Aiptasia for your nudibranchs to feed on!

The article covers cultivation details and other ancillaries in depth, and if anyone wishes, I can transcribe the complete article for those unable to obtain the back number. Back numbers of Today's Fishkeeping should, however, be easily obtainable, via the following link:

Email: derek@trmg.co.uk

Enjoy!


Panda Catfish fan and keeper/breeder since Christmas 2002

That`s a nice article there.