Berghia Nudis

[imsqueak]

These are the aips eating nudis. To be honest, I'm not sure if they are from my original batch or offsprings. I know I had a heater fail and temp drop in my prop tank and I put what I recall was all of them in my 300 display, but if so they grew fast and at varying rates. However I had +7 rings of eggs and they say there's dozens of babies in each and the rings were likely laid over time so it's possible that they are all offspring. Then again, I know me and I may have kept some to try my luck to raise another batch.

Anyhow, they are still laying eggs. I have +6 rings of eggs again. I have 6 Nudis which eat 3-5 aips/day - not the eating machines I've read about but I cant keep up with their food demands and have food for the babies when they hatch with the aip covered rubble Matt gave me. So, I'd like to sell 2 pairs. I'd REALLY like to sell them to others who would dedicate the time to raise ONE batch of babies to share with their tank AND with the club (pass it on type thing).

Price $15/pair (half the going price and no shipping) or a desired frag :D . Will NOT ship or sell to people outside ETRC.
Looks like they are "necking" which is "homerun" in nudi behavior.

http://reefcentral.com/gallery/data/500/35995DSC09896__Small_.JPG

[awcurl]

I would like to get2 of them, Don.

[imsqueak]

You got 'em Art. I'll pm you.

[imsqueak]

Your mailbox is full...

[awcurl]

Clean now

[RCS]

Art, wheny ou say two, do you mean a pair, or two pair? If there's any left, I'd be interested in a pair as well. I have some good Aiptasia going in my refugium.

[awcurl]

one pair

[RCS]

Can I put my dibs in on the second pair then Don?

[imsqueak]

Fred, You'll be first on my list but someone else sent a pm at 10:30 last night so I should go with first requested gets them. I suspect someone else will have more available very soon. Cant attest for his asking price but I'm sure it will be fair.

[imsqueak]

11 egg rings as of tonight. They have been busy... I bet I'll have +15 rings by tomorrow. It's not rocket science to breed them. I'm floating a plastic Sam's club size pretzel jar in a 20g but you dont have to go this big. I just have a habbit of that... I tilt the jar over daily and exchange water with the 20's water every day. The 20 contains the aips on rubble. I use some of my old water change water from my 300 to change 50% of the 20's water weekly. I feed the aips my fishfood mush 1xweekly and turkey baste the bottom of the tank 2-3xs/week so it distributes. The rest is mother nature.

Biggest problem I found I did initially was drop rocks with aips in the pretzel jar to feed them. Rocks had worms and pods which feasted on baby nudis and greatly reduced survival rates. Now I pluck aips off glass/rocks and use just the aips for food. Other than that, it's easy to raise them IF you have enough aips to feed them.

[imsqueak]

While doing water change tonight I found my first nudi in my display. Unfortunately it was floating around from me blowing off my rocks and it got near a penductor before I could unplug the CL. It went thru it and I caught a glimps as I sprinted for the CL's plug and it didnt look good. Couldnt find it afterwards. Proof that they survived introduction, but problem with my ambition to blow this fluffy stuff with agressive blowing and micron bags.

Meanwhile, down to 9 egg rings in the pretzel jar so some must have hatched. gonna have to get busy to breed baby aips - the baby nudis feed on 1/16-1/18" aips and I dont know how to collect them that small without just dropping in rocks with aips but that opens the door for bristles and pods... gonna try FW dips as only choice.

[RCS]

From the research I've been doing, you need to have a LOT of baby Aiptasia going well beforehand, as these little guys are big eaters. Taking a few large Aiptasia and putting them in a jar somewhere dark will cause them to send off all sorts of little anemones, which you can then feed lightly, since there's not light and they won't use photosynthesis. I've got a couple jars started right now...so you better have a couple pair available soon Don!

[knowse]

Hey Squeak,
Are you going to the frag swap? I need a couple for my friend and could pick them up then. Or you could send them with someone who is coming. We're in emergency mode with these stupid aiptasias!

Edit:
Never mind, I didn't read the whole thing.

[awcurl]

I already have two egg circles!!!! :bounce1: :dance: :bounce3:

[imsqueak]

Cool Art :D I told you they were "active". They should hatch in about 10-14 days so time to start raising baby aips. If you havent already found it, this is a good page to read Calfo's reefkeeping article (http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-01/ac/feature/index.php) That's pretty much it in a nut shell. I'm still debating about going to the frag swap but I think it would be a hoot to see how many aips you could trade a coral for.:confused:

Fred, you're still first in line but they probably wont be ready for 4-6 weeks. I just came up with an idea how to do as you suggested with budding. I'll pick up the smallest plastic containers I can find from the grocery store and use those to drop in my pretzel jar when buds appear. I wonder how long they take before they start budding off? I notice dozens of the baby pests on the glass. Matt gave me a little cup with a micron screen so I'll try to harvest some that way for now.

Knowse: I know how it feels to be in emergency mode and sorry I couldnt help.

[RCS]

I'd be willing to try my hand with an egg string as well if you want to spread them around a bit. ;)

[awcurl]

Fred, I sent you a pm.

[knowse]

Hey Imsqueak, no problems. It's what I get for not reading the whole thing!

If any one knows someone with a couple tho, please let me know. My friend's tank is being over run and the aiptasia are even starting to grow between the zoa polyps. Her peppermint shrimp just looks at them. grrr.

[imsqueak]

Sally, why not tell your friend to bite the bullet and get some from online suppliers? It's a matter of priorities but the worse the problem gets the harder and longer it will take to resolve.

The 8 or so I put in my display are just keeping up or making a small dent in aips. I sure hope I'm getting natural reproduction because I dont see raising another batch after this one and I plan to put 90% of this one into the display and sell the rest to others that will hopefully raise a batch or two so they can sell/share them with others.

[Fishboy42]

I've been raising these too and have a few dozen, but they are small ~1/4" right now. Knowse if you'll be at the frag swap I can bring a few for you, you'll just need to be patient while they grow a little ;)

-Matt

[knowse]

Oh Matt, I so love you!!!
Yes, I'll be at the swap! My friend has had some pretty bad luck with shipping of the more fragile type livestock. So, she's been afraid to order them on line. I'll be glad to pay you for them or trade you some fl. rics or zoas that I have. Just let me know!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

[awcurl]

Hey Don, Mine have hatched so yours and Freds must have also. hundreds of baby Berghia Nudis.:beer:

[RCS]

That's so cool! Are they actually formed into little nudis already? Did the skip the larval stage like I said they should?

Mine haven't hatched yet, but without the lights, my tank is running a little cooler than usual. I don't expect them to hatch for another 3-4 days yet.

[imsqueak]

Well, I had just checked my pretzel jar to see if there were any baby aips in there and realized I made the cardinal mistake again. It's swarming with pods, or what I perceive as pods - hopefully the larval stage looks like baby pods with a swimming tail - that's doubtful but I don't know and will just keep my hopes up.

I have a serious flaw in my approach where I have a 20 with rubble w/ aips that I top off and do weekly water changes from my display on a weekly basis. No predators must have lead to pod explosion but the pods are predators to the nudis. I use this same water to do daily water changes in the pretzel jar. I don't expect much, if any, success. But's it's the same technique I used last time so I may get a couple to survive.

Can you see them or you just see that the egg sacs are empty? They are supposed to be microscopic for a couple weeks.

[awcurl]

Don they are reddish and look like an ultra tiny earth worm. I couldn't see them without a magnifying glass.

[imsqueak]

Unfortunately not what I have seen in my jar. But now I know what to look for.

[awcurl]

Don if you want some of these your welcome to some. I don't have enough Aptasia to feed this many for very long.

[awcurl]

Don, I have some pods in with mine also. I think that as soon as the Berghia reach the Aiptasia they will safe from the preditors. I have 5 Aiptasia in the container with the babys and they are making their way to them.

[RCS]

My berghia began hatching last night as well. Looked like about a third of them were out of the egg casing, and the rest working their way out. I can see them with the naked eye, but they simpyl appear to be little white smudges maybe 0.5-0.75mm in length and very thin. I added a small aiptasia to their baggie last night as it was late, and will be moving them to their own container with the aiptasia I've been culturing in it.

[awcurl]

:) Update on my hatchlings. Caught them feeding today. These are some amazingly hardy animals. Last week I left the container they're in out of my garage frag tank and when I found it the next day the water temp was in the 50s. They all survived!
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v624/awcurl/IMG_0635.jpg

[KafudaFish]

Does anyone have any additonal ones available? I would be interested in raising a pair. Thanks.
Mike

[awcurl]

When these start laying eggs I'll let you have a spiral if you would like to give it a try.

[wjhuie]

I desprately need a pair. My bow front is taken over with them even my sand, snails have them all over their shell's. I am injecting them everyday, but they come back as fast as I can inject them. I am not a member ETRC but I am a member of wtmrac. If you might be willing to make an exception I coming through knoxville this week. and it would be greatly appreciated
Thank you

[awcurl]

Sorry, but I don't have enough mature to sell yet but hopefully I will soon.

[Fishboy42]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6742038#post6742038 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by awcurl
These are some amazingly hardy animals. Last week I left the container they're in out of my garage frag tank and when I found it the next day the water temp was in the 50s. They all survived!

They are tough! I've found that they don't mind "extreme neglect" either. I haven't touched mine in over a month, and they still look ok (although they are pale and probably need food). I've been concentrating on other things and kind of let the nudis go for a while...hopefully soon I can start playing with them again and see what they do with some better care.

[imsqueak]

I wonder if selling/trading egg rings isn't a better idea than selling nudis? At least locally but possibly with the thermos method.

My second batch didn't produce anything to my knowledge. I've laid the pretzel container into the water so if anything were in there they'd be feeding on my aips but the only thing I've seen are pods and those crustaceans that look like a rolly-polly.

Had I put an active pair or trio in a baggie until a ring or two developed then transferred to another, then another, I think I could have kept a better eye on the eggs progress/development. It would also give a person 2 weeks to have time to gather some aips to start the feeding process.

[imsqueak]

So I've got 4 healthy nudies in baggies and they are "active" so they are beginning to lay eggs. I just need to properly rear a single ring of them to have all I need. My luck, I'll need to try 3 rings to get enough to survive to do me. But I'm going to continue to pull them out of their baggies after they lay a ring of eggs and put them in a new baggie. If anyone is interested in trying to raise a batch from eggs you should try to set up something to breed baby aips and contact me asap. You can read about them and how to raise of them at: http://www.berghia.net/aiptasiacontrol.html I'm thinking like $30 for 3 rings or $15/per ring which has the potential of at least dozens of babies if not hundreds if totally successful.

Since the incubation is approx 10-14 days and I'm expecting a ring from each pair every other day or two, they will not keep until the meeting. I'll try to keep the adults fed well for about 2-3 weeks so I can have some at the next meeting (where is it at again?) but it would be great if I can get rid of some eggs before then so I don't have a dozen baggies floating in a 20. LMK if you are interested.