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Berghia Ordering Information:
Call (440) 236 8330 to place an order
An insulated box, liner, and icepack or heat pack is included in the delivered price.
We usually ship via UPS next air.
We can also ship UPS or Fedex on your account.
Live arrival is guaranteed on UPS NDA
as long as someone is there to sign for and unpack the berghia immediately.
In the unlikely event that some of the berghia nudibranchs arrive dead we will issue a merchandise credit for the amount of the berghia.
Freight charges are not included
Report DOA's within 1 hour of arrival to 800-526 7258 from you phone on file for your order. Someone must be there to receive acclimate and release your order to validate our warranty
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Shipping Berghia Nudibranchs :
We usually ship our berghia Monday through Wednesday. As long as we receive your order by noon we can get the berghia out the same day. When you order the berghia let us know if you have any special concerns or posible delivery issues. Unfortunately UPS has discontinued their hold at station option so we have to be mindful of the temperature both here and in your location when we ship. The daytime low here in Columbia Station, OH and your location needs to be 29 F or above both on the day of shipping and the day of arrival. Similarly the daytime high needs to be below 90F
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How our Berghia Nudibranchs are Packed:
The berghia are placed in clean salt water in a 32 oz specimen cup half filled with water. The berghia are sealed with a watertight lid and then double bagged in fish bags. The cup is placed in an insulated box with an insulated liner. An ice or heat pack is added and a insulated divider is placed between the climate pack and the cup to regulate the temperature swing
A duplicate shipping label is placed inside the box and the box is sealed. The label is attached and your Berghia are dropped off at UPS to be at your doorstep the next morning.
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Unpacking Your Berghia Nudibranch Order:
Please be there to receive your berghia nudibranchs. The Berghia are delicate organisms that need to be acclimated as soon as possible. Acclimate the berghia the same as you would your fish. Before arrival check your specific gravity. Ideally it should be 1.025 . If it is less than 1.023 or over 1.027 you will need to adjust it before the berghia nudibranchs arrive. Inspect and note any damage to the shipping box before opening. Take pictures if there is a problem. Remove the container from the shipping carton and remove the outer bags leaving the inner container. Remove the lid and If any berghia are stuck on the lid knock them back down in the water. Inspect for DOAs and if there are any take pictures and call us immediately at 800 526 7258. If no one answers leave a message. Check the s.g. of your tank water and the water the berghia are in. If there is a difference of more than .02 you will need to extend the acclimation period. Put the lid back on. Berghia nudibranchs are nocturnal so it helps to turn the lights off for the rest of the day. Float the container with lid in the tank they will be going in for 10 minutes . Take the lid off and remove half the water in their container and replace it with your water. Put the lid back on and continue to float the container in the tank. Wait 10 minutes and repeat. The specific gravity should be the same now. Turn off the current in your tank. Use an appropriately sized baster or pipette to gently blow the berghia off the sides of the container. If the baster or pipette is too small it will damage the berghia and pieces will fall off. Using he pipette or baster blast the berghia with water from theit container to knock them loose fromthe sides. Gently siphon out a few berghia at a time and place them in a spot where the current is not too strong. They will immediately start wandering. Repeat until all the berghia are released. DO NOT place the berghia on or in an aiptasia. The aiptasia will eat them. Place the berghia on a surface in your aquarium. They will find the aiptasia. After all the berghia are released give them a few minutes get oriented and then turn the current back on.
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How Berghia Nudibranchs work:
A few berghia nudibranchs are going to take a long time to make a dent in your aiptasia population. When you originally stock them you need to have enough berghia so they can find each other to mate and produce egg spirals which hatch out to more berghia. We recommend 3 berghia for 30 or less gallons and 1 more for each additional 20 gallons. With luck you can get by with less, but it will take longer to eradicate your aiptasia. Berghia nudibranch eggs take approximately 9 to 14 days to hatch. The berghia reach sexual maturity around 1/2" or more in length which takes about 3 to 4 weeks from when they hatch. They will in turn produce even more nudibranchs.
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Alternatives to Berghia for Aiptasia Control
Berghia nudibranchs are not the only control measure for Aiptasia. There are various pastes on the market that you apply with a needle to cover the Aiptasia. You stop all water flow in the tank, cover the Aiptasia with the paste, give it a few hours and turn the flow back on. The pastes work well on upright Aiptasia but not so well on sideways or upside-down ones. You also can only control what you can see.
Peppermint shrimp will eat Aiptasia but usually only if there is not an alternative food source available. Unlike Berghia, they can bother and steal food from your corals.
Aiptasia eating filefish are hit or miss. Sometimes they work, and sometimes they don’t. Sometimes they eat your corals. Unlike Berghia, they have alternative food sources and are easy to keep in an aquarium.
The banded butterfly fish is a natural predator of Aiptasia. Like Berghia, aiptasia are its natural prey in the ocean. Sometimes they are difficult to get to feed on another food source. Sometimes they eat corals.
Copperband butterflies will eat Aiptasia. It is not a natural food for them but they pretty much always will eat them. Unlike Berghia nudibranchs, Copperbands will also eat tubeworms and feather dusters. Copperbands are very difficult to get eating so make sure yours is eating frozen food before you purchase it. They are also not very aggressive so you need to be careful what other fish share the same tank.
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