Written by: Anna Dominique G. Mariano

There is a common pest anemone that gives all reef enthusiasts massive headaches. This anemone is known as Aiptasia pallida, or the glass anemone. It is incredibly easy for this pest to enter the home reef aquarium, whether it be through live rock or newly purchased coral. Once established, it is very difficult to eradicate. This anemone reproduces asexually through pedal reproduction or laceration, where if it moves it will leave behind smaller Aiptasia to grow into fuller specimens. Any attempts at manual removal will result in this anemone spreading even more throughout the tank. Aiptasia is a true reefer’s nightmare, as it can sting precious corals and overtake an aquarium quickly. A reef aquarium presents the perfect environment for this pest anemone to thrive.

You might be asking yourself, “What can I do if this pest enters my own reef tank?” We have the solution here at Absolutely Fish! We started breeding berghia nudibranchs at our aquaculture facility about two years ago. Berghia nudibranchs, also known as Aeolidiella stephanieae are the best, all-natural way to eliminate Aiptasia in the home aquarium!

There are multiple ways to eliminate Aiptasia, such as chemicals, matted filefish, copperband butterflyfish, and peppermint shrimp; however, these methods risk the health of corals and are not guaranteed to rid your tank of these pest anemones. Berghia nudibranchs are the best solution for an Aiptasia outbreak. These little sea slugs have a highly specified diet, where they ONLY eat Aiptasia and nothing else! This means they will actively hunt for Aiptasia in your aquarium at night. Due to their small size, they can reach Aiptasia in hard-to-reach places. Berghia nudibranchs are completely reef safe, as they have no interest in eating your corals. We recommend two berghia per twenty gallons. They are a hermaphroditic animal and can reproduce easily in your tank! When berghia nudibranchs eat enough Aiptasia they will lay white egg spirals throughout the tank, giving you more baby sea slugs!

Compatibility should be considered before purchasing berghia nudibranchs. These sea slugs are small and grow to be about an inch in length. It is best to use these sea slugs first in combating an Aiptasia infestation. Other animals that can eat Aiptasia, matted filefish, peppermint shrimp, copperband butterflyfish, etc., can also devour our little sea slugs. Use berghia as the first solution to an Aiptasia problem before resorting to other means. They should not be added to aquariums that have flatworm eating wrasses, such as any Halichores sp. or sixline wrasses. Cirrhilabrus sp., Paracheilinus sp., and Leopard wrasses are okay!

These little nudibranchs are a peaceful invertebrate that will not harm any corals, as they will only prey on Aiptasia; however, once you run out of anemones, berghia nudibranchs will die of starvation. They are small enough that they will not negatively impact water quality. So try some berghia nudibranchs for any Aiptasia removal needs today!