Are you familiar with the market price history of Berghia? In years past (1970's to 1990's) they used to be referred to as expensive at $25 each or more for them. After the year 2000 we saw sales prices fluctuate from $16 to $39 each. Even at these prices, they were often so small that a small colony could fit on the tip of the average pencil eraser. They were also sold by some people as poorly developed or under developed slugs. Today, with the very strict breeding techniques here at INSTAR, our nudibranchs are well developed, genetically strong and the cost is lower. We raise a premium and useful, reasonably priced natural Aiptasia (Glass Anemone) predator. We pack the Adults up starting at $15.99, depending on the size or line ordered and they have to be starting to lay eggs. Berghia are colonial so we recommend using them as packaged in our Trio-Pak specials, depending on your system. We track the age of all our nudibranches and inspect the development of each of their organs. All of our Berghia cultures and culture tanks are monitored by our biologist to be sure they are in excellent condition so you are sure to get healthy young adults to help in the removal of Aiptasia. (For Specials and Discounts - Read all the way to the end!) That means they are at least 6 weeks old. Berghia work together as a group or colony. They do their most effective work in colonies, so thats part of the reason for the 3 paks but adult Berghia will also work as individuals or pairs in smaller tanks. The more aiptasia and in larger tanks, add more Berghia to suit. To obtain starting colony size and to figure out cost effective start colonies for larger tanks, continue reading. Our young adult Berghia are very, very effective in groups! How heavy is your aiptasia problem? 2 trio paks would probably be best (or more) if there are a lot of the aiptasia. Colonies will provide a solution when following our instructions. We used 3 in the 20 gallon refugium and 8 in the 125 gallon tank pictured on this website. This SPS tank was really bad - little aiptasia got under the coral and started killing it. We don't even have any aiptasia left in the sump now either! And no effort on our part since introducing the Berghia in there. Later, after the tank was clear and the refugium was cleared of all the Aiptasia, we put a Trio-Pak of the juveniles into the sump to clear that area. We were at the point we would have paid hundreds for such relief! Reminds us of that ad that ends in "priceless". Berghia are the best investment in pest control we ever made and have no side effects. They take a little while to establish the colony and start to work but little by little your aiptasia worries will be over. (In some tanks, you can not expect these to fare well if there are any peppermint shrimp or camel shrimp in the tank. Email us for instructions before trying to use either of these shrimp with Berghia.) Photograph is magnified approximately 2 to 3 times for easier viewing. Look real close at the hole in the center of the rock. There are little aiptasia down in the holes and our nudibranches go in to get them out for good. A 100% reef safe natural aiptasia predator, all natural solution for aiptasia anemone pests! Unique to our nudibranch solution over other predators and methods; No dying remnants are left behind to foul the holes in the rocks or regrow and the aiptasia in these holes are completely removed once and for all!

Approximate Adult Size is 10 mm to 14 mm and they are young adults, carrying eggs at this size. Our size measure does not include the tail or sensory organs. This is their actual body size when they are not sleeping. The adult nudibranches we ship are completely reef ready and we track their age so you can be sure of getting healthy young adults with robust growth and excellent Aiptasia targeting ability. Our nudibranchs are very capable of handling the high current in SPS coral reef tanks. These exceptional qualities in all of our nudibranchs are results of our strict selective breeding process. Even as adults, they are really very small little creatures for what they do and they are the coolest things we have seen crawling

"if you haven't had the pleasure of buying some of these little Berghia nudibranch "pets", you are really missing out! Berghia net's care in packaging, handling, and acclimation & placement instructions make you feel like you just bought a litter of adorable little puppies, not an Aiptasia SWAT team" ...senior IT of renown research center

around. We have many unique pictures and documentation of our Berghia on this web site for enjoying and education. Berghia begin life as microscopic size larva and after hatching soon begin to consume Aiptasia. In a short time they put on weight and exhibit rapid growth. Anthony Calfo recommends these not be shipped until they reach 12mm of length however great benefit may be gained from those that are younger in a few special applications. Some theories maintain that small young Berghia do not fare well in reef systems. Even though Berghia correctly inserted into the system where they belong are very capable members of the under water realm, putting tiny baby, often referred to as "pre-adult", Berghia directly into a full blown reef system is not normally recommended. There is some difficulty for reef keepers in regard to handling Berghia when they are too small. Auction sites and hobbyists often do not describe the sizes or age correctly. In addition to this, shipping stress is difficult for most "pre-adults" or juveniles to handle and this stress can cause serious consequences. These consequences are often fatal soon after insertion into the reef when they are shipped before reaching full sexual maturity. We recommend "pre-adults", "subadult" or juvenile Berghia be kept in a separate container until they grow to the recommended size. But keeping them in a separate container or jar is fatal 99% of the time because the water quality is so difficult to maintain in a small container or jar. In order to see results in your reef, the best Berghia to buy for most applications are our adults. Even though Berghia as a species is very small, we ship adult Berghia that are ready to insert directly into the reef environment. Normally we do not ship until they are starting to lay eggs with over 25 eggs in a strand. (Its very hard to determine the size due to the variations they go through.) Our Berghia are over 6 weeks old and egg bearing as these are the only 2 things that can easily be determined. Often they appear over 12mm and later they appear smaller. We try to meet as close to the 12mm size or larger as possible when they are shipped but they will curl up in the bags. Please allow time for them to recover from shipping. This is the best age because they adapt to shipping easily and recover quickly. If your order consists of smaller sized juvenile nudibranches, they could be less than 10 millimeters but in many cases may be mature enough for direct insertion into your reef system providing you are careful with them. When in doubt, it is best to either purchase the young adults or keep the juveniles in a separate tank until they are large enough. This young adult age is a very active time in their lives. They consume more aiptasia at the sizes we ship and at this age and are a little easier to handle than smaller or very large nudibranchs. Calfo recommends this size because they are not quite as delicate to handle. They are still delicate little animals, shedding their cerata in defense if necessary. The cerata, considered to be an extension of the digestive system, help provide oxygen exchange (their lungs), a sensitivity to light and stinging defense to protect them from fish and other things. Still care must be taken so please see the Acclimation Instructions page on this web site for instrutions on getting them into your tank. Once in a stable tank, they may not be seen again because they are nocturnal and masters at hiding.

Hibernation and Dormancy: Packed in our special packing, Berghia are very easy shippers and often our Berghia will eat a couple of Aiptasia after first getting inserted into your tank. After the first day or two, they can go dormant for a while. Reef keepers often automatically assume they have died because the nudibranches are not seen during this time and no Aiptasia will disappear. When the Berghia resume activity, they will continue with their main purpose of consuming Aiptasia. Providing instructions are followed and the nudibranches are of the appropriate size, their normal patterns should resume in your reef. If your tank crashes, has medications that are not removed or has a serious issue with water chemistry or equipment, it is possible to harm the nudibranches as well as the fish and corals. To some extent the Berghia can protect themselves with a period of dormancy but in serious cases of nudibranch predators, medication treatments, water chemistry issues or equipment malfunctions, they can be affected. There are invertebrates that either inhibit or sometimes harm Berghia. With this in mind, please read the articles on this website. There is a strategy to use for difficult tanks that is always effective in difficult situations so please ask if your tank proves to be difficult. Berghia do absolutely work so it is very important to have the correct species, correct size and use them correctly. When used with knowledge and thought, Berghia work and are a sure way of controlling even the largest Aiptasia problem without any side effects to your reef inhabitants. Our licensed professional keeps only the correct species of Berghia for Aiptasia control, guaranteed.

Estimating Needs: People have been seeing the best success with 6 (2 trio paks or more) in a 75 gallon tank that is 4 feet long and 9 in a 125 that is approximately 6 feet in length. You will have to estimate the number you need.

Aiptasia blanket this reef. The final result of releasing Aiptasia Larval Planula in the reef after several years of trying indescrete Aiptasia control methods. So many of us try to rescue corals and fish from the pest Aiptasia anemone in so many ways in spite of the side effects. As we try all sorts of injections, home remedies, all the bottled commercial chemicals, we try fish and shrimp spending countless dollars and effort while releasing microscopic Planula larva in each of our efforts. We have pictures of these microscopic seeds from inside the Aiptasia and the release element that uses the stoma on the Aiptasia's stalk to release the Planula whenever they are attacked by any of these methods. It took several years in this reef to get to this point but now this reef is 100% over come with Aiptasia from the spawning releases created by the Aiptasia in it's attempts to survive all the attacks. The Aiptasia become embedded in the pores of the rock and blanket them, destroying all forms of corals as they take over the tank. The coral in the foreground is bleached and now the only evidence it was once alive is the small bits of tissue left at a couple of the tips. Now the good news is we finally have a safe natural genetically accurate and precise nudibranch provided by nature that can turn this around and restore to health all of the coralline and little filter feeders that once helped this tank thrive. We do not have to turn $5 live rock into base rock by some method that will surely create still more effort and headache. It will take quite a while in this reef but our Adult Berghia nudibranches are definitely the most effective and complete solution to restore this reef. Berghia never alarm the Aiptasia and there will be no release of the Planula, actually our Berghia eat them so our Adult Berghia can prevent this disaster in your tank.

If you have a very thick growth of aiptasia or larger sized Aiptasia that is out of control, you can always add more to speed the process up as they take some time to work and for you to see visible results in tanks that are out of control with aiptasia growth. It can take as much as 1/2 to 3/4 of a year to see results. Patience is a must as well as adding enough nudibranches for an effective solution. Some people add as many as 18 to 24 to their 150's and 180's because their systems and corals are worth it and they simply want to be done with the Aiptasia issue.

There is much controversy raised over the number needed and many theories. The Berghia take a couple of months to establish their colony. During this time they will lay a lot of eggs in your tank. The more frequently they find each other for mating, the more quickly the colony gets established in your reef. Often its not until the young hatch that people start to see results. This can take several months and depends on how heavy the aiptasia are in your system. Its best to start a little before the aiptasia take over your entire tank. One opinion on the internet is that one Berghia will eat 10 or more anemones a day. That is only true if the anemones are very small. Larger ones can take an entire day for one Berghia to eat and still larger ones can feed one for several days. The Berghia always work, providing you don't significantly injure them inserting them into your system. After a study of the sources mentioned at the beginning of this page, combined with the input of 3 separate Berghia breeders and our experiments and experience, we've developed this algorithm for reefs with an average to above average live rock content per gallon. (Lightly rocked reefs with bare bottoms may need a few less, coral farms with complex systems may want more to establish colonies in several different raceways.) Use one Berghia for every 12.5 gallons to one for every 10 gallons. Add a few for faster results or in cases where there are simply thousands of aiptasia. But, how many do your really need? Because colonies develop a synergistic effect, this comes to a point where you can cut this number back a lot in very large systems and still achieve great results. (See the discussion "When the Algorithm is Wrong" in the Berghia Point of View, linked below). Allow for an appropriate time for the colony to work. This takes more than a few days or a few weeks. It will be more like several months to a year. We see approximately a 98% success rate of total complete aiptasia eradication when following these guidelines. Times when they are not completely successful are when there are just not enough Berghia for the size and complexity of the system they are used in and/or the Acclimation Instructions were not carefully followed. We believe there are rare cases where an animal in the reef will simply protect the rocks near its lair and not permit any other animals on those rocks. If such a thing happens and those places have aiptasia on them, the Berghia will not be permitted into the territory of that animal's lair to do their work. In this case Berghia would be completely successful where they were permitted to work but not near that particular lair. We realize the fact that aiptasia can get very large in individual mass in some reefs and we want you to be successful in eliminating them so please follow the instructions on the Acclimation Instructions page. We don't support mystery chemicals (aiptasia left to die and decay in the tank) or in-tank killing methods that add nutrients to the water or foul your tank, killing life in and on the live rocks, so Berghia net will try to advise you the best we can to be helpful.

Are Berghia Really The Answer This Time?

Nano Reefs: In the case of a 0.5 gallon to perhaps even as large as a 5 gallon nano reef you may only need or want 1 Berghia. In this case, we will pack one up for $15 each. The only issue with this is that shipping is likely to cost more than the nudibranch. In this case you should get together with all your nano reef friends and split a trio. These Berghia nudibranches are really the only thing we recommend in a nano because its just too small a water volume to handle unknown chemicals. And of course, natural predators like these nudibranches are always the safest and best method for all reef life and water chemistry when you do not want to disturb your beautiful reef life again to clear out the aiptasia. These nudibranches are the final solution and will end the aiptasia once and for all.

Quoted Customer Feedback on July 5th, 2005 who just got 3 trio-paks:
(Regarding expectations, this sets the bar pretty high. But then, this is our target goal.)

"So far so good!!! Great job with the shipping. Everything was PERFECT. They have laid about 5 coils of eggs already and I can still spot a few of them here and there. Thanks again. I will recommend you to everyone I know in this hobby."
(From a reefer in Houston, Tx.)

Quoted Customer Feedback on March 7th, 2006 who got a 12 pak (two 6 paks):

I also saw a few aptasia explode into hundreds in my 380. I attacked some of them with joes juice, kalk paste, lemon juice, etc and while it often worked (or appears to) I would often see tiny ones in the area days later. I bought peppermint shrimp but they never seemed to make an impact. My next to last resort was to try some of instar's berghia. It cost me almost 200$ after shipping for 12 - it stung a bit but I ordered them anyways. They go to my house and OH MY..! They were tiny!! After aclimation I counted all 12 and carefully placed each animal onto a rock with several juicy aptasias. After 2 hours of patiently waiting for them to walk off of the plastic spoon onto the rocks I had them all in my tank and they vanished thinking "I hope this works....". I didnt notice any changes for the first week but by week 2 I noticed some of my biggest aptasias were missing from a zo rock and the zos were opening up again for the first time in a long time. Last night before the lights went out I noticed an aptasia didnt look so good (when do you ever see that??) and careful inspection showed 2 or 3 FAT berghia munching on him. By this morning that aptasia was gone and Im noticing fewer and fewer aptasia on the rocks where I released my colonies. I highly reccomend INSTAR's Berghia they were flexible with my entire order bagging a specific number in each bag, provided quick communication and most importantly the animals were all in excellent shape and appear to be doing their job!
(Posted on MAAST message board by a very serious and advanced reefer in Austin, Tx)
Original Reference URL: http://www.maast.org/index.php?name=PNphpBB2&file=viewtopic&t=17932&start=30

Quoted Customer Feedback on August 22nd, 2006 who got a Trio-Pak (3 Nudibranches):

To be honest I thought we had lost our Berghia ... last night after we cleaned the tank we sat back and just admired it. To our surprise a Berghia came up over the crest of a rock heading straight for an aiptasia. Over the next hour we watched as two keep attacking this rather large aiptasia. Interestingly it looked as if they were stinging each other; though encouraging to see the aiptasia cringe. We are very pleased to see them and now satisfied to know that they are doing their job. Thank you...
(Aptasia control is great! Part of an email from north Texas. Everyone's experience is a bit different. We get many emails like this and only post a few for informational purposes.)

Quoted Customer Feedback on May 16th, 2007 from Roma, Italy (24 Berghia):

(Emphasis on excitement)   I... have....my...BERGHIA!
(Part of an email from an excited reef keeper in Rome, Italy who is very happy to have our Berghia working to remove Aiptasia in his tank.)

Quoted Customer Feedback on August 29th, 2007 from Hong Kong (24 Berghia):

I just back home with my goods, they all in very good condition, thanks very much and its very pleasure to deal with your company and really good help, highly recomend, thanks again.
(Email from an excellent reef keeper in Hong Kong who just picked up his Berghia shipment from the airport. They arrived on an overnight flight.)

Quoted Customer Feedback on June 11th, 2008 from Oakland, California (2 Large Breeders and 3 Trio Paks + 1 Nudibranch Free Package Special Sale):

I'm glad I asked. Thanks for the info as I'm planning on getting more Berghia from you with your next batch. You guys have great customer service! Keep up the good work. Thx.
(Email from a respected business man in Oakland who is a repeat customer and now using our Berghia in ALL his tanks. He placed his order for the next group today. He also recommends us to a friend with a highly regarded reef store in California.)

(Caution: Preservation of our coral reef resources and fisheries is very important to maintain coral reef habitats. Individuals should not attempt shipping livestock from their aquariums to another country.)