Berghia Acclimation

Tools needed:

  1. Vinyl airline tubing – 3/8 inch or smaller
  2. Pipet (included as a part of your box charge)
  3. Clean plastic pitcher or container of similar size and shape.
  4. Bucket

When your Berghia arrive, look for any Berghia that may have crawled into creases of the plastic bag. They will crawl all over the bag, and they can get into the creases and be smashed as the bag is moved. They can be hard to see in the plastic bag too, especially if they are balled up, so be careful when moving and opening the bag.

Sometimes the Berghia are sluggish when they arrive. This does not mean they are dead. When they die there is no movement even after drip acclimation or they turn into a little pile of shapeless goo.

Please note that the Berghia sometimes loose some volume or size in shipping. They will regain their size once they acclimate and eat some aiptasia. Berghia are relatively small creatures compared to many of the animals we add to our tanks. They will more than double in size in your tank within a few weeks of going into your tank.

Begin Drip Acclimation Process

This method is geared toward sensitive reef inhabitants. You must be willing to monitor the entire process. You may also use a similar technique that does not require dripping. The basic technique involves adding very small amounts of your tank water to the Berghia bag every 5-10 minutes for 2 hours.

Gather a clean, 3 or 5-gallon bucket designated for aquarium use only and a clean plastic pitcher (clean of soaps and residues).

  1. Start by floating the closed bag in your display tank or sump to acclimate water temperature for about 20 minutes.
  2. Carefully open the bag.
  3. Carefully place the Berghia bag in to a tall container like a plastic pitcher. Try to extend the sides of the bag up the inside of the pitcher. The water may in the end drip over the sides of the pitcher so you may want to put the pitcher in a bucket as well.
  4. Using airline tubing, set up and run a siphon drip line from the main aquarium to the pitcher sitting in the bucket. Tie several loose knots in the airline tubing, or use a plastic or other non-metal airline control valve, to regulate flow from the aquarium. It is also a good idea to secure the airline tubing in place.
  5. Begin a siphon by sucking on the end of the airline tubing you'll be placing into the bag in the pitcher. When water begins flowing through the tubing, adjust the drip by tightening one of the knots or adjusting the control valve to a rate of about 2-4 drips per second.
  6. Watch over the process carefully. Do not let the Berghia spill or float over the edge of the bag. The Berghia will sometimes float on the surface tension of the water while they are in small containers and they could float over the edge of the pitcher. They may also actively crawl around the bag during acclimation.

Since the Berghia have not eaten for 12-24 hours, you may try feeding them while they drip acclimate. Scrape a small or medium sized aiptasia off the glass or other smooth surface with a razor blade (or similar tool) and drop it into the bag with the Berghia. They may or may not eat. It’s a good idea (but not mandatory) to try this so they are fed before they go in your tank. Don't let the aiptasia land on a Berghia. It can sting them.

At the end of 2 hours of acclimation, feed your fish and then turn off your lights, pumps and powerheads. This will create the best environment for the Berghia to go in your tank and successfully grab onto the rockwork without being disturbed by fish or water current. You can turn everything back on after the Berghia have a grip on the rock.

Don't try to handle the Berghia, they are very fragile. Use the pipet provided to suction the Berghia out of the bag one at a time. If they are attached to the bag dislodge them by gently blowing some water at them.

Do your best to place the Berghia on the rock work in your tank near some aiptasia. It's best to place them all in the same area of your tank and not spread them out. They will either start eating or will move into crevices and disappear from view. Do not let the Berghia float into an aiptasia's mouth. They can be eaten if dropped directly in the mouth area. They can be stung too if placed too close to a larger aiptasia.

You may notice a small, white, circular strand of eggs in your bag. Suck the eggs out of the bag and place them in the rock work where the current is very low like under a rock. If you are lucky, they will hatch for you.

Your Berghia are egg laying size. They will typically grow to 1 ½”-2” inches in size. You may or may not see them again once they are in your tank. You can sometimes spot them at night with a flashlight. They typically eat at night.

When you begin to run out of aiptasia you may spot the Berghia during light hours. If they are all white or cream colored it means that they have not eaten for two days or more. You can help them by moving them closer to aiptasia you can still see. If you do not see any aiptasia left, give them to a freind or sell them to your local fish store. They typically starve at around 5-7 days of not eating.