Tucson Berghia Group Buy (Aeolids for the Apocalypse)

[Triple One]

Hello Fellow Aquarium Addicts,

I'd really like to get together a group of people and do a group buy for some Berghia... If possible, we could even set up a breeding system and start supplying Tucson and surrounding areas, since they appear to be pretty rare out here in the desert.

The only site I can find that has been updated anytime recently is ReefTown (www.reeftown.com), which is full of grammar fails but they seem to be trustworthy enough, and according to their site they at least have the critters in stock (and are still running a New Year's sale). The price is far, far better from http://berghiadirect.webs.com/ but I don't know if the site is still active. From what I can see it doesn't look like they've done anything to their page in two years or more. I sent them an email, just in case.

I figure that, considering it is best to get at least a half dozen Berghia (or more if you've got crazy aiptasia infestations), that if four or five of us got together willing to drop a little less than $100 apiece ( IS it better than crack?), we could get free shipping and still end up with at least a half dozen aeolids each. They also sell the juvenile ones for less than $9 each (in quantities of 20+) but those are supposed to be trickier to keep alive long enough to breed. However, if just three of us went that route we'd end up with ten berghia apiece (which improves those odds somewhat but I'm not sure whether it's better than getting six adults, since the breeding is ultimately the goal...) and still get free shipping.

Plus, if somebody out there has a small system we could use to breed them (AHEM... maybe the guy who CUT IN LINE and snaked the last free picotope from SEA on Black Friday? F%&*er. Why you gotta change the rules Mike? I was the first one to make a purchase... Alas.), and each of us put one nudi in the tank, we could keep the supply going and eventually re-coup our investment by hawking them to other reefers (and re-negging LFS's. Grrrrr... Are you even USING that picotope, you punk?). We can work it so that once they breed a few, the initial investors each get some berghia back, and whoever is kind enough to provide the orgy box can then start selling them. That should be easy enough... I'd like to try and do this pretty soon (maybe before early March? Get your taxes done early and invest in some sea slugs!), since who knows how long their New Year's sale will last, and there are more aiptasia appearing everyday (the curse of the sloppy peppermint shrimp).

Let me know what you think! Obviously my plan isn't perfect so I'm open to suggestions. If nobody wants to be responsible for breeding them I can understand but it seems like it could be cool... And if you stole my picotope, here's your chance to redeem your punk@$$ self...

[Triple One]

Wow! I already received a response from Crystal Stock at the Berghia Direct website, and the word is that they should have more nudis available in about one month. Since the Berghia are only $10 each for the adult size, and they do free shipping on group orders over 40 nudis (and they'll put individual orders in separate bottles with names on them), I think that's a deal worth waiting for.

So who's interested? The more people we get involved, the less we'll each have to spend (unless you want a whole bunch of them, which is cool too...)

I'll keep an eye on their site and post as soon as it's ready for us... In the meantime, post up if you're tired of infinite aiptasia outbreaks!!!

[miguelp19]

Ive ordered berghias from reeftown and i had a pretty good experience with them. The seller had good communication with me and I even got an extra one because the shipment was delayed for like two days, dont remember why. Anyway, they are easily kept and everything but if you plan on breeding them you need to have a pretty big stock of aiptasia in an isolated tank to have a good "crop" of nudis. The ones i got started laying eggs within a few days and kept laying eggs for awhile. My mistake with the breeding was not having enough aiptasia to feed them. This might sound crazy but you actually have to "culture" or "breed" aiptasia in order to have enough to feed these little guys. Just my .02 lol

[Triple One]

Originally Posted by miguelp19

My mistake with the breeding was not having enough aiptasia to feed them. This might sound crazy but you actually have to "culture" or "breed" aiptasia in order to have enough to feed these little guys. Just my .02 lol

What shiny pennies you have!

Most definitely, this is the case in everything I've read... That's why I was saying that if nobody is willing to take on the breeding I understand. I am considering doing it myself in an old 10G, but my girlfriend is going to think I'm crazy (probably cuz I am ). That is of course until I start raking in slug ducats...

Another thing to consider that I didn't mention before is that if you've already unsuccessfully tried peppermint shrimp and they're still lazily hanging around your tank, they're the top Berghia predator, so it'd be best to trap them and move them elsewhere if you want to add nudis. I'm thinking about letting mine live in my overflow column (how the feck did my lawnmower blenny get in there?!?), where they can shred the few aiptasia popping up in there or live out their slacker lives in peace. Wrasses also eat berghia, but supposedly not fairy wrasses (I have a Melanurus and I'm gonna risk it...).

Anthony Calfo has a good old RC post here:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hreadid=707656
and Nicole C's tube trap (post #7 on that link) is a great way to catch peppermints if you use a silverside for bait and put the trap in sideways after the tank lights are off. That whole thread is worth checking out, if you've never looked at it. I wish I had seen it before when I was making futile attempts to catch my dastardly dottyback (not to threadjack myself here... can you even do that?).

Thanx too, Miguel, for your feedback re: reeftown. Much appreciated!

[savageAJC]

Lol

[Triple One]

Originally Posted by savageAJC

Lol

i think you mean "bump"

got another person interested in this... which means there are two of us so far... anybody else??

[BryanW]

I'm in...skimmed through the post...are their bigger specimans available? I have not had success with the smaller ones, but have not added any to my new tank as of yet, so maybe the smaller ones will thrive, but in my old smaller tank, they did not do well.

[Triple One]

Originally Posted by BryanW

I'm in...skimmed through the post...are their bigger specimans available? I have not had success with the smaller ones, but have not added any to my new tank as of yet, so maybe the smaller ones will thrive, but in my old smaller tank, they did not do well.

Hi Bryan, thanx for checking in.

The story with Berghia Direct (i'm told...) is that they recently relocated from Utah to Ohio, and in the process suffered a large aeolid attrition. Because of this loss, they supposedly won't have more Berghia available until early March. BUT the ones they're offering for sale are the 1/2" "breeder size" nudis, and for way cheaper than I've been able to find anywhere else (challenges, anyone?). They do also sell 3/4" ones, but they're twice the price and I didn't inquire as to their availability. Not sure if by "smaller ones" you mean the 1/4" size that a lot of other places offer, but this is all the info I have at the moment...

Also, I noticed on your sidebar blurb that you're located in SoCal?? Not trying to be exclusive or authoritarian or anything, but we're hoping to set this up in Tucson... are you gonna be able to get here to pick them up? Or maybe you live here now, hence the new tank? Just asking because I don't want you to feel shafted... Super happy you're interested...

[Triple One]

well the OVERWHELMING response to this thread is truly baffling. who knew SO MANY people would be interested in these little sega-like sluglets?

still no update on the Berghia Direct webline... and no response to my last email a few days ago. i guess it's for the better anyway, since i don't really have the extra rings at the moment, and there's no point shelling out twice as much for the little guys elsewhere when i can't afford enough to start a slug ranch.

so for the throngs and hoards of aeolid-hungry heathens out there, i bid you, help yourselves. good luck. watch out for jawz and the caterkillers.

i'll just go play sonic 3. as knuckles. by myself.