Breeding Journal, Species: Berghia verrucicornis

General
Species:  Berghia verrucicornis
Social Structure:  2 individuals in a 58 gallon reef tank
Size of Individuals:  Just under 1 cm
Age of Individuals:  unknown (~1 -2 months old)
Date added to Tank:  9/21/11

Broodstock Tank Details
Size of Tank:  58 gallon
Substrate Details:  Sugar sand
Filtration Details:  sump with protein skimmer
Water Changes:  Every 2 weeks
Water Temperature:  78.4
Lighting:  6 T5 bulbs
Lighting Cycle:  14 on:10 off
Other Tank Inhabitants:  Various reef fish, corals, snails, crabs, anemonies including aiptasia

Broodstock Feeding Details
Food Types:  aiptasia
Feeding Schedule:  ad libitum

Spawning Details
Date of First Spawn:  9/23/11
Spawn Time of Day:  Just before lights out (10 - 11 pm)
Dates of Consecutive Spawns:  Not observed
Courtship Details:  not observed
Egg Size:  <1 mm within coiled ropes about 2-3 cm long total length.  Adult circles while laying egg rope which causes them to be laid in a coil.  The eggs were laid at the site were the adult consumed an aiptaisa anemonie over a 2 day period.
Egg Color:  white to cream colored
Egg Count:  can't tell (estimate 25 to 30)

Hatch Details
Hatch Date:  10/6/11
Hatch Time of Day:  Unknown
# Days after Spawn:  13
Larvae Description:  very small (<1 mm) whitish slug-like animals with a greenish center. (these may have been settled larvae and not newly hatched Berghia)


Larval Tank Details
Temperature:  78
Size of Larval Tank:  4 oz
Substrate Details:  none
Other Tank Decor:  aiptasia
Filtration Details:  none
Lighting:  6500K CFL
Lighting Cycle:  constant 24 hours
Water Changes:  50 cc daily

Larval Feeding Details
Food Types:  aiptasia
Feeding Schedule:  ad libitum

Metamorphosis/Settlement
Date of Settlement Start:  Immediately peri-hatch
Days after Hatch:  0 - 48 hours
Date of Settlement End:  Unknown
Description of Fry:  very small (<1 mm) whitish slug-like animals with a greenish center.

Grow-Out Tank Details
Temperature: 
Size of Grow-Out Tank: 
Substrate Details: 
Other Tank Decor: 
Filtration Details: 
Lighting: 
Lighting Cycle: 
Water Changes: 
Size at Transfer: 
Age at Transfer: 

Grow-Out Feeding Details
Food Types: 
Feeding Schedule: 

Additional Information
(No Pictures or Videos in the Section Please)
Miscellaneous Information: 



You will be required to provide photographic evidence in this thread of each event submitted for the MBI Program.
If your thread does not contain these photos the MBI Committee will not be able to approve your reports.

 
Egg coil where laid near remaining aiptasia.  Egg coil laid where the adult consumed a 3rd aiptasia.
 
close up of egg coil
 

 
2nd close up of eggs

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These are the absolute best pictures my camera/lens combination will allow me to take.  I hope these are good enough.

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Nice photos!

 
Here are the Berghia eggs at 6 days post-spawn.  Looks like they have expanded slightly.

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very cool!!!!
 
 

RLTW

180 Gallon Mixed Reef

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" Isaiah 6:8

Congrats on the spawn, John.

Live and Learn

Thank you Nick!

This evening I noticed that the egg coil was starting to become detached from the live rock that it was on.  I is now 7 days post-spawn, so the outter egg membrane may be starting to break down in preparation of hatching.  I removed the egg coil from the rock and placed it in an 8 oz storage container along with two aiptasia and will float it in the sump to maintain the temperature at 78 F.  There is no aeration in the storage container, and based upon a paper from Jim Welch, that should produce a higher % of settled larva.

Looks like some of the eggs might have hatched.  I can see very tiny slug-like things slowly moving along the bottom with a 4 X magnifing glass. They are basically white with a slightly greenish center, and some are moving dragging an aiptasia tenticle.  Can't get any very clear camera shots of them with how small they are right now.

 
Here is the best picture I can get of two of the Bergia larva (just too small to photograph well with a regular camera).  I have circled the two, one looks to be eating the tenticle of an aiptasia.

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For the record the paper was not from me, just the link to the paper!

Unhappy ending.  A bristleworm got into the rearing container, and even though I remover it, I was never able to find another Berghia in that container.  All of the Aiptasia in my reef tank disappeared, and I was never successful in finding another Berghia (although that must have been why all the Aiptasia disappeared).  I did try to borrow an Aiptasia covered LR to lure the Berghias to it, so I could recover them from the reef tank and start a separate culture, but I never got one to come to the LR (that I could see) and decided I'd better get those out of the tank before I get Aiptasia in my reef tank again.  Looks like I am out of the Berghia business for now.