Berghia nudibranch (aiptasia eater)

Care at a glance

Berghia is the small nudibranch that eats nothing but glass anemones and is bred and sold for that reason: a white, translucent animal of about two centimetres with brown tufts on its back. In a tank full of aiptasia it multiplies quickly and clears the infestation within weeks to months.

Add at least three to five animals at lights-out, close to the anemones, and expect to rarely see them afterwards; they are nocturnal. Once the aiptasia is gone they starve, so anyone wanting to keep them passes them on or keeps a separate tub with anemones. Peppermint shrimp, wrasses, coral banded shrimp and filefish eat them, so it is better not to keep the two together.

Good to know

• Hard to wean onto dry food
• Active at night

Best not combined with

• Six-line wrassePseudocheilinus hexataenia
• Matted filefishAcreichthys tomentosus
• Peppermint shrimpLysmata wurdemanni
• Coral banded shrimpStenopus hispidus

Related species

• Feather star (crinoid)Crinoidea sp.
• Pom-pom crab (boxer crab)Lybia tessellata
• Sally lightfoot crabPercnon gibbesi
• Tiger pistol shrimpAlpheus bellulus
• Dwarf zebra hermit crabCalcinus laevimanus
• Electric blue hermit crabCalcinus elegans