Sea Hare Laid Eggs!

[stanleo]

My sea hare laid eggs. Yellowish clump of what looks like sill string. From my reading of their life cycle, does this mean he will die soon? Or I guess she. She's the only one in there so they cant be furtile, right? Should I take them out or just leave them?
 

 

[Donya]

Sea hares are usually simultaneous hermaphrodites that mate to reproduce. Egg-laying by a single individual is fairly rare and, from what I understand, is usually induced by either stress or aging. I've only seen one individual lay eggs in all the sea hares I've had over time. It is unlikely that the eggs are fertile and, but even if they are, the larvae would stand little chance at survival. I would take the eggs out (out of the display anyway) since sometimes sea hare eggs can contain irritants or other toxins and hungry fish can be rather dumb in aquariums. If you have a safe place to put the eggs away from other animals like a refugium, then you could always move them and see if anything develops.

 

[stanleo]

That jives with what little info I could find on this. I just moved the tank across the room yesterday so that is the stressor. From what I have read attempting to raise them is a monumental undertaking and I don't have the room or funds to attempt and there is little chance of success anyway so I will take them out. I doubt they are viable anyway. If she was fertilized before arriving she would have laid them earlier I would think. I have read conflicting reports on whether they live on after laying eggs. I hope she does, she is so fascinating to watch. Did yours live long after laying eggs, Donya?

She's still eating, just finished a seaweed sheet.

 

[Donya]

Mine lived for a few more months after laying eggs I think...my memory is a bit fuzzy there. It was quite large and hadn't grown for some time leading up to the eggs, but it was never entirely clear to me whether it was age or stress as the trigger. It was the one example of a toxic individual I'd seen and something clearly annoyed it about a week prior to the eggs, and it had also been shifted between tanks a couple of times in the process of trying to sort out the mess it caused.