Uncooked Ramen in my reef…or something else?

[SaltCreepReef]

Just rearranged some of the rock work in my display and found this clump of Ramen looking creature on the backside of one of my main structures under some GHA. Came off fairly easily and feels something like “Al Dente” noodles. Maintained its shape in and out of water, still a bit left on the rock I plan to watch. Any help is appreciated!

 

[Miami Reef]

Following.

I shuddered.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Do you happen to have any sea hares? Because this looks to me like sea hare eggs.

 

[SaltCreepReef]

I do have a sea hare, and I literally just texted a buddy that it looks like a clear tube full of eggs!

 

[SaltCreepReef]

Do you happen to have any sea hares? Because this looks to me like sea hare eggs.

I believe this is correct, any idea if they will actually hatch?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I believe this is correct, any idea if they will actually hatch?

Unless you have two sea hares, I would assume the eggs are not fertilized (meaning they would not be able to hatch).

ISpeakForTheSeas said:
Most likely not. Do you know the species by chance though, and do you have more than one? I know at least some sea hares are hermaproditic, but they’re not self-fertile and to my knowledge they can’t store sperm to fertilize eggs at a later date like some animals can. So, if you only have one the eggs are probably not fertile. Plus, even if they are fertile, the sea hares I’ve looked at have planktonic larvae - so they’ll be eaten or pulled into filters, killed by powerheads, etc.

If you want to raise them, you’d almost certainly need a growout tank setup for that purpose.

 

[SaltCreepReef]

Unless you have two sea hares, I would assume the eggs are not fertilized (meaning they would not be able to hatch).

Nope, just the one. Thanks for the info, appreciate it!

-Bryan

 

[Reefbuds]

Bro, eek

 

[Thunderstruck34]

Lol the “feels like Al dente” part got me.

 

[AydenLincoln]

See hare eggs and unfortunately it means they are near the end of their lives.

 

[chimbo84]

See hare eggs and unfortunately it means they are near the end of their lives.

Is this true? I’ve never seen this mentioned anywhere.

 

[Widdlyscudds]

ohhhh break out da gravy n meatballs lemme tell ya

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Is this true? I’ve never seen this mentioned anywhere.

I've seen it mentioned in a few scientific articles (the only ones I recall offhand were about Bursatella leachii), but it seems that the info may be inaccurate regardless (assuming I've correctly ID'd the species in this other thread, that is):

Sea Hares mating and eggs

I must have had some sea hare eggs on some plants for my tank because I never bought any and one day I noticed 2 sea hares in my tank. That was about 6 weeks ago and now they are mating and laying eggs everywhere! I egg survived and is the size of the older ones already. I have been...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[vetteguy53081]

Agree sea hare eggs and as they are hermaphrodites, likely not fertile.

 

[AydenLincoln]

Is this true? I’ve never seen this mentioned anywhere.

Yes it is! They do die after laying eggs and/or it means they are near the end of their lives which are very short to begin with averaging about a year for most species.
https://www.aquariumofpacific.org/onlinelearningcenter/species/california_brown_sea_hare

Critter of the Week: All about sea hares and their eggs

A sea hare is a type of opisthobranch or sea slug in the phylum Mollusca, with soft bodies, a reduced internal shell and two tall rhinophores coming out of their heads that resemble the ears of a hare.

niwa.co.nz

Sea hare - CreationWiki, the encyclopedia of creation science

creationwiki.org

Ask the Naturalist: Why Are Sea Hares Multiplying In Lake Merritt?

Nearly 100 giant sea slugs have been spotted in Oakland's Lake Merritt -- and they're breeding! But why? We asked Cal Academy's Terry Gosliner about this sudden influx.

baynature.org

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Grossed out here! Haha!