Hawaiian Nudibranch Laid Eggs In My Tank!!!

[Codym808]

Thanks! Really hoping this goes successfully, even if only a couple baby nudi's live I'd be stoked!

 

[Naoxyn]

This is awesome. I'm definitely following along. I appreciate the updates!

 

[Codym808]

Thanks! I'll be sure to keep this thread updated as long as there's updates to be made, we'll see in the upcoming week

 

[kdc]

That’s really impressive that they are thriving so well in your tank. I’ve never seen that before. I too, am following along to see how things go.

 

[Codym808]

Alright guys, I don’t have an update on the eggs just yet but they should be hatching around next Monday. I’ll try to remember to switch to an air pump before they hatch, don’t wanna lose them by overflowing back into my sump.

Anyways I have a pretty interesting update on the pair, I’m almost certain now that they are mating again after what I’ve read online. Their genitals are located on the right side of their ‘necks’. They mate by kind of doing the ying and yang pose, that’s the best way I can think of it. See below photos with one being a macro shot, you can see their connected by a white tube.

 

[Kamden Uelton]

yep, that's nudibranch sex for you did you know that each nudibranch is both a male and a female at the same time? They can fertilize each others eggs which could mean there are not only, one but two egg clusters that could've been laid!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Alright guys, I don’t have an update on the eggs just yet but they should be hatching around next Monday. I’ll try to remember to switch to an air pump before they hatch, don’t wanna lose them by overflowing back into my sump.

Anyways I have a pretty interesting update on the pair, I’m almost certain now that they are mating again after what I’ve read online. Their genitals are located on the right side of their ‘necks’. They mate by kind of doing the ying and yang pose, that’s the best way I can think of it. See below photos with one being a macro shot, you can see their connected by a white tube.
View attachment 675919 View attachment 675918

Awesome!

 

[Codym808]

Wow! Fertilize each others eggs?! I could have an overrun of these nudi's, I'm not complaining though! Wait... why can't they just fertilize their own eggs??;Dead

 

[Kamden Uelton]

If they use their own sperm to fertilize their eggs for some odd reason (i don't even know why it happens) the young experience deformation. By any means can they fertilize their own eggs but they usually only do that when theres a shortage of food or they are about to die. I think the deformation is caused by having an extra chromosome or something like that, kind of like in humans and other animals but I can't be 100% certain

 

[Codym808]

That's amazing! Honestly I'm just hoping that their eating something in my tank to live, having them lay eggs is just a bonus. I guess time will tell if they are actually thriving or just surviving..

 

[Bongo Shrimp]

yeah they don't eat algae, this species of nudi eats many species of sponge that's why I wanted it so bad

Source? As afar as I was aware we only know of one preferred species of prey sponge Dysidea fragilis.

that's a healthy egg formation, when they are starving they place them in rows and not the defined swirls they are in now.

Source?

 

[Kamden Uelton]

Source? As afar as I was aware we only know of one preferred species of prey sponge Dysidea fragilis.


Source?

I intern/work at an LFS and I have seen many nudibranch egg formations... We had the same one he has in stock and it was seen feeding on Red Ball Sponge which isn't even close to where the nudibranch comes from, We also get lettuce nudis here and there and the starving ones (cause we don't have bryopsis) lay lines instead of the spiral eggs, The source is my LFS if thats alright with you?

 

[Sppf121]

Following. Very Cool.

 

[Codym808]

Well I have some not so great news... From the research I’ve done on the hatch time of these eggs, it wasn’t the same with the nudibranchs ;Facepalm They hatched sometime last night which would put that at a 5 day incubation period instead of the 8-9 days I’ve read. I had constant flow coming in and out of the breeding container which means that majority of that plankton larvae must have gone back into my sump. I’m pretty bummed but at least I’ve learned something new. I did notice today that the eggs were slightly lighter pink that normal but I didn’t think anything of it.

You can see in the photo below that the egg mass has turned clear with just few tiny spots of pink left. I’ve since turned the flow off, switched to an airstone, and added a piece of live rock in hopes that I’m still able to save some baby nudibranchs. I’ll be sure to keep this thread updated on anything that happens. I’m hoping that the nudibranch pair will also lay another batch of eggs since they were just mating a couple days ago, only time will tell.. Sorry for getting everyone’s hopes up

 

[Kamden Uelton]

There could still be some plankton larvae in there, sadly I don't know what the little guys eat but i would just add algae and sponge. I would also check the low flow areas of your sump and look in the filter socks you may be able to see some.

 

[Bubbabobobbrain]

This is a very cool thread. I am definitely following along too.

 

[rstrann]

I wonder if these nudis would eat Collospongia (red plating sponge)? I have tons of it and would LOVE to keep some pretty nudis like this . Where did you pick your pair up??

 

[Kamden Uelton]

I wonder if these nudis would eat Collospongia (red plating sponge)? I have tons of it and would LOVE to keep some pretty nudis like this . Where did you pick your pair up??

These nudibranchs only eat Dysidea Sponge and sponges with the same internal structure as dysidea sorry they wouldn't eat Collospongia, However
Glossodoris rufomarginata is known to eat photosynthetic sponges and may eat Collospongia

 

[rstrann]

These nudibranchs only eat Dysidea Sponge and sponges with the same internal structure as dysidea sorry they wouldn't eat Collospongia, However
Glossodoris rufomarginata is known to eat photosynthetic sponges and may eat Collospongia

Hey those are really pretty nudis too! Thank you for the info... I'd love to add some to the display if I can ever find any for sale

 

[Codym808]

Random little update, I know these nudibranchs are eating something now. I was watching one moving around the tank, it stuck it’s tail straight up in and the tail got really pointy. I was wondering what’s going on?? But then I saw a little string of poop come out ;Hilarious So good to know that it’s eating something in my tank, not really noticing a decrease in sponges though.