I've decided to try rearing Aplysia (sea hares). Unfortunately, I'm not sure if the red algae spp I have possess the inducers necessary for settlement.I currently have about 4 spp of red macro going, so I hope one will do the trick but you never know. On the good side, the literature says they can be maintained in their larval state for months at a time while I track down the right stuff. But I'm impatient and a 8 day larval period sounds a lot better than 8 weeks. So, if my algae isn't up to snuff, are there any alternative inducers anyone is aware of? I know in some mollusk species, hydrogen peroxide has been used, as has GABA, but I haven't found any info on these in Aplysia. BTW, these are super cool animals! Great grazers and really cute. If you're into that kinda thing.
Aplysia metamorphosis cues?
- Thread starter olin
- Start date
Thanks for the info I'll get in touch. Thought people might want to see some pics of my new project. The first pic is of an adult, still about half the maximum size. The second is a 2" juvie on a nylon filter bag that was floating in the tank. I kept knocking them off so they would go where they were "supposed" to be. My girlfriend told me to leave them alone, and sure enough, a few hours later, the first egg strands appeared.
