mysterious gelatinous egg mass

[Peter Houde]

Can you identify this large (~5cc) gelatinous mass of eggs? The gelatinous mass is very cohesive. The eggs are tiny (<<1mm) and widely dispersed within it. The only things large enough in my tank to have laid them are a Hippopus clam, banded coral shrimp (hardly seems big enough and also hanging out on the opposite end of a 6 foot tank), regal and powder brown tangs, and one spot foxface, unless there are large crabs hiding somewhere deep in the rock work. Also, it doesn't look like I'd expect the eggs of any of these to look like, except maybe the shrimp. I put the eggs in my quarantine tank for now, but I can't imagine that they could be fertile and develop since I have only one of each of the above. I think it's safe to assume that the mass wasn't produced by any of my corals and that a frog didn't hop along through my house and deposit eggs in my aquarium

 

[inferior plank]

Any snails in there? Reminds me of a trochus snail egg mass.

 

[Peter Houde]

There's a strawberry conch in there somewhere. It doesn't seem large enough to have laid such a mass, but who knows? I have ceriths and nerites, but their eggs don't look anything like this.

 

[inferior plank]

Yeah, ceriths tend to be in a tight pattern, I’m less sure about nerites but I know my tiny trochus snails lay decent size egg masses that look similar to that. If I recall conches tend to be fairly organized in egg laying as well? Hold me to none of this except: my small trochus lay similar egg masses.

 

[Peter Houde]

I also have a banded serpent star in the tank, for whatever that's worth

 

[Peter Houde]

See post by Reefer615 !