  The evolution in X-ray properties of early-type galaxies is largely
unconstrained. In particular, little is known about how, and if, remnants of
mergers generate hot gas halos. Here we examine the relationship between X-ray
luminosity and galaxy age for a sample of early-type galaxies. Comparing
normalized X-ray luminosity to three different age indicators we find that
L_X/L_B increases with age, suggesting an increase in X-ray halo mass with time
after a galaxy's last major star-formation episode. The long-term nature of
this trend, which appears to continue across the full age range of our sample,
poses a challenge for many models of hot halo formation. We conclude that
models involving a declining rate of type Ia supernovae, and a transition from
outflow to inflow of the gas originally lost by galactic stars, offers the most
promising explanation for the observed evolution in X-ray luminosity.
