CRAB ALGAE ?

[aviator300]

The round thing in the middle of the photo is Herman the Hermit crab. Well, good ole Herman looks like he needs a haircut because all that green stringy stuff growing on his shell looks to be algae.

 

If this is the case, should I trim it off or just leave it alone. Other than a minor diatom bloom, there is no visible algae at all in my tank except for Herman.

 

I'm concerned that it may spread from him to the whole tank.

 

I need suggestions how to proceed. aviator300

 

 

[seabass]

I once had a hermit crab that had bubble algae on it. It might sound mean, but right before lights out, I zip tied the crab to a rock, and put a suitably sized replacement shell right by the opening in its shell. The next morning the crab was zipping around the tank in its new (algae free) shell.

Otherwise you could use tweezers to pick off the algae and then take a toothbrush and brush off his shell (in a small container of tank water). Rinse Herman in some clean tank water, put some hydrogen peroxide on a paper towel and wipe off his shell with it, another quick rinse in tank water and Herman should be algae free.