Will Red Leg Hermit Crab control diatoms

[mengyang_neo]

Most of my rock r going to be fully covered by diatoms or brown algae, i am running FR for 2 weeks plus for my new tank, and adding Bac also. Will Red Leg Hermit Crab control diatoms or brown algae on the liverock? If so, i will go get some to control the algae. Thanks.

[iskay]

Read this.

Depends on what media you have in your FR, if it's not for nitrate reduction, it'll not help improve your diatom problem.

Diatom requires nitrates and silicates, get any of these off your tank, your problem will be solved.

[mengyang_neo]

i see, thanks bro very good piece of information. =) But is there any fishes or invent that feed on them? or i will need to wait for them to die on their own? Thanks

[iskay]

Least cost option is to wait it out. My view is can't really count on any critter to fully remove the diatoms. Once the silicates are exhausted, they will disappear and be replaced by another type of nuisance - algae... Then you have another problem to solve - that of nitrates and phospates.

Diatoms are normal for new tank setups. If they appear in established tanks, it normally means there's a recent introduction of silicates.

[matthewpoh]

hi,

so will the blue leg crab or red leg crab remove the algae?

thanks..

[CFOh]

hi,

so will the blue leg crab or red leg crab remove the algae?

thanks..

They are omnivores and also scavenger.. I kept blue leg hermit before.. they are good for clear algae and detritus on rock... but the cons about them, they do topple rock and also killing snail for for shell also for fun

Cheers...

[sakura]

They are omnivores and also scavenger.. I kept blue leg hermit before.. they are good for clear algae and detritus on rock... but the cons about them, they do topple rock and also killing snail for for shell also for fun

Cheers...

yeah my hermit also do that, he just want the shell and later he dont want it anymore. Turbo snail is great they clean up all my diatom algae at one time when my whole rock is cover by brown algae and diatom. Urchin also good but when they around coraline algae like very difficult to come up.