Need help identifying 2 possible pests

AChappy35

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See pics, the pink one came in on a hermit crab's shell awhile ago and has spread quite a bit, the green eggs (?) I noticed just the other day. Good? Bad? Any help is appreciated

IMG_20210722_152730454.jpg
IMG_20210722_152821113.jpg
IMG_20210815_135422164.jpg
 

Just John

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For the bubble algae, remove them gently right away. If they pop it will spread everywhere. Take them out as soon as you can. As I said, the most important thing is to not pop them. If you are taking them off of something that can't be removed from the tank, your fingers might be the best way to go. Hard tools may pop them. If you do it out of the tank, rinse of the item before returning it to the tank.
 
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AChappy35

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Alright, well I pulled the bubble algae out with my hand. I battled a huge outbreak like 6 months ago so I'm not super worried about that. And if the other pink stuff is aiptasia, it's been in there quite awhile so there's no way I'll be able to treats some spots and be rid of it. I've been planning on getting a group of peppermint shrimp anyways so I guess I'll push the priority up on that and hopefully they will at least keep it at bay in the display (assuming it is actually aiptasia). Thanks guys!
 

Just John

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Alright, well I pulled the bubble algae out with my hand. I battled a huge outbreak like 6 months ago so I'm not super worried about that. And if the other pink stuff is aiptasia, it's been in there quite awhile so there's no way I'll be able to treats some spots and be rid of it. I've been planning on getting a group of peppermint shrimp anyways so I guess I'll push the priority up on that and hopefully they will at least keep it at bay in the display (assuming it is actually aiptasia). Thanks guys!
It's hard to tell from the first photo what it is. Is it one long spiky/fuzzy thing of more than one together? I had thought someone with more knowledge than me would have answered that by now.
 

MaxTremors

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For the bubble algae, remove them gently right away. If they pop it will spread everywhere. Take them out as soon as you can. As I said, the most important thing is to not pop them. If you are taking them off of something that can't be removed from the tank, your fingers might be the best way to go. Hard tools may pop them. If you do it out of the tank, rinse of the item before returning it to the tank.
I don’t know that there’s any truth to the whole ‘popping’ thing. Emerald crabs love valonia and can rid a tank of them, but what do you think they do when they eat them? They’re not swallowing them whole. The issue is that pieces of the outer wall can grow into new bubbles, not that popping them releases spores. So long as you don’t just smash them, if they pop while removing them, so long as you get all of the tissue it shouldn’t be a problem (they don’t disintegrate when you pop them, they just leave behind an empty skin, sort of like a popped balloon).
 

Just John

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I don’t know that there’s any truth to the whole ‘popping’ thing. Emerald crabs love valonia and can rid a tank of them, but what do you think they do when they eat them? They’re not swallowing them whole. The issue is that pieces of the outer wall can grow into new bubbles, not that popping them releases spores. So long as you don’t just smash them, if they pop while removing them, so long as you get all of the tissue it shouldn’t be a problem (they don’t disintegrate when you pop them, they just leave behind an empty skin, sort of like a popped balloon).
I don't know. My experience was that I got a frag with one large bubble on it that I noticed after I put it in the tank. I stupidly went to pull it off while it was still inside the tank, it popped and two weeks later they were starting all over the place.
 

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AChappy35

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Is that emerald crab in the first picture still mobile?
It is, but I have seen a few dead crabs/snails over time with a bunch of that stuff on them. I haven't been able to conclusively determine whether that pink stuff is actually hurting anything or the cause of their deaths
 

Tired

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Can you catch the crab and put it in a cup of water to take clearer pictures? I'm really intrigued by that... whatever it is. At the very least, it's a particularly strange algae.
 
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AChappy35

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Can you catch the crab and put it in a cup of water to take clearer pictures? I'm really intrigued by that... whatever it is. At the very least, it's a particularly strange algae.
Oh thats a good call, was gonna just try to get a better pic but I'll see if I can catch him first
 

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Oh, that's a lot less than before. It looks like maybe he's cleaned it off.

That stuff looks strange. Almost parasitic.
 

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I mean, I'd be curious enough to leave it on and see what happens. Or, at least, pull off a section of it before trying to kill it.
 

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