Moss balls?

[Aces11]

Some guy at petsmart tried to sell me these live plants that he called moss balls. He said they prevent algae and absorb nitrates. I was just wondering if anything he told me was true.

[Mogurako]

The Moss Ball is a spongy velvet-like green algae ball that in the wild is found around Japan and Northern Europe. They were once thought to be extremely slow growing, but recent studies suggest that the growth can be accelerated by providing more nutrients. In its natural habitat, they are moved around by undercurrents and sink or rise in order to receive plenty of light to carry out photosynthesis.
The Moss Ball requires moderate to high lighting, approximately 3 watts per gallon provided by full spectrum (5000-7000K) bulbs. The temperature of the water should be between 72°-82°F, with an alkalinity of 3-8 dKH and a neutral pH.

The Moss Ball propagates by division. It starts with a division line which progresses to the splitting off of a smaller new Moss Ball.

Above is a description from live aquaria

They do help suck up nitrates, I am not sure about this algae claim.

[Sallysblooms]

Don't start me on Moss Balls!!!! I LOVE THEM. I have four so far!!! The bottom picture is the day I brought them home. They really are great looking.

[Aces11]

They do look pretty cool. The guy also said they don't need a ton of light. I might get some for a 5g beta tank I'm trying to get. I want it to look as natural as possible.

[librarygirl]

Originally Posted by Aces11

They do look pretty cool. The guy also said they don't need a ton of light. I might get some for a 5g beta tank I'm trying to get. I want it to look as natural as possible.

They are pretty cool! I bought one too even though I have very low light so not sure how long it'll last, but I figure I'd give it a shot. It got caught in a while in my filter current and rolled around the tank for a while, it was fun to watch. Someone told me that their fish play with them like toys.

Be careful though; I've seen some pet/fish stores try to sell moss balls that aren't true Marimo moss balls (instead just java moss or similar clumped up into a ball); they may or may not be the same thing in theory, but I think the true Marimo balls are much prettier (very deep green and thick; like what you see in Sallys pics).

[jpchin]

I have low light too and my moss balls have been in the aquarium for 8 months. One thing they told me to do is to turn them over weekly so all sides get some light and so they keep their round shape. My are doing great.

[herp_mommy]

BUT make sure they're actually marimo balls, and not java moss covering a Styrofoam ball- I've seen those at large chain stores. Those will die easily and foul the water.

[User]

I have 13 of the marimo kind. Idk if they help but they do look cool. I have three large marmino and ten small ones

[barterking85]

I also gave about a half dozen and one in my chi it does great in low light but thrives in high light great for every tank if a chi light keeps it alive anything will I turn mine at every water change and give it a good squeeze in water change water once a month to clean it out

[Sallysblooms]

I got my 5th moss ball yesterday. I THINK that is my last....

[killifish lover]

i think java moss is better then marimo balls. jaba moss is actually a moss while marimo balls are algae so it may prevent other algaes just bc its algae and sucks up alot of nutrients.

[barterking85]

Originally Posted by killifish lover

i think java moss is better then marimo balls. jaba moss is actually a moss while marimo balls are algae so it may prevent other algaes just bc its algae and sucks up alot of nutrients.

Or have both I just think the moss balls are a cool piece

[Aces11]

I've never seen java moss. I don't keep live plants yet so I have absolutely no experience with them.

[Sallysblooms]

You just can't beat a Marimo Moss ball.

[ejaramillo01]

Originally Posted by herp_mommy

BUT make sure they're actually marimo balls, and not java moss covering a Styrofoam ball- I've seen those at large chain stores. Those will die easily and foul the water.

How can you notice the difference between real Marino balls and the other ones?

I got two, they look as the ones in the pictures above, when I added to the tank, they were floating, but I squeeze them and they felt down to the bottom.
They felt soft inside, but firm enough to support my and squeeze it them

.?

[Sallysblooms]

I have not seen styrofoam ones, but real ones are soft. You can rinse them and squeeze them. If you squeeze under water, they will fill with water and stay at the bottom of your tank.

[jpchin]

i have 2 small and 2 large moss balls. i have low light (48 watts) and they are doing fine. i've had them for 9 months. one thing i was told is to turn them over weekly so the light shines on all sides. also if they start to turn brown take them out of your aquarium right away because they'll fall apart.

[absolutangel04]

Originally Posted by herp_mommy

BUT make sure they're actually marimo balls, and not java moss covering a Styrofoam ball- I've seen those at large chain stores. Those will die easily and foul the water.

Been there, done that. Lol. I knew it was java moss, but it did die quickly and foul up my tank.

[Austin.b]

I've seen some moss balls float, how can I ge them to float? I've heard that if you squeeze them out of water, they will die. Is this true? Or if you squeeze out all the water will they will die?

[blert]

Almost bought some the other day but they were almost black. They were pretty large but at ten bucks a pop I did not. Will they bounce back from turning black or are they too far gone?