# Marimo Moss Ball Questions



## audjree

so, i've been thinking about getting a marimo moss ball for my male's 2.5 gallon unfiltered tank. i'm just asking for advice and information and *anything i need to know* about them. 

also, where can i buy one? i've looked at my local petsmart and petco and i don't think they have any. i'll be sure to check my local fish store the next time i go. 

this is like a fake moss ball: http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=4089688

can it be used safely with fish? or is it only for water dishes with reptiles?


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## Draug Isilme

Ah, I remember seeing those things >.> I've never dealt with them, but I remember thinking about getting one of the fake ones.. One of the reviewers on it comments on how they had marimo balls, but for some reason, in their betta tanks, the moss balls ended up withering up and dying. So they opted for the fake ones, and it worked great. To me the main problem is that after a while, you have to replace them every 2 months or somewhere around there. So technically you'd be spending more money in the long run, but at the same time with the actual Marimo, you'll be dealing with a living thing, which might end up dying at some point anyway.
Otherwise, they're very durable plants ^.^ They're actually algae, so you've got a huge ball of algae that keeps your tank clean from.. well, clean from algae, but it's really more or less containing it in one specific area if you think about it xD There's really not much care required for marimo. A bit of low light is needed, 'cause it is a plant, after all. Just keep in mind that it's not a matter of watts, but kelvin.. Not to strong of a bulb, either, 'cause you might just kill your plant from over-lighting it, and make sure your water temperature isn't too warm, either (from what I recall, it will do fine overall with temperatures a betta thrives in). You might also want to turn your marimo ball over every once in a while to prevent it from browning on one side. Otherwise, it's not necessary to have plant supplements, although if you were to split the ball, you might want to use some kind of supplement to help encourage growth.
If you want to keep its nice round shape, you should roll it around every once in a while. You're also gonna want to give your marimo a "bath" every once in a while to get rid of excess debree. All you have to do is squeeze out excess water it's soaked up (not too hard or you'll squish it!), put it under running water (not too warm) and make sure anything sticking to the marimo is washed off, and put it back in the tank ^.^ Sometimes it'll float because it doesn't have any excess water in it, but you can just give it another squeeze in the tank to let it sink. It'll eventually sink on its own, so it doesn't really matter... >.>
If you'd like to attatch it to something, you can rip it open and tie it to a piece of rock or drift wood and it'll eventually grow over it.


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## Draug Isilme

Also, just like any other plant the marimo helps soak up things like ammonia, and I want to say other stuff, but I don't recall at the moment.. I'm gonna have to look that up later.. >.>..... but yeah, there's rarely any downside to having a marimo ball because they're so beneficial to your fish in many ways, yet they're so low maintenance, they may as well be indestructible in comparison to other plants ^.^


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## audjree

thank you for the great info!  actually, i read somewhere that they sink at night and then float during the day? haha i don't know if it's true though. that'd be pretty cool. (x

do you have any idea where i can get one?


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## Draug Isilme

No prob ^.^ Um, from what I recall, it's the plants way of photosynthesizing. They sink when they're done getting enough light, or food, and "during the day" or when they need light/food, they usually start floating. There's a kind of jelly fish that actually feeds off of light in a particular lake and they float and follow the light during the day, and when it's night, they sink back down. Same thing, pretty much.. I just thought that was cool xD
I really couldn't tell you where to get them.. The Petsmart around where I live actually just started selling them recently. You should definitely ask around, especially on the marimo threads on this page and in the 'lounge' section.. I'm sure there've been other people on there that've bought them online. From what I remember, I believe aquabid.com sometimes has some really good deals on marimo's, if anything.


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## HatsuneMiku

both petco and petsmart have them in the southern california area .. 

ask an employee where they keep them

sometimes they are in the plant tank that they have .. sometimes they are in with shrimp .. sometimes in a tank by themselves .. and sometimes in their own cups like how the bettas are in .. 

i don't know why but the 3 petsmarts and 2 petco's by my house all have them in different places .. so just ask


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## Akito38

I just picked up a marimo ball today at petsmart. It was being kept in a small container behind the first 2 rows of Betta fish.

Petco also has them but they charge more for them. (at least they do here anyway)


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## Banicks

I'm attempting to source one within Australia.

Bloody impossible :S Apparently our customs agency won't allow them into Australia.


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## Draug Isilme

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention their growth rate ^.^; Typically it's around 5mm a year.. They grow sloooooooow x.x But from what I've heard, 5mm is the max when provided the right conditions for it...


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## Princess Penny

They have them at my Petco, but they rarely look very good, they are usually more brown than green, and they are $9.99. I have a local fish shop that sells them for $8.99, so not much better, and they are smaller but at least they are nice and bright green  Maybe try searching the YellowPages for a local place? Oh and don't let names deter you! The one near me is called "The Reef" so I never went in for the longest time, assuming they only focused on saltwater aquariums but turns out they have a TON of freshwater stuff too.


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## lordadamar

Draug Isilme said:


> Oh yeah, I forgot to mention their growth rate ^.^; Typically it's around 5mm a year.. They grow sloooooooow x.x But from what I've heard, 5mm is the max when provided the right conditions for it...



An add to this,

Most people think there's isnt growing because that 5mm is Spherical not 5mm on the side you can see....
I couldnt find it but someone on one of my planted tank forums actually did the math for Volume that calculated out to 5mm...

That being said this is a moss, it can be cut and attached to driftwood it will grow flat and spread across what its on... and 5mm growth rate would actually be seen...

EXAMPLE this is on Diftwood


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## audjree

hmm, very cool.  

i guess i'll have to ask my petsmart where they keep them, i probably wasn't looking hard enough. haha (x

i've looked on ebay and i found one that's around $5, including shipping. 

also, do i have to quarantine it before i put it into my tank? i've read somewhere where someone soaks it in tap water for one week, then dechlorinated water for another week, then puts it in.


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## lordadamar

audjree said:


> hmm, very cool.
> 
> i guess i'll have to ask my petsmart where they keep them, i probably wasn't looking hard enough. haha (x
> 
> i've looked on ebay and i found one that's around $5, including shipping.
> 
> also, do i have to quarantine it before i put it into my tank? i've read somewhere where someone soaks it in tap water for one week, then dechlorinated water for another week, then puts it in.


Ill save you some time 

http://www.aquabid.com/cgi-bin/auction/auction.cgi?liveplants&1315555809

You should always QT


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## Draug Isilme

Yeah, quarantine is always best, especially since you don't know the source where the moss ball originally comes from and where it's been. Some things are visible and can be easily rinsed off, while other things might not be seen by the naked eye or missed and you definitely want to be cautious 'cause you don't want to bring any unwanted ickies into your bettas envirornment. The chlorinated water helps kill off the bacteria and anything else that might be stuck in/on the moss ball. I've never heard of anyone quarantining their moss ball in dechlorinated water for another week afterwords, but it never hurts to be extra cautious. I'm assuming it gives you a chance to monitor it and make sure it will do well in the fish tank and nothing seems to be spreading from it >.>


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## audjree

i guess i'll QT it for two weeks then, just to be safe. 

thanks for the aquabid link. i'll check my petsmart first and see if they have any.


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## lordadamar

Last I heard Petsmart was selling them but for like $8 each...


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## Draug Isilme

yeah, they pretty much are.. -.- Although keeping an eye out for sales is always great. Petsmart is done with their sale blowout, but when I bought mine, they were $6 ^.^


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## Laki

PetSmart gets them in. I paid 8.99 for mine (with my PetPerks card) I thought it was ridiculous when I found out how cheap they are online -_- . 

I think mine is growing in the window too!! Since I took it out of the betta tank and put in the window its getting like 2 hours of direct sunlight and then reflections of sun for the rest of the day and today I cleaned the glass for the first time since putting it there and it had shifted a little out of its ball form on its own!!


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## lordadamar

The link I posted was like 10 for $10 + Shipping. Give them away if you cant use 10... But if you have multiple tanks it a easy plant


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## audjree

wow, $8-9? haha then the aquabid ones are really cheap. 

but, i don't really want ten of them. ahaha we only have two tanks, and there's no one i can really give the rest to. i might go for the ebay one.


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## Draug Isilme

Don't forget to double check the sizes while browsing online! I know I almost bought 5 in a set 'cause it seemed like a great price, but while double and triple checking it, I found out they were iiity biiity >.>;..


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## lordadamar

Local pet shop ( not chain store ) would probably be more than happy to take them off your hands or trade you out some fish food...

Gotta remember take the price you pay retail and minus 50-75% off that ( for fish and plants ) Tank margins are very slim for people trying to compete with chain stores.., and thats about what your pet shop is paying for the item...

I peaked at a few Fish wholesaler prices I know what my local shops are paying and gettin a little back verse nothing is always good..


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## audjree

@Draug Isilme ahaha i know. i was looking through some of them and in one, it says they very from 2.5-4 cm, but they're all the same price. gosh, 2.5 cm is pretty small. 

@lordadamar that's true. i'll have to think about it.


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## Draug Isilme

Ah, good good ^.^ They are uber small for the price, it's ridiculous -.- I just wanted to make sure 'cause I know I almost missed it and I know I would've been MAD had that happened to me..


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## Laki

Well, since the Japanese use them as symbols for fertility and longevity or whatever (cannot remember) you can gift them! I would if I had multiples. They can sit in a glass in the window and be fine


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## lordadamar

10 for 10 at 1" is a good price.. 5 in each tank and that size and price...


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## audjree

that's true, i could gift them to people for good luck. haha  that's a neat idea.


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## Draug Isilme

I wanted to gift mine, but all the multiple ones were too pricey at the time and too small ;__; If they didn't grow so slow I would've done it already >.< But yeah, it is a great idea ^.^


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## HatsuneMiku

the one's i got from petsmart are easily 3-4 in's in diameter .. and i got them when they were on sale 5.99 .. 

the nano balls that are usually 5 for a dollar .. are really tiny .. less then the size of a dime .. it grows at 5mm a yea r(and thats with ideal conditions) .. it would take 20 years for it to grow to be 3-4 inches

just keep in mind how long it's taken for them to be grown and cultivated to be round and fuzzy to fit in ur hand =)

cus then if u think about it the cost of 5-8 dollars doesn't seem to be as steep since it took over 20 years for that ball to grow that big ..


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## Laki

Wow, I guess! But there must be someone adding growth hormones or the plant equivelent!! How can people have predicted the moss balls popularity 20 years ago to have all these ones ready!! Weird, now I wanna know whose growing these!


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## sorrelhorse1

Lol! They're probably popular now cuz someone started groing them 20 years ago. I know if I had to look at the same itty bitty plant for that long I'd go crazy.  "Why aren't you growing??!?!!?!" but I'm kind of an instant gratification person.


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## sorrelhorse1

@PrincessPenny I know the feeling. There is an LPS here called "The Groom Closet". I stopped in on a whim and 3/4 of the building is fish and fish related pruducts. To keep this topic related the one thing they don't have is moss balls. Hehe


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## audjree

ahaha i guess it is worth it, i still have to go check 'em out at petsmart. i'd like one that's around 1.5 inches.


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## HatsuneMiku

hehe the moss ball army is growing =D


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## Slybarman

I just picked one of these up from Petsmart. Do they need to be acclimated like a fish, or can you pretty much plop them into new water?


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## audjree

Slybarman said:


> I just picked one of these up from Petsmart. Do they need to be acclimated like a fish, or can you pretty much plop them into new water?


you should QT it for a week in regular tap water, probably in a betta cup, and then for another week in dechlorinated water. i'm not sure if the second week in dechlorinated water is necessary, but i would do it just in case.


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## Slybarman

audjree said:


> you should QT it for a week in regular tap water, probably in a betta cup, and then for another week in dechlorinated water. i'm not sure if the second week in dechlorinated water is necessary, but i would do it just in case.


Yup - that is what I had in mind. Do I have to acclimate slowly to my tap water like I would with a fish, or can I drop it right in there?


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## Leeniex

I think mine is contaminated or cursed. When I got it I soaked it in conditioned water for a week. I put it in my first betta's tank and he started laying in the corner like he was dying. Took it out and put it back in it's own cup. Fish was fine the next day. Today I got a new betta and put the ball in his tank and he's been alternating b/w dying and being fine all day so I removed the ball again.

I think my ball is possessed.


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## audjree

Slybarman said:


> Yup - that is what I had in mind. Do I have to acclimate slowly to my tap water like I would with a fish, or can I drop it right in there?


i think you can just drop it in. as long as it isn't too cold or too hot, it should be fine.



Leeniex said:


> I think mine is contaminated or cursed. When I got it I soaked it in conditioned water for a week. I put it in my first betta's tank and he started laying in the corner like he was dying. Took it out and put it back in it's own cup. Fish was fine the next day. Today I got a new betta and put the ball in his tank and he's been alternating b/w dying and being fine all day so I removed the ball again.
> 
> I think my ball is possessed.


lmao how strange!


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## Slybarman

Thanks.


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## Laki

Poof went back in with Laki tonight. Lakitu was like "whaaaaaaat?!" and did a scary dance around it to establish his place


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## Akito38

I just added my marimo ball about 3 days ago. My fish Lurker loves it! after having a nice swim around the tank he goes and lays on top of it or next to it when he is resting. In fact every time I see him resting he is either next to the marimo ball or right above it.


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## Laki

^^^^ So it's not just us that love our moss ball!!


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## Leeniex

I love mine even though it's cursed and I might just buy him his own tank, lol.


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## hmckin20

I have mine quarantined.. do I need to do water changes or anything?
xD 

/has no idea


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## audjree

Akito38 said:


> I just added my marimo ball about 3 days ago. My fish Lurker loves it! after having a nice swim around the tank he goes and lays on top of it or next to it when he is resting. In fact every time I see him resting he is either next to the marimo ball or right above it.


aw, cute!  i hope little red will like it when i get mine. 



Leeniex said:


> I love mine even though it's cursed and I might just buy him his own tank, lol.


ahahah



hmckin20 said:


> I have mine quarantined.. do I need to do water changes or anything?
> xD
> 
> /has no idea


haha i don't think so. (x just keep it QT'd for a week.


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## HatsuneMiku

mine are still in qt .. and it's been 3 weeks .. 

i did 2 weeks in regular water .. 1 week in dechlorinated water .. and next week i'm gonna use tank water .. before i even put them in the tank ..

especially since i think one of them has snails .. and it took 2 and half weeks for them to even show up on the surface .. and i've been picking them off every day .. and more of them keep surfacing in his little cup .. 

at least i hope they are snails and not something else .. they are little tiny hard round things that are kinda brown


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## audjree

really? oh gosh, i hope you don't have a snail invasion. >_<

i've heard most people say to just QT it for one week in tap water, but i plan to do another in dechlorinated water. i hope snails don't hitch a ride though.


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## Laki

My mom laughed at me tonight when I showed her the wine glass I kept Poof in! LOL


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## audjree

so, people haven't really posted in a while, but i didn't really want to create a new thread. haha

but, i finally got one today!  from petsmart, actually. i think they just got them because the previous times that i went, they kept most of their bettas near the front of the store, but they also had some in the back, but when i checked the back this time, there were marimo balls there instead of bettas. 

i first checked their tanks that were for live plants only with no fish, but there weren't any in there, so for a second, i thought they didn't have any. but, then i checked the betta shelf and there they were in little cups, with green lids.  

i actually got one of the biggest ones they had, they only had around 10 or 15. when they're in the cup they look so big, the one that i got looked around 2-3 inches. i was little bit disappointed when i took it out, because it's only around 1.5 inches. haha but it's still okay, because then the others that looked around 1 inch, were probably only a half an inch or less. lol 

but now, it's in QT. i can't wait to put it in.


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## Laki

I am on bids on ebay for 5 moss balls for like... a dollar.. Shipping to Canada is 5.50 or so!! Prepare yourselves for the doom that is MOSS BALL!!!


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## audjree

ahaha i actually do want more the one.  i think i'll get one or two more in the near future.


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## Laki

ebay.. The best seller thus far is called aquamagic (maybe). They have free shipping on many items and the bidding starts CHEAP!!


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