# Moss Ball Questions



## LittleDeer (May 12, 2013)

Hey guys, I'm thinking of buying a moss ball for each of my four Bettas, but I'm not sure what the best kind is or what the most cost effective method of purchasing them would be. I know they have moss balls at my local Petsmart for $8 each, and the LFS I usually go to has big ones for $12. 

I don't need huge ones, four smallish ones would be ideal for me right now, but what type should I get? And does anyone know where I can get them inexpensively that has good quality? I can order them online if I need to.


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## lilyth88 (Mar 15, 2012)

I'd recommend getting them online if you are getting more than one. That'll probably be more cost effective. Simple marimo balls should do!


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## Aluka (Dec 25, 2012)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fresh-Extra-Giant-Life-Marimo-Moss-Ball-7-Cm-Cladophora-/171068472702?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item27d479bd7e

this person sells them for 6.99 each and he combines shipping, so for 3, would probably be less than 3 bucks shipping at 6.99 each. But these are bigggg moss ball! but US seller, so u'll get it in 3 days!


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

He also sells two and get one free if you look at all his auctions. Plus, 100% positive feedback.


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## Ilikebutterflies (May 19, 2012)

And you can buy one or two big ones and cut them down and re-tie them into smaller balls. They grow very slowly so make sure to make them whatever size you want right now.


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## skipeople (Jun 30, 2013)

I am going to be splitting a ten gallon tank soon with two males. What would be a good size Marimo for each side? Could I buy one that is like 6cm and cut it in half? Do I need to tie it down?


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## danbayne (Jun 13, 2013)

http://www.marimoinabottle.com/product-p/giantmarimo.htm


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

Someone mentioned cutting and retieing a moss ball. What inside a moss ball?


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## peachii (Jan 6, 2013)

TurtleBarb said:


> Someone mentioned cutting and retieing a moss ball. What inside a moss ball?


More of the same algae, just need to tie it to make it back into a ball with growth.


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

Oh. So it's a ball of Cladophora, not Cladophora grown on top of a spherical form or substrate. Thanks. I'd wondered about that.


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## Lucubration (Jul 7, 2013)

Yeah, this is actually algae that grows in a ball shape, and will retain it with a little encouragement (or current that rolls it around). It's pretty darned neat. Also good for keeping other algae out of your tank, and processing fish waste.


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

My little 3 gallon spec has an Anubias nana and little bits of other plants in it that are growing nicely. I had twice the plant mass with a big bunch of water Wisteria, but that increased organic load too much (through continual leaf and root die-off, I presume, and hair algae increased. I got rid of the Wisteria (and one Amano shrimp), and the system doesn't seem overloaded anymore. Now I have sprouts of plants that I intend to let grow into the tank. I don't use plant food because the algae explodes. It makes sense that a Marimo ball would outcompete fellow algae, but I'm concerned it would also outcompete my other sprouts and add to organic load again through die-off. Any idea if that would happen? Any experience with this? I've read about Marimo being really good at sucking up nitrates and phosphorous, but I already run Chemipure Elite and a little bit of Polyfilter in my filter to take care of that. Do moss balls serve any other purpose?


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

Eh. Never mind. I seem to have a decent balance in my tank right now. I'm not going to mess that up by adding something else.


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## skipeople (Jun 30, 2013)

It depends on where you buy it from. Stores like Petsmart and Petco have the algae growing on a round hunk of foam.


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

Interesting. If only I could find one nano ball. All I see online (for what I pay, which is no more than $10) are giant or extra giant.


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## danbayne (Jun 13, 2013)

here's a nano: http://www.marimoinabottle.com/diy-make-your-own-marimo-p/nanomarimo.htm


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## mushumouse (Dec 29, 2012)

turtlebarb, i'm pretty sure that a marimo would not affect the balance of your tank one way or the other if you got one. people talk about using them to compete with algae, but it's pretty much just talk- marimos grow incredibly slowly. those big ones you see are usually around 5 years old! marimos are just there to look cool and provide a fun place for shrimp to nibble on. they're hard to kill unless you're overdosing with excel or using some other algaecide imo, you just need to make sure to turn them over once a week so that one side doesn't get brown.


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

Hmmm...I know I said I wasn't going to get one, but then I saw a bunch of crafts with them. And I thought about breaking up a big one into a few little 1/2 inch balls for the tank, and then using the rest for "Marimo pets."
However, I saw in the really long Marimo ball care thread on here that some people had trouble with theirs dying in betta tanks, possibly due to heat? I keep my tank at 80F around 7.0 pH with my Fluval CF13 running 11hours a day. Can a Marimo ball survive in those conditions?


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## TurtleBarb (May 9, 2013)

Oh, I didn't see the last 2 posts before I posted. Thank you very much for the link, danbayne! Perfect! I'm really tempted to get one. Thanks for the perspective, mushumouse.


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## danbayne (Jun 13, 2013)

You're quite welcome =)


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Update: Received the Marimo I ordered from eBay. They are healthy, nice-size and 100% Marimo. I am very pleased.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/171069562785?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649#ht_64wt_1286


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## Graceful (Apr 30, 2013)

Oh, how I want a moss ball! They're so funny. Ball of moss. Haha.

I think I just might treat myself for my birthday.


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## ao (Feb 29, 2012)

congrats on your purchase! =D

I recommend to only buy marimos from reputable sellers as some shady sources will roll up regular clado algae and sell it off as a marimo ball... these will grow fast and take over your tanks readily with algae.


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## RobertTheFish (Jun 6, 2011)

peachii said:


> ...just need to tie it to make it back into a ball with growth.


What do you use to tie them? I just split one and it's not "balling".


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