# Everybody, meet Mr. Puffles!!!! Questions! (Moss Ball :) )



## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Hey everybody,

went to Petco an hour ago and bought my first live plant, a MARIMO MOSS BALL named Mr. Puffles!

I have a couple of questions:

1) can it transfer disease to my betta
2) How much light does it require? I only use natural sunlight from a nearby window...
3) Does it actually benefit an aquarium? (i bought it mostly for looks)
4) Every water change, can i swish it in old aquarium water and squeeze it out?
5) Am i supposed to acclimate it? How?

Mr. Puffles/Fluffina seems to have picked up quite a lot fish waste and uneaten food. Before i add him, should i just do a partial water change, then wring the moss ball out in the dirty water and plop it in the tank? 

*NOTE:* THE MOSS BALL WAS IN A TANK WITH OTHER FISH, ALL LOOKED HEALTHY< BUT I COULDN'T SEE IF ANY FISH HAD DIED IN THAT TANK> I COULDN'T GET THE NERITE SNAIL  BECAUSE THEY DIDNT HAVE THEM IN STOCK> I WILL SPECIAL ORDER ONE FROM PETCO THOUGH>

Thanks for all the answers, speedy answers are helpful!:-D:-D:-D


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

I will post a pic soon


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)




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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

1. You are supposed to quarantine it for at least a week in tap water. You have to wait, sorry. >.< But it's for your Betta's health! After QT, it's OK! It moves! Well, that's what I've heard.
2.It requires low to high light.
3. It's a live plant, so it helps with the Nitrite, Nitrate, and other things! 
4. You could clean it with aquarium water. Gently squeeze. ;3
5. I don't think plants need to be acclimated... 
Enjoy your Moss Ball!


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

I would soak in and plain tap water for a week and change the water everyday and squeeze it out. Thats what I did with mine I got from ebay and it did have alot of dirt in it for about 3 days the water would get dirty. I added mine to the tank after a week and thats been a few days ago and I only have and over head ceiling light and a little sunlight and so far its staying nice and green. Its been just to hot here to turn on the hood light and Perseus doesnt really like a bright light so I got a Aqua Glo pink light and I love it and he doesnt mine when I turn it on. Good luck with your Moss Ball and love the name, I havent named mine yet.


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## megaredize (May 21, 2012)

LebronTheBetta said:


> 1. You are supposed to quarantine it for at least a week in tap water. You have to wait, sorry. >.< But it's for your Betta's health! After QT, it's OK! It moves! Well, that's what I've heard.
> 2.It requires low to high light.
> 3. It's a live plant, so it helps with the Nitrite, Nitrate, and other things!
> 4. You could clean it with aquarium water. Gently squeeze. ;3
> ...


Lebron nailed it thats pretty much all you need to do. only other thing i can think of to add is make sure on occasion it does get rolled around. if it stays in one place for too long the side touching your substrate can start to get brown from lack of light. i always squeeze mine in tank water during water changes.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

OMG! before i got any of these posts, i already did a water change and put it in old tank water, swished it, and squeezed it for 2 minutes. i am now REALLY worried and i feel like a bad pet owner. honey seems a little scared, and is showing faint stress stripes! i feel HORRIBLE!!!!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

i also don't have a quarantine tank. i didn't want to keep it in the bag for too long....i am sooo stupid and feel HORRIBLE O.O


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

If it makes you feel any better, I got one at PetSmart and one at PetCo and threw them both in the tank as soon as I got them home. Everyone is just fine ;-)

I had to order my nerites from PetCo too. I bought 3 and one died right away so keep your receipt in case you need to replace one or 2.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

registereduser said:


> If it makes you feel any better, I got one at PetSmart and one at PetCo and threw them both in the tank as soon as I got them home. Everyone is just fine ;-)
> 
> I had to order my nerites from PetCo too. I bought 3 and one died right away so keep your receipt in case you need to replace one or 2.


THANKS SO MUCH! i had like a mini heart attack...:shock:


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## megaredize (May 21, 2012)

i never QT'd mine either i just rinsed them in tap water lol


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

it is still floating....is this normal?


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

megaredize said:


> i never QT'd mine either i just rinsed them in tap water lol


omg i had a heart attack! thanks 4 making me feel better!


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## megaredize (May 21, 2012)

it floats until it collects water. you can try squeezing it a bit while its in the tank. so it absorbs more water quicker


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## xShainax (Feb 11, 2012)

*Waves* Hello Mr.Puffles. :3


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

haha "hello Mr. Puffles!" 

@ Mega
I am hoping it will sink naturally, but if not i will 

You don't think i have anything to worry about? I am thinking about doing another water change in a couple of days.....to clear up all the debri...


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

the water is actually pretty clear, but i will do water changes every couple days


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## Aurie (Jun 22, 2012)

NO GARY? AHHHH 

Actually when you said you were going to Petco/smart today I was like "UM, I've never seen them in there!" .. I got Mr. Bigglesworth at a local place called World of Wet Pets for 2.99


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## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

Something you may or may not encounter is those deterius worms living inside the moss ball if it was grungy and full of food bits. Mine had worms when I got them.

I dubbed them evil and threw them in a cereal bowl of dechlorinated water on the bathroom counter where they got bright indirect light from a window being nearby and i've had mine for a year like this with no problems. When I infrequently change their water I rinse them under cold running water from the sink and squeeze them out before tossing them back into their fresh bowl. Despite the "abuse" they are bright and beautiful, so I don't think you will have any problems with yours.

Flourish Excel will kill them though, they are an algae ball rather then a moss. (you can google more about that if you wish) Some of the sites with their history are fun to read, and there is actually a festival dedicated to them.

GL with your first live plant btw  It shouldn't take more then a day or two to sink, as mine got older it seems like it water logs quicker then when I first got it.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Aurie said:


> NO GARY? AHHHH
> 
> Actually when you said you were going to Petco/smart today I was like "UM, I've never seen them in there!" .. I got Mr. Bigglesworth at a local place called World of Wet Pets for 2.99


LOVE Mr. Bigglesworth!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Twilight Storm said:


> Something you may or may not encounter is those deterius worms living inside the moss ball if it was grungy and full of food bits. Mine had worms when I got them.
> 
> I dubbed them evil and threw them in a cereal bowl of dechlorinated water on the bathroom counter where they got bright indirect light from a window being nearby and i've had mine for a year like this with no problems. When I infrequently change their water I rinse them under cold running water from the sink and squeeze them out before tossing them back into their fresh bowl. Despite the "abuse" they are bright and beautiful, so I don't think you will have any problems with yours.
> 
> ...


Thanks Twilight, this was really helpful. I am concerned about the worms, but i have not seen any lately, nor when i squeezed the ball out in the bucket. Would i have seen them already? I have seen these little white "worms", although they don't move,they just flow with current and get sucked up by the filter (they are almost completely transparent).

checked on mine this morning, it HAS SUNK HAHA!:-D


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## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

those might be the worms I had in mine, I thought mine were a slightly opaque yellow though? It's been so long and they were tiny enough that I couldn't take pictures of them. They mainly hung out on and inside the moss ball. I ended up getting ghost shrimp to eat the worms, then the bettas ate the ghost shrimp. 

Deamon and Satan have been happy bathroom decorations for quite a while now though. I keep saying I may rip them apart. They are lumpy feeling which I guess is a sign they made moss ball babies. I just never can bring myself to start tearing them up.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

*Update,update,update!!!!!*

Hey everybody!

Thanks for all the wonderful and helpful answers!

Mr. Puffles is doing great, and Honeycomb hasn't changed a bit :-D
I plan on doing another water change today to get anything else i might have missed out of the moss ball. I haven't seen any worms or bugs, nor have i seen and abnormalities on Honeycomb :-D


About the "worms": I haven't seen any more, and the ones i did see when i first got the ball looked freeze-dried and opaque, like some freeze-dried worm they were feeding the fishes. They got sucked up by the filter, and the water is clear!]

SO EXCITED to have my first live "plant" in my tank!!!


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

I like the name. I have an unnamed moss ball (I haven't found a name I like), which I also plopped unceremoniously in the tank the day after I bought it. Freyja and MB are currently doing fine.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

Freyja said:


> I like the name. I have an unnamed moss ball (I haven't found a name I like), which I also plopped unceremoniously in the tank the day after I bought it. Freyja and MB are currently doing fine.


Phew, thats a relief you did just as i did with no problems :-D- i haven't had any issues 

I LOVE the name Freyja 

What about:

Fluffle
Mustachio
Hairball
J.J Puff
Puffball....lol


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## staffylover (Jun 10, 2012)

I have just ordered 3 of these off ebay, will make sure they are cleaned thoroughly before i put them in my tanks


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

:d xd


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## Twilight Storm (Apr 14, 2011)

nice on not finding any nasties, and your worms turned out to be just dirt. I guess I was lucky enough to get the only two evil moss balls in the forum lol. Maybe since they haven't been in with fish for over a year it's safe to try again... then again maybe they will try to kill my fish again... hmmm I will leave them in their private apartments. 

If anyone didn't read about their history, supposedly: If you take good care of them your wishes will come true.


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## Freyja (Jun 22, 2012)

I love JJ Puff. Marimo Moss Ball I officially christen thee JJ Puff. Welcome to the forum lol. Yeh the name suits my girl perfectly because she is a feisty little thing. She'll jump out of the water sometimes if I don't feed fast enough. :-D


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

haha JJ Puff ounds cute!

@TwilightStorm, yep maybe i was just lucky, sorry about yours


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