# Marimos In Petsmart?



## TheNewestFishOwner (May 20, 2015)

When I was looking for hikari Betta Food I found a small cup labeled, " Marimo to Go. It look real. It was Unique Shaped, had a dark green color, and I ripped apart to see if it was Java Moss. It wasn't and don't worry it rolled t back to together. It also doesn't look like it has any visible hitch hikers. Should and get it and quarantine it in chlorinated water for 24 hours. Or just completely ignore it.


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## Xavion (Jan 19, 2015)

Oh, I totally recommend getting it! I got my Marimo at Petco, and I am not disappointed! It has majorly improved the water quality. I know there are a lot of varied opinions about this, but I swear to Marimo (Lol) that thay are worth is. It was wort the 10 dollars. They oxygenate the water and they prevent algae from growing. They act as a natural filter, though, and do need to get rinsed out often enough. When I rinse out my marimo, a lot of brown water comes out of it, meaning that it filters out bad stuff out of the water. 

So in case you can't tell, I might possibly recommend marimo's.


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Some how my Petco manages to kill their marimo in those beta cups (guess they did not dechlorinate their water and chlorinate killd it).

If the ball was in a separate container and not in a tank with other marimo/plants/fis or that was hooked up to other tanks it should be safe. I personally quarantine new marimo for a month (but I am admitted over kill), why? because marimo is a specialized form of slow grow hair algaes. Thus it cannot have any algaecide products used on it to kill any unwanted algae (bleach, peroxide, seachem excel, etc). Since its hard to any invasive algaes off this special algae (basically only option is manual removal and adjustment of tank perameters to prevent further pest algae growth) I won't let it near my other marimos until I am sure it is safe. Marimo can tolerate extremely low lighting which is a great way to kill off other faster growing algaes which need light. 

BUT a few day quarantine would be enough to verify if it has any hitchhikers like snails or snail eggs, detritus worms, limpets, scuds, etc (none are really harmful but typically unwanted in tanks) some of these can be very small so a close squitinizing of the qt tank is needed.


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## TheNewestFishOwner (May 20, 2015)

Aqua Aurora said:


> Some how my Petco manages to kill their marimo in those beta cups (guess they did not dechlorinate their water and chlorinate killd it).
> 
> If the ball was in a separate container and not in a tank with other marimo/plants/fis or that was hooked up to other tanks it should be safe. I personally quarantine new marimo for a month (but I am admitted over kill), why? because marimo is a specialized form of slow grow hair algaes. Thus it cannot have any algaecide products used on it to kill any unwanted algae (bleach, peroxide, seachem excel, etc). Since its hard to any invasive algaes off this special algae (basically only option is manual removal and adjustment of tank perameters to prevent further pest algae growth) I won't let it near my other marimos until I am sure it is safe. Marimo can tolerate extremely low lighting which is a great way to kill off other faster growing algaes which need light.
> 
> BUT a few day quarantine would be enough to verify if it has any hitchhikers like snails or snail eggs, detritus worms, limpets, scuds, etc (none are really harmful but typically unwanted in tanks) some of these can be very small so a close squitinizing of the qt tank is needed.



Actual Maimos can survive in Normal Tap Watr. I do that to kill any hitch hikers and it works. Here's the info http://m.instructables.com/id/how-to-take-care-of-marimo-balls/


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

TheNewestFishOwner said:


> Actual Maimos can survive in Normal Tap Watr. I do that to kill any hitch hikers and it works. Here's the info http://m.instructables.com/id/how-to-take-care-of-marimo-balls/


Well then I'm at a loss for how my Petco manage to kill them... for what its worth we have so much chlorine in the water some days it smells like pool water coming out of the tap! Double dose of prime time those day to be safe.


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## adlemsi (Jul 3, 2015)

I also bought a Marimo at PetSmart today. It's the first I've handled (I have two on their way from an AquaBid auction). I drained the water it came in, rinsed the Marimo several times under running tap water. I squeezed the excess water & reshaped it. I put it in an open glass mason jar with fresh tap water. Looks good so far. I'm still awaiting some supplies to set up my tank. I can't wait for my Betta to arrive to see him enjoy it!


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## hunnner (Jul 14, 2015)

I have kept them before as "pets," my mom and I actually named them lol. They are great little things to have. Marimos grow slowly and actually enjoy cooler temperatures, but they should be fine in a betta aquarium. Definitely rinse them off beforehand, and rinse them whenever you clean the tank to keep em healthy. You can actually split larger marimos into smaller ones, just make sure to roll them back into a ball form. You'll definitely enjoy having them in your tank!


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