# Just got a moss ball



## lathamc (Jan 27, 2014)

I have a 2.5 gallon betta tank with several live plants. I had a small algae bloom that started a few weeks ago, probably due to an ammonia spike. As the ammonia has gone down, the algae has grown more. Because the betta ate all the shrimp, I decided to get a moss ball. I got a small one from Petsmart. Instead of being in a bowl on its own, they were in an aquarium with the other plants. I got a moss ball that did not have any snails in the tank with it. In addition, when I got it, I felt and cleaned it to make sure there were no snails. There were none that I could find. 

Should I be concerned about snails? Is there anything else I should be aware of?

Thanks!


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## ZZD (Jan 13, 2013)

Actually if you are having an algae problem you should consider a snail/nerite. They have built in armor and clean house well. As for the snails that would sneak in on a plant, Petsmart rarely has that issue with their marimo. If you do find snails, its not really a big deal. The ones that hitchhike do breed by eating, but good tank maintenance keeps their population in check and a slice of cucumber in a tank attracts them in groups. Then you toss the snail covered cucumber. 

All in all my tanks all have a couple tiny snails from some plants I got accidentally when I bought some plants and then forgot to wash them cause I was in a hurry. I've got the population maintained now and some have really nice colours.


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## rpadgett37 (Jan 1, 2014)

Snails outbreaks really aren't that big a deal. As suggested by ZZD, placement of cucumber in the tank overnight does a wonderful job at attracting snails, making removal easy.

As for the algae, is the tank new, as in setup a month or so ago give or take?


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## WendyKL (Dec 31, 2013)

I have a filtered "observation" tank for when I bring home a new plant/plants - I place the new plant in the observation tank for a couple of days - it helps me to spot any hitchhikers and snail eggs (these are harder to spot - check on the underside of the leaves for a jelly-like substance)


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