# Marimo Moss Ball Questions?



## Overprotective Fish Lover

So I think that planted tanks are pretty darn amazing. But I have very little time, money, and patience to spare on growing, caring for, and providing for aquatic plants. I've heard, however, that marimo moss balls are super easy to take care of. They sell them at my local Petsmart, and it occurred to me that one would look pretty cute in Gabriel's tank. I just have some questions.

1: I've read lots of stuff about "real" and "fake" moss balls. What's the advantage to reals over fakes? Does it really matter? If they both do the same thing, I don't really care what's inside. If it DOES, in fact, matter, then how can I tell the difference?

2: Some people say these plants are fine in any betta tank...others say they need cooler water and lots of shade. Gabriel's tank is kept at 80 degrees Fahrenheit, and it's usually pretty bright...if the light isn't on, then my window's open. It gets about 10 hours of complete darkness each night. Is that too much light? Would it be too warm?

3: Since the moss balls at Petsmart are kept alone in little cups like the ones they use for bettas, do I really need to quarantine? Would a good rinse and a squeeze be good enough? Is there a chance I'll find worms and snails in it? If I do need to quarantine, can I just keep it in a bowl of plain old tap water? Should it be heated? Do I need to change the water? How long should I quarantine for?

4: I'd probably rinse out the moss ball whenever I take it out to change the water. Are chemicals from the tap water going to get trapped in it and harm my betta when the ball goes back in?

5: I think they're pretty expensive. How long will one of these puppies last? Is it worth my while?

I'd love it if you'd give me some info...I'm a total newbie to live plants.

-OFL


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## NorthernLights

Marimo balls are not, strictly speaking, like other plants. They are algae. 

When you first get one, rise the heck out of it (squeeze it gently and release) and roll it around in your hands, a lot in tap water. Then give it a good dunking and squeezing in conditioned water. 

You don't need to QT it in my opinion.


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## Aqua Aurora

give these sites a read:
http://www.aquariumcarebasics.com/aquarium-plants/moss-balls/
http://aquariadise.com/marimo-balls-care-info/

Marimo does best at temps UNDER 78F, and in low light tanks, if tank is medium or high light put it in the shade.

The marimo sold at petsmarts in a betta cup is real. The balls sold in a plastic adn cardboard packaging at petco are NOT real. Online is 50/50 
real:









Fake:


















I have .. 2-3 from petsmart and have never had an issue (not even diatoms!) in my marimo only tiny tank (no heater or filter or other plants or live critters). Give it a rinse before putting in the tank though just to get any loose particles hanging on the hairs to come off. 

Marimo can actually survive in a fridge in water if it gets a little light once in a while, it does not need a heater. De-chlorinate water you are keeping marimo in for more than a minute or two. Marmio is a specialized form of slow growing hair algae-the chlorine found in tap (used to kill bacterias and such) will hurt the algae over time. If you are paranoid and want to quarantine do it for 2-3 weeks.

When I rinse my marimo, once done but before going in the tank I put them in a cup with dechlorinated water for a minute or two then into the tank.

They are expensive because they are usually harvested from the wild (their original habitat is almost completely depleted of them now sadly). They are EXTREMELY SLOW growers so they take many many years to get a decent size, so with a high demand and so slow to 'reproduce'(little tuffs form off the side of a ball that naturally pop off and make new babies) or be large enough to split and make new ones.. yes its _worth _that price.

If you think marimo are expensive look up "marble anubias for sale" or "snow white anubias for sale" they're $50-100+ for 4 leaves (less than 2" of rhizome) THAT'S expensive!


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## Matilda

*I have Marimo moss balls in almost all my tanks & I really like them. Any live "plant" will process a certain amount of fish waste in the tank & help keep the water clean so I think they are beneficial to the environment. The fake ones look nice but don't have any added benefit like the live ones.

I don't buy the ones at my PetSmart due to them being so over-priced. I get mine on Ebay or from online aquarium plant suppliers. I actually just got 5 big ones in an auction on Ebay for $20.00 which included shipping. The seller squeezed a lot of the water out prior to shipping & I just got a bowl of water from one of my tanks, put them in it & left it overnight. By morning they had puffed up & looked great.

Here are a few of them in my Scarlet Badis tank.*


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## CustardCatfish

Elodea, hygrophila and anubias are all incredibly easy plants. As long as you have gravel and a light on for about 8 hours, you can plant it and forget it. Just put in a bit of Leaf Zone every week. Bam. Planted tank. It's really not a super tricky and time-consuming hobby if you go the easy route. All plants just need a few weeks to settle into your tank, in which they might shed or look like they're dying. 

The only maintenance you'll be doing is netting out the dead leaves every few days (1 minute when you do feeding time) and putting in a liquid fertiliser. API Leaf Zone does the job for those 3 plants. 

Seriously. It's so easy. 

I QT'd my marimo ball for a week and a bit. I'd leave it in tap water, squeeze the crap out, replace water. There was so much muck in there that I was relieved that I had QT'd it. It's like a sponge. I would QT yours. Even if it's a trusted seller, you just never know.


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## aqua hero

my bettas original home is an 8 gallon tank (he is in my 30 gallon so that his fins heal from tail biting) and i have moss balls. it was originally for the shrimp but my beta absolutely loves them. he swims around them during the afternoon and just investigates it or lies down on it like a cushion. i have had these balls in the tank for 4 months and the temperature is 80F. the moss balls are absolutely fine. yes they are quite costly like Aqua Aurora said


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