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Marimo Moss Ball

BBlue

By BBlue,
in Plants, Algae, and Fertilizers

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Expectorating_Aubergine Proficient

Expectorating_Aubergine

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On 12/3/2022 at 10:42 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

@BBlue Petco by me had dozens and dozens of them.  Check big box stores. They seem to be "back" now.

Are you sure that they are actually marimo moss balls? Because every petco I've been to (I've been to A LOT), have what they are calling "moss balls". What they really are is a ball of java moss. Not at all the cladophora algae that a real marimo moss ball is made up of.

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

nabokovfan87

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On 12/4/2022 at 9:54 AM, Expectorating_Aubergine said:

Are you sure that they are actually marimo moss balls? Because every petco I've been to (I've been to A LOT), have what they are calling "moss balls". What they really are is a ball of java moss. Not at all the cladophora algae that a real marimo moss ball is made up of.

Yes. About half of them were probably dead, they had anubias on rock as well. It was at least 30+ containers of moss balls they had on the table.  They are usually with the betta's in betta cups under "betta buddies".

Check both the big box stores, they should at least start getting them in eventually.

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BBlue Apprentice

BBlue

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On 12/4/2022 at 4:05 AM, TheSwissAquarist said:

Which country are you in? I'm struggling to find some for a fish keeping friend!

United States and yes I am trying to find some myself. I called local fish stores and they said they havnt carried them in 3 years. Petsmart says they havnt had any in 2 years. Petco I havnt seen any in my area.

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  • 3 weeks later...
neidzwiedz Apprentice

neidzwiedz

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As far a I know they are not being sold in the US anymore, at least since early 2021, because zebra mussels were found in several import shipments and almost all stores voluntarily stopped selling them. The FDA recommended bleaching and or boiling any you already own to destroy them.  They have since changed the advice to allow for a 6 month quarantine with no water changes. The last thing anyone wants is more zebra mussels in the water.

If that has changed i would love to know because i have been wanting a few myself.  You can probably order them online from outside the country but i myself wouldn't do that.

https://www.fws.gov/media/zebra-mussel-disposal-instructions

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lefty o Grand Master

lefty o

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On 12/26/2022 at 9:07 AM, neidzwiedz said:

As far a I know they are not being sold in the US anymore, at least since early 2001, because zebra mussels were found in several import shipments and almost all stores voluntarily stopped selling them. The FDA recommended bleaching and or boiling any you already own to destroy them.  They have since changed the advice to allow for a 6 month quarantine with no water changes. The last thing anyone wants is more zebra mussels in the water.

If that has changed i would love to know because i have been wanting a few myself.  You can probably order them online from outside the country but i myself wouldn't do that.

https://www.fws.gov/media/zebra-mussel-disposal-instructions

correct your date, 2021 not 2001. i dont think much has changed recently with this.

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Torbay Apprentice

Torbay

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I was at 2 Petco stores this month. When I walked in they directed me to their Betta shelves and said they had moss balls. Like others said, they were just Java moss wrapped around a ball. They looked green and pretty healthy,  but it was quite obvious they were not Marimo. The sales person had no idea re: the difference.

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

nabokovfan87

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On 12/26/2022 at 11:43 AM, Torbay said:

I was at 2 Petco stores this month. When I walked in they directed me to their Betta shelves and said they had moss balls. Like others said, they were just Java moss wrapped around a ball. They looked green and pretty healthy,  but it was quite obvious they were not Marimo. The sales person had no idea re: the difference.

Next time I go, I grab a photo. They sell moss balls. They also sell them via fluval brand and in the tanks. They also have both in the Betta section. Every store is different and orders different things. Locally, mine has moss balls. I've kept and know what it actually is. It's the real thing.

On 12/26/2022 at 11:18 AM, Aiden Carter said:

From what I’ve heard they aren’t true marimo algae they are now using a different  algae

Small and medium ones is the ones that I saw.

It's the actual, correct thing.

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The endler guy Mentor

The endler guy

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On 12/26/2022 at 10:07 AM, neidzwiedz said:

As far a I know they are not being sold in the US anymore, at least since early 2021, because zebra mussels were found in several import shipments and almost all stores voluntarily stopped selling them. The FDA recommended bleaching and or boiling any you already own to destroy them.  They have since changed the advice to allow for a 6 month quarantine with no water changes. The last thing anyone wants is more zebra mussels in the water.

If that has changed i would love to know because i have been wanting a few myself.  You can probably order them online from outside the country but i myself wouldn't do that.

https://www.fws.gov/media/zebra-mussel-disposal-instructions

I want some for a brackish tank 

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

nabokovfan87

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On 12/27/2022 at 6:44 AM, Flumpweesel said:

Where they these?  Fluval make these artificial moss balls that contain a phosphate absorber they have the look if that will satisfy you

They were like this, on a table, with 50+ cups of JUST moss balls. They were mostly dead and mostly very bad looking. 

Invasive zebra mussels found in Petcos in Coeur d'Alene, Washington, nationwide | The Spokesman-Review

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nabokovfan87 Grand Master

nabokovfan87

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Alright 😞

I went to the other big box store, finally, after months of trying to get a ride there.  They had about 20 or so terrarium plants, they had probably 3 (literally 3) plants for aquariums that weren't in their planted display tank.  It's a ridiculously small store and it's the type of thing where they don't have room for selection.  One of those 3 plants they had was the java moss balls. the other was a little piece of anubias.

I went to the big box store where I did see the marimo balls this week as well, it is indeed the time of the sales and the store was chaotic that day.  I was pretty much in and out, checked for one thing and the one thing I wanted someone decided to stick their finger through the seal on the food jar.  Anyways.... I did eyeball the plants, I checked on a few things, but I didn't see them. 

In California, as far as I know they are still banned for sale in some capacity.  I can't really find any update, but there are ways to carry them following a procedure and a chart available to log issues for each tank a store keeps.  I doubt they'll do that, but just a note. 

I have been trying to get to the bottom of all this.  Best I can say is that they found a box somewhere, or randomly got one in for the holidays plant order and I just happened to be there when it was splayed out on the tables for sale. 

I'll keep an eye out, I have been, but I haven't seen them since that one day when I did see them back in December.

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Bev C Experienced

Bev C

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I hope one day soon  they can be sold again  i have two i got from ACO   but both tore into pieces I tried to roll them back in a round shape but they  do not stay together i ended up putting rubber bands around them hoping the band will reform them and  they are still alive and green and  healthy and the pieces are growing slowly 

if you guys hear any new news about them please let me know 

Edited by Bev C
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