Invasive Zebra mussels in Marimo moss balls

[FlyingFishKeeper]

Hi, I wondering if anyone were to know if it was possible the muscles are buried inside the moss ball? I got one that was packed in late January that froze during shipping and came to me in an olive drab colour. I kept it in my aquarium for probably a week or two, I didn't notice anything on it, and cut it in half before throwing it out because I was fairly sure that it was pretty much dead and wanted to see what was on the inside of it to learn more for the future. I didn't notice anything but then again I didn't mince it finely like garlic. 

[Sandra the fish rookie]

I officially shredded them and found no sign of anything living in them. I purchased mine months ago and NOT from aquarium co op (PetSmart in Dec 2020). But better to be safe than sorry. 

Thank you @Cory for your diligence and additional information. Its much appreciated.

[Gideyon]

Whenever I do a water change, I always pour it in my yard, and I'm not close to any sewer or creek.  So I'm going to be just watching for these things in my aquarium.  If I start to see them, I'll take my fish out and bleach the tank and it's contents before disposing.   Or maybe just get a puffer fish 🙂

One person said if I add so much salt it'll kill it too.   But that might be too much. 

I'll keep watching and listening for news of purchase dates.  

 

Just saw the video.  Very helpful. 

Edited March 5, 2021 by Gideyon

[Cory]

To address a few concerns. All plants we get go through the right channels and have photo certificates. We have shown videos of us picking them up from the import office where plants are inspected etc. this was a mistake that made it through all channels as a first time.

this wouldn’t affect chromes moss balls.

I have only heard of the mussels being on the outside and none internally.

Currently we consider moss balls from 2/22 and on to be a problem. If we find any cases before that we will update everyone and refund.

[Fish Folk]

This explains why, when I went to buy Marino moss balls today at ________, the employee was unable to ring them up. Wild...

[Kirsten]

I have officially, thoroughly palpated my moss ball, ordered from the co-op on 2/16. I've rolled it, squished it, tenderly caressed it, examined it from every angle. Nothing but soft moss and fish dust 🙂

Thanks all the same for being so proactive about the issue. Not a fun hit to take as a small business, so I totally respect you for doing it.

[lefty o]

i kind of wonder if assassin snails will go after a zebra mussel?

[Streetwise]

@Cory, I think you are handling this like a consummate professional.

Here is a Wikipedia section covering their lifecycle. I have dealt with them for years as a sailor, but these details are eye-opening.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zebra_mussel#Lifecycle

The lifespan of a zebra mussel is four to five years.[6] A female zebra mussel begins to reproduce within 6–7 weeks of settling.[12] An adult female zebra mussel can produce 30,000 to 40,000 eggs in each reproductive cycle, and over 1 million each year.[13] Free-swimming microscopic larvae, called veligers, drift in the water for several weeks and then settle onto any hard surface they can find. Zebra mussels also can tolerate a wide range of environmental conditions, and adults can even survive out of water for about 7 days.

[FriendlyLoach]

Hey everyone, 

On my local fish club forum they sent out this warning. I just copied and pasted the posts. Here they are. 

Comment 1: Saw this on FB and am sharing it everywhere I can think of as Petco is a huge organization and we all ship things ourselves so even though this is in Oregon - it can SO EASILY be anywhere within a week! Please share this to any fish or tank keeping groups so folks can be on the look out and help prevent them from entering other waterways.

It is my understanding that the larval stage they can be free swimming, so water changes could spread them:

Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council

There has been a troubling sighting report from Seattle. A pet store employee has been finding zebra mussels attached and inside moss balls sold as aquarium plants. The significant danger is these moss balls are being distributed across the U.S. We are asking that you please check out your local pet stores here in Oregon to see if they are selling “Betta Buddy” brand moss balls.

Please contact Rick Boatner immediately (503-947-6308; Rick.J.Boatner@state.or.us) if you find any.

 

Comment 2: 

So this has now been reported in purchases from Amazon and AquaricArts ... treat ALL marimo balls as if they were contaminated.

PLEASE SHARE THIS TO ANY AND ALL TANK GROUPS OR FORUMS YOU ARE A MEMBER OF.

[Steph’s Fish and Plants]

I work at my local fish store and the day before we got the notification we had just sold out of and ordered more moss balls. When the moss balls arrive we aren’t gonna put them on the floor, I’m not sure what my managers have planned but it’ll be good for sure. I think I’ve had probably 15 people in just 2 days asking for moss balls. It’s crazy how popular those things are. We have been told to educate those asking about them as best we can about the situation and that it is affecting all moss balls, not just ones from our store. 

[TimDeck]

I saw a report on zebra mussels being found in marimo moss balls in big box stores (Petco/Petsmart) in WA. They have recalled their moss balls due to how invasive zebra mussles are. Does the Co-Op get their moss balls from the same supplier/source? I am only asking to check if I need to inspect the moss balls I purchased a few months ago.

 

Thank you.

[OceanTruth]

Moss balls/Zebra mussels

[lefty o]

yup, there's like 10 threads on it so far.

[Daniel]

I have gathered all the Moss ball Zebra Mussel threads here and pinned this to the top. Hopefully this will help with visibility.

[Celly Rasbora]

21 hours ago, Cory said:

…

Currently we consider moss balls from 2/22 and on to be a problem.
…

*Whew* I got mine in January. It's doing well, but my new baby snail explosion has discovered it. Hopefully I don't get a zebra mussel explosion, too.

I water plants with my water; it never goes down the drain, so hopefully I won't be spreading snails or mussels willy-nilly.

[Anita]

On 3/4/2021 at 7:09 PM, All of a doodah said:

I just received my shipment today from Aquarium Co-Op including 3 moss balls. I scooped them out of my tank and have them isolated in a mason jar. My wife posted photos of them and a friend sent us the article about the zebra mussels. I'm not sure if I should wait and see if anything comes out or if I should dispose of them. 

@Cory posted a video explaining the background of this problem that  has affected aquarium supply stores nationwide, as well as the Aquarium Co-Op refund policy for customers:

 

[Daniel]

Thanks Anita!

[Cincykid]

Dont know if this has been shared but just a heads up..  http://www.ncwildlife.org/News-Archives/update-to-consumer-alert-aquarium-moss-balls-may-contain-invasive-zebra-mussels.  While no confirmed cases have been reported in North Carolina, the Wildlife Commission received notice that it appears the moss balls were imported from Ukraine to a distributor in California that recently shipped contaminated product to pet stores nationwide. The facility that imports the moss balls has been quarantined and all shipments of moss balls have been stopped, according to a news release from Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks.

[MarsOddity]

I was wondering why they disappeared from the website when I went to buy one today. Glad I found out about this! What timing!

[Brenda Tackett]

Do we need to worry about moss ball problems that is going on nation wide . Zebra mussel 

[KBOzzie59]

Sure do.  The hobby don't need a punch in the eye.

[KBOzzie59]

 

[KBOzzie59]

 

[dan182]

Re: Marimo Balls

This is unfortunate and worrisome news. I have a reasonably new but cycled tank that I've added a mess of fish and a bunch of plants. Understanding the situation, I've removed the Marimo Balls from my tank. The Marimo Balls have been in my tank since the beginning February 2021 (impulse purchased from a local pet store while getting dog food). The second part of this equation is disinfecting the aquarium and equipment. Taking the cautious approach, I will proceed to disinfect my tank and equipment. I've placed the Marimo Balls in a container to observe. If Zebra Mussels develop, the disinfection was the right choice, and I'll advise the appropriate government agency; if not, I have peace of mind. Anyway, I've heard that chlorinated water will do the job. However, this leaves me with questions, and I'm hoping someone with excellent knowledge may be so kind with advice/answers. 

Question 1) I assume people are not talking about Clorox but a particular type/brand of Chlorine, which would be what? 
Question 2) What would be the ratio of Chlorine to water that works, or would the local city's chlorinated water work? 
Question 3) If the local city's chlorinated water works, what would be the PPM of Chlorine needed to be effective?
Question 4), How long does the chlorinated water need to run through the aquarium to be considered disinfected from the Zebra Mussels? 
Question 5), Once disinfected with chlorinated water, how long will a dechlorinator take to make the tank safe for a new fishless cycle and returning the fish to the tank. I doubt they will care for their temporary quarters?
Question 6) Will the fish carry any Zebra Mussels, reinfesting the tank once returned, and what to do about that?
Question 7), What will happen to the aquarium plants in the tank while soaking in chlorinated water? Is it good bye to these beautiful plants? In particular: Staurogyne repens, dwarf hair grass, Anubias nana "petite," Java Mass, Java Fern Windelov, Marsilea Hirsuta, and Cardinals. A few of these plants are freshly planted while others, have been in for about a month.

Any help with these questions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you,

Dan

[Andy's Fish Den]

I would not go into bleaching your aquarium and everything just because you had some moss balls in it. If you actually see zebra mussels, I would get rid of any plants that may be in the tank and bleach everything then. I have some moss balls purchased recently, and what I am doing is quarantine any tanks that I had moss balls in, watch for anything out of the ordinary growing, don't drain the tank into drains, even though I have a septic so it's not connected to any waterways, I'm draining into my yard. Only if I do find a mussel growing in one of the moss balls or in my tank at some point down the road will I proceed to use chlorine to disinfect anything.