# Moss Ball?



## GEN1Dawg91 (Jul 30, 2011)

I was wondering what is a moss ball and does it help out a aquarium like other plants? 
And what are its needs: co2, fertillzer,addtives?
And I had a whole 10g tank and working on borrowing another 10g tank untill i get my own and getting a 29g tank?
how would the moss balls do in these tanks and what is some other good plants to go with them?


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## GEN1Dawg91 (Jul 30, 2011)

The lighting is gonna be Marineland double bright LED aquarium light and the tanks is gonna have glass tops. and I was thinking of some floating plants to.


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

A question comes to mind as to what type of "moss" ball you are referring to actually. The authentic moss ball are Marimo moss balls which is actually a type of algae. Then you have your "fake" moss balls which are nothing more than Java moss wrapped around a pith ball anchored by a weight.

In either case, no special needs actually. The Marimo's would need to be rotated from time to time to help keep their shape and prevent browning on the underside. Given high light and a good dose of CO2, they will even start to float at times.


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## GEN1Dawg91 (Jul 30, 2011)

The authentic Marimo moss balls, but does it help out like other plants?
Is it a bad algae or is it a good algae for a 10g tank?


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## James0816 (Jun 19, 2009)

It will help to some extent. They are major nutrient sponges but will help with nitrAtes.

And yes, they are good algae and wont spread all over your tank.


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## GEN1Dawg91 (Jul 30, 2011)

I got a moss ball for a tank and the fish approched it like it was a alien it was funny to watch and they stayed away from it for 2 hours not coming within 3 inches of it.

Now they race around it and relaxe around and on it.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

LOL.I guess it would be alien like if a fish never saw one.


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

I have four Marimo Moss Balls. I love the moss balls in the tank. Very easy.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Sally,thats a very lovely tank!I love the castle.


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

Thank you very much!


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## pjones (Jun 5, 2011)

Very nice tank


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## GuppyNGoldfish (Mar 28, 2011)

I have 1 marimo ball in a ten gallon, its been in the tank for about 2-3 months. It hasn't grown at all. The tank is next to a window that gets nice light and there is also a light on the hood which is turned on about 3-4 hours a day. Im not sure how long it takes to grow, but mine doesnt seem like its doing anything.


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

They grow very slowly.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

They are a type of algae and do indeed grow very slow.They are considered good luck too.


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

I just bought my 5th moss ball...I THINK that is it.....


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I've got 2 in my 20g and 3 in my 36g. I love 'em! They do grow very slowly indeed! The only thing, is you have to turn them every once in a while or they can start to loose their rounded shape, or can start to brown on the bottom where the light doesn't hit it. Oh, and shrimp (ex: Red Cherry or Black Diamonds) LOVE moss balls! Mine were always on the moss balls, picking little bits of food and debris off of them!


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## GEN1Dawg91 (Jul 30, 2011)

My moss ball acts like a second food source for the fish in my tank, because if there is any leftover food it get trapped in the moss ball since its near my filter intake. They just eat the stuck food in between the feedings, but most of the time they eat all the food that i give them.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Moss balls are great. They do fine with very low light and love high light. I have a bunch of them in one of my tanks and one in a jar on the windowsill. They seem almost impossible to kill! I did a bit of experimenting with water quality in a jar with a marimo ball. It did a good job at absorbing ammonia but that was with high light conditions so with low light they might absorb less nutrients, but that is true of most plants.


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

It's time for a new Marimo Moss Ball picture! I have SIX now! I can stop any time... REALLY, ha. Anyway, here is one of my moss balls that wants to float. An anubia is holding him down. ha.


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## pjones (Jun 5, 2011)

sallysblooms said:


> It's time for a new Marimo Moss Ball picture! I have SIX now! I can stop any time... REALLY, ha. Anyway, here is one of my moss balls that wants to float. An anubia is holding him down. ha.


sallysblooms = CrazyMossBallLady *r2


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

Crazy about Moss Balls and proud of it! ha. Here you can see five of them.


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I only bought them once on e-bay... but I got 10!


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

*w3 Ten, great. Were they big? I love the size at PetsMart!


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

Just a normal kind of size, not like the huge ones but not tiny either. They were a better price if I got 10, so really I was saving money!


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## sallysblooms (Aug 28, 2011)

Sounds great!


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## snail (Aug 6, 2010)

I keep one in a jar on the windowsill. When the sun shines on it it floats to the top.


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