# Moss problems



## sassyangel (Jun 25, 2013)

About 6 months ago we had 2 moss balls that we had bought from Petco and they started to fall apart so we had removed them and now we can not get rid of the what had attached to the other plants or substrate. Is there anyone here that can give me some ideas on how to get rid of this stuff without having to replace my other plants or the substrate?

These are the best pics I can get.


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## coralbandit (Jul 29, 2012)

Herd to really see what is on leaves in pics,but most mosses do not do well with excell.It sort of melts them.It will also help your other (stemmed) plants grow better.
Seachem Excell,or a generic Glut from ebay.
Amazon.com : Seachem Flourish Excel 500ml : Aquarium Treatments : Pet Supplies
Cidex Metricide Omnicide 14 Day Sterilization Gallon | eBay
I just received from this supplier,but it is not like the picture(different brand).The generic is like 1/4 theprice per volume and 2x as strong so it is like getting 8x as much for your money.


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## big b (Jun 28, 2014)

a little moss never hurt anybody.so let nature do whatever it wants with the moss.


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## Marshall (Jul 8, 2013)

it is hard to see from the pics but are you sure that's from the moss balls?, it almost seems like green thread algae


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## who8mypnuts (Aug 9, 2014)

Marshall said:


> it is hard to see from the pics but are you sure that's from the moss balls?, it almost seems like green thread algae


I concur. Difficult to tell for a certainty but it looks like green thread algae.


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## majerah1 (Oct 29, 2010)

Agreed, what I can see looks like thread algae. What type of moss was it sold as?


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## LittleFishJoe (Jun 29, 2014)

Algae is a good thing, maybe a little unsightly to some. Its natures filter and fish/fry food. But I get why people want to get rid of it. You can turn off the lights for 2-3days, use good old elbow grease, can also increase the aeration of the tank algae dosent like O2 much, Feed less ( fish food and waste are what algae eats, so cutting back on it will starve it out) 

Be proud of your algae its a sign of a healthy aquarium.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Get some shrimp! They decimate algae. Just don't get small ones or they'll turn in to fish food if your fish are bigger/more aggressive than tetras.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

I too, bought a "moss" ball from Petco. It turned out to be nothing but Java moss tied around some straw like material with a styrophome piece tied in the middle to make it float. It gradually grew while falling apart. Now I have Java all over this tank. It's ok though. I wanted Java in this tank. Sure won't by another "moss" ball from them again.


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## who8mypnuts (Aug 9, 2014)

vreugy said:


> I too, bought a "moss" ball from Petco. It turned out to be nothing but Java moss tied around some straw like material with a styrophome piece tied in the middle to make it float. It gradually grew while falling apart. Now I have Java all over this tank. It's ok though. I wanted Java in this tank. Sure won't by another "moss" ball from them again.


Sorry to hear that you got taken on your purchase. I hate when that sort of thing happens!


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Me tto, but it won't happen again. Only reason I go there is there isn't any other place to go. Well, there is one more place, but she mostly deals in saltwater. I always wind up loosing about half the fish I get from Petco, but don't have a lot of choice.


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## sassyangel (Jun 25, 2013)

LittleFishJoe said:


> Algae is a good thing, maybe a little unsightly to some. Its natures filter and fish/fry food. But I get why people want to get rid of it. You can turn off the lights for 2-3days, use good old elbow grease, can also increase the aeration of the tank algae dosent like O2 much, Feed less ( fish food and waste are what algae eats, so cutting back on it will starve it out)
> 
> Be proud of your algae its a sign of a healthy aquarium.


But I thought algae is a sign of problems in a tank.


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## sassyangel (Jun 25, 2013)

coralbandit said:


> Herd to really see what is on leaves in pics,but most mosses do not do well with excell.It sort of melts them.It will also help your other (stemmed) plants grow better.
> Seachem Excell,or a generic Glut from ebay.
> Amazon.com : Seachem Flourish Excel 500ml : Aquarium Treatments : Pet Supplies
> Cidex Metricide Omnicide 14 Day Sterilization Gallon | eBay
> I just received from this supplier,but it is not like the picture(different brand).The generic is like 1/4 theprice per volume and 2x as strong so it is like getting 8x as much for your money.


If what I have growing is like everyone else is saying that it is thread algae, wouldn't using flourish excel cause the algae to grow more?


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## sassyangel (Jun 25, 2013)

majerah1 said:


> Agreed, what I can see looks like thread algae. What type of moss was it sold as?


It must have been java moss that was warped around a Styrofoam ball and had a fishing line tied to it and a sinker.


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## LittleFishJoe (Jun 29, 2014)

sassyangel said:


> But I thought algae is a sign of problems in a tank.


That's a toss up. A little grown on the walls and substrate is a natural healthy thing, but a sudden explosive growth or green water is a sign of excess nutrients. Algae myths are like goldfish myths, once started its hard to get back to the truth. 

From my personal experiences algae is just unsightly, but the benefits are great.








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Algae scrubber and My breeding Convicts, I could test the water for ya but wouldn't be fair cause I have fry right now and do a daily 8gal WC. 








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But Ya its a sign of a healthy aquarium in my eyes. Saltwater might be different story

Please forgive the dirty front glass and brown leaves, convicts are aggressive parents!!


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## sassyangel (Jun 25, 2013)

Ok I forgot to give a discription of my setup.
It is a 56 gl. Column with a penguin powerhead
A Marineland magnum 350 filter we are running the micron polishing cartridge in it (not sure if I should be using the activated carbon or something else)
Lighting is the Finnex fuge ray 42"
Live stock: several different tetras and 4 lyrtail guppies, 1 red cherry shrimp (female) hada male but dont know what happened to him, and a pleco.


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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

Yes, it was Java moss wrapped and weighted with a tiny bit of styrofoam to make it float. Oh well, I did gain a red and white striped shrimp from it. It was really tiny and they missed it. Still have the little feller. Wish I could get more for company for him.


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## jrman83 (Jul 9, 2010)

LittleFishJoe said:


> That's a toss up. A little grown on the walls and substrate is a natural healthy thing, but a sudden explosive growth or green water is a sign of excess nutrients. Algae myths are like goldfish myths, once started its hard to get back to the truth.


Another myth...that algae is a result of excess nutrients.

Algae in your tank, and we all have it, is not a bad sign per se. Whether it is good or bad is more a question of what affect it is having on whatever it is on, IMO. For example algae on your glass is just unsightly but not hurting anything. But, algae all over a plant can block the plant from getting needed light and that can eventually kill it. Any algae on a plant can affect its growth.

I can't tell from your pics what you are talking about as all of them are unfocused. If it is the slimy green algae manual removal is pretty much your only option.


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## who8mypnuts (Aug 9, 2014)

Used to have long hairlike algae and occasionally some black algae and a "rainbow" shark (Epalzeorhynchos frenatum) would eat them both very quickly. It was something that I learned by experimenting when I worked at a pet store. Those fish seem to be the best at destroying those two types of algae. I'd put them in any tank that it started to grow and they would consume it all within a few days.


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