Is My Marimo Ball Fake/have Other Algae On Them?

I bought marimo balls on Amazon in April, and I soaked, rinsed, and quarantined them overnight. Recently I noticed long, green, hairlike strands coming from some of them and on other decor in my tank. I flipped out and immediately removed them/cleaned, so I don't have pics of the marimo with the long strands, but I do have a pic of one strand on my decor.

I read that marimo balls grow very slowly, but mine have grown a lot of "hair" in the 3 months I've had them. They have never floated, which I think is also unusual behavior..

Are these fake? Are the strandilke algae a different algae that came with the marimo? Should I keep them out of my tank?

Appreciate any help, thanks!

Here's what they looked like when they arrived from Amazon:

Marimos upon arrival in April

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Here's what it looks like now:

"Marimo" ball

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

is this real or fake?

Marimo ball?

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Marimo ball (no flash)

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Inside marimo ball

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Inside marimo ball

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Inside marimo ball

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Inside marimo ball

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Here are the hairlike algae that appeared on other decor in my tank:

Hairlike algae that appeared on decor

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

Hairlike algae that appeared on decor

• Ilovemyloach
• Jul 9, 2018

 

They look real as far as I can tell. The fake ones I’ve seen have always been perfectly round. Not sure on the hair algae though, I’m not an expert in that field. The only hairlike stuff I get in my tank is dog hair.

 

The green strand looks like green hair algae that might've already been on them and grew due to the lighting. Other than that, I do not know.

 

Looks real to me, and they are called moss balls but are really, technically algae.

 

Since that white strand is not just limited to growing on your moss balls, then at least I think we can say that the balls are real marimos, and not something fake that is growing other stuff.

How long are your lights on and how often/how much do you feed your fish? These are the typical reasons for other algaes starting to grow in a tank.

 

Since that white strand is not just limited to growing on your moss balls, then at least I think we can say that the balls are real marimos, and not something fake that is growing other stuff.

How long are your lights on and how often/how much do you feed your fish? These are the typical reasons for other algaes starting to grow in a tank.

My lights are on 8-12 hours a day, depending on what time I get home from work. I may have to get a timer so that my lights aren't on for so long. I feed lightly twice a day, and fast them for a day maybe once a month or so.