Moss Balls

[Kitley]

I have seen these advertised...do they have any impact on the water settings and are they a nuisance, do the fish eat them?

 

[oaktree]

hello!

moss balls do have a slight impact on water quality, but it should be a good one. they're no magical filter but I've heard they can slightly naturally filter the water they're in. due to this, they need to be taken out and squeezed/rinsed occasionally, or they may rot.

also, no fish should really eat them. I could really only imagine goldfish eating them but even then I've never heard of it.

 

[jkkgron2]

I have seen these advertised...do they have any impact on the water settings and are they a nuisance, do the fish eat them?

They help clean the water, they aren’t a nuisance, and the fish may lay on them (depending on species)
but they shouldn’t eat them

 

[Crispii]

The only algae that everyone loves.

 

[Kcakes]

I love mine. Always stays green and fluffy. Fish just poke around it.
Don't get the dehydrated ones from China tho. Mine had lots of worms once rehydrated.
Fortunately, I didn't have any fish in my tank yet!

 

[Kitley]

thnx all for your replies. Will have to see if any stores around here sell them

 

[jkkgron2]

thnx all for your replies. Will have to see if any stores around here sell them

IME its cheaper to purchase a six pack on amazon (it’s like the price of two for six!)
its this

 

[CarolinaFishbone]

They add some green, supposed to help water conditions, turn them over every couple days and they'll stay lush and dark green.
The snails occasionally climb over them but most fish don't bother them.

 

[notwabbitseason]

Petco and PetSmart sell them if you don't want to order online. They should be on the same shelf as the bettas.

 

[jkkgron2]

Petco and PetSmart sell them if you don't want to order online. They should be on the same shelf as the bettas.

Like notwabbitseason said petco and PetSmart do sell them but they are usually very overpriced ($10 each where I’m from)

 

[juniperlea]

I love these things. They are what started me in this hobby. I felt the moss ball 'pets' were lonely. So, I bought a betta. 140 gallons and approximately 6 months later..... ! They're the only plants that I haven't killed. I've even abused them to clean the biofilm. And, recently I tore some apart and sewed them onto a piece of plastic canvas for an ADF soft landing pad and hide-out !!

 

[jkkgron2]

I love these things. They are what started me in this hobby. I felt the moss ball 'pets' were lonely. So, I bought a betta. 140 gallons and approximately 6 months later..... ! They're the only plants that I haven't killed. I've even abused them to clean the biofilm. And, recently I tore some apart and sewed them onto a piece of plastic canvas for an ADF soft landing pad and hide-out !!

I got my first moss balls like three months ago and I have killed every single other plant that I ever have owned but they are still growing! These things are ”me” proof! juniperlea I had no clue you could do that with the moss balls, now I need to make some flattened out moss mats!

 

[Kitley]

Thanks all...I will be ordering these on Amazon..unless PetSmart have them at a reasonable price. If my aquarium has not finished cycling, will the moss still live? Planning to add a few guppies to my 75 gallon on Sunday to help with the process .

 

[jkkgron2]

Thanks all...I will be ordering these on Amazon..unless PetSmart have them at a reasonable price. If my aquarium has not finished cycling, will the moss still live? Planning to add a few guppies to my 75 gallon on Sunday to help with the process .

The moss will be fine, I added some when I was cycling the tank

 

[juniperlea]

I bought the ones on Amazon. Petsmart, here, sells one moss ball, in the same sized container as the individual bettas and on the same shelf as the bettas!

 

[EbiAqua]

Shrimp love them, they enjoy picking through the "fluff" to find stuff to eat.

While they barely make a difference as far as filtering your water they are beneficial. In my experience goldfish don't eat them but tear them to pieces...

 

[ProudPapa]

I've seen folks on youtube videos say they're good at helping take up ammonia and nitrates from your water. I haven't used any because I just don't care for the way they look in the tank.

Several people have mentioned places to get them but I don't think anyone said that members sometimes have some for sale at very reasonable prices. See Buy, Sell, Trade, Free.

I was just ordering some other stuff and noticed they have them for $3.99. Marimo Moss Ball

 

[rhyan]

They add a little life in your tank when you have plastic and silk plants, they also help filter the tank and gives off oxygen for your fishes, they are easy to maintain and doesn't pollute the water. Shrimps love them, Fishes pokes and rest on them and Snails loved to move them around. It's a must in my betta tank but never in my goldfish because i'm not sure if one day they'll decided they want to to chew the helpless moss ball.

Shrimp love them, they enjoy picking through the "fluff" to find stuff to eat.

While they barely make a difference as far as filtering your water they are beneficial. In my experience goldfish don't eat them but tear them to pieces...

Yeah! That's what I'm afraid that the goldfishes will do to the moss ball, they'll be like cats or dogs that just tears a food but will not eat it just for you to see the aftermath that they had made.

 

[EbiAqua]

Yeah! That's what I'm afraid that the goldfishes will do to the moss ball, they'll be like cats or dogs that just tears a food but will not eat it just for you to see the aftermath that they had made.

When I used to have a fancy goldfish, I was constantly picking bits of the moss ball out of the filter intake. The goldfish would rip pieces off and spit them out, and they'd float around and clog up the filter.

 

[rhyan]

When I used to have a fancy goldfish, I was constantly picking bits of the moss ball out of the filter intake. The goldfish would rip pieces off and spit them out, and they'd float around and clog up the filter.

Jeez those cute water pigs gnawing and chewing everything in the tank they really didn't know when to stop eating :-D glad I didn't put any plants in my Goldfish tank but they were constantly nibbling on the sponge filter, small shell I put for the algae to maybe form on it and also to the shells of their snail tank mates. I really find that moss balls are very hardy I squeezed them, leave them out in the tank for a while, give them less light, even warmer or colder water they still stay lush green for that I really love them because they really don't mess with the water, easy to maintain, helps with the tank cycle and adds a different look from the usual plants and moss.

 

[KinderScout]

we find they're great for hiding some of the uglier root mess between rocks. Easy to look after, hardy and look pretty cool what more could you want?