ScottH Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 I've been thinking about getting a moss ball for my planted tank for a while. I picked one up about 2 weeks ago and am curious about how fast it should grow. My tank is moderately planted and I fertilize the once a week when I do my water change. I haven't really seen any growth or change in the moss ball and want to know if I'm just being impatient or if maybe there's something that I should be doing to encourage more aggressive growth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 you're being impatient, lol. moss balls are extremely slow growing. don't expect them to gain even an inch in circumference in half a year, more likely less. moss balls are awesome, i keep them in both my planted tanks and am firmly convinced they help keep algae at bay. funny enough, moss balls are algae! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenixn7g Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 3-5 millimeters a year is what marimos generally grow! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heff Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 (edited) A buddy of mine was looking to get a moss ball. So it's true that they're mostly algae? What level of light is required? Edited December 9, 2010 by heff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 Gives new meaning to the phrase "grow some....." :chair: Yes, they are mostly algae and are easy but slow growing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vallisneria Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 I used to have some moss balls and one thing I learn is to make sure you keep turning them. Otherwise the bottom side goes flat and will start to turn brown. They are also good at getting covered in crap, and tiny bits floating in the water. They need to be rinsed out to keep them clean looking. I had mine for over a year and never noticed an growth, even in a tank with high light and co2. No wonder they are expensive since it takes ages to grow them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishclubgirl Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 Interesting thing is they're okay in brackish water. Mine has grown as I cut it in half over a year ago. It's been moved alot(and put into many different lights, etc.) but just very slowly grows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cgy_Betta_Guy Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 definitely slow growing as I have had mine for just under a year and it looks exactly the same as the day I got it, possibly a tiny bit fuzzier. These also do a pretty good job of keeping algae down. I put it on top of an area that was starting to show algae growth and the algae was gone within a couple days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted December 9, 2010 Report Share Posted December 9, 2010 you don't necessarily have to rinse them to get them clean of crud. just give them a squish and a squeeze right in the tank before you start your regular water change. and they are 100% comprised of algae, Aegagropila linnaei to be exact. i have four of them in my planted 55, and one in my lil 2.5 planted tank. had them all for well over a year and have seen minimal growth. they do expand a bit once fully saturated with water, so don't confuse this with growth. i love my balls, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ubr0ke Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 Im pretty sure they grow better in cold water but they still are very slow growers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 They are Claudophora algae. Read up on how to grow that type of algae (typically thru fertilizer 'imbalance'), and you should do fine. I've seen them cultured in bare tanks with constant flow - they're always rolling. I often get Claudophora growth in my fry tanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottH Posted December 10, 2010 Author Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 I suppose I am being a little impatient with how fast these guys grow but I'm just so excited to have them. The assistance on keeping algae under control was one of the reasons that I wanted to get involved with moss balls. I've got a 72 gal bowfront tank that's moderately planted, is 1 ball enough for algae control or should I add more... pardon the pun but do they do better in "pairs"? :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BettaFishMommy Posted December 10, 2010 Report Share Posted December 10, 2010 (edited) i'm not sure what the 'perfect number' of moss balls is to keep algae at bay, but the 4 in my 55 gallon seems to be the right number for it. and they are such a neat lil 'plant' so the more the better i say! and Jason, in 2002 it was returned to its original name of Aegagropila linnaei after DNA research proved it's not a true Cladophora species. http://www.greenculturesg.com/articles/jun07/jun07_marimos.pdf http://theaquariumwiki.com/Aegagropila_linnaeii http://www.algaebase.org/search/species/detail/?species_id=59094 (scroll down to taxonomic notes) Edited December 10, 2010 by BettaFishMommy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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