Japanese Floating Moss Balls?

[Mike B]

Hello everyone.
A while back I was asking about setting up a low tech planted tank and got some very good advice.
Yesterday I stopped by the local Petco store to pick up a couple of small chinese algae eaters to clean up my 14G. tank and while looking around their tanks I discovered that they were selling a plant labeled a "Japanese Floating Moss Ball" along with a coconut cave like the ones BeefyG makes with the same type moss planted on them. The "JFMB" looks like a ball of moss tied with fishing line and anchored to a lead fishing sinker. Does anyone know what kind of moss these are made of and are they good or bad to have in a tank? When I asked the sales lady what they were she said that she didn't know but thought it was a japanese moss. I did pick one up and throw it in the 14G tank along with the algae eaters so if this thing is bad please tell me fast.
Thanks
Mike B

[fishlady]

can you take a picture of it?

[armthehomeless]

Does it look like a marimo ball?



If it is, then it isn't bad at all... my shrimp love it. Grows quite slowly though

[wesleydnunder]

It all depends... if it's grown from an algae called clado the algae can wind up all over the tank. I refuse to put moss balls in any tank for this reason.

Mark

[Mike B]

On doing some research it looks like what I bought was a fake marimo ball that is made by rolling java moss on a styrofoam ball, if so then it will most likely be allright I hope (not crazy about having styrofoam,monofiliment fishing line and lead in the tank).
I thought that the moss on the ball looked like the pictures of java moss I have seen, have never seen the real stuff that I know of.

[kwc1974]

marimo balls are the last thing you want in a plant tank. it is algae.

I have seen the moss ball you are talking about and upon thought of it it looks goo when trimmed, but you will have to keep it trimmed otherwise it will just be a blog of moss that has a styrofoam core instead of a similar moss blob without.

This is similar to how most scapers use moss, by fixing the moss to wood or rock with thread or monofiliment. the only differance is you have styrofoam.

[Kittysnax]

Im a lil late, sry lol butI got a "moss ball" from petco here in baytown that is identical to what you were describing. It wasnt a marimo, considering that a marimo is algea. The "Floatin' ball" has been ID'd as Java Moss! ^_^


^ My sad lil moss ball without the lights on

[Mike B]

Kittysnax,Thanks for the positive id on what type of plant is used to make JFMBs. The one I picked up seems to be doing ok, hasn't taken over the tank or turned brown and smelly yet. Just drained the tank and changed the substrate from straight PFS to a thin layer of PFS over a layer of organic potting soil. As soon as the water settles I will be adding several types of low light plants (Big Thanks to armthehomeless!) to the tank and restocking the fish.