Moss Ball??

[Juelzann]

Hey,
I've read other posts from people getting a "moss ball" from Petco...

I wasn't able to find an answer as to what it really is. Mine is squishy, so I'm assuming it doesn't have styrofoam inside...
Help would be appreciated, I'm new to this forum, so hopefully I can figure out how to post a pic if it's needed.

 

[calivivarium1]

Looks like a ball of Java Moss to me (commonly thought to be Vesicularia dubyana).

 

[Juelzann]

So... I did a really stupid thing and squeezed the ball... in my tank. Killed my Albino Pleco
I decided to unwrap it and I did find a small Styrofoam ball inside. I wrapped, what looks like java moss, around my Mopani wood. Hopefully all my other fish can handle my stupid mistake!!

 

[calivivarium1]

Bummer, did the pleco eat the styrofoam?

 

[Juelzann]

No, I'm pretty sure it was because I squeezed the ball in my aquarium.. One of my bala sharks was starting to swim upside down. I had to do a water change and treat the water. Luckily it seems better today!

 

[Tifftastic]

Squeezing a ball of moss shouldn't cause any deaths in the aquarium unless there was some sort of chemical or something. . . I would think it might just be an unfortunate coincidence

 

[Juelzann]

Squeezing a ball of moss shouldn't cause any deaths in the aquarium unless there was some sort of chemical or something. . . I would think it might just be an unfortunate coincidence

I was told squeezing it probably let out some bad stuff by my LFS. IDK, I'm really sad I've had that pleco for over a year at least. He was an albino! I haven't seen any of the albino guys around in the stores lately.

 

[Sploke]

You may have just released a bunch of trapped detritus that maybe messed with your levels...how big is your tank? Even with true marimo balls its good to squeeze them out periodically, but yes do it outside the tank, like when you do a water change do it in a bucket of old tank water.

 

[Juelzann]

You may have just released a bunch of trapped detritus that maybe messed with your levels...how big is your tank? Even with true marimo balls its good to squeeze them out periodically, but yes do it outside the tank, like when you do a water change do it in a bucket of old tank water.

It's a 30 gallon. It's not a Marimo ball. It was Java moss wrapped around a small piece of styrofoam. I unwrapped it and put it on a piece of wood in my tank...