PSA re: Betta Buddy Marimo Ball

[dudley]

I saw a post on another forum regarding the Betta Buddy Marimo Ball which is a moss ball sold as a decorative plant for aquarium use. A Seattle Petco employee found invasive zebra mussels inside and attached to the moss ball and authorities were contacted. A link to the Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife article can be found here Invasive zebra mussels found in Betta Buddy Marimo Ball

 

[FreshyFresh]

Makes you wonder what else could be lurking in those..

 

[Sprinkle]

Makes you wonder what else could be lurking in those..

My balls were safe. I made it sound pervy didnt i? i didnt mean to

 

[FreshyFresh]

I had a tough time not making a reference..

 

[Sprinkle]

I had a tough time not making a reference..

About my joke huh? ? I tend to be overly weird

 

[Wyomingite]

Ahhh, man. Wyoming is one of only a half dozen or so states in the lower 48 that doesn't have them. The G&F is going to go nuts with increasing restrictions of what can be brought into the state if this becomes a trend.

WYite

 

[dudley]

Another article linked Here said the 1st report came in Feb.9, 2021 but was limited to the Betta Buddy brand. Further down the article in the What to Do section recommends checking any Marimo Balls purchased in the last few months for zebra mussels.

 

[Wyomingite]

Another article linked Here said the 1st report came in Feb.9, 2021 but was limited to the Betta Buddy brand. Further down the article in the What to Do section recommends checking any Marimo Balls purchased in the last few months for zebra mussels.

Now that I've had time to really think about it, I'm actually torn. I don't want to see new restrictions on interstate imports into the state, but the focus of my Zoology degree was fisheries management and limnology, and my conscience is telling me to tip the G&F off. In spite of my frustration with the G&F sometimes (that's a post in itself) I understand why they do what they do and I'm proud of the relatively unsullied waters of Wyoming.

I would think this is the kind of thing that can put a brand or company out of business. This is pretty serious on both a federal level and an individual state level.

WYite

 

[Wyomingite]

Wonder how many other states have bulletins out?

Wyoming G&F Announcement of Zebra Mussels in Marimo Balls

WYite

 

[dudley]

Good question! I'm sure other state agencies will be putting out alerts as the story becomes known. It will also be interesting to see what advice will be given to deal with 'cleaning' the tank, other plants and water disposal as I seen that Oregon and Wyoming offer different solutions at this time.