How to clean java moss before adding it to my tank

Hi all,

I bought the java moss about 2 months ago and it's been sitting in water in a plastic tray on my window sill growing waiting for me to get around to doing something with it, hence this post.
I have read that rinsing it, soaking in a 5% chlorine solution for 20 minutes, and then rinsing again is sufficient to kill any nasties that may exist but I have also heard of people using washing up liquid to ensure any chemicals etc are cleaned off.
So I am hoping for some advice as to the best and safest way to clean java moss before adding to my fish populated tank.
I also have some moss balls to add so would the procedure be the same?



Kind regards,
Mark.

If they have been in quarantine for 2 months they won't have much on them in the way of diseases. Maybe hydra or fish TB but nothing else. Hydra look like small sea anemones. Fish TB is a bacteria you can't see and can be anywhere so don't think about it because it hurts your brain.

Java moss is normally put in a bucket of tap water and sloshed around a bit to get rid of any sediment or snails. Then add the moss to the tank.

Marimo Moss balls should be handled carefully because they can fall apart. I would just put these in the tank.

Colin_T said:

If they have been in quarantine for 2 months they won't have much on them in the way of diseases. Maybe hydra or fish TB but nothing else. Hydra look like small sea anemones. Fish TB is a bacteria you can't see and can be anywhere so don't think about it because it hurts your brain.

Java moss is normally put in a bucket of tap water and sloshed around a bit to get rid of any sediment or snails. Then add the moss to the tank.

Marimo Moss balls should be handled carefully because they can fall apart. I would just put these in the tank.

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Thanks for that.

If I did put the Java Moss in a 5% solution will it do any harm as long as I rinse thoroughly before putting in the tank?

Can I ask if the Marimo Moss balls can be "re-balled" if they do fall apart as I pulled some apart to try and get it to grow?

5% solution of what?

Marimo moss balls will usually regrow if they are taken apart. It's one of the ways people grow them. They pull them apart and leave the little clumps to grow back into bigger clumps.

Colin_T said:

5% solution of what?

Marimo moss balls will usually regrow if they are taken apart. It's one of the ways people grow them. They pull them apart and leave the little clumps to grow back into bigger clumps.

Click to expand...

5% Chlorine.

If you put plants in chlorine for 1-2 minutes they are usually fine. But if you leave them in the chlorine for too long, they melt.

After they have been in chlorine, rinse well under tap water. then put them in a bucket of water and add a triple dose of dechlorinator. Stir and let soak for a few minutes. then rinse well under more tap water. Sniff and if they smell of chlorine, rinse and soak and add more dechlorinator until they no longer smell. You can also leave them in a bucket of tap water for a day or so to try and remove any residual chlorine on them.

I like to us peroxide. Seems safer and easier

Thanks to everyone for the help.