So glad I found this thread! I've had two 1" moss balls quarantined in a large goblet with a bit of CaribSea Eco Complete. They've grown to a good 1½" in just 3 mo. My moss balls never float, but do produce bubbles like mad. I roll them when ever I pass to keep the round shape. They get rinsed and squeezed once a week.
Last week I starting getting green algae build up on the glass. This week I noticed it attached and clumped in some of the substrate too. I can see how this could get rapidly out of control!
It doesn't feel like moss ball algae, it's very slimey, like pond scum and it smells like too. I picked it all out of the substrate and put in it's own bowl. Now it's floating.
It's my understanding that moss balls spread by forming little extending clumps, one of mine had such a baby.
I removed the baby moss ball 2 weeks ago - he's a bit browner than should be, probably from the forced separation from mama ball.
Photo shows both baby ball and algae. Algae is deeper green in color, smells like pond scum type algae (please bear with my lack of the correct algae name). Moss ball has little to no odor. I picked them both apart a bit and the wad of algae is slimey and gooey, it smashed and disintegrated into the paper towel. The moss ball is more fibrous, resists pressure and being pulled apart.
But I do see some of the algae on the moss ball and some moss ball fibers in the algae. There are some free floating moss ball fibers generated from the rolling process sometimes I notice.
Thinking this is two different plants?
Cause is too much fertilizer? I do add recommended dosage of Fluval Florish at water changes.
Want to eventually add to my planted betta tank.
Wondering if my nerite snails would eat the "pond scum" off of the moss balls and but leave them unharmed?
