marimo balls/zebra mussels

[WhistlingBadger]

Wyoming game and fish has issued an order to destroy and properly dispose of marimo balls, and sanitize or destroy any other plants, substrate, and decorations in any tank that has a marimo ball, because they recently found some with zebra mussels in them. Today the Wet Spot's newsletter said the same. The Badgerling's tank has a marimo ball, but we purchased it shortly after christmas, so I think we'll destroy it but not trash the whole tank, keeping a very close watch out for anything mussel-like appearing in there.

Zebra mussels are a horrendous invasive species in North America that have pretty much trashed the aquatic environment everywhere they've turned up. Those states (like Wyoming) that don't have them are desperate to keep them out.

So, don't buy marimo balls, and let's be careful out there!

 

[UnknownFishies]

Wyoming game and fish has issued an order to destroy and properly dispose of marimo balls, and sanitize or destroy any other plants, substrate, and decorations in any tank that has a marimo ball, because they recently found some with zebra mussels in them. Today the Wet Spot's newsletter said the same. The Badgerling's tank has a marimo ball, but we purchased it shortly after christmas, so I think we'll destroy it but not trash the whole tank, keeping a very close watch out for anything mussel-like appearing in there.

Zebra mussels are a horrendous invasive species in North America that have pretty much trashed the aquatic environment everywhere they've turned up. Those states (like Wyoming) that don't have them are desperate to keep them out.

So, don't buy marimo balls, and let's be careful out there!

thanks for the tip! definitely won’t by marimo balls!

 

[PheonixKingZ]

Wyoming game and fish has issued an order to destroy and properly dispose of marimo balls, and sanitize or destroy any other plants, substrate, and decorations in any tank that has a marimo ball, because they recently found some with zebra mussels in them. Today the Wet Spot's newsletter said the same. The Badgerling's tank has a marimo ball, but we purchased it shortly after christmas, so I think we'll destroy it but not trash the whole tank, keeping a very close watch out for anything mussel-like appearing in there.

Zebra mussels are a horrendous invasive species in North America that have pretty much trashed the aquatic environment everywhere they've turned up. Those states (like Wyoming) that don't have them are desperate to keep them out.

So, don't buy marimo balls, and let's be careful out there!

Saw that on Reddit the other day. Some scary stuff.

 

[Circus]

Saw an article on it yesterday, about Petco/Petsmart marimo balls. I purchased all of mine aver a year ago, no sign of trouble in them. Glad I didn't order those bulk mossballs from AquaticArts like I was going to for the goldfish tank...

 

[Colin_T]

Tell them to push off. I wouldn't destroy the plant/ algae.

Mussels struggle to survive in aquariums because there is no food for them. So unless you drain your aquarium water into a natural waterway (instead of onto your lawn), there is no reason to get rid of the plant. If you do somehow find mussels in your aquarium, simply take them out and crush them before leaving them in the sun to dry out. Or you can boil them. But don't destroy the plants because any mussel larvae will already be in the water, substrate or filter of your aquariums.

 

[FFGuest6357]

Wyoming game and fish has issued an order to destroy and properly dispose of marimo balls, and sanitize or destroy any other plants, substrate, and decorations in any tank that has a marimo ball, because they recently found some with zebra mussels in them. Today the Wet Spot's newsletter said the same. The Badgerling's tank has a marimo ball, but we purchased it shortly after christmas, so I think we'll destroy it but not trash the whole tank, keeping a very close watch out for anything mussel-like appearing in there.

Zebra mussels are a horrendous invasive species in North America that have pretty much trashed the aquatic environment everywhere they've turned up. Those states (like Wyoming) that don't have them are desperate to keep them out.

So, don't buy marimo balls, and let's be careful out there!

We’ve had problems with those little buggers, usually from ship’s ballasts.

it’s the very reason you’re supposed to wash your boat down in between launching in different lakes up here.

 

[GuppyBreeder180604]

Are there any specific companies that have these mussel problems? From what I know the zebra mussels aren't in my state yet but I wouldn't like to be the one to introduce them.

Tell them to push off

It isn't that easy. You, me, and everybody else in this forum would probably be careful enough to prevent the mussels from reaching local waterways but not everyone will have those precautions and as such is best to mandate the banning of the marimo moss ball, also zebra mussels are in the 100 most destructive invasive species so they can survive in your aquarium and they take such extreme measurements to keep them at bay, also I'm sure that before banning the moss balls a bunch of experts and scientists did research and experiments and probably found out that they could survive in aquariums, that's why they ask to dispose of the moss balls the right way and to either disinfect or destroy the other plants and the substrate/decorations. You cant be excessive when dealing with invasive species.

 

[chkltcow]

This was posted on reddit. They're calling for you to destroy the moss balls, destroy any plants in the aquarium, remove the fish, and bleach the tank. That seems a bit extreme.

Press Releases: News & Events: Maine Dept of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife

www.maine.gov

Zebra Mussel Disposal Instructions

www.fws.gov

 

[madmark285]

Zebra mussels are a horrendous invasive species in North America that have pretty much trashed the aquatic environment everywhere they've turned up. Those states (like Wyoming) that don't have them are desperate to keep them out.

In the Great Lakes, quagga mussels have overtaken zebras.

On a positive note:

Still, it points to ways the ecosystem is responding to the invasive mussels.

Lake sturgeon, a threatened species in the Great Lakes region, has started eating zebra and quagga mussels. It’s possible their role in removing nutrients that fuel algal blooms has aided sturgeon as well, Karatayev said.

In other areas they’ve invaded, ecosystems take on a new shape after the initial invasion.

In the Hudson River zebra mussels outweigh all native fish, insects, mollusks and other consumers combined. Every late summer, blue crabs migrate up the river and devour zebra mussels, said David Strayer, a former freshwater ecologist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

“Someone said it was like watching someone eat popcorn,” he said.

Where half of zebra mussels used to survive one year to the next, blue crabs have reduced that to 1% in some years, Strayer said. This has allowed some plankton—an important food source—to return to pre-invasion levels.

Source: Great Lakes Now

 

[EllRog]

Will somebody be doing door to door searches for marimo balls? Sounds like a good reality tv show

 

[StevenF]

One simple solution to prevent zebra muscles is to not poor any water from your tank down the drain. Water your garden with it. Any aquatic erganism in the water would likely die. Also don't through any aquarium plants down the drain. Put them in the garden. They will likely die and fertilize the garden soil.

 

[madmark285]

We’ve had problems with those little buggers, usually from ship’s ballasts.

it’s the very reason you’re supposed to wash your boat down in between launching in different lakes up here.

You need to flush the lower unit of your outboard motor.

 

[madmark285]

Tell them to push off. I wouldn't destroy the plant/ algae.

Mussels struggle to survive in aquariums because there is no food for them. So unless you drain your aquarium water into a natural waterway (instead of onto your lawn), there is no reason to get rid of the plant. If you do somehow find mussels in your aquarium, simply take them out and crush them before leaving them in the sun to dry out. Or you can boil them. But don't destroy the plants because any mussel larvae will already be in the water, substrate or filter of your aquariums.

Just be careful with storm drains. In my basement, I have a sink which connects to a sump pump line which is connects to storms drains which empties into a stream one street over. From there, it will drain into a section of the Erie Canal which crosses the Genesee River. Now the mussel larvae have a 10 mile trip down the river to Lake Ontario, they just have to survive going over a rather large waterfall.

Of course for us, it is irrelevant as Lake Ontario has millions of Zebra and Quagga mussels.

 

[madmark285]

Zebra mussels are a horrendous invasive species in North America that have pretty much trashed the aquatic environment everywhere they've turned up.

Now clearly, Zebra and Quagga mussels has negatively affected the Great Lakes but it is complicated for us. Humans have trashed the Great Lakes as there was excess levels of plankton (algae) in the lakes before the arrival of the Zebra's. I bought my sailboat in 1985, the water clarity was terrible back then.

The Zebra drastically change the water clarity and in shallow areas, the weed (plants) beds have returned. Lake Erie is shallow and has become a major fishing spot for Walleyes who love the dense weed beds.

When I started a family, we move the boat to the 1,000 Island area (where Lake Ontario drains into the St Lawrence Seaway), you can see 30-40 feet down as the water is so clear.

So with much guilt as a recreational boater, I like the Zebra's

 

[Colin_T]

Nobody should be putting aquarium water down the drain.

If your fish have a disease and the disease organisms get into natural waterways, there is a chance that you introduce that disease into the environment where it can affect native fishes. And most native fishes have no resistance to introduced diseases.