Petshrimp Mossballs
Moderator: Mustafa
Petshrimp Mossballs
Can anyone who is familiar with the mossballs from this site give any insight into growing them? Is there any information/articles about these plants on this site? How much light do they take? Propagation? Has anyone split them to create new mossballs? I know they are supposed to be slow growing and slow to reproduce but I watched the video here and there were hundreds in that tank! And I think I read where Mustafa has these plants carpeting all his tanks. Can you share your experiences with growing them? Thanks for any info.
Re: Petshrimp Mossballs
Well, I've been meaning to write an article about it for a long time, but l gotten around to it. I already mentioned a few things in the other thread where you posted, but there isn't really much to say about how to grow them. They just sit there and....grow...very slowly...and then bud little pieces that grow into new balls (or ball-like shapes)...again, very slowly. Yes, you can split them to accelerate the process, but the it may take a long time before the new pieces resemble balls. You can attach them to surfaces, too, and they'll cover that surface over time. I'll post some pictures in one of my tanks where the balls are more flat and covering larger pebbles.
That video you saw with hundreds in that tank is of a tank that had those balls for many, many *years*. All those balls started out as tiny little fragments before they got bigger and covered the entire bottom of the tank. It takes time. Even the smallest mossballs we send out are many years old, i'd guess 3-5 years. People don't realize that when they get them and compare them to things like Marimo Balls, which are much bigger. These balls grow much slower than even Marimo Balls. (Warning: Do NOT use Marimo Balls in Supershrimp tanks...they won't grow and will just slowly die off creating hair algae mess that takes over your marimo balls and your tank).
Other than what I mentioned above and in the other thread, all you have to do is just make sure your shrimp are happy and the mossballs will grow.
That video you saw with hundreds in that tank is of a tank that had those balls for many, many *years*. All those balls started out as tiny little fragments before they got bigger and covered the entire bottom of the tank. It takes time. Even the smallest mossballs we send out are many years old, i'd guess 3-5 years. People don't realize that when they get them and compare them to things like Marimo Balls, which are much bigger. These balls grow much slower than even Marimo Balls. (Warning: Do NOT use Marimo Balls in Supershrimp tanks...they won't grow and will just slowly die off creating hair algae mess that takes over your marimo balls and your tank).
Other than what I mentioned above and in the other thread, all you have to do is just make sure your shrimp are happy and the mossballs will grow.