Moss Ball On Betta Fish Tank

[argoma]

Hello everyone,
 
My betta is temporarily in a small not filtered, not heated or cycled tank.
I treat his water with a conditioner and i do 50% water changes everyday now and 100% water changes once a week.
When i went to the pet store i was intending to but both my betta and a marimo moss ball but they said they dont have moss balls and were not going to order any time soon or ever.
I read that the marimo moss balls do sort of a "filtration" to the water as it eats the fish's residue and ammonia and all the bad stuff for the fish so i ordered one from eBay.
It's supposed to be delivered this next week, around tuesday or so.
I would like to know the pros and cons of keeping a moss ball inside a betta tank. And how do i take care of the marimo? Is there anything i should be worried about?

 

[Wildbetta]

The marimo ball will help with filtering the water but you will still need to continue to do the water changes that you are already doing.  They are very easy to deal with.  Just stick it in your tank and let it be.

 

[nikkifro8994]

First, some basic betta care. You said you setup is temporary so I'm assuming you will already know this information. But just in case you don't, here it is.
 
Absolute minimal betta requirements:
At LEAST a 2.5 gallon tank - 5 gallon is ideal for a single betta
A filter- Bettas like relatively calm water so try to find a filter that doesn't create much of a current
A heater
 
Optional additions:
Hood or cover for the tank - Bettas are great jumpers. One of mine jumped twice before I was able to purchase a hood
Lighting
Substrate - gravel, sand, or even river rocks. 
Plants - live is best, silk is acceptable. Absolutely NO plastic plants. They can damage the betta's fins
Other decor - caves, driftwood, bubblers, etc.
Betta's fins are very delicate so make sure the decor you choose is smooth and can't tear his fins.
 
 
Now onto your actual question. I had a decent size moss ball in both of my betta tanks. They will absorb SOME of the ammonia and nitrates in the water but a cycled filter is still a necessity. My male loved to sleep on top of the moss ball. I can't think of any cons to having one. The moss ball is extremely low maintenance. All you need to keep one alive is water and a fish to produce waste.

 

[Meeresstille]

Marimo Moss Balls are an algae type life form, if they remove any Ammonia it would be quite minimal. It will feed on Nitrate just like plants and algae do. The benefit of a Mossball is that it will help making the Betta feel comfortable in his tank. Really good plants for a Betta are the broader leafed ones like Swords or Anubias, many Bettas like to rest on such leafs.
 
The best way to remove the Ammonia in the tank is to do water changes. You best check daily with a liquid test kit to see if it wouldn't be better for your Betta to get a 100% waterchange instead of the 50%. It has been found that fish exposed to Ammonia even at low, continuous levels of .25 can carry away permanent organ damage! The smaller the tank the more important it is to do sufficient enough water changes, because there will be less water to dilute the Betta's waste!

 

[Wildbetta]

Marimo Moss Balls are an algae type life form, if they remove any Ammonia it would be quite minimal.
 

 
I happen to disagree.  Algae will use ammonia and nitrAte although it does not remove the need to do the water changes.

 

[argoma]

First, some basic betta care. You said you setup is temporary so I'm assuming you will already know this information. But just in case you don't, here it is.
 
Absolute minimal betta requirements:
At LEAST a 2.5 gallon tank - 5 gallon is ideal for a single betta
A filter- Bettas like relatively calm water so try to find a filter that doesn't create much of a current
A heater
 
Optional additions:
Hood or cover for the tank - Bettas are great jumpers. One of mine jumped twice before I was able to purchase a hood
Lighting
Substrate - gravel, sand, or even river rocks. 
Plants - live is best, silk is acceptable. Absolutely NO plastic plants. They can damage the betta's fins
Other decor - caves, driftwood, bubblers, etc.
Betta's fins are very delicate so make sure the decor you choose is smooth and can't tear his fins.
 
 
Now onto your actual question. I had a decent size moss ball in both of my betta tanks. They will absorb SOME of the ammonia and nitrates in the water but a cycled filter is still a necessity. My male loved to sleep on top of the moss ball. I can't think of any cons to having one. The moss ball is extremely low maintenance. All you need to keep one alive is water and a fish to produce waste.

 
Thank you for all the information on the set up. I did already know that and i am getting him a 3 gallon tank this month or next and the filter and heater are ahead to come. He's tank is very small for him and i am aware of that but it's where he is now just temporarily really. I got him a cave because i found that he had the need to hide and the plants werent enough. Thank you.

 

[argoma]

The marimo ball will help with filtering the water but you will still need to continue to do the water changes that you are already doing.  They are very easy to deal with.  Just stick it in your tank and let it be.

 
Do i need to put it in CO2 water once in a while? Do i have to clean it? Won't it make the aquarium get more algae?

 

[Meeresstille]

 

Marimo Moss Balls are an algae type life form, if they remove any Ammonia it would be quite minimal.
 

 
I happen to disagree.  Algae will use ammonia and nitrAte although it does not remove the need to do the water changes.
 

FWIW the info I found stated that algae spores eat Ammonia, but algae would feed on Niitrates among others. 

 
It does not make sense to me that algae would eat ammonia when there is so little ammonia found in a mature, cycled tank, yet it is there where we see algae outbreaks most!
It does make sense to me that spores could find enough ammonia in the cycled tank to survive and mature into algae which then eats the other nutrients like Nitrate. 
 
I don't know how many mossball spores float around in a tank, that's why I said ammonia consumption would be minimal!