So, I did a big 'no no' today and impulse purchased. It wasn't so bad, "only" a moss ball, which was $3.99. I had gone to the pet store looking for smaller java fern for a 2.5G rectangle tank. While asking about the frequency of their shipments, I suddenly asked about the moss balls. He told me he didn't have any, and then he suddenly located 3 of them. I liked their looks, had read a small, small piece of info on them something like eight months ago, and boom, it was mine.
I came home, wrung it out, and introduced it into my betta Sori. He's currently in a 2 gallon drum-style bowl (the kind that's flat on two sides and roughly circular). I recently had to get rid of the 'creeping charlie' that had been in his bowl for at least six months. It had thrived during most of that time, but when I left in for an Indian Almond Leaf treatment, it quickly browned and died.
My only concern is probably fairly minor. I do 100% water changes, generally, around every 4 days or so. It's less and more, depending on life and whatnot. Would the moss ball dislike that? The creeping charlie was fairly low maitanence. I'd sometimes rinse excess slime-ies off it, but generally it looked good, stayed green, gave Sori a place to rest, and didn't care where I put it so long as I left it alone.
Is it too much to hope that the moss ball be the same way?
I reread some of the moss ball posts on here, all of which saying everything I faintly remembered about it -- low maitanance, tolerant of variable light, "mulm magnet", "amonia decreasing", cute little rolly polly Japanese ball of goodness. I also know that I need to roll and wring it on occasion so that it maintains its round aesthetics.
However, I'm iffy about the usual 100% water changes I do.
Oh, yes. I should mention that Sori is normally in a 1G bowl. The 2G bowl is a *recent* (as in, just this week) purchase of mine, a find at the local St Vincents for $2. I'll probably get hold of more creeping charlie, and pull it the next time i give my bettas the Indian Almond Leaf 'spa', treatment, now that I know that they don't like it.
I came home, wrung it out, and introduced it into my betta Sori. He's currently in a 2 gallon drum-style bowl (the kind that's flat on two sides and roughly circular). I recently had to get rid of the 'creeping charlie' that had been in his bowl for at least six months. It had thrived during most of that time, but when I left in for an Indian Almond Leaf treatment, it quickly browned and died.
My only concern is probably fairly minor. I do 100% water changes, generally, around every 4 days or so. It's less and more, depending on life and whatnot. Would the moss ball dislike that? The creeping charlie was fairly low maitanence. I'd sometimes rinse excess slime-ies off it, but generally it looked good, stayed green, gave Sori a place to rest, and didn't care where I put it so long as I left it alone.
Is it too much to hope that the moss ball be the same way?
I reread some of the moss ball posts on here, all of which saying everything I faintly remembered about it -- low maitanance, tolerant of variable light, "mulm magnet", "amonia decreasing", cute little rolly polly Japanese ball of goodness. I also know that I need to roll and wring it on occasion so that it maintains its round aesthetics.
However, I'm iffy about the usual 100% water changes I do.
Oh, yes. I should mention that Sori is normally in a 1G bowl. The 2G bowl is a *recent* (as in, just this week) purchase of mine, a find at the local St Vincents for $2. I'll probably get hold of more creeping charlie, and pull it the next time i give my bettas the Indian Almond Leaf 'spa', treatment, now that I know that they don't like it.
