discovering the charm of marimo moss balls

[WildFins]

I remember when marimo moss balls were super hard to find - it was like they vanished overnight. Apparently, the issue was zebra mussels, which led to an import ban to prevent the spread of an invasive species. That ban got lifted, and I managed to snag one on a whim during a visit to my local fish store. Lately, though, they seem to be MIA again. I called the store, and the staff said they hadn't been able to restock. I've also been searching online, but nothing's turned up. Has there been another ban, or am I just not looking in the right places?

[kokomo]

It seems like there hasn't been another import ban, at least not entirely. I found out that pet stores like Petco and PetSmart have started selling Marimo moss balls again. Apparently, as of September, there are new federal safeguards in place that they need to meet. The thing is, these moss balls can only be imported through JFK and LA airports now, where they get inspected by the USDA and US Fish and Wildlife Service. I'm guessing the supply has to be way lower now, and there are probably a lot of rejects, which would affect the market.

[bettaMagenta]

They're still available, just seems like they're getting smaller in size. I actually needed a bunch for a topiary, so that was a bit of a bummer. Found some on Amazon though - https://www.amazon.com/Medium-Marim...p ... 142&sr=1-2

[TankWarrior]

I recently picked up some Java Moss from an online aquarium plant store. It's been doing the job just as well as the Marimo moss balls for me.

[kokomo]

The Marimo Moss, also known as Japanese Marimo or Cladophora algae, has a significant portion of its imports coming from Russia and Ukraine. Historically, it was quite common for people to refer to it as Russian Algae Moss.