Brown patches on Moss Balls

[Aqua sobriquet]

Anyone know why this is happening? I’ve had them for several months and although I noticed it on one of them a little while all four of them are showing signs now. As per some recommendations I do remove them from the tank every now and then and give them a bit of a rinse & roll! 🙂

I noticed that most of the tanks in my LFS have moss balls in them but you’d never know as they’re all entirely a dirty grey/brown colour.

 

[CarolHall]

If you describe it with pictures then it will easy for me to understand. Anyway as much I understand brown patches are mostly on the bottom of your Marino. It may be an indication that it isn't getting proper light. You need to change the Marino position for getting enough light.

 

[Edvet]

Using ferts? Cleaning and rolling them regularly ?

 

[Aqua sobriquet]

I don’t roll them that often but have done on occasion. Not sure where I read it but putting them in cold salty water for a while seems to help. I’m am using ferts but not a lot.

 

[alto]

Unless your tank has a very low debris level and loads of shrimp actively cleaning the moss balls, they likely could do with a rinse every week or two ... don’t forget to squeeze the inside water out to check (especially if they should get loads of debris)
(I suspect that shrimp activity also turns them enough to minimize browning)

As for your lfs, likely those poor moss balls are choking in debris and lack of light

 

[jaypeecee]

Anyone know why this is happening? I’ve had them for several months and although I noticed it on one of them a little while all four of them are showing signs now. As per some recommendations I do remove them from the tank every now and then and give them a bit of a rinse & roll! 🙂

I noticed that most of the tanks in my LFS have moss balls in them but you’d never know as they’re all entirely a dirty grey/brown colour.

Hi @Aqua sobriquet,

I'm with @CarolHall on this one - insufficient light. Moss balls need moderate light during the day. They are, after all, bundles of microalgae. In their natural habitat, they grow in cool lakes in Japan, Iceland and the Ukraine. They sit on the lake bottom at night and rise towards the surface during daylight hours. Apparently, the oxygen bubbles released during photosynthesis provide the buoyancy to cause them to rise upwards. Avoid direct sunlight on your tank(s).

If your LFS moss balls are in such poor condition, that's disgraceful.

JPC