The Puffer Forum

I just got 4 marimo balls in the mail that were not in water. Do you think it is safe to just put them in BW (1.006) or should I acclimate them?

I'd acclimate them. Better safe than sorry. It would be a shame if they disintegrated.

Do you mean that they were shipped to you dry?

Yea they were shipped dry. But they look really healthy still, after 9 days of shipping..

Weird.

I'd leave them in fresh water for a while to make sure they are still healthy, and then slowly bring them up to 1.006 over a couple days.

Sounds like a good idea. They're in fresh water now.

thats cool, i just picked up one of these for my DP tank.

how many do you think it would take to noticably affect nitrAtes in a 6g eclipse tank? ive also got 2 rotilla indicas, and java moss in that tank.

I'm pretty sure they grow very slowly...

The Fisherman wrote:how many do you think it would take to noticably affect nitrAtes in a 6g eclipse tank? ive also got 2 rotilla indicas, and java moss in that tank.

You'd probably have to fill it to the brim with marimo balls, and then, they probably still wouldn't make a difference.

They grow incredibly slowly.

You can try Hygrophila polysperma or Hygrophila difformis. They grow quickly and therefore soak up plenty of nitrates. In a 6 gallon tank, however, you may be doing a lot of trimming. I've seen my H. polysperma grow an inch a day.

Tropica has a pretty extensive list of plants, and has an advanced search option where you can search for plants for your needs. http://www.tropica.com

Basically any plant that grows fast will absorb nitrates faster than a plant that grows slow. This poses a problem in smaller tanks, because faster growing plants outgrow smaller tanks faster... But with enough trimming (think lawnmower here, down to 2-3 inches) stem plants like the Hygro I mentioned can become quite bushy and look really good.

You didn't mention your lighting situation, but if you've got a fair bit of light over that tank, you can also try Hemianthus micranthemoides. It can grow upwards like a stem plant, or be laid on its side and allowed to grow upwards slightly, and then trimmed, to create a carpet. It's also a fast grower, with enough light.

The true Nitrate killer is Hornwort, that stuff grows like wildfire.

perek wrote:The true Nitrate killer is Hornwort, that stuff grows like wildfire.

Unfortunately, it tends to be difficult to aquascape with, having no roots. I didn't mention it for that reason, most people don't use it long term because it just floats there and looks like a furry rope.

Even if you weigh it down, it grows so fast you're pretty much trimming it every day.

GekkoGeck0 wrote:

perek wrote:The true Nitrate killer is Hornwort, that stuff grows like wildfire.

Unfortunately, it tends to be difficult to aquascape with, having no roots. I didn't mention it for that reason, most people don't use it long term because it just floats there and looks like a furry rope.

Even if you weigh it down, it grows so fast you're pretty much trimming it every day.

But my 20L tanks nitrates have read under 10ppm everytime I have measured it, and many times at 0ppm (undetectable).

I like to keep it in one corner of my tank as a refuge for shrimp and snails.

oh.... i thought that moss balls were the best nitrAte absorber....

The Fisherman wrote:oh.... i thought that moss balls were the best nitrAte absorber....

Hardly, they dont even do alot of damage.

what do they do then? they do look nice but they are kinda expensive. i paid 8 bucks for a really good quality one from my LFS.

ill pos tpics of my DP tank once i get it arranged properly. still waiting for the driftwood to sink.

perek wrote:But my 20L tanks nitrates have read under 10ppm everytime I have measured it, and many times at 0ppm (undetectable).

I like to keep it in one corner of my tank as a refuge for shrimp and snails.

It's not always desirable in a planted tank to keep nitrates down at 0. They need nitrates to survive.

Hornwort is a great nitrate sponge, yes, but so are other plants.