Habitat - Indoor :: Moss balls yay or nay? Whaddyathink?

[Marcus.85]

So, I've read a bunch of discussions on here and elsewhere about moss balls in turtle tanks.
Some say their turtles leave them alone, others that they got destroyed.
I'm asking you guys, do they get eaten or just shred to pieces? Because in the latter case the moss (actually algae) would still survive and, in time, slowly grow back into a ball shape.
Since I found them online at a nice price, and I need some for my shrimp tank AND my mud turtle tank AND my crawfish tank, I was thinking on adding another 10 or so to the RES tank also, since it's the biggest and the only one which actually needs them (because of the extremely high Nitrate level).
So should I go for 10-12 extra moss balls or not? The more I buy the less each mossball is gonna cost.. because of the shipping fee remaining the same.
Also, should I get big ones so that they're harder to chew on?
Thanks.

[steve]

I think all moss balls mentioned have been destroyed and eaten

Are you thinking of getting it off ebay?

[Marcus.85]

I think all moss balls mentioned have been destroyed and eaten

Are you thinking of getting it off ebay?

Darn, it's a shame.. I have a small one in the mud turtles' tank, i'm gonna try to introduce it to its new friends red ear sliders and see what happens.
Yes, on ebay they're quite cheap, but if the mossball guinea pig gets eaten, I'll just buy a dozen or so small ones.. or get just 4-5 at my local petstore..

[TurtleKeeper48]

I used to think moss balls were okay, and even said as much on this site. I have changed my mind. They were left alone for a very long time, but eventually they all got destroyed. I thought they were just balls of moss. They contained Styrofoam. Little rocks small enough to choke on, and a bunch of fishing line. They clogged a filter to the point it almost completely stopped and made me clean an entire tank and filter early and could have burned up a very expensive filter. I thought they were okay. They were not. I’ve heard people say that there is some kind of ‘moss ball’ that is really just moss. I would suggest that they shred one apart themselves to make sure that is the case, because ours (bought at Petco) were not – they were as described above. I would classify them as highly dangerous and I now do not use any type of live plants in my turtle enclosures. The clean up and risk is not worth it. I feed a variety of vegetables and use a lot of very natural looking fake plastic plants.

[Marcus.85]

I used to think moss balls were okay, and even said as much on this site. I have changed my mind. They were left alone for a very long time, but eventually they all got destroyed. I thought they were just balls of moss. They contained Styrofoam. Little rocks small enough to choke on, and a bunch of fishing line. They clogged a filter to the point it almost completely stopped and made me clean an entire tank and filter early and could have burned up a very expensive filter. I thought they were okay. They were not. I’ve heard people say that there is some kind of ‘moss ball’ that is really just moss. I would suggest that they shred one apart themselves to make sure that is the case, because ours (bought at Petco) were not – they were as described above. I would classify them as highly dangerous and I now do not use any type of live plants in my turtle enclosures. The clean up and risk is not worth it. I feed a variety of vegetables and use a lot of very natural looking fake plastic plants.

Oh I heard about those 'fake' mossballs. Yeah I agree it wouldn't be a good idea at all. But I got real moss balls "cladophora aegagropila".
I put a small one in the res tank, they tried to eat it but didn't like the taste I guess, since they spit it out. Now it's just sitting there. I think it's worth a shot, tomorrow I'm gonna order some off ebay (unless it gets eaten tonight).

[shedreamsinred]

I have had five in my RES tank for a few months now and he loves them, occasionally he pushes them around and plays with them but never bites them and they're nowhere near destroyed. I got them from a seller on Ebay that came recommended here, he sent them quickly and they are great.

[gianoshoes]

Hey. I've had good experiences with the moss /marimo balls. I have about 2 of those moss balls (marimo balls) in my tank with one of my painted turtles, and he never bites it or shreds it.
They look really nice too. I'd try one and see what happens.

[Marcus.85]

Okay, after 24 hours the moss ball is still fairly intact.