Hard, White Specks On Moss Balls

[teddscau]

A couple months ago I noticed hard, white specks attached to one of my moss balls. The only way I can get them off is by pulling off some the moss ball's little "hairs". Does anyone know what's on it? How do I get them off?

[teddscau]

The specks make the moss ball and ballets look bad. They aren't totally plastered in the stuff but there`s 10-30 specks on each. Perhaps minerals from the water?

[taralm13]

Do you have any nerite snails? They will leave their eggs sometimes on plants and they look like white specks....just a thought.

[teddscau]

Nope, definately not eggs. Something much harder. Hard like rock.

[Northernguy]

Some pics might help others identify the problem.
I have no idea what they are.
Is it just on the moss balls? Not anywhere else in the tank?

[teddscau]

Only on the moss balls. I'll get some pics.

[Cliff]

Are you using Flourish excel in the tank?

That can sometimes start to kill off your moss balls and result in parts of it turning white as it dies off. At least that’s what happened to one of mine before I knew better. The best way I can explain it is to say that excel is a type of liquefied CO2. As Moss balls are really like a type of algae, it will harm your moss balls while helping your plants.

Just a thought

[teddscau]

Nope, no CO2.

[Sarkazmo]

True Marimo Moss Balls are an algae. Excel has a algaecide in it. That's why it kills them.

As far as the OP's question: I've never seen this. I guess it could be minerals in the water but that would tend to coat other things in the tank as well. Could it be tiny bits of gravel that the ball's picked up? Are they uniform in shape and colour? Anyway, I think pics would help a bit to help us figure this out.

Sark