More than 30 states, including Indiana, find invasive zebra mussels in aquarium moss balls - IndyStar
More than 30 states, including Indiana, find invasive zebra mussels in aquarium moss balls - IndyStar |
| Posted: 12 Mar 2021 03:00 AM PST CLOSE  Federal and state agencies are working with pet and aquarium stores across the U.S. to remove moss balls infected with zebra mussels. Here's why. Wochit Pet stores in more than 30 states across the country, including Indiana, have been selling something they shouldn't: invasive zebra mussels. These fingernail-sized mussels are regarded as one of the most destructive invasive species in North America, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Originating from Eurasia, they have wreaked havoc on the Great Lakes in the last two decades by messing with the aquatic food chain and clogging pipes. And in just the last week, they have been found in aquarium moss balls that are sold in stores across the country. More specifically, the aquatic pest has been detected in Marimo Moss Balls at Petco and PetSmart stores, although specific locations have not been identified. When Eric Fischer first received reports of this problem last week, the Indiana Department of Natural Resources official immediately went out to check a local store. "We found them in the very first store I went to, and it was about a quarter of their inventory," said Fischer, DNR's aquatic invasive species coordinator. "That was indicative they were already spread." Scrub Hub: What are the benefits of composting and how can I get started?  A picture of a moss ball with an invasive zebra mussel hiding in the ball. This was a moss ball discovered by Indiana Department of Natural Resources official Eric Fischer at an Indiana pet store. These infested moss balls have been found in pet stores in more than 20 states, and federal and state agencies are trying to control the spread. (Photo: Indiana Department of Natural Resources)He said it's hard to give an exact number, but he believes there could be thousands of the mussel-infested moss balls in Indiana. Moss balls are an ornamental aquarium product that helps generate oxygen and remove nitrates from aquarium tanks. The mussels were first discovered in the last week of February when a Petco employee in Washington state found them among the moss balls in a Seattle store. The employee reported that finding to the U.S. Geological Survey, which alerted federal and state agencies across the country. Since then, reports have come from all across the U.S., including Alaska, Florida, Michigan, California, Vermont, New Mexico, Oklahoma and North Dakota. "One aspect that is very alarming for us is that we were very unprepared for this particular pathway," said USGS fisheries biologist Wesley Daniel. "Being sold in aquarium and pet stores makes the problem very diffuse." The corporate stores have begun to pull and quarantine their moss ball stocks, according to the USGS. About 30% of the inventories have been infested, Daniel said based on research in the last week. They also are reaching out to customers through their membership clubs and putting up signs in their stores. Some infested stocks have also been sold online, according to Fischer. Indiana DNR is not yet sure the extent of the spread in independent and small retailers, but is working to gather that information. Have an aquarium?: Here are the 5 things to know about invasive zebra mussels in moss balls  A moss ball with a zebra mussel infestation. (Photo: North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission)It also is not known how long the infested products have been on the market, Daniel said, though the Washington employee said she'd been seeing the mussels for a couple months. It also is unclear if other brands may also be infested. Aquarium moss balls are plants that are imported from Ukraine, according to the USGS, which is within the native habitat for zebra mussels. Still, live zebra mussels are illegal to own, sell and distribute in the U.S. These mussels, identifiable by their light and dark stripes, first invaded the country in the 1990s through ballast water that was emptied into the Great Lakes. Since then, they've become an established nuisance in many inland lakes in the Midwest region, hitching rides on the bottoms of boats and other aquatic gear. Indiana is no exception. Measures have been put in place in recent years to better clean and check gear when being removed or put into water bodies, but plenty of damage has already been done, according to wildlife groups.  Buy Photo Like a green carpet spreading out from an island, algae and other invasive water plants coat the surface of Geist Reservoir Wednesday September 18, 2013. The plants and zebra mussels have combined to make life difficult for boaters, fouling center boards of sailboats, wrapping around motorboat propellers, and fouling the intakes of jet skis. (Photo: Joe Vitti / The Star)These mussels multiply quickly, without any natural predator, and cling in clumps to any solid object in the waters they inhabit. The tiny mollusks eat plankton and other algae that is the food source for native fish and insects. Those native species then struggle and it moves on up the chain, thoroughly disrupting the aquatic food web in the Great Lakes. They have also been blamed for exacerbating the impact of harmful algal blooms, as they eat everything but the toxic blue-green algae. Not only do they have serious impacts on recreation and tourism, but they have cost cities and industry millions of dollars. Zebra mussels love to cling to hard surfaces such as intake and outtake pipes, Fischer said, and companies and governments then have to constantly work, and spend, to keep them from getting clogged.  Austin Water has stepped up efforts to cleanse its water treatment plants of zebra mussels, which are tiny, invasive mollusks that first appeared in Austin waters in 2017 and have since infested the city's drinking water sources at Lake Travis and Lake Austin. (Photo: Contributed by City of Austin)Though these mussels should be contained in aquariums, there still are concerns that they could be spread into the wild — particularly in areas and states that they have not infested yet. Aquarium dumping, or disposing of unwanted pets and plants into natural waterways, occurs more than you'd think, Fischer said. The state often discovers aquarium species such as goldfish in Indiana's waters. If the moss balls were to be released into a natural body of water or not disposed of properly, the zebra mussels could further spread, Fischer said. Amid those concerns, Indiana DNR recommends that anyone who purchased moss balls from a pet or aquarium store this year to decontaminate and destroy the product — even if a zebra mussel is not clearly visible. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the USGS and representatives of the pet industry have developed instructions for how to carefully decontaminate the moss balls and destroy any zebra mussels and larvae they contain. The methods include:
After following one of these methods, bag the moss ball and dispose of it in the trash. It's also recommended that tank water from aquariums holding infested moss balls be decontaminated by removing plants and pets and then adding a tenth of a cup of bleach to every gallon of water. Then allow at least 10 minutes before draining. Fischer said that anyone who has purchased an infested moss ball should email AIS@dnr.IN.gov with the source of the moss balls, the approximate date of purchase, and photographs of zebra mussels on the moss balls. For more information on zebra mussels or other aquatic invasive species, see dnr.IN.gov/6348.htm.  Zebra mussells (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service)Call IndyStar reporter Sarah Bowman at 317-444-6129 or email at sarah.bowman@indystar.com. Follow her on Twitter and Facebook: @IndyStarSarah. Connect with IndyStar's environmental reporters: Join The Scrub on Facebook. IndyStar's environmental reporting project is made possible through the generous support of the nonprofit Nina Mason Pulliam Charitable Trust. Read or Share this story: https://www.indystar.com/story/news/environment/2021/03/12/indiana-sounds-alarm-invasive-zebra-mussels-found-aquarium-products-moss-balls/4647282001/ |
| Zebra mussels find another vehicle for mayhem: moss balls - KSDK.com Posted: 11 Mar 2021 09:00 AM PST  The invasive species is moving from the algae product popular in home aquariums into creeks and reservoirs JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Zebra mussels, the invasive species that cause extensive damage to waterways, have discovered another way to inflict harm to the habitat and economy. They recently have been found in a type of algae – known as "moss balls" – that are popular with aquarium owners. Because of this, the Missouri Department of Conservation, as well as fisheries experts across the country, are asking aquarium owners and pet store staff to examine moss balls for these troublesome mollusks. Moss balls that contain zebra mussels have been found in Missouri. Marimo is a filamentous algae that grows into green, velvety moss balls. In the wild, marimo is found mainly in Europe and Asia (primarily Japan). Their aesthetic appeal has made these plant-like organisms popular in the aquarium trade. It has been discovered that some moss balls being commercially sold for aquariums in several states, including Missouri, contained zebra mussels. Experts don't know how zebra mussels got inside the moss balls, but this development reveals a new way the non-native pests can spread. KING 5 in Seattle reported that the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife found "at least a dozen zebra mussels" in moss balls at a popular chain pet store in the city. Any aquarium containing moss balls infected with zebra mussels potentially has zebra mussel larvae (called veligers) in its water. When aquarium water is switched out or if the contents get dumped into a nearby creek or lake, it could introduce zebra mussels into a new body of water. This further emphasizes what fisheries biologists in Missouri and other states say often: Never dispose of aquarium contents in a nearby body of water because of the harmful non-native organisms this could introduce into local ecosystems. In the case of zebra mussels, the problems can be both biological and economical. Just in the last week, zebra mussels have turned up in Florida, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, New York and Pennsylvania. Once they inhabit a waterway, their exponential spread can do massive damage. The huge clusters these fingernail-sized mussels can form (sometimes as thick as a million mussels per square meter) can cause operational problems for pipes and other water-intake equipment. Their clustering activities can also kill native mussels and disrupt aquatic food chains. The discovery of zebra mussels in moss balls means aquarium owners play an invaluable part in preventing the spread of zebra mussels, too. If you find zebra mussels in your aquarium, MDC advises to remember these three words – destroy, dispose, drain. Follow these guidelines, as provided by the Missouri Department of Conservation and US Fish & Wildlife Service: Destroy in one of three ways:
Dispose: Once one of the above-listed "destroy" steps have been taken, dispose of the moss ball and any of its packaging in a sealed plastic bag in the trash. If vinegar, boiling water or bleach was used, the liquid can be disposed down a household drain. Never pour into a storm drain where it could enter and damage local waterways. Drain: Drain and clean the aquarium. When draining and cleaning your aquarium, it's important to follow these steps:
More information about how to take care of zebra mussel-infected moss balls can be found on the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service's website here. More information about how to prevent the spread of zebra mussels in Missouri can be found on the Missouri Department of Conservation's website. |
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