Warning Issued in Maine Over Invasive Mussels Found in Pet Store Products - NECN

Warning Issued in Maine Over Invasive Mussels Found in Pet Store Products - NECN

Warning Issued in Maine Over Invasive Mussels Found in Pet Store Products - NECN

Posted: 17 Mar 2021 05:58 PM PDT

A new warning from Maine's Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife reads, "if you purchased moss balls, immediately destroy them with one of these methods."

The message concerns aquarium moss balls that were found with invasive zebra mussels in them at central and southern Maine pet stores and other pet stores nationally.

"If accidentally or intentionally released into the wild, these zebra mussels can quickly outcompete native species, and can clog boat motors, hydropower structures, intake pipes and other in-water structures," the department said in a news release published March 8.

According to fisheries and wildlife officials, the balls are sold as accessories for fish tanks or with betta fish.

"It's challenging as we try to control invasive species moving from one space to another," said Pamela MacRae, a fish community ecologist and professor of fisheries ecology at Unity College, who explained the mussels are small and can spread unnoticed in the moss the same way they sometimes do on boats moved from lake to lake.

Advocates for Lake Champlain hope an eye-catching new message reminds boaters to take steps to block invasive plants or animals from spreading between waterways.

"Once they get into a system, they take over," she said of the quickly reproducing mollusks that steal nutrients from other organisms and can damage boat motors and hydropower infrastructure.

"It's really expensive to try and remove them," she said.

To prevent a clean-up that's costly both environmentally and economically, MDIFW officials have also published instructions on how people who have recently bought moss balls should destroy them:

DO NOT FLUSH moss balls or untreated water down the toilet or dispose of anywhere they could get into a water system.

If you purchased moss balls, destroy them by using one of these methods:

  • Freeze - Place the moss ball into a sealable plastic bag and freeze for at least 24 hours.
  • Boil - Place the moss ball in boiling water for at least 1 full minute.
  • Bleach - Submerge the moss ball in chlorine bleach for 20 minutes

If these moss balls were in a fish tank, the entire tank will need to be disinfected:

  1. Remove fish
  2. Dispose of all aquatic plants in the same manner as the moss ball, either by freezing or boiling
  3. Add one cup of household bleach per gallon of water, mix well, and let sit for at least 10 minutes in the tank
  4. Drain the tank and dispose of bleached water down the sink or toilet
  5. Thoroughly disinfect (or replace) all gravel, pumps, filters, decorations and other items in the aquarium with a bleach solution (1 cup bleach/gallon of water), letting them soak for at least 10 minutes

Again, DO NOT pour tank water down sink drains or flush down the toilet without disinfecting it first. Do not dump untreated tank water anywhere near or into an outside water body, including storm drains.

For more information, please visit https://www.fws.gov/fisheries/ANS/zebra-mussel-disposal.html.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post

This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post This fish is worth $300,000 - New York Post Posted: 05 Jun 2016 12:00 AM PDT With exacting precision, the surgeon inserted the scalpel above the eyeball and cut out a snotty deposit of fatty tissue. The routine eye-lift was nearly complete when suddenly the patient awoke, suffocating, and began to flop about on the table. The audience gasped. Knowing time was of the essence, the surgeon scooped up the patient in his arms, raced across the stage, and dropped her into a tank of water. She revived. Because she was a fish. Yes, fish eye-lifts exist. As do fin jobs and tail tucks. The operating theater was a mall in Jakarta, Indonesia, where a pet expo was under way. As for the patient, she survived, her formerly droopy eyes now bright and perky. A good thing, too, as this was no ordinary goldfish but rather an Asian arowana, the world's most expensive aquarium denizen, rumored to sell for as mu
Read more

Catching Dory: selling aquarium fish supports coastal livelihoods in Indonesia | npj Ocean Sustainability - Nature.com

Image
Abstract The global marine aquarium trade has created new local markets across the planet, including in Indonesia, now the second-largest exporting country of marine aquarium fish in the world. Participating in the global aquarium trade has been touted as a potentially sustainable addition to fisher livelihoods, but scant data exist showing the numbers of fish coming off the reef and how those fish contribute to income. To determine how participants in the trade incorporate aquarium species in their livelihoods, we examine source-level aquarium fish collecting and trading data in the Banggai Archipelago, a region in Central Sulawesi that has become a significant source for popular aquarium, also known as ornamental, fish species. Using a sustainable livelihoods lens, we examine this data to understand how participants in the aquarium trade both contribute to as well as benefit from the trade and consider how their participation relates to emerging Blue Justice principles. From one year
Read more

NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire

Image
NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire NilocG Launches New Website for the Only All-in-One Thrive Fertilization Solution for Planted Aquariums - PRNewswire Posted: 11 Mar 2021 02:00 AM PST ALBANY, Ore. , March 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- NilocG launches a new website for planted tank enthusiasts to gather and make THRIVE, a plant fertilizer that assures planted tank aquascapes flourish while eliminating the need for multiple products more readily available online. The company also takes it a step further in the industry, making its flagship product easy to dose, super-concentrated, and an all-in-one solution based on an effective EL dosing method with all essential micro and macronutrients. Continue Reading Thrive fertilizer: North America's most trusted aquarium plant fertilizer Colin Grice , CEO, a self-described planted tank lover, re
Read more