Fish & Boat Commission: Invasive zebra mussels found in aquarium products sold in Pennsylvania

HARRISBURG, Pa. — Aquarium products sold in Pennsylvania may be infested with zebra mussels, according to the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission.

The products, known as “moss balls,” are popular as a type of living aquarium plant and are sold in several states, including Pennsylvania. A batch of these products marketed under brand names such as “Betta Buddy” or “Mini Marimo Moss Balls,” was contaminated with the invasive zebra mussels before they were distributed to pet stores across the country.

Major pet stores like Petco and PetSmart have already removed the products from their shelves, but investigators with the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture have found them for sale in at least one store.

Zebra mussels are small black and white striped, “D-shaped” animals about the size of a fingernail or smaller. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, they are native to Eurasia and probably arrived in the Great Lakes in the 1980s via ballast water from European ships. They filter out algae that native species need for food and attach themselves to native mussels. Power plants are forced to spend millions of dollars each year removing them from clogged water intakes. The shells can be very sharp.

Anyone who purchased a moss ball within the past few weeks is encouraged to follow U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service guidelines on how to properly disinfect them and clean their aquarium systems.

A fish similar to a Piranha was discovered in a Butler County lake

Cox Media Group