Zebra mussels found in aquarium products sold in Sask.

The Saskatchewan government issued an alert Thursday about the presence of zebra mussels in aquarium products sold in the province.

According to the government, zebra mussels — a prohibited aquatic invasive species — about the size of a grain of sand have been found in products that often are sold as Marimo Moss Balls, an ornamental plant often kept with betta fish.

As a result, the province’s Ministry of Environment is asking the public to remove and dispose of all moss/algal balls that were purchased after Jan. 1 of this year.

The government offered the following tips for disposing of the product:

• Treat the moss/algal balls by placing them into a plastic bag, sealing it and freezing it (preferably in a deep freezer) for at least 24 hours OR by placing them in boiling water for at least one minute and then letting them cool.
• Placing the moss balls and any of their packaging in a sealed plastic bag, and disposing of it in your household garbage.
• Treating the aquarium contents and water. After removing the moss balls from an aquarium, do not dispose of untreated water down the drain or ​into any residential water system or waterway.

The ministry stressed that the moss/algal balls or aquarium contents should not be flushed down the toilet, put down a drain or put in a compost. Instead, the following steps are suggested:

For bowls and small tanks:

• Remove fish or other living organisms from the aquarium and place them in another container, with water from a separate, uncontaminated water source.
• Sterilize the remaining contaminated water from the bowl or small tank by adding 25 millilitres of bleach per litre of water.  Let the water sit for at least 15 minutes and then dispose of the sterilized water down a household drain.
• Clean the aquarium and accessories using one of the following methods, ensuring that the method you choose is in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations:
• Boiling Method: Use water that is at least 60 degrees C/140 degrees F to flush and coat the tank and all accessory surfaces and allow to sit for a minimum of one minute; OR
• Disinfection Method: Make a disinfection solution using 25 ml of bleach per litre of water. Soak the aquarium, substrate, rocks, d-cor, and filter media in the bleach water solution for 15 minutes. Rinse off all items before setting up the aquarium.
• Disinfect filter media being changed by soaking it in a bleach solution (25 ml of bleach per litre of water) for at least 15 minutes before sealing it in a plastic bag and disposing of it in your household trash. Use a dechlorinating product to neutralize any residual chlorine before reintroducing aquatic life.

For larger aquariums:

• Where complete disinfection is not possible, monitor your tank for the next several months for any unusual or unexpected aquatic life.
• Treat water from all water changes during this period by adding 25 ml of bleach per litre of water that has been removed from the aquarium, and letting it sit for at least 15 minutes before disposing of the treated water down the drain.
• Disinfect filter media being changed by soaking it in a bleach solution (25 ml of bleach per litre of water) for at least 15 minutes before sealing it in a plastic bag and disposing of it in your household trash.

“Thanks to a well co-ordinated effort by jurisdictions across Western Canada, and swift action and collaboration from retailers, moss balls were quickly removed from the supply chain, ensuring that potentially contaminated products are no longer available for distribution or purchase,” the government said in its release.

Anyone who thinks they have found a zebra mussel in a moss ball, in their aquarium or anywhere else in the province is urged to call Saskatchewan’s Turn In Poachers and Polluters line at 1-800-667-7561.