The power of mossballs

[Seized]

The good old marimo moss ball. One of the easiest in to grow in the hobby. Its almost impossible to kill. These plants are awesome for starting new tanks or to add surface area for shrimp and other animals to snack on the bits of food and biofilm that grow off of them. I personally own about 7 of them. The best part about them is they just have a knack for holding in lots of nutrients microfauna and bio film. What are your thoughts on the marimo moss ball

[StephenP2003]

1 hour ago, Seized said:

The good old marimo moss ball. One of the easiest in to grow in the hobby. Its almost impossible to kill. These plants are awesome for starting new tanks or to add surface area for shrimp and other animals to snack on the bits of food and biofilm that grow off of them. I personally own about 7 of them. The best part about them is they just have a knack for holding in lots of nutrients microfauna and bio film. What are your thoughts on the marimo moss ball

I probably own 20 or 30 of them, but most of them torn open for various uses. I love em too. 

Using as grass between the rocks on a hill:

 

Bonsai tree:

[Streetwise]

I wish they wouldn't use moss in the name. From Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo

Marimo^[a] (also known as Cladophora ball, moss ball, moss ball pets, or lake ball) is a rare growth form of Aegagropila linnaei (a species of filamentous green algae) in which the algae grow into large green balls with a velvety appearance. Marimo are eukaryotic.

[RovingGinger]

I like them a lot and throw them into new tanks often. Now if they just multiplied like guppy grass does, I'd have a tribbles problem on my hand. 

[Daniel]

I just ordered some from the Co-Op.  They seem pretty interesting and useful!

[shkote]

21 hours ago, StephenP2003 said:

I probably own 20 or 30 of them, but most of them torn open for various uses. I love em too. 

Using as grass between the rocks on a hill:

 

Bonsai tree:

When you made your moss ball Bonsai, did you have issues with a ton of floating stray pieces, or did you rinse really well? I attached some to manzanita branches years ago, but I remember it being a huge mess for awhile. I would love to do it again though just wondering if rinsing makes any difference. 

[Lazarus the fish boy]

I LOVE them! So pretty! And the idea of moss as a ball is awesome! I need to get more now lol!

[StephenP2003]

3 hours ago, Lynze said:

When you made your moss ball Bonsai, did you have issues with a ton of floating stray pieces, or did you rinse really well? I attached some to manzanita branches years ago, but I remember it being a huge mess for awhile. I would love to do it again though just wondering if rinsing makes any difference. 

I rinsed them well per the advice of someone at my LFS. They didn't seam that dirty to begin with, but I didn't have issues with floaters. I did see some of it go gray and die off shortly after, because I used a bit too much super glue. The moss balls have grown noticeably in the past 11 months. 

[Irene]

20 hours ago, Lynze said:

When you made your moss ball Bonsai, did you have issues with a ton of floating stray pieces, or did you rinse really well? I attached some to manzanita branches years ago, but I remember it being a huge mess for awhile. I would love to do it again though just wondering if rinsing makes any difference. 

Yes, I had loose strands of the marimo moss ball start growing elsewhere in my tank, even though I was regularly rolling the marimo moss in my hands during every water change to maintain its round shape. Not sure why some people experience that and other people have no issues with their moss ball "spreading."

[DaveSamsell]

I have about 70 Marimo balls, combined in several aquariums.  Some are growing quite large.  Really enjoy watching my Mystery Snails go over them like a vacuum that cleans a soft carpet.  Plus, the snails help me roll them around so every side gets some light.

Really like the healthy, dark green appearance they exhibit.  Nice contrast in color if placed by other, differently colored plants.

[RyanR]

I love mine.  I have about 6.  I'm not sure who's moving them, but I find them in different places every once in a while.  My LFS has a couple that are about 5 or 6 inches in diameter.  Im afraid to ask how much they are, if they are even for sale 

[Tre]

My husband has three in a jar with a twig....most aquarium he’ll do....

My best friend has one called “Bob Moss” and he has a painting setup. ><

[Travis]

17 hours ago, Tre said:

My husband has three in a jar with a twig....most aquarium he’ll do....

My best friend has one called “Bob Moss” and he has a painting setup. ><

Im going to have to steal this idea if i can find some small props lol

 

 

 

[Tre]

9 minutes ago, Travis said:

Im going to have to steal this idea if i can find some small props lol

 

 

 

Yes. I love her “Bob Moss”. She needs a new little easel for him. It’s adorable lol

[Rikostan]

On 9/1/2020 at 11:36 PM, StephenP2003 said:

I probably own 20 or 30 of them, but most of them torn open for various uses. I love em too. 

Using as grass between the rocks on a hill:

 

Bonsai tree:

Love that look! I wondered how well they did "spread out", now I know, thanks.

[ADMWNDSR83]

I've never been brave enough to get any of these, maybe I should get some into the tank!

[mouseturd13]

I had no idea you could cut them up and glue them to things! I’ve been running out of room to keep letting them just sit around maybe I’ll try something like that! 

[LiveBearer Fan]

I have one and it is completely brown. How do I fix this? 

My fish are definitely moving it around.  This is the third location since I added it. 🙂

 

 

[H.K.Luterman]

4 minutes ago, LiveBearer Fan said:

I have one and it is completely brown. How do I fix this? 

My fish are definitely moving it around.  This is the third location since I added it. 🙂

How warm is your tank? Sometimes being too warm can cause them to brown. It also might not be getting enough nutrients. How long have you had it, and was it nice and green at the time of purchase?

I ordered one from Aquarium Co-Op about a year ago I think, and when it came it had a little brown spot on it (it can happen during shipping or if one side just didn't get enough light in its tank). But over time and making sure to turn it, it grew back in green. It's now a happy little fuzz ball. 

[LiveBearer Fan]

My tank is 78-80 degrees. I have not added any fertilizer to the water at all. I do roll the moss in my hands with each water change.

I am ordering root tabs today and possibly some Easy Green liquid for my stem plants.

The ball was green when I bought it.

[H.K.Luterman]

Just now, LiveBearer Fan said:

My tank is 78-80 degrees. I have not added any fertilizer to the water at all. I do roll the moss in my hands with each water change.

I am ordering root tabs today and possibly some Easy Green liquid for my stem plants.

The ball was green when I bought it.

Hmph. Are there any green spots left? It might be too far gone to save. You could try putting it in a glass on the window sill and just give it some TLC, see if it comes back. 

[LiveBearer Fan]

There are no green spots that I can see. I will try the window sill method.

Thank you so much! The good news is, they aren't that expensive so it could be a "Live and Learn" lesson that didn't break me.

[LiveBearer Fan]

I just removed the ball from the aquarium to place it in the window (my male molly was not happy; he was eating off of it). Turns out, it is kind of green! YAY! 

[H.K.Luterman]

9 minutes ago, LiveBearer Fan said:

I just removed the ball from the aquarium to place it in the window (my male molly was not happy; he was eating off of it). Turns out, it is kind of green! YAY! 

You know, it might just be dirty, and so the green isn't getting light and such. Every time I do a water change I take mine and rinse it / gently squeeze it out under the tank water, and then give it a little roll between my hands. You could try just doing that and see if it improves.