# Marimo balls



## yoink (Apr 21, 2005)

I have one that I bought as a sphere. You have to flip it once a week or so if you want it to retain it's shape. Some say it will spread algae through the tank. I had it in a ten gallon and had quite a hair type algae problem, but I have since moved it to a five gallon and haven't seen any algae to speak of in that tank. I have heard of people braking them/flattening them, but don't have any experience with that.


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## Sully (Nov 11, 2005)

I have two in a small tank, I like them. I can see how you can form a carpet of balls, but it might catch onto alot of debris and look ugly. But it might look really really nice. I never had an algae issue with these things, nice and green.

-SULLY


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## Jerm (Sep 26, 2005)

Supposedly, these grow in rapid moving water where they roll and split, forming more marimo balls. I've also heard that they do not increase algae, but decrease it because they are but another comsumer of their resources.


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## bpm2000 (Feb 16, 2005)

they look cool but i never figured how to implement them without looking like... well balls sitting in your tank!


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## geekgirl (Feb 4, 2003)

Marimo balls need a pretty good bottom current to keep their shape. Or alternately you can take them out of the tank once in awhile and roll them around in your hands like making dough.

You can spread them out and tie them down to root wood or porous rock. It will eventually attach and grow to the wood for a very cool effect. You cannot attach it to your substrate though.


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## oceanaqua (Nov 24, 2005)

Remember that they are very slow grower, it would takes you few years to cover a 55 gallon tank, or just buy a big load of them. Well, Atleast algae can't grow on them =P I been keeping them for almost 6 months now and I can't tell the difference in size. Its also hard for me to aquascape with them when they are a round ball. They are best attach to wood which they look really good.These are some of the pics from the AGA contest:


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## mrbelvedere (Nov 15, 2005)

Wow that is a great picture. I wonder how they can be offered at the price the are, since they grow so slowly.


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## oceanaqua (Nov 24, 2005)

They grow wild in japan and europe, so thats why they offered at a reasonable price. Japan have restriction on freeloadings these balls because they became a nation treasure.


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## turbosaurus (Nov 19, 2005)

That is one of my favorite tanks of all time! Part of what got me into the hobby! Beautiful... Thanks for showing it to me again. 

You can definitely pull the mossball apart almost like pealing an Orange- just stick your thumbs in and start pulling gently. Fasten the flattened piece to drift wood ricks, etc. 

I've had algae grow on almost everything short of hornwort and this stuff! Maybe professional courtesy? It is an algae after all. 

It doesn't spread and it is very slow growing. Its a funny plant- it never seems to grow- it never seems to die off... If only everything was so easy...


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## oceanaqua (Nov 24, 2005)

This is the only algae I want to grow :biggrin:


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## sarahbobarah (May 20, 2005)

I tore mine open and flattened it on my substrate. It kept trying to float, so I put some rocks on it to weigh it down. After a while, it started to cling to the substrate under it. Looks like a little mound of grass.


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## turbosaurus (Nov 19, 2005)

Sarahbobarah- did it ever spread out or just get a little thicker...


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## sarahbobarah (May 20, 2005)

it kind of flattened out around the edges, but it's tough to say if it's new growth. It did, however, get thicker. Shrimp look good playing on it.


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## Urkevitz (Jan 12, 2004)

Oliver Knott planted the substrate with some, you can see the progress in the nano tank section . http://www.plantella.com/


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## Vladdy (May 6, 2008)

I realize that this thread is dead but whoever reads this post, what I can say is that the quickest way to grow Marimo is to completely rip up the marimo ball, down to the last algae thread. This way, it grows pretty fast, and you can roll it back into a ball, or squish a bunch of them into a marimo pad to make a carpet of marimo out of them. They only grow slowly when they are in a ball form.


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