Marimo Moss Balls

[Just_Another_One]

theres a guy selling Marimo Moss Balls near me on craigslist for $6(sm) $8(lg)

i was wondering if anyone has them and can recommend them. i mainly want one for my betta tank.

anything special i would need to know about them to keep them going good?

thanks

 

[minxfishy]

With moss balls you basically just plop them in (you might need to give them squeeze to help them sink) and thats it, they grow (albeit slowly) without any help at all and supposedly help reduce algae as they use up the nutrients algae likes.

Great things moss balls.

 

[Honeythorn]

I'd definitely reccommend them. I have one in my betta tank and he occasionally rests on it ( and knocks it off his ornament the little sod ) . Plus they are simply great looking additions to a tank. The light in my betta tank is only 6 watts and it's doing absolutely fine under that.

 

[Corleone]

Some people just put them in their tank as-is, which personally I always thought looked a but weird. But you can pull the ball apart somewhat. The moss will attach to just about anything given some time, so you can tie it to a rock or driftwood and later remove the string, and you'll have a nice start on a moss carpet.

 

[three-fingers]

Interesting to note that moss balls are actually a species of hair algae. They grow very slowly compared to most plants (moss included), but don't need very much light at all, a little direct light from a window or a small fluorescent over the tank is fine.

If you want them to keep their shape, you need to roll them around every now and then, because the reason they have their shape is because the waves in the few lakes they are found in roll them around.

 

[aaronnorth]

The moss will attach to just about anything

moss balls are actually algae like three-fingers said.

 

[~T~]

I use a net and attach them to rocks(smallish pebble types). They look much neater and dont get pulled apart as easy.

Heres a pic or 2.

They soon grow in to hide the nets and lose the round shape.

 

[jennybugs]

Check THIS out

I love marimos and have them in all my fw and brackish tanks. I can't kill them off and if left the flatten out to form a carpet.

They're superb for lowering nitrates in your water

 

[Just_Another_One]

CUTE website from the post above me .. lol the japenese(i think) are funny people.

thanks for all the advise on the marimo balls everyone. im actually very excited to to get one for each of my tanks on thursday as they look pretty cute and it looks like my tanks will benefit from them as well as my fish.

I use a net and attach them to rocks(smallish pebble types). They look much neater and dont get pulled apart as easy.

Heres a pic or 2.

They soon grow in to hide the nets and lose the round shape.

thats a interesting way to do it. i may have to try it in one of my tanks.

by the way, thats a really cute pleco family photo there of them enjoying their dinner.

ps:whats the plec with the white line on his top fin called??

 

[Rlon35]

Moss balls are a good addition to the tank. Squeezing them makes them rise, not fall, as far as my experience goes. They grow extremely slowly. The effect is better when several are right next to eachother as opposed to spread throughout the tank IMO. I like that technique with the netting and small rock, as I think that is a great idea. I unraveled one and wedge it into a groove in my driftwwod....looks great as contrasted with the java moss and riccia that are also on the wood. I have seen 'baby' ones, but they are really small and have yet to develop so that I can easily notice them.

 

[~T~]

CUTE website from the post above me .. lol the japenese(i think) are funny people.

thanks for all the advise on the marimo balls everyone. im actually very excited to to get one for each of my tanks on thursday as they look pretty cute and it looks like my tanks will benefit from them as well as my fish.

I use a net and attach them to rocks(smallish pebble types). They look much neater and dont get pulled apart as easy.

Heres a pic or 2.

They soon grow in to hide the nets and lose the round shape.

thats a interesting way to do it. i may have to try it in one of my tanks.

by the way, thats a really cute pleco family photo there of them enjoying their dinner.

ps:whats the plec with the white line on his top fin called??

Thanks.

He's a mango/magnum pl*co and my fave. Had him since my expensive pl*co phase days and hes the only one left (others were sold/given away and I had a few die after a nasty bout of ich).

 

[aaronnorth]

CUTE website from the post above me .. lol the japenese(i think) are funny people.

thanks for all the advise on the marimo balls everyone. im actually very excited to to get one for each of my tanks on thursday as they look pretty cute and it looks like my tanks will benefit from them as well as my fish.

I use a net and attach them to rocks(smallish pebble types). They look much neater and dont get pulled apart as easy.

Heres a pic or 2.

They soon grow in to hide the nets and lose the round shape.

thats a interesting way to do it. i may have to try it in one of my tanks.

by the way, thats a really cute pleco family photo there of them enjoying their dinner.

ps:whats the plec with the white line on his top fin called??

Thanks.

He's a mango/magnum pl*co and my fave. Had him since my expensive pl*co phase days and hes the only one left (others were sold/given away and I had a few die after a nasty bout of ich).

Hope you dont mind me asking but why do you put an asterisk in pleco?