# Marimo moss balls growth?



## JadeAngel (Jul 31, 2012)

Ok... so I've decided that when my new tank arrives, I am going to get a marimo moss ball (probably not for a week or two). The moss balls at our local petsmart are genuine marimo, as I was hunting around looking for real ones to see where I could avoid the fakes. 

But I have a question for anyone with the real deal.

I have read a lot about their growth, and I could be mixing things up. The fakes grow fast and multiply or split? IF by any chance I do end up with a fake that does this, what on earth do you do with all those extra moss balls if you have no one to give them to and don't want to fill up the tank with them? Also, how long does it take the non-marimo moss balls to grow large enough to split in 2 of the same size it was when purchased?

And as far as the genuine marimo moss balls... I've read they grow slow. But I'm a bit confused. Do they ever split and multiply like the java moss or non-marimo kind? and how slow IS slow? like... will the 4" moss ball at the petsmart become a 6" moss ball in a few weeks, and reach 8 or more inches? or am I getting it wrong?

I am too intimidated by planted tanks to try them out really. I mean come on. My carrots last year didn't get past 2" and my radishes were pathetic! But it seems that genuine marimo moss balls are super easy to care for, and isn't any real plant life better than none?

I'm fairly certain what they are selling are real marimo moss balls because it isn't spikey type.. more like soft fuzzy type texture.


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## mushumouse (Dec 29, 2012)

slow growth: is almost imperceptible growth. i've had a big 2-inch marimo & 5 little nanos for 3 months, with no growth noticeable to the naked eye.  if you get one just make sure it's the size you want because it's going to stay that size for a long long time.

splitting: the marimos are actually a kind of algae that's been rolled into a ball shape by a current, so since it's sitting on your tank floor motionless now, it wants to unroll. if you don't take them out every so often and roll them between your hands like a meatball, it won't stay in ball shape (i do this every other water change or so, maybe that's overkill but it seems to have worked so far). i've read some people saying that they just pulled off a piece of the marimo or a piece fell off, and since this is a ball of algae and not a plant with a central plant body thingus (i'm tired and don't remember the right word, you know what i mean, like a stem or root), they just rolled that piece between their hands and boom. another marimo. seems like people also often say that this leaves the marimos really lumpy then though.

fakes. "fake" marimos are moss that has been rolled around or tied or glued or whatever to a ball/rock. none of the pictures i've seen have looked like marimos at all, but whatever. they won't split into new balls, they're just mosses. i've read that the inner parts can rot and make a tank nasty after a while. there are also "fake" marimos that are totally artificial, but they're sold dry in boxes.


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## Corsica (Apr 1, 2013)

Everything I have researched on marimos pretty much matches what mushumouse wrote!


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## JadeAngel (Jul 31, 2012)

mushumouse said:


> slow growth: is almost imperceptible growth. i've had a big 2-inch marimo & 5 little nanos for 3 months, with no growth noticeable to the naked eye.  if you get one just make sure it's the size you want because it's going to stay that size for a long long time.
> 
> splitting: the marimos are actually a kind of algae that's been rolled into a ball shape by a current, so since it's sitting on your tank floor motionless now, it wants to unroll. if you don't take them out every so often and roll them between your hands like a meatball, it won't stay in ball shape (i do this every other water change or so, maybe that's overkill but it seems to have worked so far). i've read some people saying that they just pulled off a piece of the marimo or a piece fell off, and since this is a ball of algae and not a plant with a central plant body thingus (i'm tired and don't remember the right word, you know what i mean, like a stem or root), they just rolled that piece between their hands and boom. another marimo. seems like people also often say that this leaves the marimos really lumpy then though.
> 
> fakes. "fake" marimos are moss that has been rolled around or tied or glued or whatever to a ball/rock. none of the pictures i've seen have looked like marimos at all, but whatever. they won't split into new balls, they're just mosses. i've read that the inner parts can rot and make a tank nasty after a while. there are also "fake" marimos that are totally artificial, but they're sold dry in boxes.


Would you have a clear photo of one of your marimos?

When I was looking it up, there were some stores reputable for selling java moss as marimo, and others that were switching over. Since I found what I thought were real ones at petsmart, I did some research and a few people are saying that they used to sell java as marimo, but have switched over as a chain to the genuine thing.


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## mushumouse (Dec 29, 2012)

sure i just took these on my phone.


















real marimos are furry, i mean it really looks like a ball of plush fur. java moss is that stuff in the background on my driftwood- it has little spiky leaves on it, if you google it you can see it close up. it should be easy to tell the difference in person. i got my big marimo from petco, and the small ones from a big aquarium plant seller on ebay based in thailand- they are clearly the same stuff, and feel the same, kind of spongy when they're squeezed gently. i've seen real ones at petsmart before in cups by where they keep the bettas occasionally.


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