# Marimo Moss Ball Care???



## PaintingPintos (Dec 27, 2011)

My sister is a Senior in high school and she got a very high honor, and is one of only 8 people to be chosen to live in a dorm. She doesn't want any fish ("I hate cleaning tanks, they're so messy") and she decided that a little "goldfish bowl" or vase with a Marimo Moss ball would be perfect to take care of. But you have to supply it ammonia.....right? How would you go about that? Pop in a few fish pellets a few times a week? How often would you have to squeeze it out then? 
Also my Marimo moss ball was $9 and it's about 2 1/2 inches in diameter....however at Petsmart one day they had a biiig tank full of plants (some were bendy wires covered with java moss that they bent to say "PETSMART" which was really neat) and there was an absolutely ENORMOUS Marimo moss ball! It was around 7 inches in diameter, but it was a bit flattened....I wanted it so badly though! I think it would be cool to have a shrimp tank with only Marimo moss balls everywhere.... but then again sometimes Ash gets stuck under the moss and I have to pop him out :roll:
Anyway....would it be ok if my sister put the moss in a vase and with whatever else she needs, and left it in a sunny windowsill? Or would it get too hot and kill the plant?
Thanks in advance!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

they don't need ammonia. They CAN absorb it in larger aquariums, but they definitely do not NEED it. I have mine in a ten gal. with my betta, and it gets ONLY light from a nearby window. I don't use ferts or soils or anything. Just gravel. 

I dont overfeed my fish either, so it dosent "eat" food.

They are very low matinence, just she you clean the bowl, squeeze it out in the old water. They can live fine in low light.

Good luck! Mine is named Mr. Puffles ^-^

Also, make sure you aren't getting any of those "imposter" moss balls. The imposter moss balls have real moss covering the outside of a styrofoam ball. Real moss balls sink.

*You can look in my threads to see ALL the info on moss balls. I also included pics in that thread of my REAL moss ball!
Good Luck!*


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## megaredize (May 21, 2012)

If all she is doing is putting some marimo balls in a vase with nothing else in it as in no fish then there really is no care. Marimo balls are just algae that has formed into a ball. they do need some light but not a lot so i think having it in front of a window would be too much. keeping it turned would be good because if one side stays on the bottom too long it starts to go brown. 

heres a link from wikipedia if your interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo i love my marimo balls


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

megaredize said:


> If all she is doing is putting some marimo balls in a vase with nothing else in it as in no fish then there really is no care. Marimo balls are just algae that has formed into a ball. they do need some light but not a lot so i think having it in front of a window would be too much. keeping it turned would be good because if one side stays on the bottom too long it starts to go brown.
> 
> heres a link from wikipedia if your interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marimo i love my marimo balls


You are correct! Mine is NEAR a window with a curtain partly covering it ^_^

They do need to be turned  And they are VERY low matinence. The algae forms into a ball when the river current picks it up and rolls it around the river. They are basically a green sponge


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## registereduser (Jul 30, 2010)

Here is a monster thread, 70 pages on the subject!


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## CharStarr (Jul 3, 2012)

*I dont understand why people keep saying they are expensive? My LPS sells them for like $6, mine has got to be real because it sank. *


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## PaintingPintos (Dec 27, 2011)

CharStarr said:


> *I dont understand why people keep saying they are expensive? My LPS sells them for like $6, mine has got to be real because it sank. *


The shops around other people tend to be expensive, then.
Baby bettas in pitiful condition at my local Petco tend to go for around $12....you can't even tell what gender or tail types they have yet. It's really sad. 
Marimo moss balls are always $8-$12 in my area.


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## staffylover (Jun 10, 2012)

I bought 6 Marimo balls from ebay for £6


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## megaredize (May 21, 2012)

My marimo balls have all been 9.00 and there are average size, i did find this online aquarium plant store and they sell giant marimo balls and even nano marimo balls they are soo cute, you can get 5 nanos for 6.90. Heres the link http://www.aquariumplantsandsupplies.com/index.php?cPath=52_107&osCsid=48uphom0d4hj5a9cgddnru2bv7


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