Moss balls
- Thread starter Novalee
- Start date
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO-8859-1&q="marimo+ball"+and+"aquarium"
They're often called "marimo" balls and are a cladophora algae...Algae eating fish generally ignore them and they do not cause algae to spread to the aquarium. They grow rather slowly and some people will take them apart and spread them over rocks or pieces of wood.
They're often called "marimo" balls and are a cladophora algae...Algae eating fish generally ignore them and they do not cause algae to spread to the aquarium. They grow rather slowly and some people will take them apart and spread them over rocks or pieces of wood.
Leopardess said:
This takes forever tho, I have two marimo balls flattened out on a piece of wood and four months later, they are just now beginning to mold themselves to the wood.
These are great to lower Nitrates, nitrites and ammonia levls when they are high. (If we are on about the same plant)
We have these at the shop, they look cool too.
We have these at the shop, they look cool too.
Timmain - I never said anything about the algae behaving or sticking to the wood
I've only really seen them managed like riccia with thread holding them down. Cladophora is known as very slow growing and its true.
I've only really seen them managed like riccia with thread holding them down. Cladophora is known as very slow growing and its true.
Leopardess said:Timmain - I never said anything about the algae behaving or sticking to the wood
Indeed. They don't float, exactly, but don't really stay put either. They are very easily dislodged. If you want to keep them round and green all over, that's okay, because they need to be turned periodically to stay uniform in shape and color. But if there is a specific place in the tank where you want them to stay put, it can be a hassle unless you anchor them.
The fish seem to really like them, they provide a nice sense of shelter. My killifish especially hang out in the little spaces between them (I have 5 marimo balls in my tank.)
They are also handy for camouflaging unsightly parts of the tank.
Leopardess said:
Well, black thread is how those two are being held down now. I've seen images of propigated Cladophora before, I'm just waiting. I have a lot of time.
I also have a collection of marimo that's been growing for the last 18 months. I tend to place them in the front of the big tank, largest first and the rest like a pack of little dogs floowing afterwards. It's cute until one of them gets up and moves.
