[acorn412]

JAPANESE MARIMO AQUARIUM MOSS BALLS

hey guys,
everybody loves these little moss balls and everyone has their own ways to keep them. i posted this thread in hopes that people will share their success in keeping moss balls.

how big are your (post some pic's)

 

[Tn23]

Mine are 10CM big and I just let them sit at the bottom of the tank....

 

[Scholz]

I was thinking the title of this thread should be; I'll show you mine if you show me yours......

 

[alym]

I was thinking the title of this thread should be; I'll show you mine if you show me yours......

LOL I concur.
Or simply, how big are your... hmmm never mind.

 

[lednail]

I have cut mine into strips and stapelled then to wood.

 

[Srenaeb]

part of mine was sort of falling apart, so I tore the chunk off.
Now the "baby" one is getting very slowly bigger.

I find that I need to roll 'em around every now and then, otherwise they start to get "flat bottoms".

 

[Trouble]

I had a thread for these. It was called I made my balls float. Cause I made my moss balls float.

 

[acorn412]

I have some that are still floating around (even with a little squeeze) and others seem to sink just fine... they all look great (only 3-4cm maybe 5).

I just picked up some split ones today from John (Jtang) and I have some driftwood (thank's everyone) that my husband split into smaller pieces. We will be tying pieces of the moss balls and some java ferns on to the driftwood in hopes that with time we will have some really cool moss ball driftwood...

anjie

 

[Trouble]

I guess I should have said that I made it float half way in my tank. Not at the top of the tank if that is what it sounded like.

 

[Scholz]

Is it just me, or has noone actually showed their balls yet?


Lots of talk....

 

[effox]

part of mine was sort of falling apart, so I tore the chunk off.
Now the "baby" one is getting very slowly bigger.

I find that I need to roll 'em around every now and then, otherwise they start to get "flat bottoms".

They will also brown, as they are algae, they all need light. If you dissect them, they're brown on the inside.

 

[effox]

I've got a bunch of small ones propogating in pickle jars on my window sill.

Here's one of my 4" in my shrimp tank:

 

[Atom]

Alright...here are my balls.

The bigger ones are 2.5".

Does anyone know how to prevent them from falling apart or developing holes? A large one has a hole right through it and some of the smaller ones fell apart. I role them by hand weekly.

 

[effox]

You've got hollow balls dude.

When they are hollow, they are in the process of propogating, they do this by splitting in half, or into smaller pieces. If you get a dense one, it's not going to do this.

I've got dense ones, and hollow ones. I usually sell mine after they propagate and then retain their shape. There's always some that can't hold their weight and lay somewhat flat out of the water, or get flat bottoms, or will float easier.

When you're purchasing them next time, these are ones that you should ask about if you don't want to deal with these issues. I've got about 100 of them, so I know what I'm talking about.

 

[Atom]

When you're purchasing them next time, these are ones that you should ask about if you don't want to deal with these issues. I've got about 100 of them, so I know what I'm talking about.

Since you have experience with balls. Do you know if Excel will harm them since they are a form of algae?

 

[effox]

I wouldn't recommend overdosing with excel. I did, and they turn brown.

A little excel won't harm them. Just keep an eye out, if you notice they discolour stop it immediately. They'll go from dark green to lighter, to an ugly yellowish green to brown.

I don't think they'd recover if they went brown, but it'd be worth a shot to salvage them if that were the case.

 

[DR1V3N]

is it just me, or has noone actually showed their balls yet?

Lots of talk....

hah...........

 

[hoolagal]

i'll show my ball ... that's right, i only have one

 

[AWW]

I have cut mine into strips and stapelled then to wood.

sounds painful, on any painkillers?

 

[effox]

Not to thread jack, but let me know if you guys need any, I can get them for you for cheap, and they're big balls.

Any one who has shrimp should have these.... With that said I don't see any with shrimp on them!!!

Come on guys...gals....... post your balls!