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Marimo moss balls are one of the common aquatic plants in the planted tank hobby. If you are a beginner and want to start a planted tank, you can easily start with this. To keep marimo moss balls healthy you should know its care guide.
As a whole, to keep marimo moss balls healthy, low temperature (15 °C to 20°C) & indirect low intensity of light are required. It helps to reduce nitrate by eating. It doesn’t need any extra fertilizer. Weekly water change & cleaning is required too for keeping marimos healthy.
This two-line answer may not have satisfied you. But don’t worry, here I will give you a definitive care guide of marimo moss balls with infographics. So without wasting much time let’s deep dive into the topic.
Origin of marimo moss balls
Generally, marimo moss balls are found at Lake Akan (-15 °C to 20°C), Japan & Lake Myvatn (-8 °C to 8°C), Iceland.
Before taking care of marimo moss balls, you have to know what exactly the origin of marimo moss balls is. According to this information, you can understand what type of habitat is required to keep them happy & healthy.
This huge low-temperature range is its natural habitat. So it is required to maintain the low temperature of a fish tank.
What is exactly the marimo moss ball?
As a whole, marimo moss balls are not considered genuine aquatic plants like others. Marimo moss ball is a combination of some algae. The water flow of Lake Akan & Lake Myvatn helps those algae to form a sphere shape. This takes a long time to form this shape which is called marimo moss balls.
A definitive care guide of marimo moss balls
Before jumping on the care guide of marimo moss balls, having clarity is a must for new aqua hobbyists about two questions, which we’ve discussed. Now we can discuss this topic comprehensively.
The care level of marimo moss balls is so easy and this plant is beginner-friendly. Basically, it requires a comparatively cold temperature in a tank mainly. However, it is not feasible to set the temperature under 10°C of an aquarium. So 15 °C to 20°C is the suitable temperature range for keeping marimo moss balls healthy.
Marimo moss balls can’t live in a high intensity of light. So you must keep these balls in a shady place in an aquarium. Direct sunlight is strictly prohibited to keep marimos in the aquarium.
| Note:- The north side windows are preferable for keeping aquariums or glass jars that keep marimos. It is because, from the north direction, aquariums or glass jars can’t get direct sunlight. |
However, this does photosynthesis, so it needs lights. Do not keep this in a completely dark place anyhow. If these algae balls get too much light then they start to lose their green colour. These will become whiter and will start dying.
Marimo moss balls change their colour when they stay in an uncomfortable situation. So if you see it is becoming brown then you must change the place of it. As a precaution, you can roll the balls up often against the aquarium substrate. This will help marimos to get enough light to all over their surface. So this is a very significant metric that you must remember while keeping marimo moss balls.
Water change is another significant metric that you must perform well. Weekly water change is a must to keep marimos healthy and happy. In the summer season, you should perform water changes more frequently.
To save marimo moss balls you should provide the right food for these. We have tried a new food & this has worked phenomenally for us. Here is the link for you to check its discounted price. Grab it first.
The bad water condition is not good for marimos too. Excessive chlorine, chloramine, arsenic and other metals are not good for marimos. However, most of us use tap water that has chlorine. So you must check the easy free of cost process to remove chlorine from tap water which we have discussed in another article.
Read more:- Symptoms of Chlorine Poisoning in Fish Tank
Marimo moss balls can have algae too. So cleaning the tank well is necessary for it. Not only that, but you must clean the marimos with a soft brush. This will prevent algae from catching marimos. Don’t give heavy pressure while cleaning marimos with a brush.
| Note:- Marimo moss balls absorb nitrate and debris from the aquarium |
Do marimos need extra plant fertilizers?
Marimo moss balls are a type of algae which do not need any supplements or fertilizers to grow. Generally, it absorbs nitrates and takes necessary nutrients from debris of aquariums. As a whole, it grows very slowly (5mm/year). So don’t waste money on fertilizers to fertilize marimos only.
Read more:- Fertilizing Aquarium Plants (Infographics): Basic to Advance
How to treat sick marimo moss balls
Dark green color and transparent water is the symbol of healthy marimos. If you see the water is going to be a little bit cloudy with light green marimos it means the marimo moss balls are sick.
In this case, you have to change the water more frequently. This should be performed on each alternative day. If it doesn’t work for marimos then you can use sea salts for it. One tablespoon of sea salt is enough for a 5-gallon of water. Changing of water is a must with it. We have used Instant Ocean Sea Salt that has worked for us well. So if you want to buy for you then you can check the discounted price of this seal salt on Amazon.
Not only that, you can use ice cubes to keep the water cold. This will keep the water cold which is the most required for keeping marimo moss balls healthy. However, this will not work for big aquariums. For these, having a heater is a must.
Marimo moss balls are shed often due to some reasons. This is not good for a marimo moss ball keeper. So if you see that your marimos are shedding then you must take action against it. However, it is not possible to take action without knowing the real cause of it. So here we’ve discussed this topic comprehensively in another article. Check this out now.
Read more:- Why is Marimo Moss Ball Shedding? 7 Causes With Solution
| Announcement:- Want to purchase natural 4pcs (4cm/1.57inch) Marimo moss balls? Then Go Here to check the discounted price now. |
Why do marimo moss balls float?
As a whole, marimo moss balls float due to bubbles that remain trapped inside of them. However, it will sink if it is squeezed well. Furthermore, marimos float seldom during the daytime. This happens because of oxygen formation due to photosynthesis. At that time, oxygen remains trapped in the filaments of marimos.
Can Marimo moss balls live in tap water?
Marimo moss balls can live in tap water until the chlorine level of tap water is too high. These algae balls prefer a little bit of brackish water too. So sea salt can be used to make the tap water brackish. This helps to remove brown spots from marimo moss balls.
Can a Marimo moss ball die?
One of the main reasons for the death of marimo moss balls is the high intensity of light. Due to warm temperatures, marimos can die too. Manual propagation can damage marimos and this leads marimos to death also. However, generally, marimo moss balls live more than 100 years.
Read more:- 7 Best Beginner-friendly Aquarium Plants: Why & when to choose these?
How do you clean moss balls?
Marimo moss balls need to be cleaned sometimes. This should be squeezed well by taking it out from the aquarium or jar. Sea salt works well to clean marimos. In addition, shrimps can clean marimos by eating algae that are covered on them. So keeping marimos in a shrimp tank is recommended.
So best of luck & happy fishkeeping 
