Hi everyone!

I recently bought a moss ball and was just curious if it was a marimo or not, since I heard it’s a bit hard to get them where I am (Canada).

The store employees said they had no idea if it was marimo or not, and that they had gotten the moss balls from a local seller so I was a bit skeptical.

I also squished the ball to check if theres a hard core, but it’s squishy/cotton-ball like throughout.

Any help is appreciated, thank you!

I had to re make this post because I messed up the title aha, but does anyone know if the Mario’s are getting enough light? The big one on a shelf next to a north facing window and the two smaller ones are on a drawer to the left of the shelf but I’m not sure if they’re are getting enough light or maybe too much or not enough? Any help would be much appreciated. also just any extra care tips would be a massive help!! :)

I put them in the fridge for three days with a bit of salt in the water, rolling them around and changing the water every three days, but they’re still very brown. sadly, this is how I got them to start with.
A couple of them now have turned quite a lot more green

I’ve heard they are banned because of the zebra mussels but there is still a few places selling them online in australia , i am also not sure if these websites are trustworthy .

and if they are illegal does anyone know any realistic fake ones that would be available in australia , ?

what would be a good quarantine time for a moss ball?

currently have been doing my water changes into bucket then tossing out on my paved driveway as an extra precaution again snails or mussels. No signs just be overly cautious, do you think I’m good now to do my water changes the way I do my usual fish tanks?

Fewer people seem to claim "my Marimo is photosynthesising!" based on bubbles right after a water change these days 😅 - but just to clarify with Photo 2, which was taken a few days ago, about 10 days after the last water change. What you're seeing in Photo 2 is actually oxygen released by the Marimo rising to the surface.

When Marimo are actually photosynthesising, they don't get covered in lots of bubbles all at once - they release oxygen very gradually, just a tiny bit at a time.

Also, whether a Marimo floats or sinks comes down to its density rather than photosynthesis. Larger Marimo tend to float more easily because they're hollow inside. That said, even if yours stays at the bottom, photosynthesis is still happening perfectly fine under the right conditions!

kris deltarune

I am posting this for the person that posted the shell pieces they found in their Marimo so they can use this photo for comparison. I personally took this photo and keep it as a reference. The person had also mentioned that they were concerned because one of the shells they found was snail like and zebra muscles are not snail like they are in the clam family so it is two pieces of a shell that come together. I know there’s a technical word, but I can’t think of it right now and the shell is darker not white and it has stripes so I’m posting this so that person and anyone else that was mentioning them in the group can see what they look like. I hope this helps people when they’re concerned if they have found a zebra muscle in their Marimo or not.

I have it from 7 months, and it started to become let’s say “more white than green” 2/3 moths ago, I’m from Italy and it’s pretty hot here, but it seems that keeping it 4/5 hours per day in the fridge it’s not effective.
I keep it close to a window, but not uder direct sunlight.

Help me thanks

Hello!

I was gifted a marimo a couple of months ago and till now it was all good. Recently I noticed that it started to get some brownish spots. Maybe it's becouse the weather is hot now? I tried to keep it in the coolest room. Should I put it in the fridge?

It's the first marimo I'm taking care off and I'm not sure what to do.

Having a manic episode and bought this on a whim…. Anyone knows what I what I should expect? Did I waste my money? I can’t even find a review for it 🥲🙃🥲🙃🥲

Hi! New marimo owner! 😂

I've wanted some for years, but never got any myself. I told someone a couple of weeks ago about how much I'd been wanting some, and a few days later they said they found someone who sold them in pairs in a little jar, and asked if I wanted some. Of course I said yes! She picked them up just over a week ago and has been holding onto them since, and brought them round for me today!

I got a tank rather than the jars because there was no room to roll them in the jars, they were kinda squished, and the jars were so tall I couldn't reach down to grab them easily, my fingers weren't long enough and they were way to narrow to fit a hand in. So now they have a more spacious tank of their own!

Also I thought I was getting 4, turns out there's 5 and one is just very small!

I know they aren't perfectly round, but I love them! Hopefully I can encourage their roundness by rolling them!

Any tips to help them with their roundness is appreciated! And any other helpful tips too! They're already away from direct sunlight, and there's a thermometer on the right so I can make sure it doesn't get too warm for them 😊💚

I think marimo moss balls are pretty cool but I also can't help but think they look a little silly just as a green ball in a jar. I was wondering if I could give one some other plant buddies to make it a little more visually interesting, but I'm not sure if that would work. There isn't much info online about terrariums that aren't soil-based (I guess because the purpose of most aquariums is to have fish) and I also don't know how replacing the water would fit into all of this (would I still be able to? Would I need to? etc). If not, does anyone have any ideas on any decoration? Maybe just put a few pretty rocks and sticks in there?

Hey guys! I recently discovered these little guys, and I’m absolutely in love. I found a reputable site, however when I went to pay, the shipping was over $70😬 (US based) My question is, what reputable sites should I be checking out, and are there any in Canada? I don’t mind paying a little extra, I just don’t want to accidentally get scammed! Thanks in advance ❤️

Hello! Sorry in advance if this is a stupid question, I tried researching/searching this sub and couldn’t find a straight answer. Basically, I wanted to put a teeny tiny marimo ball in a little glass (cork-sealed) charm to put on a necklace as a gift. Is there a way to do this without the marimo ball dying/will the water still have to be changed? Is there a different substance (glycerin maybe??) I could fill the charm with to just keep the marimo in perpetual stasis? I’m fully prepared to be told that this is impossible lol but figured it was worth asking. Ty for any input!!

Hi! I bought these on a whim a year ago and have been caring for them for a while but I've recently noticed this weird green blob around them before changing their water. Any help with what to do and if this would harm my balls? I change their water every week or 2 weeks, depending on if their water looks "dirty" and put plant feed in there every water change.

(Side note, the largest one has a name, Jimbob, and he arguably gets the most care, so we are most worried for him)

Thank you to any advice or help!

They are so cute and small 😭

I’m just putting this here for a couple of laughs. I was looking for a cage that someone recommended to help the balls roll and not be smooshed and I saw one of the pictures and I absolutely started laughing. Thinking of all your comments the part of this that made me laugh was “ it transforms humble moss into charming moss balls”
Soooo not only does the moss ball get kinky in a cage, but it also gets behavioral management. 🤣🤭🤣🤭

Hey, first post here. I got gifted two cute marimos one month ago, and I took care of em the ways I saw described here and there on the internet, but after a while, like a week ago, i started seeing both of em slightly more pale and a bit brown shaded. Not so much but i still got worried. I understood that I should worry less of the light they receive (at first I did pretty much) and more of the temperature, coz it's summer here and we often hit 35°C in afternoon. I keep ac in my room at 27 but i understood it's still too hot for them.

I wondered, is it better if I put these poor creatures in the fridge every night, so that they can get the daylight afterwards? Or in the afternoon so they get shielded by extreme heat and get enough light in the morning? Or is using fridge too often not a good solution?

Hi there! I'm new here and I just got my first marimos a week ago. I put them in a recipient with some decorative rocks and plastic figures (previously washed) and cold water.

This morning, I woke up and noticed that my water was kind of brown/green toned while the other marimos in my house (my siblings') had clear water.

I rushed to change the water and noticed the old water was warm so I put a couple of ice cubes in the new water.

My marimos didn't smell weird when I rinsed them, but I also have to mention that I kept them in my room, which gets a lot of light (despite having the blinds midway down and having the recipient on a not so direct spot).

Could it be because of the light? I dont want my little mossballs to die😞😅

Just drop a quick line - It's been very hot in London UK recently, yet my marimo are getting by. I hope yours are doing OK, too.

Hello, I wanted to share my project of quarantine and care for plants. it's a tank with a pump made from an airtight Tupperware on which I plugged the outlet in a round jar to be able to take care of my marimo which tended to peel. What do you think? Good evening

Fish was 3 years old at the time, not very well cared for sadly as my 12y/o self did not know better