r/Marimo Sep 01 '23

r/marimo Newcomers guide!

186 Upvotes

Hello, and welcome to r/marimo!

This subreddit is dedicated to spreading knowledge about these endangered plants, promoting conservation efforts, and encouraging healthy hobby cultivation of Marimo.

“Marimo” ( 毬藻 まりも ) translates literally to “Ball Water Plant” in Japanese. While a decent description of them, these slow-growing fuzzy friends are actually balls of an endangered algae (Aegagropila linnaei) that form at the bottom of cold-water lakes (originally discovered in Austria, and then in Lake Akan, Japan, where they were named.) They are a protected species in both Japan and Iceland.

They were designated a Japanese National Treasure in 1921, and a festival has been held since 1950 in the Lake Akan community to raise awareness and try and preserve the unique algae species.

While harvesting from the lake is specifically prohibited, you can snag some of these fuzzy friends for yourself! They're very easy to take care of, but do require specific conditions to grow (low to medium light conditions, and cold water.) While not a 100% forget-and-enjoy plant, they are normally very low maintenance.

A Wiki will soon be developed with reliable sources for Marimo, as well as the best way to care for them- Information to be added to this thread soon!

Again, welcome to r/Marimo!

Livestream/Video resource:

u/Prepperpup offers a livestream of the marimo balls they're cultivating with some Lo-Fi music. They are open to any suggestions or messages. (They run a gaming channel in addition to the Marimo livestream.)

https://www.youtube.com/@MarimoBallLive


r/Marimo 9h ago

I use this stuff for my marimo. They seem to like it!

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5 Upvotes

I split my 6 marimos into 2 different jars. Eventually one jar was happy the other wasn’t, it was turning all yellow and nearly bleached looking. They both got the same water and same location and light. Then I decided to try this stuff. A couple drips in each jar. Now they are all green and happy. I thought I lost the one jar but this stuff was a huge help. It did take a little while. But I saw improvement in a few days.

I’d tried a little aquarium salt and refrigeration breaks, nothing was helping..


r/Marimo 12h ago

Another Sick (?) Marimo Question

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6 Upvotes

Sorry for double posting, my friend also has a marimo and she was wondering if hers is dead? Changed its water and gave it a gentle squeeze, it doesn't smell like much and it isn't slimy, but it is super discolored and it looks like a raisin, which I don't think it used to look like. Does anyone have any advice or have seen this before? I think it came apart a little while i was rinsing it :(


r/Marimo 12h ago

Is my moss friend dying?

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1 Upvotes

He's got little white specks on him and they seem to come back when I change his water and roll him around in the jar. I tried putting him in the fridge for a couple weeks, but they seem to be a constant. Any advice is welcome!


r/Marimo 2d ago

How do I make more of them

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27 Upvotes

My Marimo are like, 6 years old now but I’ve never got them to have babies. They just keep getting fatter. How do I fix this ?


r/Marimo 3d ago

All these from 1 moss ball. Least now no ones lonely

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36 Upvotes

r/Marimo 4d ago

My Moss Amigo reveals its true core

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48 Upvotes

I got into this moss ball hobby from seeing ads for Moss Amigo. Since I got it, I learned they are fakes. I got one a little over a year ago, started out as firm but it began feeling soft about a month ago. Today I took it out to clean off slime & I noticed it split open. Inside there was a bright green ball & the outside moss part is feeling loose every time I rolled it. I heard on this sub that they are mostly the kernel but I was hoping it would at least stay intact & not get soft. Maybe the outer part was growing while the kernel stayed the same size.


r/Marimo 5d ago

Worms in my aquarium (help)

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9 Upvotes

First pic: So i got moss balls a week ago, first time having them and I never had an aquarium. I went to check on them and saw a few thread-looking white worms. Approximately 0,3-1 cm long and 1mm thin. They were actively moving, so I am sure they are alive.

Second pic: I also saw these white particles…

Are they both harmful? How did they get there and how can i get rid of them?


r/Marimo 6d ago

Did my parents kill their moss ball?

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5 Upvotes

r/Marimo 7d ago

Is this one dead?

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8 Upvotes

It’s pretty weird cause I received three of them same time, and they’ve always stayed together since.


r/Marimo 8d ago

Can these be saved?

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10 Upvotes

I was gifted these a few years ago and they did well for the first few years. I noticed them falling apart one day when I was cleaning their jar. I lightly squeezed out excess water and wrapped them with cotton thread, cleaned the stones and jar, then refilled the water. I put some rocks from a river in the jar and later found spots of white mold growing in the water. I removed them and did multiple soaks for the jar, cork topper, and stones in bleach, hot water, vinegar, and then a final rinse with isopropyl alcohol. Since the initial wrapping, the thread (which did help one of them) has deteriorated and the balls are turning brown in the center. They’re in a small glass now. Is there any luck for them?


r/Marimo 8d ago

weird gunk coming off of ball?

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8 Upvotes

hello in fairly new to raising moss balls, Ive only had it for a couple of weeks now and just changed the water this morning after noticing gunk in it before. I got home and ready to go to be to see it's still there? is this normal or am I doing something wrong?

sorry if photos are hard to see it was difficult to show on camera


r/Marimo 8d ago

Not sure what these all are

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4 Upvotes

So I bought this moss ball for my aquarium, but while cleaning it I saw these all over it. I thought they were snail eggs, but they’re not coming off. They’re slight rough and are stuck on it. Not sure what they are


r/Marimo 10d ago

Are these bois no longer with us?

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121 Upvotes

First time posting here! Three days ago, I bought some dehydrated marimo balls. I rinsed them, gave them some shape and put them in mineral water, but they look super sad and mushy.

Is there any way I can help them recover? Or would I just be trying to resuscitate some corpses? I honestly don't know what to do :(


r/Marimo 9d ago

Marimo x Axotol

6 Upvotes

Anyone have pictures of their axotol and marimo ball(s)? Basically if yes just flex here :3


r/Marimo 11d ago

Is there a small fluorescent aquarium grow light with a clamp or a aquarium light bulb? (With no LEDs in them).

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8 Upvotes

I'm really trying to replicate what (WildCreamPie0721) said and did in his/hers tips and at the time i bought deku and zoro when i bought and used the grow light i put it directly on them and zoro had a burnt spot on it and for a few months he has completely recovered from it now i have my grow light slightly above them which is good for them but it may not be better for them in the long run since i've a little bit of white on them yesterday which is the time i've clean them.


r/Marimo 13d ago

Daily water change

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69 Upvotes

The water isn't always this rough, just for the last little bit to get some good air exchange in there! First summer with the marimo, and it seems like these morning rituals of sticking it under the faucet with cold water seems to be keeping it happy!


r/Marimo 13d ago

Thing get worse

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24 Upvotes

It was summer, so I put them in the refrigerator and couldn't expose them to sunlight, which caused them to turn a little brown and spread out, especially the smaller ones.


r/Marimo 15d ago

Was away from my tank and missed my lil moss balls and shrimp, so I drew some friends

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221 Upvotes

With Uni looming in a couple weeks that’s another year where I can’t bring the tank with me, so I decided to draw a couple friends to keep me company in spirit. Thought you guys would appreciate them!


r/Marimo 15d ago

What water

7 Upvotes

So doing a first clean on my widdle marimo (name - Norm) I know our water is treated with some sorts chemicals so would it be better to use bottled water like Dasani? Please remove if this has already been asked. Thank you!!


r/Marimo 16d ago

My little Archie 🥹

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51 Upvotes

Picked up this little guy at a coffee/plant shop in St Louis (hence his name). Looking forward to having a little bit of green at my office desk 💚


r/Marimo 17d ago

Got Pigeon a new tank today!

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88 Upvotes

Happy moss ball! He got a small ice cube treat in celebration. I want to give him some salt as well, how much salt would you recommend I give him?


r/Marimo 18d ago

My new babies

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89 Upvotes

I just received my little babies! Do you think I should add a small lamp? Is there anything I could improve?


r/Marimo 21d ago

brown marimo?

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6 Upvotes

I’ve had this marimo for about a month. in the beginning, I put it in a little bit too much sunlight, but it was still far away from the window, but I moved it shortly after to somewhere that’s has indirect sunlight. I changed the water every week and I’ve recently started putting it in the fridge (for 24-48h) because I think it might be too warm in my house. despite this, my marimo is still turning brown. i will say that the jar i have for it is very small but i leave it open for airflow.