# Has anyone tried marimo balls



## superjalami30 (Mar 28, 2007)

Just wondering if anyone's tried marimo balls in their terrarium?
I have so many of them I dont know what to do anymore.
I have looked online for some info regarding emersed usage of these balls but came up with nothing.
I may actually just throw a bit in and see what happens.
Thanks in advance if anyone has any insight on this topic.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I thought this moss had to be grown aquatically (and with decent water movement) to maintain the "ball" shape to it? Otherwise if they do grow emergent (emersed still means under water) they'd just be another moss and loose the thing that makes them so popular (their "ball" shape).


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## superjalami30 (Mar 28, 2007)

Yes, they get the ball shape they have from the water currents on the bottoms of lakes.
However I dont really want to grow moss "balls" in my terrarium. :shock: 

You can pull them apart and actually create a matt or "ground cover" type of effect in the aquarium.
This is what I meant I wanted to try in my terrarium, to take several of them and pull them apart, spread them around the ground of the terrarium and see if they would eventually create a ground cover effect on the terrarium floor.
I did throw some in the other day and so far it seems to be surviving, I 'spose only time will tell if they continue to survive or possibly even spread.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

I don't think many of us have tried a lot of the "aquatic" mosses in our tanks beyond the moss common such as java moss. Keep it nice and wet until it starts really getting established, give it good light, and let us know how it goes in a couple of weeks!


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## thong_monster (May 6, 2006)

Aegagropila linnaei (moss balls) is actually a type of algea and is suppose to take 3 form: epilithic, ball form and free-floating, so I guess it does have a chance at surviving with enough moisture and light. Check out this article on them http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~xeno/lakeballs.htm


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## dopederson (Mar 26, 2006)

I had a couple of these and they ended up covering everything they came close to. Green algae slime up my ghost wood and on the glass in the tank. I didn't like the look so I ditched them.


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## superjalami30 (Mar 28, 2007)

KeroKero said:


> I don't think many of us have tried a lot of the "aquatic" mosses in our tanks beyond the moss common such as java moss. Keep it nice and wet until it starts really getting established, give it good light, and let us know how it goes in a couple of weeks!



Will do Kero.


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## KeroKero (Jun 13, 2004)

Seeing as they are an algae and not a moss... I would avoid them. I didn't know all that much about them or I never would have recomended trying an algae :shock: Not good for other plants.


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