moss ball

[LawOne]

Marimo balls are very interesting. They are colonial organisms that can alter their bouyancy to rise or fall in order to get enough light. Loaches, corydoras, and dwarf shrimp LOVE to use them as playgrounds. When a colony reaches a size larger than an adult fist, they tend to split.

Its photosynthesis that regulates their bouyancy. More light more oxygen bubbles and the moss floats. They are different and I went so far as trying to build a pond that had a conical shaped bottom to help the balls retain their shape. You can rip em apart and make smaller balls but they take a long time to recover.

 

[Gr8KarmaSF]

Careful of buying the "fake" man made moss balls!

 

[hybridtheoryd16]

They will alter there bouancy but it is very rare. Marimo moss naturally grows in a ball shape. They will not grow up a wall. If you take a marimo ball and cut it in half, they will make them selves back into a ball shape over time. They are highly regarded in japan and said to bring good luck. They are slow growers at about 1/4" a year. On the other hand there is java moss which grows like a weed and many aquarist look at it like a weed.

 

[LawOne]

They will alter there bouancy but it is very rare. Marimo moss naturally grows in a ball shape. They will not grow up a wall. If you take a marimo ball and cut it in half, they will make them selves back into a ball shape over time. They are highly regarded in japan and said to bring good luck. They are slow growers at about 1/4" a year. On the other hand there is java moss which grows like a weed and many aquarist look at it like a weed.

Okay you're the second one to say they alter their bouyancy so where did you guys hear this. As far as I know the lake they live in is full of balls of various size that "take" turns surfacing. This is in response to photosynthesis which causes an accumulation of oxygen bubbles on the balls (I've seen it happen in tanks and in my ponds). The balls go up at different times because of the amount of bubbles in relation to the mass of the ball. If they are somehow self regulating their bouyancy that suggests some type of intelligence on their part, very interesting.

 

[OscarRobinson]

Is it true that they help control the algae in your tank by out competing it for nutrients?

 

[srikamaraja]

It's a feedback mechanism. No one said they 'choose' to alter their bouyancy. It's a fluke of the language.

 

[peef2]

kind of offtopic, but is there any place that is good to buy real marimo balls and not the fake rolled up ones? thanks

 

[Miguel]

They feed of nitrates. Very usefull to have. I keep around ten in a lighted sump compartment

 

[LawOne]

It's a feedback mechanism. No one said they 'choose' to alter their bouyancy. It's a fluke of the language.

What is a feedback mechanism? Sounds interesting for an algae.