Is Marimo Moss Ball Easy to Grow?

Marimo Moss Ball or the Japanese Moss Ball is a plant which is seen mostly grown in the Rivers and Lakes of Japan and the Nothern Europe.

This Marimo Moss Ball is a most popular aquatic plants used at aquariums to decorate their fish tanks and containers.

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Is Marimo Moss Ball Easy to Grow? The Marimo Moss Ball is a plant that requires minimum maintenance when compared to other Aquatic Plants.

When Compared to other aquatic plants which requires anchoring, roots being dug to the gravel or tied to another object to hold on and you will have to face difficulties in cleaning your tank .

Moss Ball only needs to be put into your fish tank, where it will sink to the bottom the fish tank and holds its place.

Therefore the Marimo Moss Ball is easy to grow in your fish tank compared to other Aquatic plants.

Growing Problems of Marimo Moss Ball

Even though the growing of Marimo Moss Ball is easy there are certain problems that has to be faced when growing the Marimo .

However these problems are simple and can be treated easily

  • Algae

The Marimo Moss Ball,by its name itself has a lot of bushy Moss around it , so when kept in a fish tank the Moss of the Marimo will tend to absorb other types of algae around it which will have to be cleaned properly to remove the same.

  • Turn Yellow

The Marimo Moss Balls has to de directed with the proper amount of Sunlight as it has been used to grow in a cool temperature too much of Sunlight affects your Marimo Moss Balls.

If the Marimo Moss Balls turns to a lighter colour as yellow that means its receiving too much of Sunlight and you will have to move your marimo to a cooler place with less or no sunlight .

  • Turn Brown

Another problems faced when growing Marimos is the colour of the Marimo turning to a Brown Colour after a certain time. This indicates that it’s the time to clean your tank.

If only the Marimo has turned into brown colour on the bottom of the Marimo it means that the bottom the Marimo does not receive the proper amount of light .

If the Marimo is brown in colour first it should be cleaned and added with a few salt so as to stimulate its growth.

If only the bottom of the Marimo has changed in colour it will have to be changed in position for a few days and see that all parts of the Marimo gets the proper amount of the light required.

  • Dying

Marimos are told to be alive for more than over 100 years but without the mimimum amount of maintainance not given on your plant they may also die.If the Marimo receives higher amount of sunlight for a longer period of time the Marimo will die.

Also not keeping the tank or the container that holds your Marimo for a longer period may cause your Marimo Moss Ball to Die.

  • Enemy Fish

Marimo Moss Ball is an Aquatic plant which can live with any type of Aquatic plant, but there are certain types of fish which might hurt the plant and cause problems for the plant to grow.

Among these fish are the Gold Fish. Large sized Cray Fish and some types of cat fish and certain Invertebrates.

Is Marimo Moss Ball Growing Fast?

Marimo Moss Balls grow very large but at a slower rate. Due to this slower rate of growing they are very high in price.

How long Marimo Moss Ball Takes to Grow?

The Marimo grows only 05 mm in diameter per year but with the proper amount of Sunlight and the proper water they can grow up to 08-12 inches in natural conditions.

If held in an aquarium it grows up to 02 – 05 inches.

Right Parameters for Marimo Moss Balls?

Like every Human Being and Animal every plant in land or water has to have the required Parameters to Survive. When considering the Marimo Moss Balls, require the proper amount of Light for them to grow.

Low to a Medium rate of light is enough for the Marimo to grow. Too much of light may change the colour of your Marimo and may also cause them to die.

The Temperature of the water that you hold your Marimo Should be between the 43- 75 degrees Fahrenheit (06-24c).

Also the Marimo Moss Balls can survive itself in Salt water, but not too much of Salt Water. The amount of salt water containment in your tank should be around upto 1.015.

And also considering of the Ph rate the optimal PH rate should be around 7.0 – 8.0.

Fertilizers for Marimo Moss Balls

Marimo Moss Balls do not require any Fertilizers of Nutrition’s to grow as they make their own food.

But Nowadays people use to use Fertilizers or infuse CO2 to maximize the Growth Rate of the Marimos. These Fertilizers can be bought at places which sell the Marimo Moss Balls or even can be bought online.

Using of Fertilizers on the Marimo will help the Marimo to grow double in size and will not affect any other Aquatic life present in the tank or container of the Marimos .

How much light do Marimo Moss Balls need to Grow?

Marimo Moss Balls are unable to survive itself in too much of Sunlight. A low to a medium amount of Sunlight is sufficient for the Marimo to grow without changing its colour.

If there isn’t sunlight the amount of light that it receives through the normal household light is enough for it to grow.

So the Marimo Moss Ball is an easy Aquatic plant to be grown and dealt with, with a minimum amount of care and maintenance.

By Uswatta Liyanage

Hello. I'm Uswatta Liyanage from Galle, Sri Lanka. I am the founder of this website. Since my childhood I'm an aqua plant lover and I have professionally learned more about aqua plants. So I created this site for share my knowledge and experience with all of you. Now you can refer my site and feel free to contact me if any inquiry.