How to Reproduce Marimo Moss Balls (Propagate Methods)?

Marimo Moss Balls are a beautiful form of Algae mostly seen growing in the lakes and rivers of Japan and the Northern Europe. This Algae is able to reproduce itself when in their natural waters. But when in an Aquarium this situation changes.

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How to Reproduce Marimo Moss Balls
How to Reproduce Marimo Moss Balls : Image Source

How to Reproduce Marimo Moss Balls?

So let’s look into how you can propagate the Marimo Moss Balls in the Aquarium. When Marimo Moss Balls are added to an aquarium they expand and double in size.

1st Step

As the first step you have to take the Marimo Moss Balls out of the Aquarium.

Thereafter squeeze these Moss Balls in a gentle manner so as to remove the excess water in them.

2nd Step

You have to cut the Moss Ball in half. And thereafter cut each half of the Marimo Moss Balls in halves again. If these cut parts of the Moss Balls are more than 02 to 03 inches then cut them again.

This cutting will be able to give you an amount of four to eight small marimos.

Marimos do not hold any roots or stems in the middle of their Moss. So you can cut these Moss Balls through the center and in any direction of the Moss.

3rd Step

As the third step you have to tie a thread around these cut Moss Balls in both sides of the Moss as a wrapping of a gift box and cut out the excess threads remaining on the Moss.

4th Step

As the 4th step you can put these tied Moss Balls into your Aquarium or any other fresh water container. Leave these Moss Balls in a way that they receive a low amount of light outdoors or a moderate light in an aquarium.

The water temperature for these Moss Balls should be between 59 degrees to 86 degrees Fahrenheit.

5th Step

You have to turn these Moss Balls at least once a week so that Moss grows on all sides of the Ball. Or else when these Marimos sit on one spot the parts that does not receive enough light it will start to rot and die.

Also turning of these Moss Balls helps them in having their circular looking appearance.

Do Moss Balls have Babies?

Marimo Moss Balls will have Babies if they are kept in a large pool of water but not in a small tank or container.

If kept in a large pool of water at times the Marimos can reproduce and you can see a bump growing on these Marimos. And finally you are able to see a baby Marimo growing.

How to make Marimo Moss Ball Babies Grow Faster?

Marimo Moss Ball Babies can grow faster by lowering the temperature of the water and improving the water quality of the tank or container.That means providing the Moss Balls with fresh water.

You can stir the water in the tank occasionally so that the Moss Balls aren’t resting on the same side. This stiring will help the Moss Balls to stay round in shape and even grow.

Also this process helps the Moss Balls receive enough light on all sides of the plant.

Or else if you wish to you can leave the baby Marimos in the refrigerator for 24 hours for them to have a nice and cool environment to grow.

Can I cut a Marimo Moss Ball in Half?

Marimo Moss Balls is not an Aquatic plant even though used in Aquariums but is an Algae.

Algaes are a form of plant with no actual stem or roots in them. Therefore you can cut the Marimos in half and make two Marimos out of one large Marimo and have them decorating two different parts of the tank.

Or else you can use these cut halves in the propagation process of Marimos.

How to Cut a Marimo Moss Ball to Reproduce?

If you are willing to cut a Marimo Moss Ball for reproduction you can cut a big moss ball into smaller ones. The size of these smaller balls should be 02 to 03 inches in size. This cutting will help you get around 08 small Marimos.

You can gently cut this Marimo without making any damage on them.

This cutting can be done on the center and in any direction of the Marimo as they do not have any stem or roots in them.

Main Problems of Multiply Moss Balls

Sometimes Multiplying the Marimo Moss Balls will not be an easy task.

Problems like other Algae attacks and other parasite attacks can happen.

If this is not noticed and left for a long time period without care it might damage these small Moss Balls.

Another factor affecting these Moss Balls is the quality of the water and its temperature. If the water for these Moss Balls are not clean enough and not cold enough it might cause a problem in their growth.

Also if these small moss balls are placed in a tank with unsuitable tank mates it might also cause a damage on the growing of these Moss Balls.

How long does it take for a Moss Ball to Reproduce?

Moss Balls grow very slowly. They are said to grow only around 05 mm in diameter per year.

So with the minimum maintenance requirement for these small Marimos they might take some to grow into large Moss Balls.

Even though the Marimos make their own food through the process of Photosynthesis, if you wish to you can add some fertilizer for them to grow .Which might also help them to grow.

Do Moss Balls have Genders?

Speaking of if the Marimo Moss Balls have a Gender .No, they do not have a gender. They don’t flower or release spores like the other plants or mosses. They just split apart and reproduce.

Marimo Moss Balls are good addition to your fish tank. Not only as a decoration but also as it has certain advantages to your tank. So if you are willing to have more and more Marimo Moss Balls added in to your tank. You can propagate them. This will help you save the money that you put on buying additional Moss Balls into your tank.

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.