This was a reply to "Stalker" claiming over three years ago (and again today ) that the Supershrimp Mossballs are just "regular" Marimo Balls:
The claim that they grow "better" in brackish water is very likely false by the way given the scientific literature. Here is my reply, again, from over 3 years ago:Stalker wrote:Isnt it regular marimo ball? Aegagropilla grow well and even better in brackish water than fresh one. My seamonkey tank is drying every month completly (with salt crystals forming) and the pieces of marimo i put here are still alive and is growing.
Original link (text below, also read the other posts on that page for more info..Stalker's above quoted comment is on the linked page too):
viewtopic.php?f=16&t=5206&p=36727&h#p36727
Mustafa wrote:Although it's possible that my "Mossballs" are the same species as "marimo balls", one would still have to explain how marimo balls got into my Supershrimp tanks. Until about two months ago I had never even owned a marimo ball. I've had my supershrimp mossballs for many years now (about 4-5 years?). I only bought the marimo ball to see how it's similar/different from my mossballs. I got a giant marimo ball plucked it apart into 50+ pieces and spread the pieces in various freshwater shrimp tanks. It's been a few months now and here are my observations as to what the differences are between marimo balls and my mossballs. Although the marimo ball pieces are growing, I still can't see them turning round anytime soon (I'm hoping though...I like these "balls" too). The pieces also attach themselves both to rocks and each other after a while. I had to pry balls apart from rocks and other balls to keep them separate and loose. Some of those attached pieces grow flat on those rocks covering them. That kind of growth (i.e. *not* balls) is described in literature from lots of locations...the ball shape is much rarer. Apparently, even the balls can grow on flat surfaces in a non-ball fashion.
In contrast, my supershrimp mossballs never attach themselves to anything. They are always loose and always round. I'Some can get quite a big bigger than marble size in some tanks, but at that size they look like they're about to bud a dozen smaller balls (which they do). I have not observed any "budding" in commercially available marimo balls. They have also never grown on flat surfaces like marimo balls do (and, yes, they do that even in brackish water like the baltic sea).
I guess I'll have to some day really get a microscope and look at both types of balls under the microscope to see what the differences are. At this point they seem very different...and last I checked marimo balls don't just crystalize out of nothing (and they don't have spores either). If my mossballs are marimo that's exactly what must have happened. Doesn't make much sense.