Marimo success

[Ace]

I feel that it has been enough time to safely say that marimo can, in fact, be kept with Opae Ula. It has been all year now and they are just fine.

I have read accounts of failure here. However, I investigated before selecting the ones I chose. Unfortunately, I do not know the origen location. I did suspect that marimo from lake Akan would be fine as I have read an account of them growing in full sea water. I may purchase more for a larger sphere that I am somewhat desperate to start.

[KenCotigirl]

Very interesting. Happy to hear. Send us a picture or two.

KenP

[nova]

lol i tried telling people that they are fine in opae tanks but we keep being told not too, im glad i found someone that agrees.

[Stalker]

lol i tried telling people that they are fine in opae tanks but we keep being told not too, im glad i found someone that agrees.

Same.

[Mustafa]

I've never said they "they're not ok." Others have though. What I keep saying is "we need more data." And by data I mean, marimo balls actually growing and "reproducing", not just sitting there being green. We know that java moss and java fern, "Suesswassertang" etc. can also sit in a tank for months and stay green. But they will die eventually and never actually multiply. The question is not how long Marimo balls can stay in saltwater, but do they actually thrive and multiply?

I have mentioned multiple times that that particular species is very widespread in the world, even in brackish water (Baltic Sea), but the ball form is rare and seems to occur mostly (exclusively?) in freshwater lakes. The brackish water form just forms flat carpets on rocks mostly.

So, theoretically, yes...since it's all the same species marimo balls could possibly thrive in brackish water (but maybe not stay round), but we need actual data for that, which we still don't have. All we have so far is just "they're still green and alive." Ideally "before" and "after" pictures that show growth and reproduction in the same tank would be helpful.

[Ace]

The marimos that I have are obviously not dead as they pearl profusely every single day. I think that is really beneficial to the sphere. I'm sure the water is well oxygenated. I could probably seal the sphere.

[JennyPenny]

I would love to see a picture of your reproducing marimo. Mine are all pretty big, and I have had them over a year. Mine have not budded once, and I have bought them from two different sources. They are what I would consider big for a marimo. Since they are so slow growing, I thought the best way to propagate them was to pull them apart.

[Mustafa]

Thanks for the additional data JennyPenny! It would be great to see actual growth and reproduction though in addition to salinity data from various people with marimo balls. I have them in freshwater and they do reproduce and grow there...and in a *very* different way from my supershrimp mossballs (which appeared years before any marimo ball was ever in my possession).

[JennyPenny]

Thanks for the additional data JennyPenny! It would be great to see actual growth and reproduction though in addition to salinity data from various people with marimo balls. I have them in freshwater and they do reproduce and grow there...and in a *very* different way from my supershrimp mossballs (which appeared years before any marimo ball was ever in my possession).

Mustafa, my marimo are freshwater only. I don't have any in brackish water. I see how my post was poorly written. Even in freshwater these marimo are not budding or dividing. How do yours reproduce?

[Mustafa]

Thanks for the clarification JennyPenny! Got it now. They seem to just shed some loose strings of algae material which then start growing bigger. I'll be posting some pictures soon of marimo balls compared to supershrimp mossballs in an article. Will post a link here for discussion.

[Ace]

Ha. I have been removing that green debri that accumulates around Ecoshere 9.

If your marimo is not pearling gas it's because it's not getting enough light. Mine recieve hours of direct eastern sunlight every sunny morning.