What water did you use to bathe them? Just tap water?

Why bother if tap water works? Your marimo look great! Thanks for sharing

It's winter here where the temperature drops to about 2-5C at night, but I see my LFS keeping betta in unheated containers. They seem to do alright though. That said, most of the sites I checked dont recommend anything lower than 22C.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art17131.asp
http://bettafishhome.com/water-temperature-for-betta-fish/
http://www.lifespanofabettafish.com/water_...betta_fish.html

Unless you plan on keeping the light dim, I think you should be able to use any kind of tropical plant. You can use tall plants (grasses?) for betta since it mimics their natural habitat.

Hi bitbit, welcome to the marimo thread!

Did you by any chance expose it to direct sunlight?

I know the video isn't terrific, but you seem to have some talent for multimedia Nice idea using the bamboo/sushi mat as a backdrop xD

As for what the commenter said, while you definitely don't want to overcrowd your tank with too many fish, I know of a concrete/glass "aquarium" that my granny used to keep fish in, no bigger than an average cooler box. It was simply set outside in the open, with no filtration and only water changes whenever it happened to rain. It had tonnes of plants/algae in it. The only thing she'd do to maintain it was toss in some fish food once in awhile. Somehow, it survived for over a decade. (I don't know how it is now because I moved away from Malaysia) Moral of the story, while there is conventional wisdom that most people agree on when keeping fish, you may find you can make your own rules.

Doesn't make any difference if you do either, but damn you're either too broke to buy food or have a gigantic fridge if your tank fits in there. O.o Don't do the "without water" option though, unless you like yellow marimo

The only exception would be if you're quarantining it from the rest of the tank - then of course you put it in a separate container.

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Added on October 2, 2012, 6:09 pmI think that second link might be broken O.o

Your otos are so cute ^^ Do they eat the marimo though?

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Oct 2 2012, 06:29 PM

There is one way to add filtration without taking up much more space - use an undergravel filter with your air pump.

An undergravel filter is simply a perforated "plate" placed under your gravel. Stick an "uplift tube" into this plate, and place your airstone inside the tube. The upward motion of the bubbles will draw water up the pipe, causing more water to get sucked into the gravel, through the plate, and up into the uplift tube. Filtration!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Undergravel_filter.png

http://www.fishchannel.com/fish-magazines/...el-filters.aspx

Note, you'll have to vacuum the gravel regularly as this will become your filter medium. Still, probably better than letting the shit poo fester in your gravel all the time, even without the undergravel filter.

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Oct 16 2012, 05:33 PM

For anyone who can't find the search button.

Very useful!!

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Added on October 18, 2012, 6:16 pmSounds good. Have you looked up Iwagumi style tanks?

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_quer...c.1.5uF2KH1hDsQ

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Oct 18 2012, 06:16 PM


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The seller might be able to tell her why her marimo exploded, but once the filaments are broken, I don't think they can reattach themselves. Really, has anyone ever managed to rejoin a split marimo?

That's right, and there's a very good chance you can roll the parts back together into new nanos. If you take care of them, they will grow up to be healthier and stronger than farmed marimos too, with better fur structures.

That's good, but you need to be very careful with it from now on. It might take years for the seam to close up :{ And it might just fall apart if you just touch it wrong

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Added on October 23, 2012, 7:36 pmLake Akan ices over in winter, meaning little light and close to freezing temps. I think they're fine xD This is assuming you have Hokkaido marimos, not sure about the other ones.

If anyone is interested in reading about Icelandic marimo: http://www.grapevine.is/Features/ReadArtic...res-Fuzzy-Balls

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Added on October 23, 2012, 8:19 pmAdditional reading for Lake Akan Marimo:

http://shrineodreams.wordpress.com/2012/08/11/marimo/

For anyone who hasn't tortured themselves enough: - 75 page thread on Marimo care:

http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=...=marimo&page=75

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Oct 23 2012, 08:19 PM

Wow, isn't that bad for the fish though? xD

1. 1.5 feet tall? How long? How wide?
2. I'm using one 24w T5 for my 60L, no problems. Also, see below and read the first page.
3. I've done anywhere between 30% to 100%. Doesn't seem to make a difference. Just do your best to avoid huge changes in temperature or other parameters.
4. As opposed to a few marimo only?
5. Where are you going to get that much ice water? Also, see below and read the first page.
6. Just avoid thermal shock. Letting the ice melt on its own should make it gradual enough.
7. See below.


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Depends. If you're swinging the temps around 10C over short periods (1-2 hours) of time, it could be bad. Better to keep it constant, even if it means having a higher average temp. Better yet, why not consider getting a chiller if you're so worried about temps? (Or chuck the whole tank in your enormous fridge.)

Again, use search function, it's been mentioned a few times, but I'll give you a freebie this time.

Leeyung, the famous guy who sells marimo on this thread (and other places), says marimo "food" and "salt" are essentially useless besides making the owner feel better about themselves, and are probably obscenely overpriced regular aquatic supplements. Think about it, they're selling these magical vials of marimo fairy food, but don't bother telling you what's in them. They grow in lakes where many other plants grow, taking in the same nutrients as they do. You may try regular planted tank fertilizer, but leeyung says he's tested them with no noticeable effect either. Before you question his judgement, remember he has nothing to gain by claiming these things as he doesn't sell supplements himself.

Many of the principles regarding the care of planted tanks apply to marimo. The rule is plants only grow as quickly as the lowest available nutrient allows them. You may have all parameters ticked off except one, and still not improve growth rate.

1. Nutrients: Marimo grow very slowly and thus absorb nutrients at a very slow rate. This is why they don't respond very well to added fertilizer or "food". That said, water changes every few weeks will help maintain available nutrients, and you may supplement with a little fertilizer in case your tapwater isn't balanced.
2. Light: Marimo live at the bottom of lakes most of the time. They can survive on very low light and thrive in low to medium light. From what I've seen, marimo only pearl when there is a LOT of light shining on them, but in the winter, Lake Akan freezes over, blocking out most of the sun for months. You could take this to mean marimo can persevere without light in low temperatures, but you didn't hear it from me. I've seen some people claim cooler temps encourage growth, but Leeyung recommends higher temps (around 26 if I remember correctly)
3. Filtration: installing a filter will aerate and keep the tank clear. Again, just to make sure the marimo receive adequate CO2 and O2.
4. Salinity: There's a theory going around that Lake Akan used share its water supply with the sea, and that the current measured glacial growth rate (5mm a year) is due to the fact that Lake Akan no longer receives this saltwater and salinity has fallen. Carpet marimo are observed to grow "thickest" where the lake receives saltwater from nearby springs. Read here:

http://www.marimo-web.org/en/b-spherical/b3-salt_water.html

Some people (like the post on the first page) recommend a 5% concentration saline solution to revive sick marimo. This is even more concentrated than saltwater, so I think you have a lot of room to play with setting up an appropriate salinity for your marimo.

ps: Regrettably a lot of this is pseudo-scientific opinion and anecdotal advice. As such nobody can claim to be the absolute authority on marimo care. (Unless you're a marimo scientist.)

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Nov 11 2012, 01:21 PM

Ha, fear not, this is a rite of passage for many owners.



It's important to understand that marimo aren't single organisms. Each strand lives almost independently from others. If there are enough green (healthy) strands, you should see them pearl. Most of ours tend to do it immediately after a bath. Try rolling it in your hands and squeezing them in fresh water then putting it under strong light. Make sure the light doesn't contain high UV, IE. the sun.



Like the first page says, quarantine it and put it in a 5% saline solution. I'd say they'll take about 1-2 months of TLC to revive, assuming you have good water, filtration and a little bit of light. However I never use more than 0.07%, which is what people use to treat freshwater fish. That's 1 tablespoon per 19 litres.

You don't want to shock them by altering their environment too frequently. I'd recommend 60% daily at maximum, much less if you have fish in the tank.

PS: Whatever you do, DON'T PUT THEM IN THE SUN. #1 Marimo killer.

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Nov 11 2012, 08:09 PM

In its basic form, marimo is an algae filament - strands of algae only a few cells wide. Depending on the enviroment, they can become entangled and form any of the shapes you've seen. They're all marimo, but the most famous appearance is the ball shape. "Cebisan" moss (which you should be calling algae), start best as nano marimo, which bond together more strongly the longer they live. I've made a few of these myself. If they fall apart, they're too big; split it up and start over.

What is "brightly K"?

^^ Agree. Also, didn't I answer a few of those questions, cute miao? Considering I'm one of the few people who's read this thread front to back, and you still don't believe me, I think it's clear the only way for you to be sure is to read it yourself. There's no shortcut. Read as much as you can, take care of your marimos, and make up your own mind based on your own experiences.

On the other hand, should we consider extending the FAQ with some of these tips? Not everyone has the time to sift through the thread, and the FAQ doesn't cover some of the common questions.

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Added on November 14, 2012, 9:32 amNo need to overcomplicate things. If your marimo is green, it's healthy. Have you ever seen a plant that didn't shed leaves?

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Nov 14 2012, 09:32 AM

All your questions can really be answered by understanding the marimo themselves. It's better to teach you that than tell you the direct answers to your questions.

Question: "How much light/co2/nutrients do marimo need?"

Answer: Marimo have slow metabolisms and need very little of everything you can provide because they consume it so slowly. Anything besides a little light and tapwater is probably going to be wasted in a tank with only marimo, not because they don't need it, but because it's already IN the water and the marimo takes a long time to use it up. Remember: People have been keeping healthy marimo in nothing but jars of water and window/ceiling light. Leeyung has been saying over and over all you need is a filter to keep the water aerated and clean and a good light source. How bright? Not brighter than the sun, not dimmer than your ceiling light.

Question: "What/how many fish for marimo? Will they make the marimo dirty?"

Fish in your tank means poo. Poo will dissipate into the water get into your marimo, even if you can't see it. If you don't like poo, don't get fish. Unless you're only interested in the appearance of cleanliness...

Asking what type of fish to put with your marimo is the same as asking which fish to put with which fish - As long as they share the same preferences for water conditions and don't attack each other, they should be good to go.

How many - depends on your water volume, type of fish.

Leave them long enough in the sun and they'll never pearl.

Give em a water bath + massage, cycle the water inside the marimos out so they get fresh water on the inside, then expose them to a cool, strong white light.

This post has been edited by Kaisergrendel: Nov 30 2012, 11:15 PM

Then you should mention everything you've already tried before we can comment.