The green balls in this aquarium are alive, you know! They are plants that we can take care of. Let’s see what’s unique about marimo!
- The word marimo comes from Japanese. “Mari” means ball and “mo” means water plant or moss.
- Although it is often called a moss ball, marimo is actually not a moss, but an algae plant or algae.
- Marimo (Aegagropila linnaei) is also known as moss bale, lake ball, and cladophora ball.
- Marimo lives at the bottom of lakes and rivers. This plant originates from Lake Akan in Hokkaido, Japan. Marimo is also found in parts of Europe and Iceland.
- On the lake, the marimo rolled naturally. The water currents help them roll along the bottom of the lake until the marimo takes the shape of a sturdy and strong ball. The size is between 12-30 cm.
- We can keep Marimo in the aquarium. Marimo does not require direct sunlight. Marimo can use light to carry out photosynthesis. This cute ball should be placed in a cool room with a temperature of 15-20° Celsius.
- Every two weeks we have to change the aquarium water. We can replace the water completely or only partially.
- At the time of changing the water, we must clean the marimo. The trick, is we put the marimo in a container of clean water, then press the marimo gently so that the dirty water inside comes out. Then, clean all the dirt on this green ball.
- Therefore in the aquarium, there is no water current that makes the marimo round, so we have to round the marimo by hand. After that, put it back in the aquarium.
- This plant can be propagated by dividing the marimo into several parts.
- Marimo growth is very slow. In a year, marimo only increases in length by about 0.5 – 1 cm.
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