r/Marimo • • Sep 01 '23

r/marimo Newcomers guide!

189 Upvotes

Hello, and welcome to r/marimo!

This subreddit is dedicated to spreading knowledge about these endangered plants, promoting conservation efforts, and encouraging healthy hobby cultivation of Marimo.

“Marimo” ( 毬藻 まりも ) translates literally to “Ball Water Plant” in Japanese. While a decent description of them, these slow-growing fuzzy friends are actually balls of an endangered algae (Aegagropila linnaei) that form at the bottom of cold-water lakes (originally discovered in Austria, and then in Lake Akan, Japan, where they were named.) They are a protected species in both Japan and Iceland.

They were designated a Japanese National Treasure in 1921, and a festival has been held since 1950 in the Lake Akan community to raise awareness and try and preserve the unique algae species.

While harvesting from the lake is specifically prohibited, you can snag some of these fuzzy friends for yourself! They're very easy to take care of, but do require specific conditions to grow (low to medium light conditions, and cold water.) While not a 100% forget-and-enjoy plant, they are normally very low maintenance.

A Wiki will soon be developed with reliable sources for Marimo, as well as the best way to care for them- Information to be added to this thread soon!

Again, welcome to r/Marimo!

Livestream/Video resource:

u/Prepperpup offers a livestream of the marimo balls they're cultivating with some Lo-Fi music. They are open to any suggestions or messages. (They run a gaming channel in addition to the Marimo livestream.)

https://www.youtube.com/@MarimoBallLive


r/Marimo • • 3d ago

My marimo Konpeito

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14 Upvotes

How does he look
Is the jar ok
Is he a real one


r/Marimo • • 3d ago

Soon-to-be Marimo owner here, can a Marimo stays out of water for a few hours?

1 Upvotes

Was looking for an answer online and couldn't find anything about it.


r/Marimo • • 4d ago

New tiny little friend

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73 Upvotes

Just got this tiny dude, i think he didn't love the long bus journey, does he need some rolling?


r/Marimo • • 3d ago

New Owner

2 Upvotes

i got an ultra-small marimo I named Konpeito anything you wish you knew earlier on your green orb journey?


r/Marimo • • 4d ago

Is this saveable?

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8 Upvotes

This is my dad’s moss balls which he had 3 together and they all look like this. Unsure what’s happening but there has been a heatwave. If anyone had any advice it would be greatly appreciated


r/Marimo • • 5d ago

Say hello to my babies, they are all named Zoro

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118 Upvotes

I got them yesterday


r/Marimo • • 4d ago

Why does the color look so dull? Is it dying?.

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9 Upvotes

I just got this, Even in bright light , it's more of a dull green than the vivid color that I see in all of the photos, Is it slowly dying, And how do I fix it?.

It also has an inorganic structure underneath the moss, So i'm not sure if it's the correct species


r/Marimo • • 5d ago

Are these actual marimos?

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22 Upvotes

Been in my fish tank for almost a year. They grew a little bit. I never really made sure to roll them but they're still doing good. Never really photosynthesized either. Looking forward to making more smaller ones :)


r/Marimo • • 6d ago

Real or fake?

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16 Upvotes

My friend just got a little moss ball kit that came with 6 moss balls and she gave me 2 of them, the kit also came with some very obviously fake bright green pompoms. I am not sure if these are real marimo balls or not. They were packaged in a small ziploc bag and were wet, they smell earthy, kind of like dirt and plant material, they dont have a solid core like a lot of fake ones, and i did kind of sacrifice the smaller one a bit by tearing it open some to make sure there wasnt a pompom inside and it was just densely packed hair like fibers on the inside as well. Also the discoloration leads me to believe that they could possibly be real, but I am still skeptical as ive never owned moss balls before so idk. Any ideas? And if they are real any tips on caring for them, especially the more discolored one?


r/Marimo • • 6d ago

Ideal temperature

1 Upvotes

I’m setting up a 20g low Marimo tank and I bought a chiller machine. I’d like to know what the ideal temperature is so that I can set it and hopefully have extremely happy Marimo. And yes I have more than one Marimo so I’m not going overboard in spoiling them but I want them to last and be happy 😊


r/Marimo • • 7d ago

Healthy marimo? I noticed my guys getting a little darker green due to low light in my room so i moved them to my bathroom counter. Not directly in the sunlight but about 4 feet away from the textured window facing west, the window is kinda small so im not sure if i should move them in front of it

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21 Upvotes

He is a bit derker green in person and the hole smells slightly earthy and pant-y


r/Marimo • • 7d ago

Who is this

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9 Upvotes

r/Marimo • • 8d ago

Please help, did it die?

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10 Upvotes

looks more pale in person😢 i tried putting it in the fridge a month ago but it turned more grey so i took it out and now it looks like this, it lost its shape and split out a smaller chunk


r/Marimo • • 10d ago

added some misshapen ones to the club

682 Upvotes

I had a very loved two inch bb that split and had two small cm babies despite me trying to save it with string 🥲

It was put in the fridge and now I'm attempting to reshape the smaller ones back into balls 🎾🍃🌱


r/Marimo • • 10d ago

Feeling proud

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88 Upvotes

i don't see a lot of marimos planted with different plants so im sharing this. The plant is called fire moss and they pair really well. It is a quick grower so i often remove it and give it to my friend haha.


r/Marimo • • 10d ago

Accidentaly got an Amtra Cladophora instead of a marimo, can it live together with my marimo?

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18 Upvotes

r/Marimo • • 12d ago

Started this propagation in 2025. Today I formed a brand new ball

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62 Upvotes

r/Marimo • • 13d ago

Some guidance might help

7 Upvotes

I have a lil baby moss ball named Fluff he’s a few years old he use to be super tiny and now is around a ball marble size however he did lose a little bit of himself he had gotten sun burned and it caused rot which spread directly down the middle since he’s so small it I couldn’t actually tell how bad it was until he one day split open fully recently. He’s recovering fluff has always been a trooper (I haven’t been the best owner but honestly I think it’s made him stronger) the sun burn was cause of my ill ability to tend and now that I’m trying I’m hoping I’m not to late. He’s mostly green again however he’s still split what would be the best course of action? Tie him together/keep changing water frequently moving him daily ?


r/Marimo • • 13d ago

How do you tell if you have a real marimo or not?

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52 Upvotes

I’m in Australia. I just changed the water for the first time and squeezed him out and he felt completely different than I expected, I was told by the guy selling them that they feel like velvet or felt. Now it’s been quite a few years since I felt velvet or felt but to me my marimo felt rough and coarse and had little bits that felt like they would break off if I pet it too hard or in the wrong direction. I thought velvet/felt was supposed to be at least a little bit soft?? Did I get sold a fake?? It’s from Leaf and Scape Brisbane if anyone has heard of them. What do your proven real ones feel like? Are they supposed to be soft or is rough and coarse normal? Are there any other ways to tell if they’re real without pulling it apart to look at its core?? It doesn’t have any strong smell, just slightly wet and plant-y. There were tiny itty bitty bits of moss that came off when I squeezed it and they honestly looked like fake grass. Honestly the whole ball felt a bit like wet high end fake grass. Did I get sucked into buying a fake and are there any verified sources to buy real marimos in Australia (I can’t buy outside of Australia because of our strict importation laws, it would never get past customs in a million years)

Thank you for your help


r/Marimo • • 14d ago

Free tank and pumps perfect for Marimo balls. UK

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14 Upvotes

Having a big clear out and have a bunch of small pumps and an 8L tank with built in heater filter etc. tank is too small for any fish/shrimp but would be perfect for Marimo balls. Also got a bunch of small filters/pumps as well great for small tank and bowl aquatic projects. Pls pick up if possible as posting a tank is a nightmare. UK Liverpool. Or south wales.


r/Marimo • • 15d ago

I left my marimos alone for 7 months and came back to this

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1.2k Upvotes

I barely paid attention to my marimos for about 7 months, and somehow I came back to find that they had all become fuzzy 🤡

Part of the reason I disappeared for so long is that Reddit is blocked in my country, so I have to use a VPN just to access it 😭

The first photo shows two marimos I made myself, and the second photo is what they looked like when I made them on Jan 27.

It’s been about 9 months, and I genuinely have no idea how they became this fuzzy 🫪


r/Marimo • • 15d ago

New Moss Balls from Moss Artistry

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94 Upvotes

I’m a first time owner of marimos. I saw an old post recommending to go through Moss Artistry. I would recommend them, and their customer service is amazing. I bought two of the chubby moss balls (left one in picture)-one for work, and one for home. I only received one upon delivery. I reached out to them, and they sent my second one out next day and included this free tiny one. They provided a pair of tweezers and a care guide with my order.


r/Marimo • • 15d ago

Quiet Eco Touch Aquarium and Marimo Moss balls review

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261 Upvotes

Okay so I made a post a while ago about impulsively buying a bunch of moss balls and a seemingly pricey aquarium and a few people wanted to hear a review. Sorry it took so long as I was in an actual manic episode and was not in a good place.

First impression:
When I first got it I was pretty disappointed bc it was a plastic aquarium and super skeptical about everything, moss balls we’re fine but the tank, it had a lid but was loosely fitted and I was really worried about dust and flies getting in it and making it look nasty, also I live somewhere very dry and was worried about having to refill the tank often as the water evaporates, filter was also weak and didn’t really move the moss balls I wanted to write a review immediately but i decided to give it a chance and let it run for a bit.

A little bit after we had a gnat out break, Now I remember at one point seeing maybe 3 in the tank and told myself I’ll clean it up when more accumulate but a few days later they were gone. Then I was thinking maybe the filter is doing a better job than I thought. My boyfriend had started telling me he’ll see my moss balls dance every now and then (he’s home more often than me) and I didn’t really think about it until I saw it myself I guess you just have to be patient and let photosynthesis do its thing, the water filter flow makes them dance beautifully when they float alittle bit especially after cleaning and rolling my moss balls and it’s really fun to just watch them. Also I noticed I didn’t have to top it off with more water for a long while and will run quietly until it needs a top off. I mean it was losing water but you don’t see the lowering bc the reservoir was filling it back up. I didn’t have to fill it back up until now when I could hear the filter. Light it whatever, doesn’t have a timer or automatic function but it turns off after a couple hours which is nice, I’m not too worried bc I have another light near by for them to feed off of.

Honestly glad I waited to review bc I actually really like it and would recommend to someone who’d like to display them.
Pic is my tank next to my jumping spider 🕷️
Edit: just found out if the hold the light button it will dim 👌🏼


r/Marimo • • 15d ago

Oh my poor zoro!😢💚🟢🧵🩹

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18 Upvotes

He has a crack visually on him and wasn't able to be decently round (despite the fact i carefully roll him sometimes to keep his shape) i tied him with normal thread and tied him tight so he can stay in place until he fully heals. How many months should i remove the thread and see if he's fully healed and round?