Marino Moss Balls (Small)

Marino Moss Balls (Small) are one of the most popular plants in the aquarium hobby.  In Japan, they are widely kept as ornamental plants in jars.  These moss balls can be quite useful for the aquarium because they generate oxygen and remove nitrates, improving water quality. Marimo are often sold in the form of “nano” moss balls, which are much smaller. If you wish, you can cut the moss balls into smaller pieces and the individual pieces will grow into separate nano Marimo moss balls.

Marimo balls are regarded as good luck charms in Japan, and since they have been known to live to 200 years and beyond, they are often kept as family heirlooms.  They are thought to symbolize close bonds between family members or close-knit friends, and are often passed down to children and grandchildren or nieces and nephews.  By the time future generations receive the Marimo balls, they will be larger in size and will continue to grow with each generation.  Additionally, Marimo balls are sometimes given to young children as “pets,” since the only care they require is occasional water changes.

Marimo balls are also thought to represent everlasting love; thus, they are often used as wedding table ornaments or even gifted at weddings.  They are appropriate as a gift to the bride and groom, and smaller Marimo balls make wonderful take-home gifts for the guests that can serve as mementos of the newly-weds’ special day.

Obviously we use them in the aquarium as a decoration to make it look beautiful. They go well with shrimp or smaller sizes of fish.

*Did you know? Marino moss balls are in fact not round. They are long flat pieces of “moss” that have been rolled around in streams by the flowing water. So keep in mind that during shipping – they might lose some of its round or oval shape. If this is the case, you can just re-make it in a ball. It will stay this way over time.

We found a very nice article to explain how to take care of a moss ball. Click >HERE< to view.

McMerwe’s Review: Fantastic decoration for shrimp breeding tanks or tanks that just needs some green decoration. Looks good in low tech tanks. If you are lucky, you can also keep it with goldfish. They might push them around like soccer balls. This will help for it to keep its round shape. Just note that goldfish sometimes eat plants. Please remember that it might be necessary to turn the “moss ball” over every now and then so that the bottom can also receive light and get good strong growth. Its a plant that is not fussy about having the right light and will grow in most tanks. If you have a friend in the aquatic hobby, this remains one of the top gifts to give. [Rating 5/5]