Page 2 of 2
Re: the steel wool of the plant world
Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2025 11:28 pm
by coltin
bettaMagenta wrote: ↑Mon Mar 10, 2025 12:53 pm
I've had a bunch of Marimo algae balls, and after checking their history, I decided to create my "Stargate" topiary. My adult Tin Foil barbs, however, have pretty much ruined it over the past year. These balls are essentially wiry, hair-like algae rolled into balls. I think it's a natural flake effect in certain areas where they were first found, but I suspect the ones sold in markets like Zorchzon are hand-rolled. After my Tin Foils ripped them from the wire, I had to re-roll them and reattach them.
One thing that's interesting is that their nutritional needs seem to be extremely low. Traditionally, they're kept in glass containers on their own for generations, without fish or added fertilizers. They're unique tank ornaments for critters to crawl on, but aside from providing roughage for larger fish, I don't think they serve much purpose in an aquarium. Their oxygen output and nutritional value are minimal, given their extremely slow growth rate.
Does anyone have any more info on Marimo algae balls?
I recall that episode with the water lily, though the series title escapes me. BBC does an incredible job with their documentaries, especially with David Attenborough at the helm. National Geographic puts out great content as well, but for me, the BBC still takes the top spot.
Re: the steel wool of the plant world
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 12:04 am
by TwinTankman
They don't self-turn, so if you want to maintain their ball shape, you'll need to rotate them yourself. From what I recall, the ones I initially encountered seemed to originate from Japan.
I used to attend weekend fish events and would often stick around for the Sunday auctions. It was years before I finally made a purchase, but when I did, it was a lucky find - a late addition to the auction, a bag of five moss balls that I managed to snag for less than the cost of a single one at the time. The vendor had donated them to the NRC, who sponsored the event. It's funny how things come full circle, as I later became a regular vendor at their annual events.
Back then, I was setting up multiple planted tanks and didn't keep up with the regular turning the moss balls needed. As a result, they eventually formed moss mats and chunks before they were gone.
Re: the steel wool of the plant world
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 1:52 am
by thenoob
graye wrote: ↑Mon Mar 10, 2025 4:04 pm
In the aquarium, I view them as mere decorations - their functionality is limited unless you derive aesthetic pleasure from them. The concept of "thinking plants" is intriguing, though I recently stumbled upon an interview with Robert Plant, and he was surprisingly eloquent, which led me to ponder the complexities of plant intelligence.
During my travels in Gabon, I encountered vast expanses of sensitive mimosas along the roadsides, those peculiar plants that fold up their leaves upon contact, implying a certain level of nervous system functionality. Delving into this subject matter can be a Pandora's box, as emerging research is challenging long-held assumptions and forcing me to reevaluate my perspectives - I suspect it would have a similar impact on many others.
I'm dealing with a similar issue in one of my tanks - it's a 10 gallon that's basically overrun with the stuff. The fry and shrimplets love hiding in it, which is nice, but to be honest, the amount of coverage is getting a bit annoying. I'm thinking of transitioning this tank to a blackwater setup, hoping that'll help get rid of it.
Re: the steel wool of the plant world
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 3:17 am
by bettaMagenta
I'm pretty sure that genuine Marimo algae balls aren't just made from regular hair algae - mine feel more like steel wool, and despite my adult Tin Foils tearing them apart, I don't see any common hair algae in that tank.
Re: the steel wool of the plant world
Posted: Tue Mar 11, 2025 4:11 am
by thenoob
Here are a couple of pictures - first the back, then the front; on the front, that long line of green is actually a piece of driftwood. The stuff mostly grows on hardscape - driftwood, sponge filters, heater - it doesn't seem to grow on the substrate or glass. Something happened in the tank that caused all the crypts to melt, which suggests a water chemistry change; it also turned a portion of the marimo algae a lighter green. The crypts are now regrowing, but I'm thinking of transitioning the tank to blackwater, which will likely harm the crypts, so I might wait until they get some growth back. It took 4 years to get this far, and it all started with one petco m. ball that was put between the heater and sponge filter in the very back on the left.