I got them yesterday

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?

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 😊

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

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

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 🎾🍃🌱

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.

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 ?

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

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.

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?

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.

Highland moss, and moss artistry the reason why i ask for those two shops because they have the similar size like the drawing example (i'm showing you where my hand is) you can also suggest other shops that have this type of size if you can (make sure that it doesn't contain zebra muscles in them).

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 🫪

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 👌🏼

This might be late but I have been looking into this company and they dont even use the marimo moss ball species thats how they got past the ban.

They use a type of algae that is not free floating, the type that attaches to surfaces and they grow that around a foam ball core.

A thin layer of algae from a different species is also much faster to grow. Marimo moss balls grows extremely slow. Thats how they are able to make so much product and sell it freely in the U.S.

The company looks shady as a whole they use obvious A.I art, look at the halloween blind bag the ghost has 2 small ghost hands and 1 giant hand and all the characters have the classic A.I stare where it looks like their eyes are both looking at you and off into the distance at the same time.

The fact they are even selling moss ball blind bags for $25 and it is not even the marimo moss ball species as well as a moss ball "starter kit" which is just a honey wand and tongs for $11 Is criminal.

It's a shame because the company could have really taken off if they played their cards right.

People want the marimo moss balls because they are rare and naturally form a ball shape with not much else in nature resembling them.

If you read their reddit posts they are very deceptive and do not mention the word marimo and when people in the comments assume it is marimo they do not correct them. This in itself is purposefully deceptive behaviour.

They also say the artificial core is for stability and to ensure that the moss ball stays healthy and that is just a flat lie. The artificial core is needed because the algae they use needs to attach to something and can't just be rolled into a ball. More deceptive behaviour.

I wouldn't buy from a business that thinks their customers are stupid.

If people wanted a foam ball covered in random algae they could just do that themselves.

https://mossamigos.com/products/halloween-blind-bag

Just doing my routine water change and care for my moss balls and have noticed one is splitting in the middle. Is it something I'm doing that has caused it and should I be concerned.

I do a water change every 3-4 weeks with tap water that has been stood for 24 hours and I make sure to gently roll them in my hands under the water to clean them. The others seem fine and not splitting

Thanks for any help or tips

I'm just curious where most of these are supplied from. They definitely don't come from japan as they are a protected species over there and none of the moss ball sellers say where they actually get their marimo from.

I quarantined my moss balls for a week in reverse osmosis water and nothing grew so I'm in the clear, right? I did notice my moss balls are shedding a lot. I'm assuming it's from traveling? Anything I should know or look for before I add them to my aquarium?

Went on holiday - gave it to my flatmate to take care of them and they put it in direct sunlight in the heatwave… I do weekly filtered water changes and sometimes put them in the fridge for 2 weeks now.

What can I do??? They don’t feel mushy and they retain their shape.