Ma-ri-mo!

While browsing for some fishes in a local pet store, we came across this thing. For a moment I thought it was just a sponge.

Turns out it was actually a living thing - a 'moss ball', or as it is fondly called, a 'Marimo ball'.

The Marimo ball is actually well known, specially in Japan where it is protected and considered a national treasure. They have Marimo balls in the wild that can grow up to 12" in diameter.

What's interesting is how they end up in a ball form. Credit this to the water currents and evolution I guess. It does also propagate in 'loose form' and lay on the bottom like a carpet, but normally they 'ball up' and grow in such a manner.

With it's hardiness and low light needs, aquarium enthusiasts eventually discovered that it is a good addition to marine plants. It requires almost no maintenance at all, just the occasional cleaning with running water and 'palming' to keep it in a good round shape.

Another good plus is that algae-eating fishes don't really care for it (my Pleco avoids it) so one doesn't have to worry about it ending up as fish food.

Even though it is a bit pricey for a ball of moss, I'm still glad to have taken the plunge to add it to our aquarium. And we may even add one or more in the future!