Marimo Hills - 30cm Cube

[doylecolmdoyle]

Hi guys, this is my 3rd and most low tech tank, as you can see its just alot of marimo moss ball and some java moss in a glass planter.

This is the ultimate low tech, no trimming, no dosing, pretty much no nothing!

Tank - Fire 30cm Cube
Filter - Ehiem Aquacompact 40
Light - 30cm Up Aqua Pro Z LED light
Substrate - ADA Amazonia and La Plata
Hardscape - Seiryu-seki Stone
Flora - Marmo Moss Balls

When i first set it up in early January this year:

As it looks today (glass could do with a clean):

 

[tim]

Nice scape, You could consider splitting or flattening the marimo balls to give a smoother more natural look, love the rock work

 

[Tim Harrison]

I'm liking it too...
Also what tim said, It works really well, I think Jurijs did something similar, but I can't find the scape.

 

[Alexander Belchenko]

You should really have done what tim and Tim said re balls.

Awesome rocks, you can just improve green part though to get awesome result. Look at winning tank in AGA 2013 or 2014 don't remember exactly year, above 60l - that was great example how well Marimos work with rocks.

 

[doylecolmdoyle]

Cheers for the comments guys, I couldnt bring myself to pull the balls apart, they took years to form this round shape (growth rate is extremely slow)

 

[Alexander Belchenko]

 

[rebel]

Does Marimo grow faster with CO2? Perhaps you can farm and split em...

Are they dead deep inside? have you peeked?

 

[doylecolmdoyle]

Does Marimo grow faster with CO2? Perhaps you can farm and split em...

Are they dead deep inside? have you peeked?

Hey Rebel! I havent bothered trying them in any other tanks, I like the slow growth, the do shed a bit of fuzz which I find stuck to the other moss or on rocks, which seems to attract other "shed" fuzz or perhaps just grows faster as small strands, they start forming new little balls / puffs of green fuzz, kind of looks like BBA haha.

I think in there natural environment they would be pushed around in the water current and the new growth pressed into the ball, in my tank they just get more fuzzy on the side that gets the most light.

I have pulled a few apart they are pretty much green and fuzzy (as per the outside) all the way threw, perhaps a bit more dense in the middle. Very weird things i find them fascinating haha

 

[rebel]

You've piqued my curiosity. I think I will get some soon. Perhaps for my new tank.