Moss Ball

Cladophora aegagropila

Common Name: Marimo Ball, Moss Ball
Family Name: Cladophoraceae
Native To: Europe and Japan
Lighting: Medium
pH: 6 - 8
Growth Demands: Easy
Growth Form: Ball
Growth Rate: Slow
True Aquatic: Yes
Placement in Tank: Fore to Mid-ground
Available As: Ball

Cladophora aegagropila is an aquatic moss that is slowly formed into a ball over a long period of time. Originating in very cold rivers and lakes throughout Northern Europe and Japan these Marimo Balls or Moss Balls as they are more commonly take long periods of time to form. Cladophora aegagropila will not cause algae to form in your tank. In fact, Marimo Balls will do the opposite by taking nutrients out of the water. Moss Balls are a different type of algae than those that normally form in an aquarium and are very slow growing. Cladophora aegagropila comes in a range of sizes with the small size in the 3-4 cm range and the XL size in the 10 cm range. Marimo Balls are very easy to decorate with and use for aquascaping.