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Aegagropila linnaei
Also called Cladophora Ball, Lake Ball, Moss Ball
Marimo is a green freshwater alga, Aegagropila linnaei (formerly Aegagropila brownii), that forms velvety green balls in cold lakes. It is grown as an aquarium novelty and needs cool, low-light, gently moving water, plus occasional turning to keep its round shape.
Marimo (also known as Cladophora ball, moss ball, moss ball pet, or lake ball) is a rare growth form of Aegagropila brownii (a species of filamentous green algae) in which the algae grow into large green spheres with a velvety appearance.
The species can be found in a number of lakes and rivers in Japan and Northern Europe. Colonies of marimo balls are known to form in Japan and Iceland, but their population has been declining.
The existence of marimo colonies depends on the adaptation of the species to low light conditions, combined with the dynamic interaction of wind-induced currents, light regime, lake morphology, bottom substrate, and sedimentation.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Marimo by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
