Shrimple minded Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Moved from another thread (Crazyfishlady Blue Dreams): Not wanting to thread hijack, but related to the topic and I'm curious to hear people's thoughts........ On SKF (Australian Shrimpkeeping Forum) they have pretty strict rules regarding marimo: "This is just a warning to all members that "Marimo ball & Marimo Moss" are illegal imports and a protected species in Japan, as such anyone buying, selling, trading, showing photos of this species will have there threads removed & deleted... If you have this Species in your possession you are advised to Contact AQIS for the safe removal and quarantine of it. failing to do so may end up in loss of tank inhabitants and legal action being taken by Aqis.. this topic is not open for discussion on SKF.." I realize that we don't have the same regulatory bodies as Australia but I'm sure many of us are conscious about keeping of protected species. Please realize that I'm not stating an opinion, nor in any way do I want to "open up a can of worms" on what could be a debated topic..........I really am just looking to be educated if marimo can be propagated outside of the naturally occurring habitats, and/or raise awareness if this is truly a non-renewable resource that should be treasured and protected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I am interested as well. They sell them at all the local LFSs in those same cups as they sell the bettas. Big chains (Petsmart and Petco). So I'm guessing it's ok to have them but if they are that resource-sensitive I am definitely interested in what to do about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spialz Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Interesting. I knew they were highly treasured in Japan and considered a nation treasure by some. But I never knew they were so protected. I wonder why the US doesn't do something like this. aquariumlover10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Well now I am keeping my precious MMball Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cindygao0217 Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 My petco Mm ball are all fake so never brought any before what are the real one different Than the fake one aquariumlover10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aennedry Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 I posted a reply in the former thread (Crazyfishlady Blue Dreams). Can it be moved over here? Crazyfishlady 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shrimple minded Posted March 10, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Absolutely, please do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewoeno Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 most of the ones sold i'm pretty sure are grown indoors and not taken from the original source. they are easy to propagate and grow fast with co2 Soothing Shrimp, Shrimple minded and aquariumlover10 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewoeno Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 don't quote me though! i only know the propagating and growth since i own them and sell them also. they are easy to care for. i think in the lakes they originated from are being stolen and aren't forming like they use to. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aennedry Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 Now in the new thread... If you got to Lake Akan in Japan, you can legally buy 'cultured' marimo in their gift shops and take them home. As it is, marimo is not found only in Japan. I believe that most of the ones offered for sale in the US are native to Estonia because the ones formed in Lake Akan are considered a national treasure. They are also found in Iceland and Scotland. And I once read that they were found in Idaho, but I have not seen proof positive myself. Apparently I am fishing in the in the wrong bodies of water. I have even seen an article where in Australia a beach was covered in marimo balls that just washed ashore. The word 'Marimo' itself is the popular name given to rounded algae regardless where it comes from. It generally translates to bouncy ball water plant. Go figure. Cultured in this case refers to how they are made: loose filaments are gathered and rolled by hand into a ball and then left to grow. A much faster way then having them naturally divide. Some people will also split a marimo into several different pieces and roll them into a ball shape. Once the inner filaments are exposed to light they start to grow. Possibly one of the coolest forms of algae out there. =^._.^= Steve R., Shrimple minded and aquariumlover10 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGardenofEder Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 The ones at lps are grown at nurseries just like protected corals have to be grown. My Marimo balls have all naturaly duplicated, I started with 6 I now have 20 or so. aquariumlover10 and Shrimple minded 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crazyfishlady Posted March 10, 2015 Report Share Posted March 10, 2015 wow, I didn't realize that they duplicate, do they get runners or does one just literally 'pop' off? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewoeno Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 wow, I didn't realize that they duplicate, do they get runners or does one just literally 'pop' off? they kind of just fall apart naturally if you don't keep them rolled nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pika Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I was wondering this too. (Both the protected status and the propagation!) My large Marimo is kind of opening up like Pac-Man. (the shrimp like to go in the middle/mouth now ) I tried once to squish it back into a nice ball, but eventually it seemed to open along the same or a similar plane. Does this mean I should tear it into two and try to make them into balls? Or will that not work either? sewoeno and Rodan76 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGardenofEder Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I just let mine fall apart naturaly but I don't care about mine at all I basically threw them away to my syrens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sewoeno Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I was wondering this too. (Both the protected status and the propagation!) My large Marimo is kind of opening up like Pac-Man. (the shrimp like to go in the middle/mouth now ) I tried once to squish it back into a nice ball, but eventually it seemed to open along the same or a similar plane. Does this mean I should tear it into two and try to make them into balls? Or will that not work either? yeah you can just pull it apart and re roll more! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OblongShrimp Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 Australia has some of the strictest wildlife customs rules that I have seen before. aquariumlover10 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jadenlea Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 seriously? Those ugly moss balls that are EVERYWHERE are protected and endangered? Go figure. maybe Japan should send their ambassador to petco and bring a bunch home to drop in their lakes RyeGuy411 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 That is what over harvesting and environmental changes can do, yes. Wasn't there a campaign to return the marimos to Lake Akan at one point? Australia. Never try to bring ANYTHING there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RyeGuy411 Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 So I cant bring some Cane Toads to Australia? Oh wait they already have enough of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ch3fb0yrdee Posted March 11, 2015 Report Share Posted March 11, 2015 I recall a story about how one of Katy Perry's album was put on a ban because inside the album container a seed. Yep Australia is very strict. They learned the hard way after that came toad incident RyeGuy411 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chibikaie Posted March 13, 2015 Report Share Posted March 13, 2015 Good for them. We are basically out of bats in the northeast due to a fungal disease that is wiping them out. The fungus originated from anothet part of the world, where the bats it infects live with it but don't become so ill that they die. It's suspected that spores were transported on spelunking gear, I believe. Our local bats have no defenses and have basically been wiped out, and we now have record numbers of mosquitoes - so now heartworm disease and West Nile virus are much bigger concerns than they used to be. I know a lot of people think the regulations are overkill. I'm one of the ones who don't think that they are rigorous enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.