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As someone who has a brown thumb (both in the water and out), I have found Marimo balls to be an easy way to add live plants to my tanks.

My question is: does anyone have a recommendation as to how many to keep in a tank to be useful?

I per 10 gallons of water? 5?

Thanks!

To reduce nitrogen? A lot of them.

That is the bane of many slow growing, easy to do plants. They have low requirements, but don't grow fast enough to take out much.

Hi all,

Psy wrote:That is the bane of many slow growing, easy to do plants. They have low requirements, but don't grow fast enough to take out much.

As someone who has a brown thumb (both in the water and out),

Any plants are better than none (and by "plants" I'll include all photosynthetic organisms), but I think Psy is right you would need a lot of Marimo balls to have a noticeable effect on water quality.

I know that your water is very salty and alkaline, but have you tried "Hornwort" or "Coontail" (Ceratophyllum demersum) it is a good plant for hard, salty water, and grows reasonably quickly.

cheers Darrel

Yes, I was thinking "something is better than nothing" lol! I started with a large one in my 2.5 gallon betta tank, and I do believe it's helped. That tank always seems so clear! I can't put it into words, the tank just looks amazing.

I have several large ones that I ordered, right now there are large (2+ inch diameter) ones in both my 10 gallons and my one 5 gallon. I have 3 "nano' balls in my 1 gallon betta tank and 4 nanos in my other 2.5 gallon betta tank (yes, I have a LOT of bettas).

I was thinking at least 6 in my 55 gallon and 4 in my 40 gallon?

I really can't put anything else live in the 55 because my synos are such beasts they are always "rearranging" things, and my 40 gallon is a cube that I cannot reach the bottom of unless I am on a stool lol (I'm not very tall).

I tried live plants when I was younger, and it was awful! I just do not have the time/patience for them, and would rather concentrate on my fish and the tanks themselves then bother trying to mess with something I will most surely fail at! .

I am TRULY in envy of people who are able to have these magnificent planted tanks, there truly is nothing more beautiful!

In order for the cladophora to be an effective filter, it requires some type of flow to push the water through it (or at least over it). I really wouldn't expect it to make a noticeable difference in any sizable tank. I have to second the suggestion of hornwort as it truly requires almost no maintenance. I keep it all of my tanks and just have to thin it out occasionally.

Can I just let the hornwort float? Does it need to be fertilized? Or is fish waste enough?

As far as the Marimos, I have some pretty monster filtration in all my tanks with lots of filters/bubblewands/powerheads/spray bars etc. so there is always a good amount of water movement.

jodilynn wrote:Can I just let the hornwort float? Does it need to be fertilized? Or is fish waste enough?

Yes, just toss it in and let it grow. I don't dose ferts ever.

Hi all,

Atmichaels wrote:

jodilynn wrote:Can I just let the hornwort float? Does it need to be fertilized? Or is fish waste enough?

Yes, just toss it in and let it grow. I don't dose ferts ever.

That is all I do with it as well.

cheers Darrel