Marimo Love: Housing!

Hello Lovelies!

I've decided to just make this an ongoing thing, since it's easiest to write about stuff you care about!

[If you want to read my earlier post where I went into detail about these marimos click here.]

My Marimos are being shipped to me now! I was way too excited to wait for them to be here, and made a quick trip to Michael's to get their housing situated!

I bought everything I could think of to make my own version of the cute little Marimo tanks I had seen on Etsy, YouTube, and other websites.  

Here's what I bought:

• "Stone granules", which is basically just sand only slightly thicker, in a light tan color
• Seashells
• A Wreath made of sticks
• Two spools of ribbon
• Four glass jars

 In total it was about $13, but could have been a lot less if I had used items I already have around my house.

Here is a picture of the "Stone Granules".  It came with way more than I needed.  I made four little dwellings and only used about half.

Here are the seashells and the little wreath.  To be honest I do not know what it is made of.

I bought two spools of ribbon because they were only 50 cents a piece!

My four little glass jars.

Step two, after acquiring everything, would be to wash EVERYTHING.  Something is going to be living with this stuff, so you want it clean!

Washing the glass and shells...

Step 3:  Add the sand or stone, or whatever you have for the base of your "tank".  If you don't have a base, skip this step! :]

Adding some stone granules to more of my jars...

Step 4:  Add the shells and any other decorations you may have!

I'm still not sure if this stuff is safe but I only added a bit to each tank.  I cut the twine holding it together and started to unravel it.

This is what the unraveling looked like.

This is my set up for another tank!

View from the top.

This is the first one I set up.  I LOVE how this one turned out!

This one is going to be a present for my cousin! I love the little jar it is in!

This is what my finished jar looks like, with the exception of water :]

The heart present jar!

The largest jar :]

I love the ribbon on this one....it reminds me of the bows my grandma used to tie into my pig tails when I was a little girl!

My favorite one! 

I love love love how doing these myself turned out.  I'm so excited for the little marimos to get here!

I put water in these tanks, but chose to use bottled water.  I've read that you can use tap water, but that it's a lot better to use filtered water!

♥Riley

P.S.  Show me your marimo tanks! I'd love to see them!

Marimo Love: Adoption

Hello All! 

Welcome to the first post of the New Year! ♥

I played hooky today and stayed home to hang out with my cousin!  We went to a bookstore and drank tea and had a great time! While we were there she told me she had been considering getting a Marimo.

What is a Marimo, you ask? 

It's a little ball of algae typically found in lakes in Japan and Iceland.  It is spherical in shape thanks to the water flow of the river.  Putting the marimos in aquariums has become quite popular.  They are very low maintenance "pets" that require water, a little indirect sunlight, and some cleaning. & they look like this! 

Also, in Japan they're thought to bring good luck!

I was instantly hooked.

It wasn't until I got home, however, that I realized the extent of my obsession.  I bought 10.  I bought the "nano" size, which are less than a centimeter in diameter!  I figured I would give a couple to my cousin, keep the majority, and give one to my friend as a desk pet.  My cousin ended up buying one when I was with her, as well.  She bought a pre-made aquarium kit with one little Marimo in it, and it's absolutely adorable.  I have opted to buy the marimo on their own and make them a little aquarium, because of my indecisive nature. 

I'm putting in some links to some marimo shops I've found, below:

• My cousin bought her adorable kit from here.
• I bought my 10 marimo from here.
• Here is a youtuber and Etsy seller who knows a TON about marimos!

I'm really excited for them to get here! I have a really bad track record when it comes to small pets, but I know I can help to make my marimo flourish! 

I'll add another post when I've received them and what kind of home I've put them in!

♥Riley

P.S. Do you or anyone you know have marimos? I'd love to hear your experiences!