Cladophora aegagropila

Cladophora aegagropila ( plant name )

Maximum size: 2 - 10 cm ( 0.79 - 3.94 in )
pH of water: 6.2 - 8
DH of water: dGH 12 - 30 °N
Recommended temperature: 15 - 27 °C ( 59 - 80.6 °F)
Recommended substrate: Rocky
Light conditions: Medium
Place in aquarium: Middle
Way of propagation: Divisions
Plant origin: Europe
Growth: Slow

Information about care

Family
Cladophoraceae

Common Names
Moss Ball, Lake Ball, Cladophora Ball

Origin
Europe, these are commonly found in Iceland and Estonia but they are now being grown in Japan for the aquarium hobby.

Planting Area
These plants are non-rooted mosses that are simply placed on the substrate .

Lighting Requirements
Medium lighting, if lower levels are used the plants will fade and lose some of their rich green colouration

Propagation
To produce fresh plants from the mother plant, simply divide the ball into smaller pieces. These will look irregular to start with but over a period of time they will develop into a spherical shape again, you have to be patient with these plants as they are slow growers.

Difficulty
Medium

Short Description
This plant has become very popular over recent years in the aquarium hobby but sadly many of the local areas that had colonies of these are disappearing. They are actually a form of green algae and the inside of the ball is mainly soil or mud.

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Cladophora aegagropila

has been viewed times since June 30, 2009.

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Contributed by: Katie»7

On: December 29, 2006, 2:55 pm

Cladophora aegagropila grows up to sizes bigger than 10 centimeters. The largest one reported in Japan had a diameter of about 30 cm.

Contributed by: John Jennings»1

On: April 17, 2007, 7:27 am

I have this Cladophora aegagropila ball.. I was wondering if this will cause your aquarium water to turn greenish and cloudy looking?? I’m having trouble with the water being this color and doing water changes does no good.. I’m thinking this Cladophora aegagropila ball is causing this problem.. Has anyone else had problems with them?? The ball looks healthy and is growing.. Strange.. Any info would greatly be appreciated.. Thanks.

Contributed by: admin»665

On: April 18, 2007, 3:40 am

Hi John, you’re right. Greenish water colour can be caused by this plant.

Basically, green water isn’t dangerous for fish. So you must ask yourself if it’s acceptable or not. If you remove Cladophora from the tank, water should be normal in 2-3 days.

I can recommend you using some powerful internal filter which is designed for larger tanks than you currently have. I have driftwood in one of my tanks and water was cloudy too. When I bought filter for 100-200 Litres tank (that tank’s capacity is 81 Litres), water became clear after 3 days of usage.

Contributed by: Anonymous»70

On: June 14, 2008, 6:17 pm

This plant does not produce green water but actually prevents it! It is a multiple celled algae and can not spread and make the water turn green. It sucks up the minerals that algae need to grow and kills the algae that is the green water. I have green water in my pond so I put a few of my little Cladophora balls in the water and it cleared up the water in 1 month. There was heaps of dead algae at the bottom of the pond.

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