Easy Marimo Moss Ball DIY Light Bulb Aquarium

Learn how to make your own easy Marimo moss ball DIY light bulb aquarium! These tiny aquariums make a great home for tiny Japanese Marimo moss balls! Not only is each DIY light bulb aquarium super cute, but they are perfectly sized to sit at your desk to keep you company!

Customize your Marimo moss ball DIY light bulb aquarium to suit your personal style or make several for homemade gifts for friends and family!

Marimo Moss Ball DIY Light Bulb Aquarium

© Rebecca D. Dillon

What you’ll need for each aquarium:

glass light bulb shaped bottle with screw on cap
small aquarium or floral rocks and/or pebbles
small glass floral beads, jewelry beads and/or small resin cabochons

What you do:

I found my regular sized light bulb bottles at A.C.Moore for $1.49 each for the large ones and a dollar each for the small ones. They all seemed to have minor imperfections, however, these “disappear” for the most part once you add the water. I could not find anything similar at JoAnne’s or Michael’s which are the other two craft stores in my city. You can purchase these online, however, for a little bit more if you can’t find these locally.

The rocks, pebbles and beads should be an easy find at any craft store. I bought the ice cream shaped resin cabochons I used in these aquariums from DelishBeads on etsy. (She’s based in the USA so if you’re making these as homemade Christmas gifts they’ll get to you much faster than buying from a shop overseas.) Keep in mind that the hole for these light bulb shaped bottles is very small when buying objects to use in your aquariums. I also used Tim Holtz Idea-ology Mirrored Stars.

In addition you may be able to find Japanese marimo moss balls at your local pet store. If not you can purchase these online as well. You can find these on Amazon with prime shipping. They are also available from various Etsy shops. I bought mine from Hinterland Trading on Etsy as they are located in the same state as me. Mine were larger, 1 1/4″ in diameter, which is way too large for the holes on the light bulb bottles. However, all you need to do is gently squeeze the water out of the moss ball, cut in half then in half again, then gently roll into a ball in your hand. And then you’ll have four new moss balls that you can use.

To make your DIY light bulb aquarium begin by adding rocks or beads to the glass light bulb shaped bottle. You can use a funnel for smaller beads or rocks to help make this easier. Next add your stars or cabochons to suit.

Finally, follow with a Marimo moss ball and tap or distilled water then screw on the lid.

Repeat for each aquarium you want to make.

To care for your moss ball simply empty the water from the aquarium and replace with fresh water every 1-2 weeks and keep out of direct sunlight. For more information on how to care for as well as revive ailing Marimo moss balls visit Aquaradise blog. They offer some really helpful information for beginners.

For more fun and easy DIY projects as well as other homemade Christmas gifts you can craft, homemade soap recipes and DIY bath and body recipes be sure to follow my boards on Pinterest. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram or follow me on Blog Lovin’.