How much does a blob cost? Complete 2026 price (kit, refills, total)
From €18 for a starter kit to €68 for the Blob Lab Kit: here is the real budget for adopting and maintaining a blob, refills included.
Image de couverture
À uploader dans l'éditeur Shopify (champ « Image en vedette »)
Want to adopt a blob but don't know how much it really costs? Short answer: between €18 (starter kit) and ~€217 (complete setup with microscope). Here is the honest breakdown, including refills and accessories.
Quick answer: how much does a blob cost?
A blob costs between €18 and €68 depending on the kit chosen in 2026. The price includes 2 sclerotia (dormant form), Petri dishes, agar doses, organic rolled oats, tools, and a printed protocol sheet. Then count on €0 to €5 for refills every 2-3 months to keep it living for a long time.
The price of a blob kit at BlobFarm
Here is the complete price list for the 4 BlobFarm kits, starting from €18. Good to know: for the Solo, Classic, and Discovery kits, the strain (Major Tom or Australian Physarum) is a free choice — the price does not change according to the strain. The Blob Lab Kit, however, comes with both strains included, with no choice to be made.
| Kit | Price | Dishes | Experiments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blob Solo Kit | €18.00 | 2 | — |
| Blob Classic Kit | €23.90 | 4 | 2 |
| Blob Discovery Kit | €45.00 | 9 | 4 |
| 🏆 Blob Lab Kit | €68.00 | 19 | 8 |
What is included in the price of a kit?
All kits include at least
- 2 to 4 sclerotia depending on the kit (2 for Solo/Classic/Discovery — one for testing, one as a backup; 4 for the Lab, which includes both strains automatically)
- Sterile Petri dishes
- Agar to prepare — enough to pour the dishes at least twice
- Organic rolled oats
- Handling tools
- Ø 90 mm filter papers to re-sclerotize your blob when you want to put it on pause (4 per kit, 8 for the Lab)
- Printed protocol sheet (waking up + maintenance)
What the superior kits add
- Classic Kit: 4 Petri dishes (2 × 60 mm + 2 × 90 mm) instead of two, a larger bag of oats, two bottles of dye (blue E133 + red E122) and a pipette — enough to perform successive subcultures and conduct 2 experiments (choice and colored diffusion)
- Discovery Kit: 9 dishes (4 × 60 mm + 5 × 90 mm), six doses of agar, two devices — the U-trap and the dyes (blue + red) — and 4 experiments in total (choice, U-trap, colored diffusion, and optimal network)
- Lab Kit: the labyrinth, the strain race, and the Tokyo module, which are not found in any other kit, plus 19 dishes in three sizes (60, 90, and 120 square), 4 sclerotia (2 Major Tom + 2 Australian), 15 doses of laboratory-quality agar, stickers, and the sheets for the 8 experiments
The number of Petri dishes is not a minor detail: a blob does not die of old age; it dies when its agar runs out. Keeping it alive means subculturing it onto a fresh dish — without extra agar, there is no subculture.
What €68 really buys
The Blob Lab Kit is the only kit that contains the labyrinth, the strain race, and the Tokyo network — including two experiments published in Nature (Nakagaki et al., 2000) and Science (Tero et al., 2010). These three devices are designed and manufactured by us, and are not sold separately.
For €68, you get:
- 8 experiments with their protocol sheets — compared to 4 for the Discovery, 2 for the Classic, none for the Solo
- 19 Petri dishes in three sizes — the 90 mm one hosts seven experiments (including the labyrinth and the strain race), and the 120 square one hosts the Tokyo network
- 4 sclerotia (2 Major Tom + 2 Australian, the 2 strains included) and 15 doses of laboratory-quality agar — enough to repour everything twice
- the labyrinth, the strain race, and the Tokyo module, which no other kit contains
- free delivery within France — it is the only kit that crosses the threshold on its own (international shipping is calculated at checkout)
How much does maintenance cost over a year?
Good news: a blob costs much less to maintain than a goldfish. No aquarium, no heater, no filter. Just agar and oats.
Essential refills
| Product | Price | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Agar agar 10 g | €3 | about 25 90 mm dishes |
| Organic rolled oats 100 g | €5 | 3-4 months |
As for the Petri dishes, they are washed and reused — the ones in the kit serve dozens of times.
Estimated annual budget for an active blob: €15-25/year in refills. And if you sclerotize your blob between two periods on one of the Ø 90 mm filter papers provided in the kit, you spend absolutely nothing during the break.
Useful accessories (optional)
For better observation
- USB Microscope 200× — €149 (detailed observation of the plasmodium)
And a free tip: place the dish on a matte black background — a simple sheet of paper is enough. The venous network will immediately stand out.
To extend
- Agar agar 10 g — €3 (enough to pour about 25 90 mm dishes)
- Organic rolled oats 100 g — €5 (3 to 4 months of meals)
- Blue + red food dyes — €5 (visualize cytoplasmic flow)
The experiment devices — U-trap, labyrinth, Tokyo module — are not sold individually: they are included in the kits. The Blob Discovery Kit provides the U-trap and the dyes; the Blob Lab Kit adds the labyrinth, the strain race, and the Tokyo network to them.
The trap of low-cost €5 kits
On some marketplaces, you can find "blob sclerotia" for €3-5. Be wary.
Total budget based on your profile
👶 Family discovery (from 7 years old)
- Blob Classic Kit: €23.90
- Agar refill: €3
- Total year 1 budget: €27
🎁 Birthday / Christmas present
- Blob Discovery Kit: €45.00 — 9 dishes, 4 experiments, the U-trap, the dyes, and the optimal network
- Blob Lab Kit: €68.00 — 8 experiments including the labyrinth, the strain race, the Tokyo network, and free delivery within France
🔬 Experiment enthusiast
- Blob Lab Kit: €68.00
- USB Microscope 200×: €149
- Total budget: €217
"For €68, your child gets eight laboratory experiments and a living being to observe for months. The labyrinth, the strain race, and the Tokyo network exist in no other kit."
Is delivery included or paid?
Shipping options depend on the destination:
- France: tracked letter €4.90 (2-4 days), Mondial Relay €4.50 (3-5 days), or Colissimo Home €7.90 (2-3 days). ✅ Free delivery on orders over €60 — the Blob Lab Kit is the only kit that hits this threshold on its own
- European Union: Chronopost International, calculated at checkout by weight and destination (typically 3-6 business days)
All orders are shipped within 24 business hours. And don't worry about the trip: dormant and dehydrated, the sclerotium endures the variations of normal transport without any damage.
Should you buy a blob now or wait for a promo?
BlobFarm offers several discounts:
- Welcome discount: sent via email after you subscribe to the newsletter, valid on your 1st order
- Duo Blob: automatic -10% from 2 kits in the basket
- Trio Blob: automatic -15% from 3 kits in the basket
- Free delivery within France on orders over €60
The Duo and Trio discounts are automatic: nothing to enter, they apply themselves in the basket.
FAQ — How much does a blob cost
Is the price of a blob the same as a goldfish?
No, a blob costs more to buy (€18-68 compared to a few euros for a goldfish). But maintenance is significantly cheaper: no aquarium, no heater, no filter. Over a year, the blob is less expensive.
Why does a blob kit cost at least €18?
The cost is mainly in the laboratory equipment (Petri dishes, pre-dosed agar), shipping packaging, the protocol sheet, and the waking guarantee — which involves providing 2 sclerotia instead of just one.
Which kit should I get if I want to do experiments?
Starting from 4 experiments, the Discovery kit is enough: it contains the U-trap, the dyes, and the optimal network. But if you want the labyrinth, the strain race, and the Tokyo network — including two experiments published in Nature and Science — there is only the Blob Lab Kit. The Solo has no experiments, the Classic has 2 (choice and colored diffusion).
Does the blob cost more over time?
No. Once the kit is purchased, the annual maintenance cost drops to €15-25/year in refills (agar + oats). And if you sclerotize your blob between two periods, you spend nothing at all: placed on one of the Ø 90 mm filter papers provided in your kit, then kept in the dry and away from light, a sclerotium remains viable for at least a year, often much longer.
Are there any hidden fees?
None. The BlobFarm kit is complete. You only need water (to prepare the agar) and a place at 19-25 °C. No filter, no heater, no aquarium.
Is the blob refundable if it doesn't wake up?
Yes, and the two timeframes we mention don't say the same thing: waking is typically observed within 48 hours, and the guarantee runs for 7 days — giving a slower sclerotium a chance. If your 2 sclerotia do not wake up within those 7 days, we will send you new ones for free. And you have a 14-day legal right of withdrawal on your order.
