I made this ecosphere from a running steam few days ago. I collected the river sediment which was primarily gravel. Picked two-three plants with roots and a driftwood with a mushroom in it and a few rocks. On the first day the water was still very muddy, by the second day I could notice a few snails, no other creatures though. I water got clearer few days later but still no activity. Now after a week, the visibility declined and I don't even see those snails anymore. I think they all died with the ecosystem. What could be the reason?
by EnvironmentNo4884
3 Comments
If it was a running stream, the shock of going from a high oxygen environment to a low oxygen one could have possibly done it.
I think you want to be careful with including a lot of detritus / dead stuff, as well as terrestrial items (like the driftwood, dead leaves and mushroom) in a water based setup. These things degrade quickly and can upset the balance of gasses in your jarrerium, which can tank it quickly and cause everything else to die.
Next time if your doing water based – only scoop dirt and rocks submerged in the stream and water. Don’t add driftwood or other decaying items and definitely not mushrooms that do not grow in the river. You can try to add a plant or 2 but only if it’s growing under the water and still alive.
If you want to add wood, mushrooms, and etc you’ll need to do a terrarium that has plants / dirt/ etc only – no water.
Also, don’t seal the jar completely. You’ll either need to burp it on occasion or leave the lid loose so the exchange of gasses can happen!
Dead from your point of view, as its thriving in the bacteria and fungi department