My Jar has soil, sand on top, and a few freshly planted plants. Looks cycled and water parameters are perfect. For inhabitants, all I have are a few bladder snails, which will probably reproduce like crazy in the near future. In the summer I might add some pond water or something to make it more interesting. What should I do at this point though? Keep it as is or add something else?
by Kart06ka
4 Comments
Rocks! Rocks are neat!
Oh, and some wood would liven it up a little
If you add water fleas like daphnia, it will help process nutrients. I am guessing this is why you want pond water. Personally, I’d get a live culture. There is less of a likelihood for nuisance organisms like planeria or Hydra than from pond water. I also didn’t have good luck with hatching water flea eggs. But my method could have been improved.
Make sure if you add wood its water logged. Decaying matter in such a small space will ruin a jar very quickly. I would say leave it as is the plants may not all make it, algea will grow and it will change in time. I personally have had bad experience opening jars to restock life, has killed off quite a few. Sometimes the new inhabitants just wreck my plants or they die from the transition and creat to much biodegradable matter at one time which will cause a jar to go south very quickly.
You know bladder snails will not eat off healthy plants? They will starve to death in such a clean jar. I suggest you add an old leaf, preferably one from a pond or so. It’ll add nutrients to the jar and the critters.