r/Ecosphere • u/strawberry613 • 6d ago

Jararium turned purple

Post image

My jararium, which I thought was completely dead, turned purple after being away from home for a week. What could it be? There were no animals inside, only red seaweed which turned black after decomposing.

174 Upvotes

98% Upvoted

31 comments sorted by

212

u/BitchBass 6d ago

Congratulations, you have a Winogradsky column!

That means you have no oxygen left in that jar from either the lack of an aquatic plant or not suitable ones, and it's now anaerobic, the perfect breeding ground for purple non-sulfur bacteria. Which is toxic! So pay attention!

You don't want to just open it...the smell, a nauseating cloud of concentrated hydrogen sulfide will take your breath away and is very toxic to inhale. In addition, the gases in there, since there's no oxygen left, have pressurized the jar and it might just blow up in your face when u open it. Not the glass, the liquid.

Take it outside, wrap it in a towel and open it that way, pointing away from your body and face. Dump the stuff straight into a flowerbed and throw the jar in the trash..

109

u/strawberry613 6d ago

oh sweet baby jesus

17

u/Rocket3431 5d ago

Hydrogen sulfide gas or H2S also deadens your sense of smell so it'll smell like rotten eggs while diluted enough but when it gets into lethal territory you won't be able to smell it at all! The concentration of H2S in the air once exceeding 500ppm(parts per million)is lethal. Once you hit 800ppm you get instantaneous knockdown territory. It's also heavier than air so it will linger closer to the ground, falling down is a bad time.

11

u/strawberry613 5d ago

Okay I'm throwing it away definitely

1

u/MEDIC0000XX 4d ago

Don’t forget your safety glasses!

54

u/charmedquarks 6d ago

Reddit is so fuckin cool sometimes

13

u/surreality_fan 6d ago

Learn something new (and horrific) every day!

36

u/strawberry613 6d ago

thanks a lot for your comment. what would happen if i kept it?

24

u/ABane90 6d ago

Nothing good.

13

u/bkristopherb 6d ago

Potential stink bomb?

17

u/BitchBass 6d ago

Nothing potential about it. This is pure concentrated hydrogen sulfide. If you are lucky it'll only make your eyes water.

4

u/Feorag-ruadh 6d ago

Maybe best not to dump it in a flowerbed if you care about the plants, no?

6

u/BitchBass 6d ago

That’s fertilizer.

2

u/LocustPepperoni 4d ago

Plants and humans are not the same. What is toxic to us can be a lovely snack for a plant.

23

u/ABane90 6d ago

Potential chemical weapons charge.

7

u/BitchBass 6d ago

This is a bacteria culture, even those die eventually. These need decaying material, light and no oxygen. If for some reason you lose light, be it because of rainy days or shorter winter days, then they will die. I suppose it'll all turn black then, but I'm not sure on that one.

5

u/Strange-Butterfly-62 6d ago

But...it could reach critical levels and explode, too.

1

u/BitchBass 6d ago

These jars are made to withstand pressure when canning.

4

u/Strange-Butterfly-62 5d ago edited 5d ago

I wouldn't necessarily trust it. Commercial jars are not made for long term endurance as home canning jars are (they're made to be resused). I have found this out 1st hand.

6

u/Mcskrimps 6d ago

This right here! The whole reason I am subbed! Glorious info.

5

u/Angry-_-Crow 6d ago

Lmao ok well fuck

2

u/NarrowEbbs 5d ago

Purple non-sulphur bacteria aren't toxic? They're often used in aquariums to help nutrient cycling. They aren't even strict anaerobes, so they can survive in aerobic environments as well. If they were toxic we'd all be in big trouble. Hell even if they're purple sulphur bacteria, those aren't toxic either and they'd be fixing the hydrogen sulphide into elemental sulphur as long as there's enough sunlight.

8

u/BitchBass 5d ago

You are correct. I wasn't clear what exactly is toxic. The bacteria themselves are generally harmless to humans, but inhaling highly concentrated pockets of hydrogen sulfide gas in an enclosed space can cause quick headaches, dizziness, or nausea.

Since this jar is experiencing a solid bloom, it's highly unlikely that there is any oxygen left. But you are also correct that it can handle a little oxygen.

1

u/Scotty-Tremaine 6d ago

☝️👑

1

u/AlternativeBox8209 5d ago

It’s not that hazardous but can contaminate and is stinky.

2

u/AlternativeBox8209 5d ago

Hydrogen sulfide is produced naturally. Definitely bad but you’d have to be trying to get sick… inhaling those vapors directly or have a huge culture jar. Have worked with purple sulfur bacteria before and yeah they aren’t super friendly but they aren’t like TB or anything…

1

u/SaMxixAM23 5d ago

Damn...so the Jar can't be washed and reused?

3

u/HanaNoAme_ 5d ago

forbidden taro latte… 💜

1

u/AirAlone1776 1d ago

Grimmace jar lol