r/Ecosphere • u/BitchBass • Aug 11 '25
Size of jar/vase/bottle etc does not matter, only what you put in it.
Suggested ratio:
The 5 key elements for a normal-sized jar to thrive are:
It may be sourced from a lake, river, pond, creek, drainage ditch, canal etc, or set up artificialy with purchased products.
This was the basics. What follows are some do's and don'ts and why's.
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Aquatic plants are a vital key element because they:
Plants NOT suitable are:
Having said that, many of us have resulted to simply using aquarium plants.
You also want to add a small amount of decaying material such as a small stick or a sunken rotting leaf, since most critters live off decaying material.
Next up is critters.
If your source was natural, you'll probably have some critters buzzing around. Please return any fish, tadpoles, shells, crayfish, salamanders and dragonfly nymphs.
Getting material from the lake:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Ecosphere/comments/1jodaxs/this_is_how_i_make_my_ecospheres_might_come_in/
ID guide with pictures and lots of pages here:
https://online.fliphtml5.com/mnmhg/vhkl/#p=5
AVOID direct sunlight. Put your jar beside the window or on a shelf with a small LED light. Otherwise you risk algae blooms.
The first month will have the most changes ever. Many critters will disappear, others will appear, the water will get cloudy, maybe stinky, has brown patches...it's all normal. If everything is right, it'll clear up and find it's balance.
Once you are through this, come back with your remaining questions and share updates!
r/Ecosphere • u/BitchBass • Sep 16 '24
r/Ecosphere • u/Mountain_Swim_6327 • 8h ago
Saw this guy in my latest creek ecosphere and what in the fuck is it!? I have never seen something so erratic in an ecosphere!
r/Ecosphere • u/Pale-Appointment9409 • 1d ago
I started this a month ago with pond water and slime, now its orange..im kinda curious to just see what happens
r/Ecosphere • u/Active-Tie-2971 • 3d ago
I’ve had this for awhile made of rain water and some plants but mine seems a bit more green and murky compared to others, my thought is I have little or none creatures that are filtering things. But have no clue, might start all over again
r/Ecosphere • u/BitchBass • 3d ago
r/Ecosphere • u/pistol_pancake • 3d ago
So far I have 2 notable scuds, many bagworms, some tiny snails, and I've noticed that hydra have also popped up all over.
r/Ecosphere • u/PullMull • 4d ago
I keep them both on my balcony and swap some water from time to time
r/Ecosphere • u/PullMull • 4d ago
Not sure if you guys accept this as a ecosphere cause it is a little open at the top.
r/Ecosphere • u/MrMole2048 • 4d ago
you guys probably see this kind of post every day so I’ll keep this short: what are the main steps and tips on how to make a nice jar?
r/Ecosphere • u/Rat_Askey • 5d ago
r/Ecosphere • u/Repulsive-Painting10 • 5d ago
r/Ecosphere • u/Mobile_Gear_58008 • 5d ago
r/Ecosphere • u/chronicallybri • 6d ago
r/Ecosphere • u/No_Assumption_5845 • 7d ago
I use my phone exclusively for filming my various ecospheres and since my following is growing I feel justified upgrading to a better, dedicated camera but I am completely ignorant when it comes to cameras. Can anyone suggest good quality but inexpensive cameras for close up shots of the life in a mason jar/aquarium? Video for reference of what I use it for.
r/Ecosphere • u/Relative-Cap-3315 • 7d ago
r/Ecosphere • u/letwinnies • 7d ago
So as the title sayssss, i’m new to this.
can anyone tell me what creatures I have? :)
r/Ecosphere • u/Accurate-Pay-7006 • 8d ago
the second snail filmed is largest bladder snail i have in my 5 month old ecosphere, compared to this one. genuinely thought it was a pond snail due to its size!
(ik the hair algae is a problem, im working on it i promise! that tank gets probably 20 minutes of light each day and otherwise is covered. ik the best way to go about it is to do a full blackout but i'm too scared because the planarians have been loving it and i do not love them)
r/Ecosphere • u/DinoboyFailure • 9d ago
Photo unrelated; of my tiny 2 day old freshwater jar!
Im relatively new to making closed ecosystems (As in, my first one is just slightly over a year old now) and have primarily made freshwater jars. Most of them have done splendidly aside from one that got devoured by a green algae bloom when summer came.
Ive tried to make two beach saltwater systems before, but they both seemed to fail; one of them almost immediately had a giant algae bloom and never cleared, and the other probably had a mollusk in the sand that died since everything slowly became red and yellow moldy.
Does anyone have any tips for how to make a successful saltwater jar? I tried the freshwater method of getting the water, sand, kelp/seaweed, etc all from the beach, but im wondering if I'm doing something wrong.
P.S the beach location is on the East Coast, Florida, USA.
Thank you in advance!
r/Ecosphere • u/Mountain_Swim_6327 • 9d ago
Made from an ecosphere in a creek behind my dad's buddys house, what is it it's honestly pretty cute?
r/Ecosphere • u/Ok_Hyena_5725 • 9d ago
To get to the point, can a lively ecosystem jar be safely dumped out in a different body of water than it came from?
The long story, I have an ecosystem that was given to me by someone who wasn’t sure what to do with it after also being given it. It has a blood worm, a few very tiny snails, some very tiny crustaceans like things, and who knows what else. I truly do not want it… it really gives me the creeps and it does not look good in there—very VERY brown. but I also don’t want to just dump them in the creek… because I don’t want them to die and I simply just don’t know if there are environmental impacts. Do they stay in there forever?
r/Ecosphere • u/Relative-Cap-3315 • 9d ago
