#planted jar

[mindful-air]

I really want to make one of these 🥺🌱

credit: Pinterest

[horsesarecreatures]

I made a mini planted aquarium out of a Yankee candle jar. ☺ First I got all the wax out with a knife, and then I scrubbed it with warm soap and water. Then I washed some sand and put it in, and looked in my yard for twigs, acorn caps, and other free decorations. I boiled them to waterlog them so they wouldn't float and then arranged them in the jar. Finally, I added offshoots of plants already growing in existing aquariums with chopsticks. Right now there are crypts, najas grass, and dwarf water lettuce in there, which will all grow in more. The snails pictured are two young tiger nerites, which I moved into a brackish water tank after deciding they were too big. I think for permanent residents I’ll use Malaysian livebearers since they like to burrow in sand. 

[thewindowsill]

Day 4 vs Day 18: I think that’s diatom but without circulation I guess that was bound to happen, also I have it under my grow lights and I think you give plants more light than aquariums so that’s a factor. But the way the red root floaters ( phyllanthus fluitans) are growing I guess they will block out a lot of light soon.

The ludwigia hasn’t done much but it looks alright. The limnophila had grown some and the bucephalandra looks bad in this pic but he’s fine, he’s got a new leaf.

There’s plenty of algae on the glass, I guess I need to clean that.

[thewindowsill]

Day four: I know it’s not much to look at but it’s mine so there. I like the bucephalandra. 

[thewindowsill]

14:30 My plants arrived today, very nicely packed btw. So getting ready to plant up my jar. Cleaning the sand, there has to be a better way than what I’m doing and I have seen people dry sand with a blow dryer after cleaning it because trying to get sand into a jar (or an aquarium) when it’s wet does not seem like fun. I don’t think I have a hair drying and it also would feel a little crazy (and I’m not home alone so I want to appear as sane as possible).

18:31 Ha ha hahahah! I always knew it was harder then it looks to make a nice planted anything but... I guess some of my issues would be easier to deal with with some experience.

Plants won’t just get sucked into the substrate and if the sand is light, well there’s very little holding it down. It was like playing with a balloon. I ended up putting a rock on a plant. I hope that works. 

Also when you dig around trying to get plants in, if you have soil under the sand the soil will float around in the water, good job!

When you have filled a jar with water and you plant float up and you have to stick your hand in there because you have no fancy tools, it will over flow.

Have a towel ready.

Water in a cylinder jar makes everything kind of wonky and nothing looks the same as it did without water.

Make sure to glue the buce on the right side of the rock and not what you consider upside down. Glue leaves white patches.

I want a filter...

It bubbles as trapped air makes it way up.

[thewindowsill]

I ordered on the wrong day

I ordered my plants on a Thursday and they got their plant deliveries to the shop on Wednesdays so I had to wait a week before they had everything for my order, oh well. Shipped out today so now I wait...

[thewindowsill]

Finally did it

Slowly working my way up to an aquarium. I bought some plants to make a planted jar Walstad style. I am a little scared that there will be an algae bomb and become a horrible green mess but let’s give it a go. (No livestock planned)

PLANTS BOUGHT Bucephalandra “Red” Limnophila sessiliflora Ludwigia palustris “Super Red” Phyllanthus fluitans

They are all supposed to be “easy” whatever that means, hopefully they will do alright. I might have some houseplants on the top, I have some  epipremnum “N’joy”, scindapsus “Exotic” and philodendron “Neon” that might be suitable. 

(Patiently waiting for the plants to arrive...)

[letsgetsalty]

Is it possible to keep shrimp in a mason jar that's planted with snails?? Or should I juss stick to a planted jar?? Thank you!

I definitely wouldn’t keep any animals in a mason jar. Even if you have a larger jar - like those big pickle ones - it would be really unstable. Shrimps and snails usually need more stable conditions. If you had something 2 or more gallons you could probably get away with ghost shrimp, as long as filtration and aeration aren’t an issue. I’ve heard snails will crawl out, so that may be another issue!