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1.5 litre Jar

6K views 50 replies 17 participants last post by  Bombalurina 
#1 ·
Well, today I embarked on the challenge to create a mini-planted tank, in an old coffee jar. This is the jar my first rescue, Apollo, was given to me in. It is about 1.5 litres in capacity, which means it holds more than a litre even now I've filled it with dirt and plants.

The first picture is the empty jar.
The second picture is the jar after I filled it with dirt. I used dirt from the hole that the pond will be going into, which has no fertilisers etc in it. It does have a lot of crud (twigs, leaves, rocks, roots) that I tried, but only partially succeeded, to remove.
The third picture shows the first stage of planting. I used offcuts from my 16 gal. The two plants there are elodea and red ludwigia.
The fourth picture shows my fully planted jar. I used tiny black gravel for the cap, then added a java moss carpet and a little pagoda (courtesy of Acumen Aquatics) with a java fern attached to it. The water is cloudy still.

I will post more photos as the water clears, and when I add the first shrimpy inhabitants. Chances are a few snails jumped in with the plants. :)

Sorry if any of the pictures are on their side/upside down, I don't know why they do that. I also apologise for the poor quality.
 

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#4 ·
Ooh I really like it!! I can't wait to see how it looks when it clears up. I've had some snails jump on my plants at the petstore, but I always keep them around :)
 
#6 ·
Well, the cloudiness is all gone and I will hopefully add some shrimp soon.

Image 1) The jar front
Image 2) Top-down view
Image 3) The back
Image 4) Close up of the pagoda
Image 5) The view behind my jar to inspire it to grow big and wild ;) This one's for you, Aokashi! :p
 

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#12 ·
Alas! My plants are not happy. They seem to be going very thin and transparent. I have been giving them 8 hours of daylight and 1-2 hours with the flourescent light from my main tank, so I suspect it is the temperature shock causing them to go goopy, rather than light. Nonetheless, I'm going to get a tiny clip-on lamp for the jar. I'm also dosing with ferts to try and give them a little boost.
 
#13 ·
This is so cool. I think it would be really cool to do something like this but as of yet, I haven't built up the courage to take the leap into the land of live plants so.... :p
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#17 ·
This is an awesome project - I never would have thought to include shrimp/snails. I'm definitely going to give something like this a try.
 
#24 ·
You definitely don't need an air pump - that increases oxygen exchange but reduces CO2 exchange - plants need CO2, not oxygen. :) For the same reason, you also don't need a filter. Plants filter the water for you, and if your tank is planted heavily enough, can actually completely replace a filter.
The most important factors in keeping plants are light and nutrients. :)
 
#31 ·
No, it isn't the smell of rotting eggs, just decaying organic matter.

Unfortunately, my girl Artemis unexpectedly died last night, and in a fit of distraction I left my jar out overnight (it had been sunbathing during the day), so goodness knows if any snails/plants have survived the relatively chilly autumn night. (It's ridiculous - it can still be 31C during the day, then drop down to 9C at night).
 
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