Forest Floor Terrarium │ Native Terrarium - 1 Year Update

In this video we take a look at the native forest floor terrarium I built over a year ago. The terrarium is home to a plethora of flora and fauna. Most notable species of plants include ferns, mosses and sorrels.
The terrarium is also home to Garlic snails and Chestnut slugs. These molluscs serve as prey for the apex predator within this terrarium. Woodlice and springtails also possess breeding populations within this jar ecosystem.
I was surprised to find the Earwig still alive after all this time. This organism had only appeared very shortly after this terrarium had been created. It disappeared for a long time causing me to think it had been eaten. This is a prime example of how you cannot be certain that species are extinct within a jar ecosystem. Just because they're not in view doesn't always mean they're not there! It was fascinating to witness it rubbing against leaves to clean itself. I have only witnessed this behaviour twice from insects.
The Black Clock Beetle is the apex predator within this terrarium. He is large and hunts the isopods, slugs and snails. To my surprise he seems to be missing a leg... I have no idea how this happened.
I had a lot of fun filming and creating this video. Please don't forget to like and subscribe. It really helps me out!
If you would like to witness this terrariums evolution:
• Forest Floor Ecosystem...

[@Jartopia]

I didn't notice straight away, but the beetle is missing a leg. I have no idea how this happened. Any ideas?

[@theguywhoasked4235]

Faulty molting maybe?

[@bradbradthebrad]

Either a scuffle with another predator (which I doubt because the black clock beetle is the apex predator there) or it just accidentally fell and broke off it’s leg.

[@timmykilltheworldjohnson2329]

War with the earwig!

[@lifeuncovered6188]

I'm going to guess a predator did that, or maybe molting like the person above me said

[@handleisntfkinavailable]

Molting is the most likely probability

[@adumb789]

“Fierce predator” *tries to eat something that isnt food and then falls off a stick

[@Jartopia]

Lmao

[@habibicat-anmfcplayer829]

@@Jartopia how do the insects survive with a lid on the jar?

[@alternateperson1840]

@@habibicat-anmfcplayer829 Water and air never get into the jar, but they also don't really leave. Water will condensate and water the plants, and air for the animals to breathe is produced by said plants. I'm bad at explaining it, so I'll just say it's basically a very condensed version of the water and air cycles.

[@acrow5]

@@habibicat-anmfcplayer829 The plants provide oxygen for the insects and the insects provide carbon dioxide for the plants.

[@super-kamarigaming7907]

@@habibicat-anmfcplayer829 Plants produce oxygen and their is a clear lid above with a light that feeds the plant and thus the cycle restarts

[@VHeartOld]

So happy to see garlic snails again! It’s so cute, I love it, and I’m glad they’ve survived!

[@Emily-ck9ji]

I literally just looked your channel up on Saturday to see if there had been a video upload I missed. Lol. I love these. They're calming, educational, and it's nice to see how everything progresses.

[@Jabzuu]

I did this last night! Quite a coincidence to upload today

[@OG_DouG]

@@Jabzuu I'm actually a new viewer, and man this channel is pretty chill. I just fell in love with this channel last night. It's an escape for me

[@yudhistira1105]

Hey im new on this channel, did he watering the jar or it's just closed forever ?

[@XdarkendGOSPLE]

@@yudhistira1105 closes forever

[@L_Train]

oh you literally looked, you didnt figuratively look? I wish you clowns would stop using that word for emphasis. It's not an emphasis word!

[@mvmarchiori]

Man, your energy bill must be expensive, sustaining all those terrariums throughout the years hahaha Glad you're well and back!

[@somerandom7998]

Not to be 'that guy' but he could just use the natural light through window or some other sort

[@EnglishLad]

@@somerandom7998 Not to be "that guy" either but natural light coming through a window would never sustain this level of biodiversity. He has a bright lamp which he keeps each of these terrariums under.

[@pokemontrainer6941]

@@EnglishLad yes yes these plants have never grown in the wilderness they use lamp light for photosynthesis

[@Peteman81]

@@EnglishLad I think the lights are just for the videos so we can see. All terraniums need is to be placed on a windowsill, as they only need the natural day and night cycle they would have in the "wild". The lights are just for our benefit :-)

[@CrafterVSWild]

You have to consider that these jars and terrariums are inside, and even if they were placed next to a window the level of light that they can be exposed to is limited compared to a natural situation. That may be one of the reasons he needs to put a light on top of each terrarium. But I wonder if the lamps have to be turned off during the night to simulate a day/night cycle..?

[@ContraHacker1337]

I was looking forward to this update. Unreal that an year has passed!

[@Naglfarlindar]

Great video. I made a similar terrarium, it had plenty of life and then suddenly almost everything died (just the springtails, an earthworm and one beetle survived). I let the plants grow out a bit and then re-introduced some woodlice and three species of centipede. So far they are doing great. The centipedes and woodlice are so beautiful up close.

[@1mol_wAter]

Your terrarium literally experienced a great extinction event…😭

[@Lunch_Meat]

This is no joke one of my favorite channels on KZbin. You get everything just right between great shots, great information, great music, and just an overall good vibe. It's obvious that you are passionate about these and the end result is amazing. Keep up the good work!

[@HansHammertime]

I made a sphere using this one as a guide last year, so cool to look back and compare where they are at now!

[@remallius]

Do you keep your terrariums constantly lit up or do you have the lamps set on a timer? Also do you ever set them next to a window for natural light?

[@Eserchie]

I don't know for sure what Jartopia does, but as a general rule, you need either white lamps on a timer, or the terrarium somewhere that it gets only indirect natural light. Most plant species, especially larger more complex ones, don't do very well with 24hr light, and it messes up animal behavior. People have made continually lit closed ecosystems as expiriments, but they end up way less biodiverse than shown here. Putting the terrarium somewhere where it can get direct natural sunlight, like a windowsill, tends to kill everything inside via overheating - the glass creates a greenhouse environment, and direct sunlight will rapidly rise the temperature above what local species can cope with.

[@NorwegianShedhunter]

Been waiting for this one, thanks for uploading!

[@codys1528]

So happy to see these come back on the sorta regular - glad you're doing better after reading your previous update

[@Vyezene]

Wow its so beautiful!! The fern and the sorrel really make it feel like a little prairie next to the woods

[@spectre-ship]

Just found your channel last night and I'm already in love with your work. There's something really magical about seeing these little self-contained worlds, and now I'm thinking of making an ecosphere of my own come springtime. Thanks for these amazing videos!

[@GeekCreek]

Watching your enchanting videos is like an instant meditation course. Thank you so much for sharing.

[@2424Lars]

I love these videos so much! It's so amazing to see functioning ecosystems develop in these mini-worlds!

[@brickheaven5103]

hi jartopia! I just started my first ecosytem around an hour ago and its already starting to clear up, i just wanna say thanks for the inspo!

[@kenaicozry-gallant5217]

I've never been so excited to see nature flourishing before!!

[@bananatv3017]

Always a joy to see these come back :)

[@ramirondongmba2365]

I watched part 1 rn and i saw part 2 and i was so happy! I hope there are more consistent uploads of yours!

[@Dansu18]

Great to see the black clock beetle doing well!! Def my favorite terrarium.

[@SuperZebezian]

Jartopia, what are your favorite creatures to observe in your many jar ecosystems?

[@Jartopia]

The Black Clock Beetle is one of my favourites. There is both a solid black and a red legged variety. I never really thought much of them before observing one in this terrarium. I also love Great Pond Snails as they remind me of my old college campus. I love Daphnia for a similar reason. Finally I enjoy Globular Springtails due to the diverse variety of colours they can be found in.

[@udittlamba]

@@Jartopia is there only one black clock beetle in this jar?

[@kevinguan8499]

@@udittlamba yes, but there are likely larvae within the ecosystem as well, check out the 6 month update

[@super-kamarigaming7907]

@@Jartopia I LOVE your vids, they inspire me to get a jar and make something like this (btw where do you get your jars and what would be a good ecosystem for a beginner and how do u make sure the organisms still breathe? Is it a clear lid and plants with a light overhead?) Also I live in Southern cali should I just use my backyard?

[@MichaelH3948]

@@super-kamarigaming7907 the animal breathe because the plants and algae in the jar produce oxygen via photosynthesis. It's an entirely self-sufficient ecosystem that requires nothing other than external UV light to function

[@gwynyvyr]

After a chaotic day at work, it was wonderful to come home and watch this! I love your videos, they are mesmerizing.

[@jakeelmore8799]

It's crazy how they all have room in there to live happily. Just amazing.

[@rienneant7607]

You make the best terrarium videos, the music goes perfectly with the scenery. There's so much beauty in this small-scale universe, and such variety in life...

[@MrKostas336]

Love your videos. It's always a pleasure when you upload

[@ThomasisaNerd]

This is so pretty! Thanks for a new video

[@PrebleStreetRecords]

I’m glad to see this one is still going! Your original video inspired me to make one using forest soil here in Maine! I found an old glass gallon carboy in my woods to use, but I’ve yet to actually fill it. That’ll be a project this coming spring!

[@sir4movies]

To me this is the best ecosphere channel on here. I looove your content!

[@tarekeco]

I always love watching your videos. All the videos are so informative and soothing to watch. A great channel it is. Many thanks for enriching us with such top-notch quality contents.

[@DieSmart]

Great job! Thanks man!

[@AskMaxwell]

I love these jars thank you for sharing them with us

[@gretafatberg7630]

Seriously underrated youtuber!

[@mrmissalot8311]

Looking very healthy and beautiful!

[@maeltanguy9616]

I love your videos and the way you share your passion! Plus your choice of music is so peaceful, light and pleasant.

[@Cyberdragunz]

Nice to have you back! Once spring comes I'm going to make a native terrarium of my own. I scouted some really nice moss patches I can gather from without taking the entire bed, and there's some hardy small wildflowers and grasses I can add. Curious what livestock I'll get, since the only thing I'm planning on gathering specifically are wood lice and maybe a couple small spiders

[@wwhuuva]

i always love watching your videos, thanks for sharing

[@CleverBrony]

Such diversity for such a small ecosystem

[@SkelleyBones]

Oh I've been waiting for this

[@FJA-ch7vu]

Yay, my favourite of your ecospheres! Great to see an update, although I miss the harvestman.

[@Jartopia]

I miss him too. He was one of the coolest organisms I've ever had.

[@TheLateLordKardok]

I have literally never seen anything so goddamn adorable as an earwig scratching its back on a leaf. Thanks for making my day.

[@hylaarborea1090]

Beautiful

[@victorvlaslev6673]

Love this channel

[@SomeGuy-qd3li]

YEEEEEE IVE BEEN WAITIN

[@Reid_Spreiter]

What camera/lense are you using to record this amazing footage? I am really interesting in viewing some of my ecospheres from this beautiful perspective!

[@ericmorales1934]

Just subscribed, love your channel

[@aliencreature2842]

Its really beautiful

[@lick28]

Whenever I watch these jar videos, i keep getting flashbacks of *that jar*

[@Zachcraftone]

Recently discovered this trend, I even plan on doing one from my local pond when spring comes. Hopefully I can make it work like you do lol.

[@2birdstwobirds]

Always is so beautiful as a fairytale 🍂🍃

[@Scorpionem]

I love your videos 😍

[@ruched268]

Cool blue snail

[@stevew6138]

Cool.

[@kalamitas3669]

i love your channel

[@Mistrudels]

I hope you're doing well. I know in one of your previous videos you mentioned in the comments you've gone through a tough loss and covid. Just know your a very talented human being and I hope you find your footing if you haven't already.

[@tristantavolaro1763]

Hi jartopia. I am a big fan of your channel. I don’t know if you know but your closed ecosystem is actually called a vivarium. Terrariums only have plants but vivariums have plants and animals. Keep up the great work.

[@jjohnson6471]

I’m so glad there are at least 212k other people that enjoy things like this.

[@dominikweber4305]

You just love the garlic snail, don't you? I can understand tho, it's beautiful

[@edgardner6798]

How satisfying to get the balance right.

[@matthewpotts3781]

Do a video with your brother who created the first ecosystem. Explain how it came to be and what you both think of it to this day. I think that would be a much awaited video, not to mention very interesting.

[@mkt045]

Its just incredíble how many diferent species in a small space reach a stable equilibrium .

[@AClockworkKitten]

Is that seriously the same beetle from last year? Will be interesting to see what happens to the ecosystem when it dies.

[@taranyoung8588]

How do you keep your terrariums? Do the lights above have day/night cycles and do you try to keep temperature consitant? Love the content!

[@pav7997]

I have enjoyed watching several of your videos. Just curious, ever have an ecosystem fail? Either due to too many predators or no predators at all? Or because of other conditions. You seem to be so successful and know what you are doing. Take care and thanks for uploading.

[@tinyGrim1]

I have a perfect jar but lid is metal screw on. Is that okay ? Or should it be rubber topped? Love this. When scoring comes, I would love to try . Beautiful ❤️ TY

[@Jartopia]

Metal lids are fine for terrariums don't worry. :)

[@tinyGrim1]

@@Jartopia okay. Thank you . Haven't been around much. Sorry for late response. And🙂 BTW...can I seal it tight then ? I have more jars like it. There big, thick and great size. My daughter gets from hospital kitchen. They just throw them !!

[@dylanfaulkenham7211]

So I have a couple questions about terrariums, how often do you "water" them, and do they need to be under a UV light or would they be ok just left on a shelf with the regular day/night cycle of the sun on them. Also if you were to build one in a small, sealed jar, how often do you need to pop it open to let fresh air in

[@Eserchie]

You water (or dewater) them only during the initial setup period, once you have a correct water level inside the system, its a closed cycle - the water evaporates and recondenses inside the system. UV light works better, but if it isn't direct sunlight, you can manage just sticking them on a shelf. (direct sunlight will overheat the terrarium). As long as there are plants or cyanobacteria alive inside, you never need to pop it pen for fresh air.

[@bradbradthebrad]

Okay cool, I haven’t watched video but I hope I see that the beetle had babies. Can you make your update on your biggest terrarium? I need to see if there’s still no worms or not.

[@micahwest3566]

Yes! I was waiting for this update after the previous one showed that there might be more beetles, but he didn’t end up mentioning it!

[@Diogenes52]

This has been a fascinating series to watch. That garlic snail's blue color is beautiful. I was wondering, did you ever find out what that larvae from the 6 month update turned into? And did you end up finding any baby beetles, if the clock beetle was actually pregnant?

[@Jartopia]

I have witnessed the black clock beetle laying eggs and for whatever reason it then ate them afterwards. As for the larvae I think it might of been another black clock beetle, but I can never be certain. Information on beetle larvae ID is incredibly scarce so I can only take an educated guess. It was only filmed once by complete chance. There are animals still in the terrarium that evade being captured on camera to this day. I'm often shocked at the different things that can pop up for a brief moment to then disappear for months or never be seen again.

[@justsomeherowithouthair8203]

Yesssss

[@retsirk97]

Please do a some more videos on how to make these! I’m very interested

[@delvinjordan7046]

Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.

[@IlPane1505]

We need a 2 years update!

[@ozymandiastheking2139]

How do you care for these other than keeping the right lighting and temperature? Do you have to open it or add water or anything else?

[@michaelj2439]

Brilliant series of videos! I have a question, when you made this jar did you just randomly put forest floor soil in? I’m just so surprised that it contained so many different species, so did you any any? Thanks. Liked & subscribed

[@dart3603]

Dart frog Wil look nice in one of those bell jar 👍 Highland Pasco Dart Frog.

[@O12port799]

How do you keep the glass so clear? Do you clean the inside?

[@thedstroyer0075]

1:11 ahhh the earwig… TOP TEN CREATURES THAT WIPE THERE ASSES

[@sergeantsharkseant]

as an idea for a new jar: take a really Bigr jar with a rather amphibius terain so: bottom as usual with stones but then the bottom soild from the bottom of a pond or lake and then much more normal soil from the surrounding are and you just add enough water so you have small pond inside the jar maybe 50/50 or 33/66 ratio. would be realy cool to see some possible interactions there

[@floogal191]

See this looks really cool like how you literally create your own world and I'd like to try this one day, but I have two questons: 1.) do the organisms inside breed from the jar or do you find them and put some in and wait for them to grow/ reproduce? 2.) how long do you roughly wait till something happens such as seeing an organism come out of nowhere if you get what I mean?

[@haron_5841]

How this beetle Is still alive How long this species lives ?

[@FunerealObsession]

How effective of a slug/snail predator would you say the beetle is?

[@duranimal7368]

Hey jarotopia I have a question. How do you keep the walls of the terrarium clean enough to see through it like that. Also what jars do you get.

[@sh4wz0r]

I built a terrarium inspired by this a few months ago (my first one) and it's doing OK - most of the insects are still going. However, the plant life is starting to look very sparse. Can I ask how well lit it should be? At the moment I have it in a spot that gets only indirect sunlight. Is this wrong? Thanks - keep up the great work.

[@christophercarreira1008]

How big are your terrariums usually? (Love the channel by the way)

[@maxcarter3453]

Jartopia, what camera(s) do you use? I am in to macro nature and wildlife photography but I have never seen a lense like this!

[@kevinguan8499]

I’ve been waiting for an update on this biosphere Edit: I noticed that there no longer seems to be a spider colony in the biosphere, I would’ve expected for them to have reproduced among themselves at this point but that seems unlikely as no spiders were shown, so is it possible they just died out? Or is there another factor?

[@Jartopia]

As of filming this ecosystem I did not see any spiders, which is why they're not in the video. This doesn't necessarily mean they're extinct though. If I haven't seen it at the time of filming that doesn't always mean it's extinct. Many species that may be missing during one video can reappear in a future one. The earwig is a good example of this. He was seen during the creation video, but absent from every other video up until this one. Somehow he had evaded me for over a year whilst living in such a tiny space! With that in mind I suspect the tiny spiders could be still alive, but in very low numbers. The larger spider I'm less confident with. I wouldn't be surprised if the beetle ate it.

[@kevinguan8499]

@@Jartopia kk makes sense

[@aboatnamedsayle8718]

This guy does what I thought I could do when I shoved things into a bucket at the beach

[@buriakvitalii3026]

Good day! Please tell what camera you use to make these videos!!!! Its so cool

[@midgetkungfu]

Did you put all of these insects in the jar yourself, or did you find them in there after the jar was sculpted? I've been wanting to do a native jar but wondering if I should go bug hunting first? Or will the flora I collect potentially contain enough bioorganisms? Any advice?

[@brackishnz]

Check out his other videos for that info

[@drizzlefootpie2699]

Can you do a video about the do's and dont's of having a ecosphere

[@KaiGaming84]

Hi - what camera do you use to zoom in? I've been using my Samsung phone camera but it just doesn't focus very well.

[@grav1t1u-gang27]

i saw you use an artificial light, but if i wanted to make an ecosphere would i need a light? if so, is a normal light bulb okay?

[@Smokewadwinslow]

Jartopia, Are there other predators in this terrarium? Will you have to replace it when the beetle dies or do you let things play out? I’ve thought of making terrariums but it seems predators tend to die or not reproduce in many of them

[@daanzoomer2997]

Jartopia has a terrarium which is over 10 years old and even the predators are alive

[@marinetti5164]

I wonder, do you water the ecosystems or just the initial water is enough to keep it going?

[@ireimasu]

awesome... i want to make one of these ecosystems but idk how

[@ireimasu]

btw garlic snail looks so cute 🥺

[@beddrunk]

One question I have for terrarium owners: how can you gauge if a species has "a small but stable" population size? Especially considering ur only point of reference is the fact its in a small space. Do you just compare it to if it were in an forest/natural biome scenario? Oh man. It must be so fun.

[@user-zr6bj8ti3k]

У меня в селе этих Ирвингов называли Щепалками, всегда опасался их :D

[@EndercakeTheMessenger]

What would you suggest for a worm ecosystem that would be underground with rocks and soil?

[@sleepingbear3954]

Any video with updates on the firebrats?

[@kevinwood8653]

@Jartopia What brand of uvb lamps do you use for your jars?