Huge Natural Saltwater Ecosphere - Starfish, crabs and a lot more...

I made a very big (2.5G/10L) natural saltwater ecosphere. I went to the North Sea and brought seawater and sand with me in jerrycans. Then I built the huge ecosphere and it is full with all different kinds of life. There's a starfish and a crab and even a crab larvae. There's also amphipods and a lot more crustaceans and different kinds of seaweed and marine plants.
Enjoy!
Patreon:
patreon.com/lifeinjars

[@LifeinJars]

If you don't really understand what an ecosphere is, I suggest watching this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gWGsnniEoNJ8eNE 1 month update: kzbin.info/www/bejne/aHKxqKBneaihmqc 2 month update: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKmxq5KKl7mWbrM

[@shontellepetersen4445]

I can't wait to see how this does! Can you do an update on your weed jar please?

[@LifeinJars]

It is on my list. It will probably be uploaded in 2 or 3 weeks

[@shontellepetersen4445]

Yay I can't wait! Do you post photos or videos on Facebook or Instagram ect for more regular mini updates?

[@LifeinJars]

Nope youtube gets everything. I think I will use the community feature once I get acces to it.

[@wunderwaffle2564]

From what country are you from

[@Wolfoe1238]

I love that we get all these technical scientific names for things then just "Here's a mystery jiggly worm. And a super jiggly worm"

[@LifeinJars]

I don't have _all_ the knowledge haha

[@wunknownplayerw6666]

@@LifeinJars And theres an long jiggly worm

[@BlankParty]

I liked the music for the jiggly worms!

[@Wolfoe1238]

@Ace Verdin Oh no, an insult. There goes my fragile pride :(

[@eddvcr598]

Well, it _was_ HELLA jiggly.

[@ottol.c.1784]

Life in Jars: “Hermit crabs are actually very territorial, and can get quite aggresive.” *calmly watches as the big hermit crab drags the tiny one into the sand*

[@lancetheking7524]

he is correct

[@mathughsyoutubeworld2655]

Bedecick Cucumberbatch I thought they were actually quite social

[@naturezone1212]

There are many different species of hermit crabs. You are thinking of the ones that live on land

[@THEDR0NEZ0NE]

What are you doing stepcrab?

[@ls200076]

@@THEDR0NEZ0NE Eating your eyeball

[@Buffalo_billi]

“Which is that many gallons” I think I’ve found one of my favorite channels

[@LifeinJars]

Awesome thanks!

[@GalleryAquaticaTV]

buffalo bill My fav : I’ll clean that up later. Yah, I’ll clean that up later

[@apdroidgeek1737]

your brother will become a great camera man

[@LifeinJars]

I'll tell him that haha

[@Murder864]

The crab is wut

[@Lochlanist]

Lol I can imagine the fight with his brother. "Dammit man you had one job, look at you fingers all up in the shot."

[@LifeinJars]

That is what I was thinking. I didn't say it though :)

[@alphaamoeba]

He was actually filming the next upcoming Blockbuster: "Handman"

[@szymonkiedrowski2914]

that is actually rhyming xD

[@zackjohnson2919]

Szymon Kiedrowski job and shot don’t rhyme boi

[@hollandjude]

"i didn't know which way was up for this plant so i just did something and now it is in" 😂 love this sm 5:19

[@yellowmustard7482]

ｉ'ｌｌｃｌｅａｎｉｔｌａｔｅｒ

[@LifeinJars]

I did

[@tiskolin]

How did you get those monospace characters?

[@missy5608]

BIG MOOD

[@thirsty1629]

ｙｅｅｅｅ

[@avianivy0775]

m e

[@pepeabbott2947]

The music got me 😂 And the "stop wiggling" *Pause* "Okay go"

[@LifeinJars]

Glad you like it!

[@pepeabbott2947]

@@LifeinJars Keep up the great videos! You won my support as a Subscriber :p

[@LifeinJars]

Welcome to the Jarmy!

[@salvadords4172]

Stop!...........Hammer time!

[@clsk-ara]

@@salvadords4172 Preacher Lawson?

[@cranaculas2949]

"This is the North sea. *Looks down* "This is seaweed." I lost my shit when he said that XD.

[@bluebowser3121]

Dustin Pak said salt water ecospheres cannot be done, but I dont believe that. I look forward to seeing how this ecosphere develops!

[@LifeinJars]

I don't believe it either. He didn't show up with any proof other than that he has never seen it done before. In the comments under that video people said that they have succesfully done it.

[@xarell3118]

Life in Jars? If you opened it in three months it will smell like a dead fish I did it before and I know

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

While salt water jarrariums can certainly be done successfully, a saltwater ecosphere like the kind that you are attempting would need at the very least a water pump and bubbler to add oxygen, as that small amount of kelp/seaweed isn’t enough to adequately oxygenate the ecosphere. Also, the thin layer of substrate isn’t going to hold enough bacteria that would help to recycle waste products, so live rock would really help with that. Also, you’re attempting to create a closed ecosystem with a high volume of lifeforms - the saltwater shrimp ecospheres that are sold in glass bubbles can work because there’s only shrimp and a particular species of algae in it, nothing else. While I hope you all the success with your saltwater ecosphere, I would suggest that you keep a close eye on it if you want it to do well.

[@JaesadaSrisuk]

Life in Jars? Here’s a link to a KZbin video about how to set up a saltwater jarrarium that can be very successful.

[@LifeinJars]

Justice it is not a perfect system from the start. Some animals will die, some plants will die, some sort of animal will appear or populations will grow, plants will grow. The point I'm trying to make is that it can take a long time to find the right balance of which life the system is able to sustain. And the contents of the ecosphere will change a lot over time. You can already see that with the first ecosphere I made. So I have high hopes for this ecosystem to be able to contain life.

[@madisontoney6760]

Nobody: Jiggly worm: *_Cha cha real smooth_*

[@babysnake2296]

He be vibin

[@ramunessence4510]

your 69th like

[@MS-yh5lf]

Clicked out of curiosity, subbed for the giggly worms.

[@LifeinJars]

Haha! Welcome!

[@Oeliboeb]

Holy crab

[@LifeinJars]

Totally

[@iluvf1rztvoidxx360]

Pun intended

[@Oeliboeb]

No.

[@beansbene473]

PUN INTENDED!!!!

[@stavinaircaeruleum2275]

*H* *A* *N* *D*

[@parkerpruhs1058]

this dude sound like stephen hawking

[@yes9691]

Yes except he is ok with moving

[@LifeinJars]

What can I say? I'm a smart guy...

[@ethanhermsey]

if stephen hawking would be dutch ;p

[@Thundershrooms]

Was just about to comment that

[@LegendTyrant]

Isn’t he dead...

[@illipinobruh]

“Yeah I’ll clean it up later” sounds like how I clean my house

[@MissRandomComment]

Why do all these people seem angry at him for even trying :') I say hooray for education by trial and error but hey... maybe that's just me..

[@gadfly5792]

In a world of pool pissers, you are the one person who refuses to pee in the pool. Respect sir.

[@ilsefarfan5569]

The narration off the charts!

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks Ilse!

[@KingFergus]

@ 8:12 it's not a worm or an insect, it's called a nudibranch or sea slug. cool find =D

[@LifeinJars]

That is a really cool find! Thanks for clearing that up!

[@pe8427]

Most of the creatures in a saltwater ecosystem need ocean currents for food and reproduction. And those crabs will grow large. They may also eat the starfish. But I am exited to see how it turns out. But I think next time you should do some research on the ecosystem and animals. This will help you avoid an ecosystem collapse

[@LifeinJars]

I did not intentionally take the crabs and starfish with me. When I came home I saw I had them and I couldn't get rid of them anymore. If I had the choice I wouldn’t have chosen the crabs. However I am also excited to see how it turns out.

[@pe8427]

Most of the life forms in your ecosystem are in their larval/planktonic stage. A lot of creatures lay eggs inshore for protection, when they get large enough they usually move offshore. I am just worried once all the creatures grow they will overcrowd and eat each other. Also I think a lot of the seaweed that you have are just sections ( like leaves) and won’t grow. But I’m not sure. I haven’t tried this my self so I really want to see how it turns out.

[@LifeinJars]

Yes I think that most of the seaweed that washed ashore is probably torn off.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Philip Espinal the biome not the animal is what needs study. My suggestion is to not add everything at once but to build it over six months and then seal it... but I do saltwater tanks with low tech styles

[@kevOzilla]

Either that starfish going to eat everything in that tank or the crabs will once they get big

[@louisasmiles]

I love the Dutch accent. Also, music is amazing.

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks

[@Shaden0040]

The amphipod might be what we call in North America (east coast) a sand flea.

[@LifeinJars]

The thought had crossed my mind so I did some research but I actually don't think it is. We call those sand flea in Dutch too (zandvlo)

[@Hbhnudeh743]

@@LifeinJars I've seen some of those were I live, in Spain. The ones I have seen live in colonies in algae, there's always a lot of them, but I'm not sure about what they eat, I think maybe the algae they live in

[@sophievonbehren7944]

this channel is so wholesome. When i'm feeling bad, i'll just retreat to this channel. I don't know much about biology but I'm interested and these videos are great!

[@deceased._]

Move! Worm: OH YEAHHH Stop! Worm: Whyy :c OKAY MOVE!!!! Worm: WOHOOOO

[@ippolitomaiolo1845]

Once I've tried to do a saltwater ecosphere with a 2 liters jar but in a week the decomposition of the algae created tannic acids that killed all the animals and made the water yellow

[@LifeinJars]

Well let's hope that doesn't happen

[@willow.bell.illustration]

Without the proper filtration and maintenance (like water changes, which replenishes the oxygen in tanks), that is bound to happen eventually. The ocean doesn't just sit in one big container all day not moving or cycling. It's still alive and well even a month in, but I'm still skeptical.

[@willow.bell.illustration]

@MissRandomComment No one is angry?

[@MissRandomComment]

Wasn't supposed to go in this thread. Was speaking generally. And I said it seemed, not claiming any facts!

[@citlalliir]

Ippolito Maiolo buddy

[@TehFemaleKevin]

+10 respect for leaving the tiniest crab to live his best life in the wild

[@Maineh]

I've never seen a succesful salt water ecosphere so I'm looking forward to it!

[@LifeinJars]

Did you know the branded ecospheres are saltwater ecospheres? I'm looking forward to it as well

[@LifeinJars]

Well that John, is where you're wrong

[@TheLiam14141]

*MYSTERY JIGGLY WORM*

[@Flipcam123]

You can see the crab on the bottom at 5:05

[@LifeinJars]

Good eye!

[@damicow]

Yup

[@ixxcocoxii5776]

sounds like the guy who said "hey, this is library"

[@lauramiller3748]

You do such a beautiful job decorating your ecospheres

[@Ivander85]

Bro you're crazy. The good kind of crazy. I've been bingeing your channel for a couple of days now. Thanks for all the fascinating content.

[@srstudio2518]

hi,started my own seawater ecosphere today! did it same way you did,colected stuff from the sea (Mediterranean Sea) got 3 diffrent plants and sand ,i also unintentionally got a small crab but a difrent kind from the one you got! i think it is a Marbled crab (Pachygrapsus marmoratus) also have live clams and a small drift wood log,looks good!!! thank you for this movie ,it got me started!

[@TigerOfGermany]

"Which is this many gallons." Lol

[@KayLeiCol]

I just found your channel! I'm absolutely amazed at these videos! This is the second one I've watched so far & I noticed you made this sea-cosphere on my birthday last year! ❤️

[@vievie3661]

I'm gonna make my own in the summer! Have never done it before but as someone housebound and bored 24/7 I feel like this'd be a really good thing to do, I'd be excited to wake up and see the updates :') thanks for your videos, I might start a new hobby

[@WeakBambi]

I want to do this. Which means I will pretty soon, but I'm jealous because I go to the beach all the time and I've never once found a single live starfish. And only a few times I've found tiny crabs. I feel like you got lucky, or the area you live near is very nice. Also is there a site where you buy those jars from? I like the look of them.

[@LifeinJars]

You should make one it's a lot of fun. Yeah I usually find dead starfish too, so you're quite right if you say that I got lucky! I bought the jars from the Dutch equivalent of Craigslist.

[@twilightgardenspresentatio6384]

Ruby Maxwell check them seaweed piles for critters

[@WeakBambi]

Thanks!

[@NH-ge4vz]

@@LifeinJars marktplaats? Omdat ze goedkoop zijn of omdat ze niet in de winkels zijn? Ik wil ook zo een groot ding kopen alleen weet niet waar ik ze kan vinden

[@LifeinJars]

Ja marktplaats. Ze zijn heel moeilijk te vinden. Volgens mij kun je online voor €40 één pot kopen. Dus dat is niet een heel goeie deal.

[@mrmissalot8311]

Great video as always! hopefully this one survives for a while, seawater ones can be tough...

[@LifeinJars]

They can be very tough indeed. I hope it survives too.

[@mrmissalot8311]

Life in Jars? One of my terrariums is about to be 3 months old, i might make a video on it.

[@theawakeningofjohnnynewsom9072]

yeah I'm a kid on a ambition to have pets on the sea

[@Flashh130]

Love your videos man. Inspired me to start my own seacosphere today from a beach in Big Sur.

[@natetransitions8379]

This was the very video that found me and inspired me to start all sorts of projects like this, terrariums, ant formacariums and all.

[@ar5055]

"Here is my finger for size comparison" *Shows thumb instead*

[@mitchl5220]

Awesome video, I'm interested to see how this one turns out! I had one too, although the water was originally cloudy after just over a month but I stupidly threw mine over the edge as I added more seaweed to deal with the excess nutrients (due to the bacterial bloom) which was a mistake. It died due to the Seaweed rotting as without a current within the water the parasites (algae etc) grew all over the seaweed and it began to decompose (which lead to a major spike in the water and a huge bacterial bloom) now my ecosphere stinks of rotten eggs and everything in there other than a few snails have all died. Most of my snails, all the seaweed, worms, crustaceans and copepods are now dead. :( I discovered through this that flow is needed to make most seaweeds work so my next attempt I will make one with a lot of rocks so algae can take the place of the seaweed haha (also I noticed competition for oxygen within sealed salt water systems is very high as many animals venture out of the water at night to breathe (probably because the bacteria and seaweed was using a lot of oxygen too and also salt water holds less oxygen) so a very large air gap is needed at the top of the system compared to fresh water ecospheres.

[@LifeinJars]

I thought that seaweed maybe needed flow in the water but I didn't know about the air gap. Decomposers such as bacteria can consume a lot of oxygen.

[@josephdevita2938]

Just started watching these kinds of videos. I find them so interesting. Keep it up.

[@NidzShah-ps6kr]

What you're doing is just plain awesome!

[@emilywilliams39]

Are you feeling it mr. Krabs

[@VamptoristicOne]

OMG I cant wait for the year mark. So Close

[@JustMe-dd5ou]

Hey from the other side of the North Sea. Fraserburgh Scotland 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

[@zs1562]

This was phenomenal. So relaxing...I just zoned out and watched. The jazz background was inspired. 👍

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks that's great to hear!

[@hollandjude]

and 5:33 "this looks like a moss ball" 🤣

[@miles2934]

Your little brother become a Director someday

[@LifeinJars]

That would be awesome

[@christopher-lukepeers3912]

The internet took my here and somehow my natural curiosity is satisfied. Good job.

[@mothsweb5362]

the sound design on this video is excellent.

[@sarahwhitlau5468]

This is definitely my flavorite ecosphere so far!

[@LifeinJars]

Yeah mine too

[@rorolonglegs4594]

I love your videos and your accent, ignore the hate.

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks

[@roote4k154]

THANK you for sharing this video

[@scraperindustry]

I like this guy's deadpan delivery.

[@steelierkestrel4495]

Wonderful videos! Keep it up!

[@LifeinJars]

Thank you very much. I will try my best ;)

[@ryandobbs9270]

The worm swam very similarly to a mosquito larvae

[@LifeinJars]

It did didn't it

[@youtubeenjoyer1399]

I just bought a 2 Gallon jar for myself and tomorrow I’m heading to the beach to fill it and make my own seacosphere!! I live in Miami so my plant life will probably be more floating seaweed than anything else, but i hope it still works out :)

[@vikkiirey1038]

Love your presentation and your humor. Subscribed👏👌🖒❤

[@LadaD02]

9:18 is an saltwater Gammaurus

[@LifeinJars]

You're probably right

[@chachcadi271]

At 6:04, there is already something swimming in the jar.

[@shathakaedbay5131]

this channel is AMAZING!! so glad i found it, what you do is incredibly interesting.

[@LifeinJars]

Thank you very much

[@katroamleft4721]

i appriciate the jazz in the backround 😊

[@timexyemerald6290]

Ohh my GoD Patrick STOPP!! ITS A CHILD FRIENDLY CHANNEL!!!! 2:01

[@grandexandi]

You need water current and change, otherwise everything will die...!

[@LifeinJars]

So far it's fine

[@JoeBurner1720]

@@LifeinJars hes right

[@subparracer]

tim Bauer I was thinking the same thing but you never know how it could turn out. There's so many variables that this one jar could have. Anything is always possible keep us posted bub would like to see more.

[@1silverwhisper8]

Yeee ocean life is fragile, I'm betting all that will be left in the end will be the worms

[@patstaysuckafreeboss8006]

Life uhhh, finds a way

[@lynwolf1995]

Wow! I just landed on this video several minutes ago. I love it! I have such an eclectic taste in topics that I watch, but none so enthralling as your Life in a Jar series. I have always had aquariums varying from a temperamental saltwater one to more or less a hands off goldfish one. However they all pale in comparison to your seacosphere! Thank you so very much for sharing such a wonderful view of life, most of us of which , are oblivious of their existence. And yes, you most certainly have a lovely sense of humor; which enhances your already phenomenal videos. Please keep them coming! And thank you again! P.S. of course I subscribed and am using the LIKE feature.

[@LifeinJars]

Thank you for your comment and for watching. I'm glad you like my videos

[@xandermcn]

This is so interesting. I love how you don't have to take care of it like a plant. If only there's a fast forward button.

[@owpwpbrend7660]

Ben jij Nederlands zo ja waar heb je de zee ster gevonden?

[@LifeinJars]

Waar komen al die Nederlanders opeens vandaan?! De zeester komt gewoon uit de Noordzee

[@beast_mode5729]

ik ben ook nederlands stond in mn recommended komt ook omdat ik zelf bezig ben met een paludarium

[@SiepSchepers]

Life in Jars? I dunno maar tis wel grappig om een Nederlandse ecosphere te zien hier

[@LifeinJars]

Ayano aishi je bedoelt 'super cool'

[@KevinvanRoosmalen]

Bruh heerlijk nederlands accentje

[@LifeinJars]

Ik doe erg m'n best maar een accent is niet te verbergen ben ik bang

[@13lucky13horses13]

@@LifeinJars accentjes zijn nooit helemaal te verbergen ben ik bang, maar ik studeer in Engeland en mijn vrienden zeggen dat ik meer Engels klink wanneer ik relaxed ben. Blijkbaar hebben wij nederlanders er een handje van om HEEL DUIDELIJK te articuleren, waardoor ons accentje meer opvalt. Er is natuurlijk niks mis met een nederlands accentje, maar als je wat minder Nederlands wil klinken is het misschien een ideetje om wat minder druk te leggen op ieder woord op zichzelf, en gewoon een zin er in een keer uit te gooien.

[@ianaliciaperry5243]

Wow, fantastic!! I enjoyed this so much, thank you.

[@LifeinJars]

Great to hear! My pleasure

[@ronnieraymontoya5701]

I can’t believe you got a think with a starfish and a crab good video 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂🙂

[@ghxst3d82]

Anyone watching this in 2019?

[@GhostlyGhille]

"Very big" 2 gallons of sea water..

[@LifeinJars]

Have you seen a bigger one?

[@berlinaquaristikundangeln3742]

Life in Jars? A bigger one would be easy to maintain. If you get a 20 gallon one you can actually keep big crabs, gobies and shrimp. Would be an idea you know

[@NH-ge4vz]

@@berlinaquaristikundangeln3742 you don't really maintain sealed ecospheres by the way

[@scubb]

Ecosphere's are miniscule. An actual aquarium of course would be much larger.

[@BraveLilToasty]

Wow! That is the ocean! I have never seen it before! And Seaweed? OMG!!!

[@LifeinJars]

There's a first for everything

[@BraveLilToasty]

Life in Jars? I know right! I was going to go on meth, but when I saw the effect on others... I said "Maybe not".

[@LifeinJars]

Yeah maybe not

[@BraveLilToasty]

Life in Jars? LOL! I love talking to you!

[@SolarMoth]

incredibly detailed and fun!

[@howtodothings4641]

Cool vid, dude, but the "super jiggly worm" was going into toxic shock...

[@LifeinJars]

Even though it might look somewhat similar, a toxic shock is way more violent and erratic. Besides, all other animals, including the crab, were doing absolutely fine so there's no reason to assume it went into toxic shock. Thanks for watching

[@igris6128]

You should have left the starfish

[@LifeinJars]

I did not catch it on purpose

[@apdroidgeek1737]

that starfish is probably an asterina anyway they are hated by most aquarist and kill some of them because they are pest believe it or not and they destroy coral reefs... they can also reproduce very fast...

[@terezo7028]

I love this so much I just wanna go to the beach right now to collect and make my own !!!

[@adysimm9774]

Brilliant ,love this I might even try to make one myself,

[@biktikz]

You sound like you're talking without opening your jaw

[@LifeinJars]

That's a new one

[@aa-lj7sn]

Who else cringed with his voice

[@dnttrip5767]

Sounds like a damn robot

[@LifeinJars]

thanks

[@ulaq]

Well it was such a peaceful video both in visual and audio-wise. You are probably one of those 9-15~ y.o. kids who "cringe" with everything.

[@bonita7188]

It’s called a Dutch accent

[@lilitheden748]

Anger Invader I think his native language is Dutch lol

[@ikonic6461]

The music is so calming and i love that starfish 😂

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks

[@KFrost-fx7dt]

That seaweed looks good, if I lived there I would be collecting it to eat.

[@iwromi1852]

you make me so happy I love these videos:)

[@iamjaychase1]

Great music Great video Thank you

[@GameBrain321]

Significantly impressive, I'm excited to see how it develops ! :>

[@LifeinJars]

Thank you! Me too!

[@alexanderbruwer9363]

Word of advice for anyone wanting to remove sand from a container lile he did, mix you sand and water in a way where the sand becomes temporarily suspended before pouring, if you have a circular container, creating a whirlpool works really well

[@billyholly]

@Life in Jars? This clip inspired us to plan to make four saltwater and four freshwater ecospheres. Freshwater is rare in Malta but there is one stream about 4 km from school. I hope I can locate eight, large jars with screw tops and we should be set. Again, any other advice you can give us would be useful, in particular, what we should put on our display when the science fair is going on.

[@WingersCrawlersEurope]

Nice one! This is fantastic. Starting up one to. A terrestrial ecosphere. Like from me!

[@justinjett5558]

finally, the quality content I’ve been searching for.

[@LifeinJars]

Congrats

[@Nasty619foxdrankthewine]

Beautiful videos man. 👍🏻 really educational.

[@LifeinJars]

Thank you Jack

[@LadyViscera]

I’ve just made my first ecosphere and I’m happy to report there are indeed boogie worms

[@thedarkmasterthedarkmaster]

Dude the music is amazing

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks I put a lot of time in choosing the right music

[@mrrad1526]

@@LifeinJars need the titles, tank you.😁

[@SXMSXMSXM]

Nice interresting Reallly funny and most excellent choice of music!

[@BlankParty]

That tiny crab is so cute

[@riverbender9898]

Love it! Thanks.

[@principalofthething7917]

That really small crab is so cute!!!!

[@LifeinJars]

Isn't he?

[@mikelee158]

It was kinda satisfying to see him break up the hermit crab fight at the end. I wanted to separate them when I saw them at the beginning. My wish cane true!

[@strawberrydantv385]

Entertaining video, loved it