I Left Water Outside For 1.5 YEARS - Aquatic Succession

This video shows what happens when leaving an empty body of water outside for over a year, one and a half years to be exact. Due to the process of ecological succession, but in water, known as aquatic succession, this empty tub of water, the outside aquarium, turned into a thriving new ecosystem over the course of months, eventually turning into a young green and living freshwater habitat after just 1.5 years. This ecosystem includes a wide variety of microbes, but also macroscopic animals like mosquitos (no-see-ums), crustaceans (ostracods or seed shrimp) and springtails. There's even an aquatic plant in the form of duckweed.
Enjoy!
Watch the previous updates here:
part 1: • Aquatic Ecological Suc...
part 2: • MORE Aquatic Ecologica...
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[@OffYourTopic]

this has inspired me to piss in a bucket and leave it on my front doorstep for 1.5 years in the name of science and ecology

[@LifeinJars]

Glad to have inspired you

[@rdizzy1]

You would likely end up with the same thing happening, as piss is like 95% water, most of the minerals would settle out rather quickly+ rain as well and you would end up the same. Probably even faster due to the nutrients in piss.

[@Amaling]

Please just make it properly tied down so it doesn't tip over like this one

[@weskirkland5850]

it'll be moldy like bread.

[@MmmmDatAss]

I don't know about in an open environment, but in a closed container, piss will change color over time until it turns black.

[@Dragonpsychologist]

Never before have I mourned the loss of a plastic tub of dirty water

[@elgnzl]

me for real

[@Juderino]

i read the comments prior so i’ve been effectively spoiled of the death of a tub of dirty water

[@PinkFlyingNarwhal]

Honestly, I think it's fine. Just because the water drained out doesn't mean the life within just ceased to exist. It's just... elsewhere now. Sure, a lot will die, but it'll also fuel even more life somewhere else.

[@mattysones]

i felt like my favorite show was canceled on a cliffhanger

[@doifhg]

I salute your bravery, the amount of mosquitos I have to deal with without standing water is more than enough for me to never even attempt this

[@ericlotze7724]

With a mesh lid on top (although those small ones could sneak in perhaps!) this can probably be largely avoided. Granted it’s a trade off between control and letting interesting things happen i guess.

[@Yatagurusu]

@@ericlotze7724 Doesnt that basically remove all interesting things happening. The access to biomass, the fact birds and animals wont transfer biomass,. seems like a completely different experiment

[@ericlotze7724]

@@Yatagurusu yeah, probably sadly. Could maybe find some sort of balance between the two, or alternate method of control like a bug light maybe, but you are probably right at the end of the day, the randomness of nature is the goals/process, so control inherently messes with all that. (Edit: Clarification)

[@Slay_No_More]

Dude single handed raised mosquito populations in his neighborhood, I'm sure they love his experiments.

[@justincase5002]

@@Slay_No_More I saw no blood-sucker mosquitos from Culicidae family. Those shown were Chironomidae mosquitos which are completely harmless to anyone except bacteria.

[@Aramarth]

For the next time you could do two tubs, this will maybe show that even they are close by another, they might have different species and different development, which of course would be waaay coool

[@timo1294]

I had the same thought. You could always compare Tub A to Tub B or maybe even a third one

[@joshuashea911]

Tub A can be along your fence, Tub B along the wall of your house, and Tub C can be either on the roof or inside some bushes. It’ll be interesting to see how they would differ by a lot or a little bit

[@LordZanba]

I was also thinking two tubs, but rather he would periodically fill one tub as the water level became lower (as he did with this one) but leave the other tub completely untouched aside from observing microbial life.

[@LifeinJars]

It would be!

[@Aramarth]

@@LifeinJarsAnd if you have the ability to come across ddH2O it would also be very interesting to see what happens with a tub full of it, since it's in large quantities deadly for most organisms and would therefore take a lot longer to be inhabited. (But it would of cause be a lot more expensive)

[@WhiteCloudAffinity]

Bros neighbours wondering why there are suddenly so much mosquitoes

[@antony1397]

Almost like they are an essential part of the food web whos habitat has been destroyed by most nations deciding stagnant water has no value.

[@marioauditore2859]

Bros neighborhood wondering why their kids are dying from dengue 💀

[@biggus8158]

​​@@marioauditore2859city government scratching there head on why dengue has increased over 50% in the last months

[@FunFindsYT]

I felt a shiver down my spine when I saw all the mosquito larvae in the pond. I could never

[@Jo-ho3zl]

Fr and i am having lunch 💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀💀

[@treycopeland1368]

Bro, people are scared of fucking anything at this point.

[@ia8018]

​@@treycopeland1368 Mosquitoes are the most deadly animals on Earth.

[@portalbuilder7021]

@@treycopeland1368around half of the humans that have ever lived died due to mosquito Bourne illness

[@justincase5002]

Dudes, stop. There are LOTS of insects we could call mosquitoes: dixids, cecidomiids, axymyiids, chaoborids, psychodids, chironomids, anisopodids, sciarids, blephariderids etc. Only ones that feed on you are in families phlebotomidae and culicidae, which contain lots of species that never drink blood. Also, you could call yourselve lucky because there are ceratopogonidae and simuliidae which inflict much pain on biting, but they bite you only in places where summer is very short - inside polar circle and somewhere near it.

[@lepokebloc4198]

You dripping your bare hands in the water makes my skin crawls everytime 😅

[@DJPacoRamirez]

Crazy!!!

[@kainvancalcar585]

The best thing to happen in 2024 so far

[@LifeinJars]

Thx King

[@furnaceheadgames9001]

Yeah

[@thanos8914]

GTA 6 trailer came out so let’s relax

[@Britishfurryrectifiersucker]

@@thanos8914only for gaymers

[@mr.lonewolf8199]

Hell yeah brother

[@prismaticat]

I love the contrast between knowing the scientific name for a specific mosquito species and "i found... this stuff floating on top"

[@BenignSteak2716]

the development of these tiny ecosystems has always fascinated me, I've been considering a career in microbiology because of the fascination your channel awakened in me! That ending broke my heart though...

[@LifeinJars]

Awesome!

[@microbiologist2474]

Go for it! I'm a microbiologist about to go for my PhD working on the ecology and physiology of Cyanobacteria. If you have a passion for microbial life, it's definitely worth pursuing!

[@marioauditore2859]

Go for it, it's awesome. Just don't be dumb like this guy and raise the mosquitoes population to potentially kill some people around you in the process

[@uqbahkabir7864]

@@microbiologist2474 Ah yea, going the more physical route I see. I also do microbiology, but its more on the molecular side, looking at gut microbiome metagenomics and how that impacts our immune system.

[@microbiologist2474]

@@uqbahkabir7864 that's FANTASTIC! Molecular immunology is such an intensive field of study.

[@bw4708]

I literally exclaimed “ooh, a springtail” out loud when you first showed the video so you can take heart in knowing you have at least taught me to properly identify those 😂

[@LifeinJars]

Haha that's awesome!

[@timo1294]

Did your neighbors ever pay you a visit because of your mosquito breeding facility?

[@gearandalthefirst7027]

Do you know anything about Dutch geography? I don't think one tub is going to drastically affect the mosquito population there lmfao

[@dvn.s_0069]

Netherlands is literally hundreds of bodies of water and a ton more ponds, puddles. It is a very wet country.

[@LifeinJars]

Nope, like the others said, they probably didn't even notice a difference

[@goku445]

@@gearandalthefirst7027 How is the mosquito population there?

[@davidlester9287]

My neighbor did that to me.. so I moved my 30 g plastic bin to the other side of the house . I was using it to breed mosquitoe larvae for my discus, and tadpoles for my jack Dempsey

[@nicholaskemp2246]

Yaaaay! You're back. As a few others have suggested. How about 3 tubs. 1. Fresh water. 2 Brackish water 3 full on salty sea water. Also, have you ever wondered what would happen if this was called.... Life on Mars? I wonder if you could sell this idea to NASA? Now, really that would be coup for this channel. 😊

[@DMZZ_DZDM]

Depending on his location, brackish and salty waters might be outright toxic to most microbial life necessary for an ecosystem to grow.

[@nicholaskemp2246]

@DMZZ_DZDM He's done them before, but in enclosed jars on the window sill. Be interesting to see what happens outside. 🤔

[@rallekralle11]

i believe the "duckweed" you saw was in fact a random dicot seed germinating under water. next time, maybe sink the tub into the ground so it won't tip or freeze (much).

[@LifeinJars]

You might actually be right...

[@Dyna07]

I'd done a similar thing excpt that i had mud in the begining itself, Those weeds or random dicots came in dozens and some of them were tangled in the top alage, some almost sunk and some floating... Well i quite ignored them to be "a common un-name garden weed" since an extremely similar kind grew on terrestrial region. I appologise if what i said doesn't make sense since I don't have much knowledge on the topic but am quite interested.

[@pullingonthestrings]

Also, the fly that you saw was a mosquito. 😆

[@cccc285]

@@LifeinJarsI think it would be the best option and it would look more natural too. You could build it in the ground and build a little viewing place out of the side so you can see the side of it still with the camera like a tiny tunnel next to the jar or tub that’s under ground you can fit your hand in or a camera

[@MDDM_Poseidon]

@@pullingonthestrings mosquito belong to the family of true flies, so technically fly is correct

[@seals324]

This man turned his backyard into mosquito land for us. Thank you

[@unknowndude6381]

the bird just wanted to hide the body

[@0hellow797]

I made a teeny jar ecosystem awhile ago, and it was doing okay but died down for awhile. Then I looked recently, (almost exactly a year later by happenstance) and there were little dudes swimming around again! It was lovely, thank you for all the great stuff you’ve put out :))))))❤

[@LifeinJars]

Cool!

[@CoalCoalJames]

I think most of us have seen this process but never realized it or appreciated it. The amount of times I have seen a full bucket of water or a pot ect~ that has sat for years in the garden or under some trees slowly change and then one day you notice that there is aquatic plants growing in it and it has a full eco system but you never thought much of it. It was always wild as a kid and even now to go to someone's epic garden or back yard and find the tiny unintentional ecosystems just happily plodding along. A neighbor I had as a child had what I could only describe as a jungle and just from the shear variety of plants and habitats it had seemed to make even more small habitats with new species they never brought in. For example they had old stock pools (water vessels for livestock) they used as massive concrete ponds, they only seeded one or two of them with fish and plants / crustaceans but all the others had different plants fish and crustaceans in them after they filled naturally with water after a few years.

[@LifeinJars]

Way cool!

[@CKDubbs]

No bird is washing in that 😂

[@ikosaheadrom]

I ve seen them doing worst

[@vidyagaems4063]

It's not just that - they were washing their food.

[@cccc285]

You’d be surprised 😂

[@faces1968]

I would have continued with the same tub. Rain would have eventually refilled the tub. It would have been interesting to see what survived and what could come with less water. Awesome content. Thank you.

[@LifeinJars]

That would've been interesting. What I forgot to mention in the video though was that the plastic tub was also starting to break down due to UV light. Especially dry I think it would've broke down rather quickly.

[@allisonj7197]

@@LifeinJars Maybe a glass aquarium next time? If you think that'd hold up to freezing?

[@ksdragona_5583]

Or metal. You'd lose the ability to see the side though, so having a clear window could be cool. I'm not sure how hard it is to secure against changing water pressure, but the metal at least would last longer than plastic under sun exposure.

[@Beardedprof]

I was just contemplating using my 20 gallon tall aquarium with this exact experiment, could be good to try with that maybe?@@LifeinJars

[@nuggetoreo2698]

@@Beardedprof I think it would break or crack if it freezes.​

[@PhoenixDown99999]

The duckweed sinks in the cold to protect it from freezing. It floats in heat.

[@LifeinJars]

Wow you're right! Never knew that but it makes sense. That's way cool!!!

[@lmc689]

The "Mmm yesss" for the jumping spider around 18:05 sent me! Wonderful update. Looking forward to whatever's next.

[@alecity4877]

malaria tank

[@ZeroHour-sr2oq]

Dengue Tank

[@subatomicquark9510]

Maybe an acrylic tank? Securing it to the ground so it can't tip over would be good

[@matmaster4000]

bro really dunked his arm into that nasty mosquito larvae water...

[@scarletwolf_tb6307]

Your delightful attitude and appreciation for these tiny ecosystems is 100% the reason i became obsessed with and now own a couple jarrariums. One i made a few years ago with a little shrimp and the whole thing is still alive and thriving. My second jarrarium is much bigger and center piece in my family's home! I adore my little micro critters now thanks to you. Even the little worms! It think of your videos every time i see a detrirus worm. And the little clam shrimp that hitched a ride on my plants!

[@diligar]

Such a tragic end to a beautiful experiment. Thank you for sharing! Also if you do this again, I’d recommend a hardier tub with a heater surrounding it outside that you can turn on in the winter

[@LifeinJars]

On the other hand, freezing is a natural part of nature in this part of the world

[@brewswillas6635]

Nice thing about the freeze is it causes some dieback, increasing sediment and giving a chance for new generations to take hold.

[@an_ant_guy6649]

This was easily my favourite series of yours, you should definitely redo it and like someone else said multiple tubs would be a great upgrade to the series. Loved the video despite the ending, keep up the good work

[@alext6933]

They're wigglin' and jigglin'

[@davidg5898]

Definitely very cool. I wouldn't have been able to resist the urge to dump it when I saw it full of mosquito larvae. But after that point is when it really started getting really interesting!

[@kmbruza]

Hope you've been well. Like you finding a springtail, the appearance of this video in my subscription tab was a real treat!

[@tracybowling1156]

Even though I've all the episodes about this tub of water, I still appreciated the update. It was just as interesting as the first time I saw it! I love seeing the microscopic images of what's in the tub. It's my favorite part! That's not true. My fav part is laughing at you being funny!

[@potatohinon7432]

I suggest creating a body of water with a current, to prevent mosquitoes from laying eggs. While they're cool, you also risk spreading disease around the community.

[@PykeTho]

Bruh one 20 litre tub filled with water isn't going to make a dent in local populations.

[@sharonswa]

The Netherlands is a water country. That tub doesn't change anything. Also mosquitoes do not carry diseases here.

[@christiansanchez9489]

Islands enter the chat

[@salmankan1935]

Glad you're back!!, and what a great video 💪 And keep up the good work!

[@billbillson3129]

Ye!!! I a randomly thinking about thi yesterday!!! Great video a always!! The correction about not drinking itself made me laugh... I think if you rerun this experiment a 'trailcam' would be a solid addition to the setup! Thank you for making and sharing your videos with us!!

[@justinlewis811]

I literally popped into your channel a day ago hoping to see an update on this. Thanks for the vid

[@JayWaltz]

this is it. this is what we want ty for the content. you’ll definitely make our year better ❤

[@watermelon5521]

Best 2024 video in my subscription feed by far. It's a shame it had to end this way. Maybe you should consider making a whole pond and seeing how it develops?

[@LifeinJars]

That's the dream. Unfortunately I don't have a garden :(

[@GolfcuBebe]

Which side are you guys on Humanity or musquitos?!?!

[@MediocreJim]

I was so excited to see this video today! I've been waiting for a follow-up on this one for so long now!

[@DariaS-BrattWithTatts]

Absolutely fascinating. I love your commentary. Very informative and quite funny as well.

[@evelynpayne5995]

i legit gasped when i saw the tub tipped. great video! its always a treat when you upload :)

[@yoshikagekira3710]

This has by far been my favourite series on this channel

[@UnemptyVoid]

Your voice is so oddly calming and enthusiastic Wow this is really helping me calm down, thank you

[@ranke]

Way cool! Love how you filled the container!

[@gigachad2632]

Can you drink it for 1 like

[@hemeothunder]

😅

[@SquirrelASMR]

Make that 2 likes 👍

[@Milanfobia]

Make it 3 👍

[@ruben6288]

Make that 100🎉🎉

[@zackwal4616]

Make it 4 likes 👍

[@zackhofer2794]

My heart broke!! I was soo looking forward for an update in the tub, sad it has to end here, I very much enjoyed it

[@monseurwanksalotte3477]

thank you for the update fren always comfy when you post a video

[@pablocrvzz2985]

I find this so fascinating and informative, this was a good documentary, please do more with different type of water and different located water.👍🏾🇯🇲

[@timo1294]

If you do this again it would be interesting to have multiple tubs next to each other to compare. Maybe 2 or 3?

[@jjs01]

Bro created forbidden slime 😂

[@jessbowles4136]

Its always a treat when a new Life in Jars? video comes out!!!

[@baileescott401]

This channel inspires me!!! I've been waiting for an update on this experiment!

[@johnkossen4821]

I'd be interested if you did some sort of nutrient testing throughout the process. Just some basic Ammonia, nitrate, nitrite type stuff. Really interesting videos as always!

[@goblez5900]

Absolute menace to his local community just breeding mosquitos in his backyard lmao

[@cccc285]

Literally 😂

[@Carolina-ql1kn]

Lol yes in my country you can get a fine for doing this

[@cccc285]

@@Carolina-ql1kn I mean it’s kind of for a good reason

[@Slay_No_More]

​@@Carolina-ql1kngood lmao

[@HarveyDangerLurker]

At this point of the video i would have placed the water bucket in a field and covered it in lighterfluid and burned it while wet.

[@wilmafunner3203]

I always love your videos, they are so interesting. Keep up the great work

[@_Chessa_]

My favorite ❤😊 After being emotional, this is beautiful. Your first jar videoed got me into succession and I have made a successful pond with a Walmart pool🥰 It’s now a successful ecosystem! It somehow has little fairy freshwater shrimps!

[@OGJessie]

why do I feel someone who was sick of it or the smell knocked it over or was it inaccessible?

[@user-nd7rd8jo6h]

I seriously tried to keep watching, but he kept touching the water 😭

[@InflamesGames303]

You are one the people you inspired me to put some dirt in a jar back in 2020 as a random thing todo, out of the 10 or so jars I put together 3 are still thriving 4 years later. Couple of thing to add to a future experiment, as someone already mentioned doing 2 tubs side by side would be cool. But also how about a couple tub/jars that are of different shapes/size to see if they have any effect on speed or diversity of growth. Putting a small stone from the garden inside the tubs would help weigh them done and could kick start life from the stone itself with early life something to bind to. Keep up the fantastic work!

[@TheSeptemberRose]

Oh no! I was looking forward to seeing more life showing up in the water! Thank you for sharing all the great microscopic footage with us!

[@kingryan555]

5:09 i would never touch that without gloves 🤢

[@dardie9123]

how to breed mosquitoes 101

[@SageThyme23]

Please do this again! I loved this series.

[@Orange_the_furry]

love the updates!

[@tegarz]

Do it in my home country and it would be dengue fever outbreak within days

[@turdcalzone7636]

Dont you disrupt the idea of natural succession by breaking the ice?

[@ganymede3660]

I was waitinnggg for this!! Thanks for the great content

[@zm1786]

Your videos are extremely comfy and informative , never change

[@wynngwynn]

I'm sure your neighbors appreciate you providing good incubation for mosquito larvae.

[@sharonswa]

This is the Netherlands, we are a water country, that tub doesn't matter. And mosquitoes do not carry diseases here.

[@CreativeLolita]

I'm so sad that the experiment ended like this, I really wanted to see what plants would take root in the sediment 😭 please try again!! you're the only person I can find who is willing to keep a tub full of mosquitoes on their porch for years on end 🙇🏻‍♀️

[@coltrv]

Why can’t you do it?

[@way9883]

​@@coltrv maybe in their country people would be fined for doing so? 🤷🏻‍♀️ i have seen several people here leaving water in a container purposefully is forbidden in their country

[@wiggletonthewise2141]

This is one of the coolest videos I’ve ever watched on KZbin, I love ecology so freaking much dude

[@14h8h8l]

Thanks for the update

[@LifeinJars]

Thanks for watching it

[@ChromisPasqueflowerBowerbird]

Thanks for the fucking mosquitos

[@cosmefulanito5933]

It is strongly requested not to leave containers with water outdoors. Mosquitoes carry diseases.

[@samanthagaragozzo1323]

Thank you soooo much for taking the time to edit and share this! Your videos are so inspiring for me and you educate in such a fun and entertaining way

[@jasonmoncada6302]

Have been waiting a while for a new video. Good job man!

[@0minous187]

this dudes neighbors can thank him for all the extra bites they got in the near 2 years of this vid

[@sodiumskeletal]

This was very fascinating to watch!

[@sarkis3362]

Finally the update I've been waiting for Keep it up king

[@mezz4028]

This release was the best part of my day, I have been waiting it for so long ❤

[@sanchesxxx1245]

I adore this experiment! Thank you!

[@tristanconnolly3428]

I love the way you unapologetically pronounce things with your Dutch accent 🇳🇱

[@ShoutOfCoffee]

Fascinating video. Nicely done. Thank you.

[@Froggsroxx]

Always worth the wait!

[@GarrettElliott7]

Great vid. Hope you start the series again soon

[@wdfinbllngsly]

Oh I missed this channel so much!

[@smokyprogg3522]

As a field biologist who studies mosquitos, watching all those larvae and pupae hurt my soul.

[@obieobrien5883]

So very happy to see another video from you!

[@ivanmkennedy]

Very knowledgeable! Thank you for the video.

[@snakehead214]

Oh thats so sad :( I was so ready to see this develop. Well I'm looking forward to your next projects :)

[@sheepea]

THE STARTING CLIP'S POSITION IS SO GOOD.

[@xxurmomxx2344]

Thank you for sharing this experiment. I enjoyed watching the video.

[@greateagle8799]

I have a mesocosm from some Georgia pond water, dirt and sand. I’ve been looking at its inhabitants in the microscope for months now and you just explained/named so many things I’ve seen develop. Thank you!

[@gal749]

Omg I just remembered your channel and wanted to rewatch this series this is perfect timing lol

[@bigfrog4231]

very tragic that the tub flipped and drained, but this was a wonderful video! i find your enthusiasm for nature extremely refreshing. i hope you can retry this experiment again! perhaps a larger metal trough would be appropriate? although it would make viewing more difficult, you wouldnt run the risk of it shattering in the cold, and it would be more suited for long-term experimentation.

[@jacynthedagenais1797]

great to see you keep making videos about this box of water! :D

[@bananasnapples9465]

bro ive waited so long for this thanks som much

[@torIIgo]

Glad your back! Another great video, as always. Just missing ooooooone thing....................... BOOGIE WORRRRRRRMS!!!🎉

[@Metal_Beard]

Life in jars upload? Today is a good day.

[@TheNemo1010]

I have one of these in my garden too! Except way less intentional. I love seeing the creatures come and go!