I Made a No-Filter Shrimp Jar Ecosystem, Here’s How!

In this video I’ll show you how to make a shrimp ecosystem that doesn’t even need a filter! I’ll take you through the step by step process and explain everything as I go. A nano aquarium like this one is a perfect project if you’re a beginner or on a budget, and is a great way to bring a slice of nature indoors. Enjoy the video:)
Check out my terrarium making Ebook, It’s perfect for beginners! terrariumdesig...
Materials:
Amazon Links United States(affiliate links)
Glass Jar- (found in a local garden centre)
Rack light- amzn.to/4cT1vJL
Mopani Wood- amzn.to/4gi8MUc
Lava rock- amzn.to/4gqAazw
Gravel- amzn.to/3EwHnAz
Pea gravel- amzn.to/4huvf1x
Aquarium silicone- amzn.to/3CC8ERF
Gel superglue- amzn.to/3JPtLzL
Liquid superglue- amzn.to/4fjh131
Tweezers & tools- amzn.to/3UofPBW
Misting bottle- amzn.to/3nnlSKh
Amazon Links United Kingdom (affiliate links)
Glass Jar- (found in a local garden centre)
Rack light- amzn.to/3YasjR2
Bog wood- amzn.to/4gRzyUt
Lavarock- amzn.to/40JsxhT
Fine gravel- amzn.to/3WLyMQP
Pea gravel- amzn.to/3DPCu5s
Gel superglue- amzn.to/3UoADcn
Liquid superglue- amzn.to/3yenXxQ
Silicone- amzn.to/3Eo0bSH
Misting bottle- amzn.to/3GuZXXd

[@TerrariumDesigns]

Materials: Amazon Links United States(affiliate links) Glass Jar- (found in a local garden centre) Rack light- amzn.to/4cT1vJL Mopani Wood- amzn.to/4gi8MUc Lava rock- amzn.to/4gqAazw Gravel- amzn.to/3EwHnAz Pea gravel- amzn.to/4huvf1x Aquarium silicone- amzn.to/3CC8ERF Gel superglue- amzn.to/3JPtLzL Liquid superglue- amzn.to/4fjh131 Tweezers & tools- amzn.to/3UofPBW Misting bottle- amzn.to/3nnlSKh Amazon Links United Kingdom (affiliate links) Glass Jar- (found in a local garden centre) Rack light- amzn.to/3YasjR2 Bog wood- amzn.to/4gRzyUt Lavarock- amzn.to/40JsxhT Fine gravel- amzn.to/3WLyMQP Pea gravel- amzn.to/3DPCu5s Gel superglue- amzn.to/3UoADcn Liquid superglue- amzn.to/3yenXxQ Silicone- amzn.to/3Eo0bSH Misting bottle- amzn.to/3GuZXXd

[@raveG244]

This turned out so well. I run CO2 in all of my tanks and never had great luck with these types of setups. But now I want to try again. Can you talk a bit about your water (hardness, GH/KH) and in what temperature range you keep the aquarium?

[@igorgilza]

Hello. Thank you for sharing the video. I'm so happy that natural aquariums are getting more popular lately. It's 100 times more exciting to learn about all the biological and chemical processes that are going on in aquariums rather than just plugging in a filter every morning in a bare tank. I've got a few comments on the build. I'm not sure if topsoil from outside is a great choice here, I've seen a case when earthworms started coming out of the sand once filled with water. Even though Walstad used gravel, I still believe that sand is perfect for a cap because it doesn't allow any water flow to the soil layer and doesn't allow the nutrients to escape. Also, it's so much easier to plant your plants in sand. Though, I understand the esthetic part of it, gravel looks more interesting. In such situation I would mix some gravel with river sand for cap and add some gravel on top after planting the plants. Gorgeous piece of wood it is. I love to use lava rocks too, also granite. It can add so much detail! Regarding CO2, I've heard that in dirted tanks there is much of that microscopic life hanging around in the substrate, that in a seasoned tank it produces a good amount of CO2 for the plants to thrive. addition of pea gravel ended up looking great imo. It's crucial to let an aquarium season for at least couple of weeks to form biofilm for the shrimp to feed off of. In my experience, the more tannins you have, the more plants can struggle, I guess, due to less light. If that's the case, stem plants will start to drop lower leaves to use more energy for growing longer stems. If not addressed, it can result in bacteria blooms which will deplete the oxygen and crash a tank. So, I would keep an eye on that. Also, if you don't do regular water changes, the unique shape of the jar can reduce the important gas exchange due to the narrowing, which can contribute to tank crash in some cases. Anyway, loved the episode, hopefully there are more to come

[@aquacouple91]

So beautiful! Shows the effort & love!

[@anchitrout5794]

This is amazing! I want to keep the faucet in there for a quick water change. 😂

[@awildpersonappeared]

Can't wait to make one! Yours looks so cool!

[@TerrariumDesigns]

Thank you! Good luck with yours:)

[@themacroworld_]

beautiful build ❤

[@RedandBlackS10]

Really cool! Love the Minecraft music! It really sets the ambiance! ❤❤❤😊😊😊

[@sissano1]

May I ask , what's your feeding ratio for this fantastic creation?, best regards

[@ReganSmart-u2r]

You should do a design using a black light and photoluminescence rocks. I bought some Yooperlite that I will crush and incorporate into my next build. Also, a terrarium in a rusty old farm oil lamp would be cool.

[@themoon9550]

👍 With sand instead of gravel

[@VPVlogs837]

I want to visit your home broo, i want to see all these builds ❤ i wish ❤

[@Opequeno_renato]

So good!

[@fergranadino]

Awesome video. Quick question though, how do you deal with lack of oxygenation in the jar? Without surface agitation and the lid being closed, there is no gas exchange at the surface, hence low O2 lvls. Outside of water changes how do you provide constant oxygen ?do the shrimp sofocante and look for the surface? Thank you!

[@lacucaracha111111]

shrimply amazing

[@KiefferPlant]

where do you get the plants from?

[@SGSports17]

Man your videos are amazing, there so relaxing and really helpful, keep up the great work!

[@sharkpuppet9803]

I dare you to turn a room into an ecosystem

[@davefletch3063]

I want to try this for my little off grid home

[@danielthompson3205]

It was quicker to simply selastic plug the tap then risking possible leakage down the track. (Have same party canister and it didn't leak for a year till disasembled)

[@Stealthbobber06]

Great video. Thanks

[@statusdisarray9598]

Ok I am going to try it! So beautiful

[@ShrimpBox]

Amazing video, love anything with cherry shrimp in it, if only I have money to buy another tank haha

[@victornaesens]

Beautiful ecosystem! Love the minecraft music ❤

[@ashadestiny]

so cool! i'm about to start a project just like this for an environmental science class. how early would you say its safe to add in shrimp? could i do it 30 days in? also: how long do you keep the lid open/ closed each day?

[@alayna1567]

My friendly suggestion is to do a bit of research on the subject, sometimes it can take months for a tank to fully cycle and be safe for shrimp 😊 Good luck with your project

[@strider5119]

If you "have" to rush it, take a filter from an already established tank, squeeze the gunk out of it into the new tank. Let it settle for a couple days. Then you can likely add shrimp. Add treated water, not tap water. Tap water will likely kill some of the good bacteria and make the whole thing a waste of time.

[@RejectHumanityReturn2Monke]

30 days is good enough. If you go filterless, I'll suggest adding floating plants or plenty of pothos in the early stages to bring down the ammonia levels as fast as possible. And don't forget the 20-30% weekly water change. And as strider already said, if you have a filter from an already established aquarium, adding the gunk from the filter media could hasten the process even more

[@sirblacksmith2297]

I would say 30 days in is probably fine, just monitor the shrimp. It will also help if you make sure to inoculate the water with either some natural river or pond water or some from a previous aquarium. These setups are typically kept entirely sealed and are self sufficient, shrimps are low bio load and the bacteria plants and shrimp from a lovely ecosystem that will reach equilibrium. The bacteria do most of the work to form this, that's why it's important you don't just have sterile media and tap water. Went a bit more in depth than I usually would since you mentioned being in an environmental science class, and understanding bacterias power in equalizing water ecosystems is huge(and awesome) Serpa designs also does a lot of these, would look into him

[@blake..-]

How sensitive would this be to changes in room temperature?

[@ihavethebodyofapig7078]

Glad the algorithm suggested this channel! Just earned yourself a subscriber 🫡

[@rdgd1rd]

I click on the link for the pea gravel but not one looks like the one you used do you know the actual brand or name for it?

[@adjieprastyawan2333]

Incredible!🙂

[@samanth_k_nanda]

Do you keep the lid closed or open

[@Luther-John]

Same question

[@93kristof]

The tap would make water changes so easy. Though you don't really need to do them after these vases settle.

[@thetetchy]

you could've used the tap to do water changes.

[@Aimu1]

?lve this and it gives me hope for trying to make something like this myself! What do you fed the shrimp?

[@Jetstoanywhere]

You rule man! So cool

[@mrNLRay]

Did the shrimp dropt a poo there in the last shot? 😂

[@Popthatshhh]

I saw that too 🤣

[@quadradomus]

@Vietnam-Goverment I thought I was the only twisted one that would notice that. 😅

[@GreenSquad_F_]

Yes

[@GraemeLandon]

im actually in the making of one of these rn

[@xyadriz]

is the base substrate the same as wormcastings?

[@TerrariumDesigns]

Not quite, but I do wonder if solely worm castings would work🤔 I will have to experiment!

[@wahyushalahuddin2194]

sir, this no change water?

[@supermarmotte]

Good question

[@nathanmock7081]

7:47

[@TerrariumDesigns]

I do a 20% water change every 2-3 weeks at the moment

[@SinkyYT]

Do the cherry shrimp grow or do they stay small? I'm just curious.

[@TerrariumDesigns]

The ones in the video are pretty much fully grown:)

[@strider5119]

Cherry shrimp almost always max out at around an inch. You'll rarely get any that get bigger

[@celiamkwawa1133]

❤

[@davidbaum5843]

from a certain angle the top of the weed looks like the head and mouth of a "sea monster" sort of, or I've had to much coffee!

[@Captain_Crab-pt8iv]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who saw a face lol 😂

[@bayudwicahyo86]

👍

[@Maxfromohio2155]

Cool

[@Artic_God]

Didnt u already made one 7 Months ago? I loved how that turned out Same with this one as usual

[@eliasmarquez7377]

Dudo que se me entienda por mi idioma pero ¿como le hacen para que el vidrio no se enlame?

[@skylertot5026]

Use A chinese pickling jar... fill it which chinese themed species of animal and plant...

[@dedarahmed1091]

What the temperature of the tank as there is no heater

[@revoltingpeasant1381]

Ambient room temperature, fine for certain shrimp so long as there isn't too much variation

[@traveler.]

how many liters is the jar? will you need a heater?

[@AKIRA39011]

Brother I would've just left that on there as an easy drain hole

[@dhruvd5834]

The biceps in the thumbnail ❤❤❤

[@b3rrybussin]

where's the flex seal when you need it!

[@emmakiel-d1z]

15 seconds ago??? w

[@rammsnier]

Pretty cool man, but just a silly question: what about the oxygen for the Shrimps???😮😮😮😮

[@PATTOGXD]

The humble plant that photosynthezed light for 10 hours a day every day must be mad after reading this:

[@BeMoreGooderPeople]

Just know that shrimp are great yet you WILL need a place to take the millions they will spawn into in no time. Shrimp only multiply. You WILL need a way to get rid of them as you get swamped. People should be telling you this when building shrimp tanks. I am not one to flush live critters so think hard before you do shrimp.

[@iOakie]

Why is the color of the water so gross? Is that OK?

[@kavkazdemon]

commit tax fraud next

[@Mickwithanumber]

Sorry, but it's no tanksfornuthin

[@bluepawn]

Strangely, this water color in the jar is the worse that I have ever seen yet. The light doesn't really help.

[@strider5119]

It's likely from the wood. It's probably far closer to natural that way, not everything is about aesthetics.

[@1lapmagic]

Not a huge fan of starting from a compromised vessel

[@michaellavella2377]

Then you'll limit yourself. It isn't a big deal to plug small holes with silicone. I've got three patio ponds I did that with. If I wasn't willing to do that I wouldn't have gotten to use the pots I liked.

[@1lapmagic]

@michaellavella2377 philosophical disagreement I guess :) though I understand it's probably not an issue.

[@ShanKadumeni]

Can closed jar shrimp survive?

[@strider5119]

Probably, as long as it's well planted and not overstocked. As the shrimp breed, you'd probably wanna open it up