Walstad Method Shrimp Jar Aquarium Setup! (Beginner-Friendly)

PLANT LIST
Hygrophila Polysperma - glassboxdiaries.com/hygrophil...
Rotala Rotundifolia - glassboxdiaries.com/RotalaRot...
Eleocharis Acicularis - glassboxdiaries.com/Eleochari...
Java Fern - glassboxdiaries.com/javafern
Java Moss - glassboxdiaries.com/javamoss
Salvinia - glassboxdiaries.com/salvinia
STOCKING
4 Cherry Shrimp - glassboxdiaries.com/cherryshrimp
1 Amano Shrimp - glassboxdiaries.com/amanoshrimp
1 Horned Nerite Snail - glassboxdiaries.com/hornedner...
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Walstad Method Shrimp Jar Aquarium Setup! (Beginner-Friendly)
Join me as I celebrate three months with this budget-friendly, low-maintenance project.
This 1.7-gallon jar showcases the Walstad method, using live plants for water purification instead of filters.
I'll guide you through the setup process, from choosing the right jar and substrate to planting and introducing shrimp.
Learn about the plants and inhabitants, including cherry shrimp and nerite snails, and see how they've thrived in this self-sustaining ecosystem.
Explore the challenges, successes, and surprises along the way, including temperature management and algae control.
Discover why these shrimp jars are a fantastic entry point into the aquarium hobby, offering a glimpse into the beauty of natural, balanced ecosystems.
Don't miss the time-lapse showing the incredible growth from day 0 to day 90.
Thanks for joining me on this journey, and let's dive into the fascinating world of shrimp keeping!
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 - Intro
00:12 - Jar Size
00:22 - Walstad Method
00:37 - Equipment For A Shrimp Jar
01:36 - Shrimp Jar Setup
04:53 - Adding Water
05:20 - Lighting
05:49 - The First Month Of Growth
06:29 - Adding Shrimp
07:42 - Water Temperature
08:38 - The Shrimp Jar Now
10:14 - Feeding The Jar
10:42 - Maintenance
11:11 - Water Parameters
11:24 - Keeping Things Cheap
12:13 - Common Criticism
Some of the links in this video description may be affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission from any purchases made.

[@Chucanelli]

The Scottish accent made it like a fun little rollercoaster to listen to ☺️

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Cheers mate, I'm English, from the North East so our accent can sound a little like Scotish.

[@LushSaltyAquariums]

So fun and useful. I'm researching this very thing for my next project in my fish room!

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Cheers mate, they are a great little project, I definatley want to make more in the future :)

[@jpn7746]

Amazing video, explanations and visuals, you deserve many more subscribers! Keep it up 😊

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Cheers mate :)

[@Celxomae]

I have a giant 3 gallon jar I found at Walmart and I plan to do this with it eventually after I finish my next ten gallon tank

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Thats a great size for this type of project mate, let me know how it goes :)

[@charlottesmom]

I have most likely the same jar, the one that comes with a glass cover? Got mine at Walmart too for I want to say less than $20.00. I used some of the smaller same version jars for terrariums. 👍🏻

[@scisher3294]

I have an extremely small version of this too. Mine is only a half gallon, heavily planted, has some rams horn snails and about 7 cherry shrimps. It is so low maintenance, and super amusing to see them wander around slowly and eating methodically. Thanks for sharing.

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Cheers mate :) I'm actually thinking of trying a smaller one soon as the jars are so cheap and easy to find!

[@scisher3294]

@@GlassBoxDiaries I literally built mine with a $6 cookie/biscuit jar, a scoop of dirt, a $7 bag of aquarium gravel, and then my own plant cuttings. The $16 worth of shrimp were literally the most expensive part of the whole thing 😅

[@rgilroy1909]

I added more floating plants to combat the blue green algae on the surface. this helps with gas exchange. caused by too strong of light. try raising the height of the light as a possible solution also

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Great points mate :). I want to try get one of the extendable grow lights so I can easily increase its higher but I will add some of the spare Salvinia from one of my other tanks to the jar tonight :)

[@Wintersdark]

Hygrophilia has always been such a mixed bag for me. It griws fast and strong, builds a sturdy wood like stem, but i find it tends to end up with holes in the leaves really easily and looking kind if raggedy long term. It also tends to really take over a space, filling everything with stems and roots. I keep using it though because I've got tons, and it griws very fast. What is Diana's criticism of it in her tanks? Regarding crypts: I've never lost more than 2-3 leaves acclimating a crypt, but its possible that my supplier's treatment pre-acclimates them to a degree. They sell tropica plants(so emersed grown), but they store them immersed. Even so, i dont see them lose all their leaves despite frequent visits and watching plants go from unboxed through spending weeks in the store tanks. Much more frequent is that existing leaves dont really grow and gradually get replaced by newly grown leaves. Have you actually had crypts fully melt back?

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Yea there's definatley pros and cons to Hygrophilia. Dianna basically says its hit and miss and often does well for upto 6 months in her tanks then has problems. That was the only crypt I have ever totally lost, not sure if it was due to melt or some type of temperature issue.

[@vee5719]

might seem like a silly question - but i'd love to do this project. would the water need dechlorinating or will it be alright just from the tap?

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

I use a dechlorinator in mine and I haven't had any issues :)

[@chickadeestevenson5440]

I really want to do a shrimp jar, or ispod jar.

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

They are a great little project :)

[@Wintersdark]

That all said, i really want to start walstad shrimp jar like this. I suspect they wont overstock through breeding, its been my experience at least that shrimp seem almost... Careful about that? Ive found all my shrimp populations tend to level off for any given tank at a sustainable level, but obviously ive never tested that in a walstad setup. Re: swimming around - I'm curious about this. There seems two types: breeding, when its just males swimming around looking for a freshly molted female, and *all* the shrimp swimming around when there's a large change to their environment. The later seems pretty undesirable, but the former pretty normal. With that said, i have many tanks all kept at the same temperature, in the same water (sump supplied), and one of these tanks commonly has shrimp swimming around while others don't. I'm not really sure what the deal is with that. Each tank is run the same, and the only difference is the swimming tank is the smallest (10g) and only has a single non-shrimp inhabitant (one of my three remaining Highlander Guppies) whereas the others have other/more/larger fish. Its not a predation thing, though, none of my fish ever bother the shrimp or shrimplets. I've got a fairly big siamese algae eater and VERY big spotted corydoras in a tank and ive watched them completely ignore brand new baby shrimp eating fron the same algae wafer they're eating from. Dunno why those particular shrimp (and theyre even genetically the same shrimp as the other tanks!) swim around so much.

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Thats a good point, I think it could be instinct in tanks with fish. I added shrimp to my 40G rescape a few days prior to the fish and the shrimp were always out grazing. After I added the fish, they often stick to the plant/rock cover and seem to be far less confident in coming out even though the fish have never paid them much attention. Probably just some evolutionary thing in their brain to not take a chance and to hide until the lights go off.

[@coralocean1442]

What about a heater?

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

The ambient temperature of my home is within their ranges :). Just uploaded another video on some mistakes that I made with the jar though and I touch on a heater in that one. The issue was more with my plants than the shrimp.

[@Hope_fordifference]

Will the shrimp breed in this set up

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

Yea mate, theres one set of babies in it already and there's a female ready to drop, I uploaded this update on the jar a few days back where you can see the babies and eggs on the female - kzbin.info/www/bejne/rH-2dIaNhrJ2gdk

[@Hope_fordifference]

@@GlassBoxDiaries how many shrimp can live in jar will i have to keep population at a round about number

[@GlassBoxDiaries]

@@Hope_fordifference I'm trying to keep it below 10 shrimp but I have a dedicated breeding tank I can move shrimp over to if needed.