r/Jarrariums

Swift SW350, Galaxy S24

Just threw together some stuff from a local pond. Lots of squigglies and things moving around in there, hopefully some of it stays alive for a bit.

Any tips appreciated. I used to keep freshwater aquariums, but I'm completely new to enclosed systems like this and fully expect everything in here to melt and die and algae to take over.

6 jars (out of an original 20) made at the same time from the same materials and stored together, evolving slightly differently, at 8 months.

more pics

There was conversation in another post about how jarrariums age over time. I had mentioned I had created a "forest floor" jarrarium and how it looked good at first, but after 5 months it's started to look leggy and less well designed. One of the responders asked to see it, so I am happy to oblige.

Anyway, here it is. It's a glass cookie jar with a rubber seal. The layers are: small chunks of lava rock, activated charcoal for fish tank filters, and reptisoil. The collected a variety of moss from different locations in the woods (open ground, rotting bark, tree bases, etc.) from North Carolina. I live in Chicago currently, so I wanted to bring back some of the "fresh air and earth" to enjoy when I feel a bit stressed and need a vacation.

The first two images are from when I first made it in January, and the last two are from today.

Anyways, I hope you enjoy!

Hey everyone, i have a jar that’s been going for a few months now. I used lake water and dirt and added two sticks that pop out just an inch or two out of the top of the water.

As the water level goes down, the tops of the sticks that were previously submerged have been developing this white crust on it (pic attached). It seems to only come on the sticks after they’ve been submerged for a bit and then dry. Anyone know what it is or what could be causing it? Just want to make sure it’s nothing i need to be concerned about. Could it maybe be mold? It only started happening quite recently.

The jar has mostly micro organisms, some daphnia, and a few snails.

Thanks!

Any suggestions on scape for the second one?

but that brownish hue won't fade away. why is that? the system is stable. it doesn't smell "sweet" anymore as it did for a couple of weeks. all critters swim freely in every corner, at deepest part of the slopr too so i think there's no oxygen issue either. and it smells earthy and wet. the money plant is also growing well, i added just one leaf now there are 4 more, smaller leaves. im not sure what I can do to make it look "clear" xd any suggestions?

I built this tiny terrarium in a Tic Tac box on 13.6.2025 🌿

I honestly didn’t expect it to survive this long, but it’s somehow still going.

The moss changed a lot and it looks pretty messy now, but also kind of interesting.

It’s definitely not perfect, so if you have any tips or ideas I’d love to hear them!

I’ve been talking with a few people about setups like this and even started a small Discord for it — it’s still small but pretty active already.

If anyone wants to join: https://discord.gg/dJXAvTgBP

Anyone know if this is mold? I’m pretty sure I’ve gotta start over but it’s still green and growing.

After lurking here for a long time, I've finally got myself a jar to make my first paludarium. It needs a clean (previously held Himalayan pink salt) but I want to take my time so plan this properly and not F up my first attempt by rushing.

I have a nice lake nearby that I can take water and plants from, OR I can leave the jar outside to catch rain.

Please help me get the best possible start. What are absolute musts? What should I avoid? What are my options?

I'd like the end result to be clear water, green plants, and some tiny little water dwelling creatures. I'm planning on having it sit on my WFH desk so I have a little bit of nature to look at during the day.