# I made an ecosphere.
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share
**Created:** [July 21, 2019, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378 "2019-07-21T01:16:41Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 2
### Author:  [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/21 "2019-07-23T14:43:59Z")
> [@MacTech](#):
>
> Sounds like Caddis Fly Larvae, they build a “shell” of sticks
I think you’re probably right. This photo looks a lot like their little stick house.:
[https://www.naturepl.com/stock-photo-case-building-caddisfly-larva-trichoptera--europe-may--controlled-image01531458.html](https://www.naturepl.com/stock-photo-case-building-caddisfly-larva-trichoptera--europe-may--controlled-image01531458.html)
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/22 "2019-07-23T15:26:53Z")
The closest I’ve come to a self sustaining closed environment was when I kept Bettas, I had a 20 Long aquarium with a heater, a fluorescent shop light with gardening bulbs and some Water Lettuce plants and a single male Betta, no filtration was needed, as the water lettuce plants are extremely effective nutrient sponges, nitrogenous wastes were always zero, I actually had to add nitrogen to keep the plants healthy
Here’s a few pics;
Water lettuce on the right, before it took over the tank;
[ ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/RpXXE3fG5XbwVBg37)
[ ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/iYqU6ZtWxukB4HR86)
[ ](https://photos.app.goo.gl/ArtuoGxH8twBAMv77)
Hmm, maybe I should start the tank up again…
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### Author:  [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/23 "2019-07-23T15:45:25Z")
**MacTech** that’s cool! Did you thin out the water lettuce? I think the system would easily have supported more fish. A goldfish or too would have helped you thin out the lettuce on their own. 😛
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/24 "2019-07-23T16:07:02Z")
Yes, every other week, it was quite prolific, I started with three plants about the size of a half dollar…
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### Author:  [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/25 "2019-07-23T16:36:26Z")
> [@MacTech](#):
>
> Yes, every other week, it was quite prolific, I started with three plants about the size of a half dollar…
We have a farm pond (3/4 acre) that had a few dozen feeder goldfish dumped in 25 years ago and a few koi added every so often. Even with the kingfishers and herons eating occasional fish, there is still a big school.
My gf has purchased pond fish food for them that we toss in from time to time. I’ve noticed that if we feed the fish the plant matter will begin to over proliferate.
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 5:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/26 "2019-07-23T17:08:10Z")
Yeah, goldfish/Koi and most carp produce a LOT of ammonia compounds/waste, so the plants would have an abundance of nutrients…
I’d imagine they’d find the roots of water lettuce quite tasty, however I wouldn’t recommend putting it in any outdoor body of water, as it spreads rapidly and is extremely prolific, don’t want to introduce another invasive species to our outdoors…
It’s bad enough with the ball python/iguana/lion fish problem in Florida, no need to add another invasive…
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/27 "2019-07-23T21:17:28Z")
> [@MacTech](#):
>
> \ It’s bad enough with the ball python/iguana/lion fish problem in Florida, no need to add another invasive…
OMG! They got MacTech! The Sunshine State claims another victim!
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### Author:  [@Sunny\_Daze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunny_Daze)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/28 "2019-07-23T21:21:39Z")
**Floaty** I found [this guy on twitter](https://twitter.com/Botanygeek/status/924705485772804096) who made a nano pond for his apartment. Is this the type of thing you would like to do? I have a number of other examples pinned, if you’re interested. I’m going to do something similar on my deck after we move into our new house.
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/29 "2019-07-23T22:42:16Z")
> [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#):
>
> OMG! They got MacTech! The Sunshine State claims another victim!
Nope, still up here in The Granite State, I’ve _read_ about Florida’s invasive species problem though, of course the cynic in me sees the invasives problem as a mismarketed tourism opportunity…
“Come to sunny Florida, and be sure to take your _FREE_ pet(s) with you when you leave!
Every tourist can take as many FREE iguanas, ball pythons, lionfish, nutria, and feral hogs as they want, in fact, take them _ALL_, they’re completely free!”
\*\*no warranties or guarantees either express or implied, and absolutely NO returns, all captures are final!
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### Author:  [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)
#### Post date: [July 23, 2019, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/30 "2019-07-23T23:07:06Z")
Them nutria’s good eatin’. If yer a 'gator!
It’s closed now, but Ocala’s Silver Spring Attraction had a gator display where the “guide” would suspend half a nutria over the “pen” to show how high a gator could jump. I couldn’t decide which was more fascinating: the gator(s) jumping or the clean cut where they sawed the nutria in half with a band saw. YUM!
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### Author:  [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)
#### Post date: [July 24, 2019, 1:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/31 "2019-07-24T01:36:13Z")
> [@Sunny\_Daze](#):
>
> **Floaty** I found [this guy on twitter](https://twitter.com/Botanygeek/status/924705485772804096) who made a nano pond for his apartment. Is this the type of thing you would like to do? I have a number of other examples pinned, if you’re interested. I’m going to do something similar on my deck after we move into our new house.
That’s quite beautiful isn’t it? I wonder if I could do something like that with my pickle jar. I always think when I’m rich I’m going to have a huge outdoor koi/frog/turtle pond and a huge indoor salt water aquarium and pay someone to do all the upkeep.
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### Author:  [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2019, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/32 "2019-10-09T00:08:34Z")
Semi-ecosphere take two!
I went out and bought a cheapo 2 gallon plastic tank. Went for a walk in the forest and found some gorgeous pieces of waterlogged wood and some nice rocks and gravel/sand. Then I went to the outdoor pond place and bought some plants and got lots of their water. I didn’t get enough gravel/sand so I dug out some old fish gravel and used that for the bottom. There is a filter on it but I have it set to a slow drip so I don’t think I have to worry about any critters - not that I’ve seen any yet. The aquarium came with LED lights which are good for the plants.
[ ](https://www.flickr.com/photos/56821557@N06/48867851466/in/dateposted-public/)
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### Author:  [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2019, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/33 "2019-10-09T00:45:42Z")
Oh, cool. Glad you’re trying again! Keep us posted.
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2019, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/34 "2019-10-09T04:18:01Z")
> [@FloatyGimpy](#):
>
> Semi-ecosphere take two!
>
> I went out and bought a cheapo 2 gallon plastic tank. Went for a walk in the forest and found some gorgeous pieces of waterlogged wood and some nice rocks and gravel/sand. Then I went to the outdoor pond place and bought some plants and got lots of their water. I didn’t get enough gravel/sand so I dug out some old fish gravel and used that for the bottom. There is a filter on it but I have it set to a slow drip so I don’t think I have to worry about any critters - not that I’ve seen any yet. The aquarium came with LED lights which are good for the plants.
>
> [2 gallon | cowardmelissa | Flickr](https://www.flickr.com/photos/56821557@N06/48867851466/in/dateposted-public/)
Looks like a great starting point, it’s tempting me to fire up my aquarium again as well, once I recuperate from my ankle fracture…
If you’re going to limit yourself to local fauna, you can try the following;
Snails;
Pond snails (Physa species)- little football shaped snails, less than .5" max, _EXTREMELY_ prolific to the point of taking over the tank so be warned, lay tiny jello blobs of eggs _everywhere_
Ramshorn snails; Similar to pond snails, but the shell is vertical and coiled like a rams horn (hence the name) similar in size to pond snails, almost as prolific, occasionally breeds a reddish-shelled variant that are attractive)
Craw/Crayfish; only one in that tank, and even that would be pushing it, it would probably get stunted in there anyway, and would need to be fed anyway, negating the “ecosphere” concept.
Caddis/Damsel/Dragonfly larvae would be interesting, but would also need supplemental food as they are carnivorous and will eventually hatch into their adult forms
small freshwater shrimp would not be native to your area most likely, but would be a great addition, Cherry shrimp in particular are bright red, and breed prolifically in fresh water, but would also require water changes and filtration to eliminate waste, ghost shrimp are weak, and don’t live long in aquaria, Amano shrimp are fascinating but breed in brackish water, Wood shrimp are amazing critters, filter feeders that need a far more specialized tank, and they grow big.
If I had that exact setup, i’d put in a simple filter, and turn it into a Cherry shrimp tank, in fact, I might just do something like that anyway, a cherry shrimp nano-tank would be a great setup
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### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2019, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/35 "2019-10-09T04:21:16Z")
Info on cherry shrimp;
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke6U_6fx5y0)
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### Author:  [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)
#### Post date: [October 9, 2019, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/36 "2019-10-09T04:23:49Z")
I Was hoping this thread would get progressively more…concerned…in tone until eventually is was outright panic at the Horrors that escaped and are running amok…_sad_
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### Author:  [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2019, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/37 "2019-10-10T02:40:37Z")
> [@MacTech](#):
>
> Looks like a great starting point, it’s tempting me to fire up my aquarium again as well, once I recuperate from my ankle fracture…
>
> If you’re going to limit yourself to local fauna, you can try the following;
>
> Snails;
> Pond snails (Physa species)- little football shaped snails, less than .5" max, _EXTREMELY_ prolific to the point of taking over the tank so be warned, lay tiny jello blobs of eggs _everywhere_
>
> Ramshorn snails; Similar to pond snails, but the shell is vertical and coiled like a rams horn (hence the name) similar in size to pond snails, almost as prolific, occasionally breeds a reddish-shelled variant that are attractive)
>
> Craw/Crayfish; only one in that tank, and even that would be pushing it, it would probably get stunted in there anyway, and would need to be fed anyway, negating the “ecosphere” concept.
>
> Caddis/Damsel/Dragonfly larvae would be interesting, but would also need supplemental food as they are carnivorous and will eventually hatch into their adult forms
>
> small freshwater shrimp would not be native to your area most likely, but would be a great addition, Cherry shrimp in particular are bright red, and breed prolifically in fresh water, but would also require water changes and filtration to eliminate waste, ghost shrimp are weak, and don’t live long in aquaria, Amano shrimp are fascinating but breed in brackish water, Wood shrimp are amazing critters, filter feeders that need a far more specialized tank, and they grow big.
>
> If I had that exact setup, i’d put in a simple filter, and turn it into a Cherry shrimp tank, in fact, I might just do something like that anyway, a cherry shrimp nano-tank would be a great setup
I don’t know yet what I want to do with it. It’s so pretty! I had planned on having snails and such but they’ll eat my lovely plants! The red plant is doing awesome and all the little white buds on it have opened into tiny white flowers. The moss on the wood is starting to produce oxygen. I’m going to try my hardest to just wait for a bit and let it establish before I add any critters. I think it’s going to turn out to be a planted nano tank rather than an ecosphere.
Maybe a couple of Blue Velvet Shrimp…
---
### Author:  [@MacTech](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacTech)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2019, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/38 "2019-10-10T04:48:40Z")
Depending on how much light you have going into the tank, you can get some interesting plants for the shrimp…
some good low-to-medium light plants (1-3 Watts Per Gallon (WPG) are Java Fern and Java Moss, slow growing, but very hardy
Medium light (4-6 WPG) you can get some Marimo moss balls (a slow growing non-invasive algae ball, looks like a fuzzy green tribble), some dwarf chain swords and hardy Crypts, most plants do well at this range, but you may start to have algae issues if you don’t keep the nutrients down (shrimp graze on the algae)
High light (7+ WPG), the really gorgeous and tricky plants like Glosso, a short leaved running plant, it looks like a grass lawn
planted tanks can get pretty addictive as well, once you start looking into things like CO2 injection, things start to get expensive and time consuming
Do a search for Takashi Amano, his planted tanks are utterly jaw-droppingly gorgeous
[https://www.google.com/search?q=amano+aquascape&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig3uK68ZDlAhXHjFkKHRwoDggQ\_AUIESgB&biw=1188&bih=570&dpr=1.15](https://www.google.com/search?q=amano+aquascape&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig3uK68ZDlAhXHjFkKHRwoDggQ_AUIESgB&biw=1188&bih=570&dpr=1.15)
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### Author:  [@Two\_Many\_Cats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Two_Many_Cats)
#### Post date: [October 10, 2019, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/39 "2019-10-10T10:31:25Z")
> [@Filbert](#):
>
> I’d kinda like to try this, but I’d feel bad for the things like mayflies- spend however many months growing, getting ready for their one big day in the sun, triumphantly metamorphose, stretch out their shiny new wings and _bump_… jar lid.
“For the world is hollow, and I have touched the sky.”
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### Author:  [@FloatyGimpy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FloatyGimpy)
#### Post date: [October 11, 2019, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-made-an-ecosphere/837378/40 "2019-10-11T15:36:24Z")
> [@MacTech](#):
>
> Depending on how much light you have going into the tank, you can get some interesting plants for the shrimp…
>
> some good low-to-medium light plants (1-3 Watts Per Gallon (WPG) are Java Fern and Java Moss, slow growing, but very hardy
>
> Medium light (4-6 WPG) you can get some Marimo moss balls (a slow growing non-invasive algae ball, looks like a fuzzy green tribble), some dwarf chain swords and hardy Crypts, most plants do well at this range, but you may start to have algae issues if you don’t keep the nutrients down (shrimp graze on the algae)
>
> High light (7+ WPG), the really gorgeous and tricky plants like Glosso, a short leaved running plant, it looks like a grass lawn
>
> planted tanks can get pretty addictive as well, once you start looking into things like CO2 injection, things start to get expensive and time consuming
>
> Do a search for Takashi Amano, his planted tanks are utterly jaw-droppingly gorgeous
> [https://www.google.com/search?q=amano+aquascape&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig3uK68ZDlAhXHjFkKHRwoDggQ\_AUIESgB&biw=1188&bih=570&dpr=1.15](https://www.google.com/search?q=amano+aquascape&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwig3uK68ZDlAhXHjFkKHRwoDggQ_AUIESgB&biw=1188&bih=570&dpr=1.15)
His stuff is ridiculous. Like living art. I really like this guy:
[ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-ZWMGdKxJo)
I’ve always liked the idea of a no filter, no co2 tank.
So far in my little tank I can see Daphnia, Paramecium and Planaria. The plants seem very happy. I find it very curious how something so simple can bring me such pleasure. It’s just a container of water with some wood, rocks and plants in it. But it’s almost like meditation to sit and watch it.
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