I Built a Self-Sustaining Shrimp Ecosphere in a Jar

Added: 2026-06-01

[00:00:08]So today I'm building a self-sustaining ecosphere for shrimp and snails using this 2.5gal jar that I got from Hobby Lobby. What you see me doing here is adding in around 2 in of potting soil.

[00:00:19]I'm using the wallad method which is a way of setting up an aquarium so that it does not need any kind of mechanical filtration. The soil acts as the nutrient foundation for this entire ecosystem. As time goes on, the organic material in the soil will slowly break down and produce small amounts of CO2.

[00:00:35]And as we know, plants like CO2. Once all the soil is in, you need to cap it with sand. This prevents nutrients from the soil from leeching into the water column that will eventually cause an ammonia and algae spike. What you see now is me adding in some cichlid caves, a small piece of spiderwood, and some decorative pebbles. I feel like this adds depth and texture to the jar and makes it more appealing to look at. I'm also adding in some crushed shells, which I got from the beach, which the shrimp and snails can use as a source of calcium that will help with their molds.

[00:01:05]Now, it's time for the plants. I'm starting with anubius conensus. The Anubius plants are epipite, so I can place them anywhere above the substrate.

[00:01:12]I'm also adding in a banana plant, which is new for me, and I'm curious to see how it will do in a closed ecosystem.

[00:01:18]Next, I'm putting in a nubious nanapetite. Again, I think this will add more texture and variety to the jar, and I think it'll make the shrimp and snails happy. And at the end of the day, it's mostly about them, isn't it? While I'm finishing up with the Anubius, I do want to mention that this approach to aquariums was created by Diana Walstad.

[00:01:36]She's essentially the pioneer of low tech zero maintenance aquariums. And if you have the time, I think you should look her up. I'm now adding in Rotala narrow leaf. It's a bit more of a reddish orange color and will add some nice contrast to the other plants in the jar. I'm expecting the stem plants to do much of the heavy lifting initially in this ecosystem. their roots will go into the substrate, thus causing their growth to be much faster than the epipite plants. I need some fast growing plants in here to handle the waste produced by the animals. Another great plant I'm adding in is dwarf sagittaria. This plant spreads by sending out runners, which basically means it clones itself across the substrate. I've had really good success using Sagittaria in previous ecospheres because once it establishes itself, it spreads very quickly and creates a really natural look. For the final plants, I'm adding in a nubious border and some floating plants. Floating plants are extremely useful in setups like this because they grow incredibly fast and absorb excess nutrients before the algae has a chance to take over. In early stages of an ecosphere, this can make a huge difference in keeping the system balanced.

[00:02:35]You'll probably notice that the water I'm adding already has a brownish tint to it. That's because this water came directly from one of my already established aquariums. Using established tank water introduces beneficial bacteria and microorganisms immediately.

[00:02:47]And finally, it's time to add the animals. I'm starting off with bladder snails and rams horn snails. These snails play a huge role in maintaining the ecosystem because they constantly consume decaying matter, leftover food, and algae. Eventually, once the jar becomes more established and stable, I plan on adding one or two narrite snails since they have a slightly higher bile load. I'm also introducing three shrimp into the jar. As the ecosphere matures and develops more bofilm microorganisms, I'll most likely increase the shrimp population over time.

[00:03:16]What I love most about ecospheres is watching them slowly evolve. Over the next several months, the plant should begin rooting heavily into the soil. The microorganisms will multiply and the entire jar will gradually turn into a balanced miniature ecosystem. And hopefully with enough time this jar becomes almost completely self- sustaining.