How To Make Succulents Aquarium Garden

In this example, I use a plastic jar with a lid to make an aquarium garden for growing fish and land plants.

Different size fish need different size aquariums.

Measure your fish to calculate the necessary aquarium size for your fish.

This size jar will do for a couple of my dwarf guppies, snails, and shrimp.

Add gravel or rocks to cover the bottom.

Rocks of different shapes and colors make aquariums more attractive.

Here, I use a couple of flat rocks and a seashell to make caves.

Fish and shrimp alike appreciate it ;)

Add dechlorinated water.

Let it sit overnight.
Add different types of live plants.
 The more variety, the better.

Here, I add Hydrocotyle Tripartita.

And this is a floating aquatic fern Salvinia Minima.

 A cutting of Mayaca Fluviatilis goes in here too.

 And a Marimo moss ball.
My friend RP101 shared with me all this and some other plants.
Thank you RP101!
Please check RP101 channel

Also, I add some hairgrass.
It could be any other aquatic or even land plants growing underwater.

Put the aquarium on a wooden base.

 It makes it easier to move it around.

We have made an aquarium.

Cover your aquarium to reduce water evaporation.
And let it sit for a couple weeks before adding any pets.

 I add a tilted background to all my aquariums.

It looks better this way to me ;)

I like this rocky design with caves.

Now let's make the base of the garden - the planter.
 Take off the aquarium cover.

Use a permanent marker to mark spots for holes.

 Make sure to leave space between holes for plants to grow. 

Poke the holes using an awl, knife, scissors or whatever tools you have available.

Make the diameter of the holes the same as the diameter of the plastic straws you are going to use.

Pick the straw based on the size of your plants.

I am going to cut the hole wide using a knife in this example.

The cut looks like a star. 

 Bend the edge of the hole in - I do it with a finger.

 Now if I insert the straw in, it will stay nicely in the hole. 

Here, I use scissors to make the holes.

Use whatever tool you are comfortable with. 

The largest drinking straw I found has a diameter of 10 mm.

 I cut the straw into 2-3 cm long pieces.
So, here I have 6 pieces plus one of a smaller diameter.
 A total of 7 pieces.

 In this example, I use modeling clay plasticine to secure straws into the holes.

Make a ring around each straw out of clay.

Insert the straw into the hole.

Press the ring to the top of the cover to seal gaps between the cover and the straw.

The straw should protrude slightly from the hole and stay above the water level.

 Plasticine is waterproof and it never dries.

Fix all holes in the same way.
We have made the planter.

Put it on the aquarium.

 Once again, the bottom part of the straw should be above the water level.

 This allows for air circulation while reducing water evaporation.

I have been testing this design for my self-sustaining aquariums.

It works remarkably well. 

 I like to trim off the top part of the straws in a level with rings.

I have made a similar planter without use of clay.

 In the following weeks, I added a couple of young dwarf guppies.

Here, you can see them going around and through the caves.

There is more about the caves...I will try to show it in a different video.

Let's get back to the garden.
We can place different herbs, flowers, cuttings of plants into the planters on top of the aquarium allowing those plants to grow roots into water.
I decide to grow succulents in this particular aquarium garden.
And here you can see some succulents growing with roots in water.

I feed my fish with homemade fish food flakes.

Just lift the cover as needed.

Here are no man-made filters, no air pumps in my aquariums.
I don't change water.
I used to change water before 2016.
 It all works either way you do it.
 And there is an easy way to attach air pumps and filter in this aquarium too if you choose so.

Here are some of my succulents.
I turn the planter to move plants around to get them exposed to indirect sunlight from each side.

 It is kind of funny to see plants accustomed to growth in a dry climate, here they grow with roots in water :)
I will explain more about each plant in a separate video coming soon.

Have fun and happy aquarium gardens :)