This cylindrical jar has a 9 cm diameter and it's about 13 cm high.
Fill the jar with dechlorinated water.
Add aquatic plants.
In this example, I add Elodea and Hairgrass anchored with seashell.
Here I add two sea glass rocks, one blue and one red, instead of the usual gravel, solely for design purposes.
It needs some explanation.
I keep aquariums without fish on a windowsill exposed to direct sunlight to boost plant and algae growth.
Here is an example of such a nursery with seed shrimp.
Seed shrimp eat algae.
Green leftovers of eaten algae accumulates on the bottom in a fluffy carpet.
It should look pretty with colorful sea glass ;)
I use a pipette to transfer seed shrimp into my newly built aquarium.
Seed shrimp look like tiny moving dots.
They feed on algae and any other organic matter.
I have them in all my aquariums.
Let's use a plastic cover to make the base for the garden.
Get a disposable plastic straw.
This one is the largest I could find.
It has a diameter of 11 mm.
Cut 2-3 cm long pieces of the straw.
One piece for each plant you want to put in your garden.
Use a sharp blade to cut an X or a star in the base to make a hole for each straw.
A star shaped cut looks nicer ;)
The holes should be large enough for the straw to fit through.
Leave space between holes for your plants to spread out as they grow.
I use plasticine to secure straws in holes.
First make a stick.
Roll the stick around a straw to make a ring at the end of the straw.
Put the straw from the top through the hole in the base until the ring rests on the base.
Press the ring to seal the gaps between the straw and the base.
Fix all holes in the same fashion.
Put the base, or the planter if you wish, on top of the jar.
Make sure the bottom end of the straws stays above water level.
In the following month, I add plants, succulents in this example, and pond snails into this aquarium garden.
The plants grow on top of the planter with only roots in the water.
All straws always remain above water.
Occasionally, I may need to add some dechlorinated water to keep it in the level.
Otherwise it is a fully functional self-sustaining aquarium.
The critters and all these plants like sunlight, so I can keep this nursery on a windowsill.
It helps to grow algae for critters to feed on.
And the plants on the top feed on waste produced by critters.
Simple and effective self-sustaining aquarium without any additional man care for all year around.
Have fun and happy aquariums :)
No comments:
Post a Comment