- Thu Feb 08, 2018 9:49 pm
#310979
Alright, so it has been a couple days since I introduced the Marimo ball into the jar, but it didn't make much of a difference, and then I realized all of the masses of seed shrimp conglomerating at the top. Lack of oxygen, I suppose?
I noticed that white dots in the water that I considered as dormant minerals floating around from far away, were actually thousands of tiny organisms on closer inspection. Uh, oh! This means that the algae, and the plants aren't creating enough sustainable oxygen for the organisms. So, I have a few solutions:
- Find some type of animal that can be sustained in a small place, and be content with being lonely. Something hardy that can withstand fluctuating seasonal temperatures. I find this the last resort as I feel this will only end up harming the animal in the long run.
- Backstriders would be a great option, but unfortunately they have not appeared as of yet. I have huge swathes of mosquito larvae though, so eventually the dragonflies and backstriders will come back to feast again this upcoming seasonal shift.
- Culturing Hydra is a possibility, but it could possibly end up running rampant and spread everywhere. They are immortal as well unless intervention is made, so once I go in I can't go back without the possibility of killing everything in the jar.
- Adding more plants could help, but with Malaysian Trumpet snails it kind of crosses out a lot of opportunities. I could use fishing weights to weigh down the plants, but I am unsure if it will affect the biosphere long-term. Either way it's just a temporary solution as the populations can keep expanding out of control.
Anyways, here are some updates:
I noticed that white dots in the water that I considered as dormant minerals floating around from far away, were actually thousands of tiny organisms on closer inspection. Uh, oh! This means that the algae, and the plants aren't creating enough sustainable oxygen for the organisms. So, I have a few solutions:
- Find some type of animal that can be sustained in a small place, and be content with being lonely. Something hardy that can withstand fluctuating seasonal temperatures. I find this the last resort as I feel this will only end up harming the animal in the long run.
- Backstriders would be a great option, but unfortunately they have not appeared as of yet. I have huge swathes of mosquito larvae though, so eventually the dragonflies and backstriders will come back to feast again this upcoming seasonal shift.
- Culturing Hydra is a possibility, but it could possibly end up running rampant and spread everywhere. They are immortal as well unless intervention is made, so once I go in I can't go back without the possibility of killing everything in the jar.
- Adding more plants could help, but with Malaysian Trumpet snails it kind of crosses out a lot of opportunities. I could use fishing weights to weigh down the plants, but I am unsure if it will affect the biosphere long-term. Either way it's just a temporary solution as the populations can keep expanding out of control.
Anyways, here are some updates: