By Cassie Kim
Building an enclosed aquarium is a great way to bring a piece of the outdoors inside. In order to start your aquarium, you need a natural source of water that you can use to fill your container. With a few simple tools, you will be able to craft a unique aquarium that will provide hours of entertainment!
- First, find an airtight jar. You could reuse a plastic container or use a glass jar with a sealing lid. Mason jars will not work because they need to be heated to become airtight.
- Second, add some gravel or stones to the bottom of the container. Add enough substrate to anchor any plants that you want to add to your aquarium. Find some interesting plants, moss, or algae from around the body of water and add them to your container. Make sure that you like the way they are situated!
- Add the water from the river, creek, or pond to your container. It may seem cloudy at first, but after the particles in the water settle, the water will be clear and you will be able to see inside of the container better.
- The last step is to seal the container and enjoy your slice of the outdoors at home!
As the aquarium settles, small organisms like snails, worms, and bugs will start to emerge! Watching the activity in the aquarium is a great way to pass the time between Zoom calls. A few tips to remember are that you should remove any large organisms because the system is not large enough to support them for too long. Self-sustaining, the container does not require any maintenance after you close it, but it should not be placed in direct sunlight because it could lead to overheating and the death of the organisms in the container. Enjoy your enclosed aquarium!