Just a quick update since little has changed since the last time.

It’s still alive. There are two snails – at least that’s as many as I can see at any given time. Fun fact: snails are hermaphrodites. They can mate with themselves if the environment calls for it. No sign of that worm thing from earlier this year; I think it died. Not many swimming things. They seem to be most active in the morning (I wonder if they have an equivalent to ‘sleep’), and can easily be mistaken for spots of dust on the glass. The hornwort is growing slowly. It will be interesting to see it fight the other plant.

No photos this time – it hasn’t changed enough to warrant one. Maybe in January.

Well, after nearly two years, it’s still alive! Can’t say I could call it “thriving”, but there are three little snails in there. None of them are visible in the photo – but you should be able to pick out a bit of hornwort that managed to survive getting crowded out by the other plant. The one that we watched grow from a little seedling – and is now trying to push against the lid. Some parts of it are not doing so well (no idea why the leaves are spotty and brown (and I don’t really care)), but others, as you can see, have a nice lush green color.

Still plenty of that ugly fuzz, and not as many swimming dots as before. I hope that’s a seasonal thing. I’ll try and catch some more when I get water for the next topping off – which won’t be too long from now; evaporation in the summer heat is noticeably lowering the water level.

A different viewing angle this time.

Finally got around to taking a photo (as promised in the last update, which is why this isn’t getting a whole number). It’s at the original size, by the way – no resizing, trimming, or color adjustments.

You can see the worm thing just above the shadow of the cable on the lower left. And the brownish spot a little left of center is one of the teeny snails. There’s new(ish) growth on the right, and plenty more at the top (most of which is just out of the image). You can also see a lot of leaves and stems turning brown and decaying, returning nutrients back to the muck.

One thing about the worm – I swear it pops up in slightly different places every now and then. I’d try and track it if I cared enough. By the way, I’ve had no luck identifying it. The only search results I get for “freshwater worms” (or similar terms) are parasites for fish – with more than enough icky photos…. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, let me know….

Photo after the jump:

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I have to admit it’s really ugly, and I want to dump it and start anew. I even have a jar / bottle being prepared as a replacement. That little plant that sprouted back in the fall of 2023 is pretty much out of control – it’s grown up and out above the water surface. There are stems and dangling rootlets all over the place, Unfortunately, quite a few leaves are turning brown. Yuck. At least most of the green fuzzy stuff is gone.

It’s not something you really want on your desk or windowsill.

But then the light hits it just right, and you see that the darned thing still has plenty of life in it.

There are dozens of teeny swimming things. The big snail seems to have gotten bigger, and there are even a few tiny snails creeping around. And most interestingly, there’s a tiny worm in the muck at the bottom. About a half inch long and a pale green in color, it is most definitely a worm. It waves back and forth independently of any movement of the Jar, and can hide back in the muck when I tap the glass. I’d never have noticed it if it wasn’t right next to the side.

Looks like I’ve got a nice little ecosystem going in there. Hopefully it will look better in the spring.

No photos this time; my phone’s camera isn’t good enough to take decent close ups of the interesting stuff. Maybe in the next update.

There have been some notable changes since I decided to tweak things a bit. Last time I mentioned adding a teeny bit of eggshell to add some calcium to it (it’s a suggestion to help snails grow). Well, I did. Just the tiniest fragment I could manage. I also added some more water from the source pond, and poked at that green lump at the top with a stick. Since it felt rather solid, I reasoned that it might be restricting water circulation. I pushed it around enough to open a ‘channel’ to the rest of the jar.

The results are in.

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It’s been a little over a year since I first embarked on this thing. While I can’t say it’s thriving, it’s definitely Not Dead – so I’ll call it a win.

Not much to look at…..

I sometimes have to fight the urge to poke around in it, trying to make it look “neater”. That big glob of green crap at the top….the mass of “fuzz” at the bottom…. But I remind myself that it’s not dying and there are still critters swimming and crawling around inside it, so my policy of “benign neglect” will continue. All I do is add a little more pond water from the original source every now and then when the level gets uncomfortably low (close to the narrowest part of the neck).

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There’s a good deal of new growth in the plants – those tall, thin things weren’t there a couple of months ago. I’m not sure how healthy they are; some of the leaves are a little discolored. The top ends of the older plants seem to have been bitten or cut off. They come to an abrupt end with no “tapering off” of their leaves. Curious. There’s no sign of any animals in there that could do it.

There are quite a few dust mote sized swimming things. One of which ls large enough to show some color – I call it “Bluey”, because it is clearly a dark blue. There are also at least three tiny snails; maybe four. It’s rare to see more than two at the same time. One of them is the size of a sunflower seed. I can make out details with my little pocket magnifying glass, but nothing to give me a clue as to what species it might be.

There are also a lot of dark flecks that don’t move (at least when I’m watching). They might be dirt, they might be dead things, they might be their own organisms. They are too small for me to tell.

I’m honestly surprised that it’s lasted this long.

I think it’s time to add a little more water.

Well, it’s still alive. Don’t know if I can call it “thriving”, but I’ll take “Not Dead” any day.

The fuzzy algae is challenging the sprouted plant for control, and has trapped a LOT of air bubbles.

There are at least three snails that are just a bit bigger than poppy seeds. Their shells are either translucent or a pale yellow-green that just matches the color of the plants. There’s one snail that’s a bit bigger than a sesame seed – it’s usually in hiding.

Not much in the way of swimming things. A few dust speck sized things that stay near the top, and one larger speck that zooms around a lot. It appears to be dark blue in color.

I’ve had to add some more pond water twice to counter evaporation. Just about two ounces each time. I’m trying to catch some snails or swimmers when I go back to the source waters. I am resisting the frequent temptation to add a drop or two of something like coffee or booze just to see what happens.

I rotate it a tiny bit each day to give everything an equal amount of light, and to stir up the water a little.

Maybe I’ll add a photo later.

The plants are “yellower” than they were two months ago, and there’s not much in the way of animal (insect and snail) activity. I hope it’s just because of Winter, and not that everything is dying. You’ll note that that sprouty plant – the one with the leaves – has taken over, and the hornwort has died away. The last diving beetle has died; its corpse is stuck in the fuzzy green algae (and not visible in the photo). Also note that a few snails have “suicided” by climbing up the sides and out of the water. Some bits of algae have also crept up the sides. It’s also hard to see, but there are a few bubbles trapped in the mess of algae at the top. They’ve been there since the beginning.… Continue reading →

Almost three months since the original collection, and it’s still thriving! OK, I’m down to just one beetle (that I can see), But there are still plenty of snails of various sizes, and that little sprouting plant has taken over. It’s over six inches tall, and has several side roots and offshoots. I really have to wonder where all the nutrients are coming from. The other plants don’t seem to be growing or dying off, and there’s no sign of any change in the soil level. And I’m keeping it sealed – it’s been a couple of weeks since I last popped the top. The water still has a greenish cast. I wonder if that’s algae floating or sticking to the glass. I don’t intend to shake things up to find out.

I wonder if it will make it through the winter – the heat in the room gets really weird; I sometimes have to open the window to keep from baking.

I tweaked the image a bit to better show details.