Six Years Ago I Made An Ecosystem In A Jar - This Happened 

I love Life In Jars. The internet people finally use jars for a good reason.

I can't believe it's been 6 years since then... Time truly flies. Let's hope it goes another 6.

I think you are correct. I think your "Boogie Worms" went into a sort of hibernation until the environment could support them again. I love how that's a real-world life cycle.

you should try making a (probably larger) ecosphere specifically designed to contain multiple distinct microbiomes, to see how much it affects biodiversity for instance, making it a palludarium, having a corner full of rocks, one with a big piece of wood, etc

The size of your jar doesn't matter, it's what you do with it!

From what I have noticed with my ecosystem is that Boogie worms will, remain dormant for months or even longer. They disappear and reappear every couple of months.

This ecosphere inspired mmy niece and me to make ecospheres a few years ago - one of them we had for three years, but then my father through it out 🥺 it's my niece 17 years birthday very shortly - now I have a great idea for a birthday present! She'll really like it - and I'll give her a beautiful jar to have one in her room! 😄 boogie time, I hope 🕺🏻

I can't stress enough that I love the ambient park-noise that you have in the background. Truly calming. Thank you

I love your patience in nurturing a new project.

Tubifex worms are usual indicators for saprobic index. That probably means that ecological condition in the jar are high value of organic mater and low oxygen level, perfect condition for Tubifex worms XD

When that amazing beat started I got hyped knowing who was gonna show up,boogie worms!!!

What?? Three uploads within a month? You’re really on top of your game.

This species of ostracod is one of my favorites. The thing with them is that they absolutely require a dense and healthy layer of mulm to thrive.

All those shrimp shells at the bottom were pretty cool. It reminds me of the shells of the microscopic organisms that make up the Sahara desert sand, but obviously not microscopic. It would be nice to see a ecosphere that the animal life consisted of mostly shelled organisms just to see if their shells build up over time into a colourful layer. I would give it a try but I’m only getting into the hobby.

another 6 years and you will find oil in one layer

How did i find this

Its always a joy to hear that duck laughing in the background

6:11 40? That’s impressive! I wonder what he thinks about all the technological advancements in the hobby.

One of my ecospheres has recently turned 5 years old, you inspired me to make it :). I made a Timelapse of it on my channel 👍

I'm glad to see an update on this jar! This was the jar that inspired me to make my own jar ecosystem back in July 2020, a few months after the two year update video and not too long after I discovered the channel. I originally added a few plants, but none lasted more than a few months. I had duckweed as well which lasted over a year. Stringy algae, much of which is above the water, now serves as the main source of photosynthesis. There are other algae growing on the glass and in the substrate. The substrate hosts some bacterial colonies as well. The water was quite murky for the first year or two before clearing up. In terms of macroscopic animals, it started out with amphipods, small ostracods, bladder snails, boogie worms, hydra, mites, and a huge leech. The only one that I have seen recently is the amphipods. The mites were the first to go, largely killing themselves by crawling into the jar's seal and getting stuck. The ostracods were surprisingly the second to go! The snails managed to reproduce and a few months in had a large population but went extinct by around a year or so. I suspect the leech was praying on them and the ostracods, as they both went extinct before the leech died. A leech that size would likely have been consuming macroscopic creatures, and it lived about a year. The boogie worms lasted a long time, and might still be in there, but I haven't seen any signs of them in over a year. I have seen hydra less than a year ago I think, but they are quite elusive. It's hard to say if they are extinct or are just hiding. I never saw more than three at a time. The amphipods are still going strong though! I would say the ecosystem is at a steady state at this point, with no noticeable changes occurring within the last year. The jar's seal is not perfect as evident by the water level dropping about a centimeter since its closing and algae growing in the seal. The jar has a glass lid with a ground glass seal. It can probably go another decade or so before I'll have to add some new water (from the same source as the original, of course). Anyway, thank you for inspiring this project!

In optimal conditions, Tubifex eggs can remain viable for several months to even years. Some studies suggest that under ideal circumstances, Tubifex eggs can remain dormant for up to five years or more. During this dormancy period, the eggs are resistant to adverse environmental conditions like desiccation and low oxygen levels. Once conditions become suitable for hatching, such as an increase in temperature and sufficient moisture, the dormant eggs can hatch, releasing larvae that eventually develop into adult Tubifex worms. This ability to remain dormant for extended periods contributes to the resilience and survival of Tubifex worms in various aquatic environments.

Jars like these are gonna be so important within the next century

I do not know what to say. apart from kurzgesagt, your channel is the only English-language channel that I regularly watch. I click on all your videos immediately, I love that you pull ancient ecospheres out of nothing, you keep your promises, and you give your viewers a lot of knowledge.

only on the internet would almost 20 thousand people find such justified interest in a moldy looking jar god i love technology

I don't know the timing from your videos, but is it possible the move disturbed the ecospheres' sediment layers enough to release byproducts from the anoxic bacteria? Because a disturbance (car or bike travel vibrates a lot on this scale) could have released a bunch of CO2 or sulfites into the water column, which may have affected biodiversity/balance.

Always a good video. I love the updates. Thanks again. You're channel encouraged me 4 years ago to go get an ecosphere and I've been enjoying austricods and other tiny swimmers ever since!! I even got them some duck weed. It's great fun!

I want to make one where its all stuff selected to work but do it slow. Start with store bought plants that's been cleaned, all the micro fauna and eventually macro fauna. Build it over the course of a year and then close it up.

I could've watched those little guys tunnelling around for hours, its like ants but way more satisfying somehow, probably cause the material is so soft

I would love to see a super time lapse of one of these

Dance you crazy worms!!!! Fun fact: I first learned of tubifex worms when I was a kid in the 1970s, because I had pet newts and that's what I had to feed them. They were freeze dried cubes of Tubifex worms. I used to call them TubiFLEX worms, because I misread the label! 😅

My theory is that the population shrunk and was only a very small population in the middle of the jar for some reason. Shrouded in the murky green water 🙂 but Yes, tubifex worms can enter a dormant state when conditions are not favorable, such as during drought or when water levels decrease. They form a protective cyst around themselves and can remain in this state until conditions improve.

Really puts things into perspective. Even after 6 years enclosed in this jar, nature is still thriving. While its not the same type of ecosystem as originally started, its still living. Even more solidified considering the val is still alive. You really can have nature in aquariums.

I loved the boogie worm reveal so much! Thanks for selecting the shrimp footage like you did!

Your channel inspired me to make an ecosphere during the pandemic, and four years later, it's still kicking!

I really like hearing the birds in the background during your voiceover! Please never remove them ❤️

It never ceases to amaze me how much there is left to learn about some of theses smaller species. An algae bloom creates a bunch of oxygen, and all of a sudden that funky living shag carpet reappears. Thanks for another great video!

It's nice to watch how these closed environments progress. I have two mossariums where i have only plants and nothing moves there, but it's nice to check them occasionally. You made me want to try close a bit of river water and bottom plants and mud in there to see what will live inside.

My favorite part is when the ostracod say "it's ostracodding time" and ostracoded everywhere

i used to fill jars with pond/creek water all the time when i was younger so i could see all the things that live in it. i was so happy when i found this channel

Fascinating! I have an ecosphere I made in 2019 inspired by this channel and it has gone through many a life cycle.

6 years! Very impressive! 🌱

I have been watching this channel from the start and I have a few ecosystems of my own. I love to see these updates keep it up!

Now I'm curious if there's similar projects to this channel from different parts of the world. It would be interesting to see what other species out there may be taking on the same roles.

The tiny semi-aquatic humanoid beings in that ecosystem in 5,000 years after this video emerging after the glass withers and decays (they have the rest of the world, in which an ant is as big as a house):

I remember this from years ago. Crazy to see it still thriving

Been following for years now, thanks for educational and enjoyable content. Much love

Really cool seeing large ostracods vs the small dots for once

The government should hire you

Tubifex worms are capable of encystment, forming a cyst around their body (or in tubifex case a portion of their body), which allows them to remain dormant for months or even years until conditions are suitable to become active again.

6 years, wow. Thank you for compacting it for us to 15 minutes.

the little guys burrowing in the dirt at the bottom of the jar are cute! i want to keep one as a pet lol

Thinking of trying it

Always fascinating - thanks a lot for sharing this!

Pretty amazing to see the return of boogie worms after 5 years, and so much life popping up. You just never know what will happen with life in jars.🖤🇨🇦

Another awesome educational experience thanks bro

Need to do one of these with a time-laps.

My ecosphere also had a sudden bloom of tubifex worms after a period of not seeing them. There were so many that they looked like a ball of minced meat.

It looks like a little Cthulhu monster rising from the depths in there. Love it.

Truly fascinating. There are a couple things I'm not sure about though: Where have the snails been getting their calcium from for the shells? Do they eat the little crustaceans? If so, the Ca cycle might be the limiting factor in the biomass of those species. Another question I had was if the crustaceans that are left will be able to act as both dutritivours and herbivores of the ecosystem efficiently enough to keep the available biomass up, or if it will start to decrease over time? Especially since nothing is preying in them. The smaller ones seem to do better at eating algae, and these big ones seem better at being detritivores.

We’re blessed to have Life in Jars.

you should try to get a permanent underwater camera in the larger tanks... use aquarium sealant to plug the holes needed for the wires

I'd love to build a fantastic one of these with carefully planned life that can sustain each other and keep it looking pretty too

I made one about the same size about the same time (inspired by you). Mine finally turned dead and green because it wasn't getting enough light. This morning, I gave it a good shake. We'll see what it looks like tomorrow. Btw, I made a slightly smaller one from another body of water at the same time. It's clear as a bell now but is also dead. I don't want to shake it yet

I’m actually amazed that there is still life in there.

I once did the same thing with a sandwich in the bottom of my school bag. I left it there for two years and would regularly look at the various stages of green, yellow and black that it went through as it mushed around over time. I don’t know if any new species evolved there and it remained a protected habitat until my mother eventually found it and threw it away.

make one where its separated in half, one side dirt/soil one side water, add small holes in the partition.

Wow, these videos really interest me, ever since i was a kid. Stuff like these can contribute to the scientific community and research. I like that you, a random person, can maybe contribute to a great part of our understanding in this world.

crazy how resilient life is

I really enjoy these videos.

Behold, the “Jar Wars”… The Hydra Menace Attack of the Vallisneria Revenge of Crustacean A Huge Hope The Sediment Strikes Back Return of Algae The Copepod Awakens The Last Seed Shrimp The Rise of Tubifex

Great update

I've only ever made one aquatic ecosphere, but ostracods went extinct in mine after only a few months. It's 4 years old now.

It's been 6 years since the HUUUUUUUUGE spring ecosphere was made?????????? That was the first video that popped up into my front page which made me excited for every new upload. I haven't watched any videos for some 2 years now and it just appeared into my front page again. This ecosphere is like fate. I hope you're doing well Mr. Jar man :-)!

Love listening to the parakeets in the background.

The plant in the jar being genetically 40+ is so cool

So cool to witness this 6 years later!

Nerd factor is high and I like it !😆 Simply fascinating.

It must be a fascinating hobby to create miniature ecosystems inside recipients like jars.😮😮

What an interesting thing to collect: closed ecosystems. You never open these jars? Just observing how the tiny world evolves? What an interesting concept.

I wonder how it smells, and what would happen if you drink a mouthful?

Can’t wait to see this after 20 years. I wonder if new species will evolve.

It would be very interesting to make a closed environment with measurement devices inside that can tell you all about the levels of nutriënts and co2 etc...

I’ve heard stories of tubifex worm eggs surviving freeze drying and infecting peoples tanks from feeding their fish with freeze dried worms. The eggs are extremely resilient.

ive been wanting to make one, but im wondering if it stays by sunlight does pressure build up in these jars? is that something you have to look after when doing these ecosystems?

@11:30 the most amazing part of the video - the soil pressing on the glass looks like a live brain!

It was only one time guys, one TIMEE, and now everyone calls me life in a jar Martin

That music with the worms dancing absolutely made my week ❤

These videos inspire me to get a glass go outside get some dirt, go to the forest nearby and get some water from the lake there and just see what happens. Do you think that it could turn out interesting for a small experiment? What kind of water is most interesting for something like this and where to source the dirt from preferably?

Life in jars is much better than jars in life 🙃

It’s fascinating really. How do organisms die off, and completely new ones just … materialize out of thin air. Unless they were so incredibly tiny that we couldn’t see them before. Either way, very very cool.

I love your videos! I've made ecospheres because of you

I like your videos, thank you for making them

Ill never be able to walk into a body of water again without thinking of those worms possibly under my feet 😱😭

Love this channel, how many jars do you currently have? Keep it up

it is summer but my closed terrarium was die in last summer due to 40c in my house then it felt down from shelf because of earthquake

Maybe it has something to do with the build up of detritus, or perhaps a buildup of something in the water over time? Since its a quite old closed ecosystem.

My favorite youtuber is back

Life finds a way. I really loved this video. 👍

How did you gain those animals in in your jar-eco, like hydra, tubifex, and the ithers? Dud all where initally in there, when you got the water in, or did you gain them differently, like any shops?

Hard to believe you made this BEFORE the Pandemic :0