Jarrariums - Can someone ID this critter that has just showed up in my newly built ecosphere? You can see water mites inside of it! |
- Can someone ID this critter that has just showed up in my newly built ecosphere? You can see water mites inside of it!
- My first attempt with a Jar. Almost 3 months strong now.
- After two cat attacks I think this bowls had it. Time for a rescape.
- Plant suggestions
- Article: Lots of organic matter may make gardens fertile for longer but it is not your friend in a closed aquatic system.
| Posted: 20 Oct 2019 09:00 PM PDT
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| My first attempt with a Jar. Almost 3 months strong now. Posted: 20 Oct 2019 06:05 PM PDT
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| After two cat attacks I think this bowls had it. Time for a rescape. Posted: 21 Oct 2019 12:40 AM PDT
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| Posted: 21 Oct 2019 04:14 AM PDT Looking to create a jarrarium, would love some advice and recommendations. What types of plants, soils/substrates are good to use? What steps should I take? Any suggestions are appreciated! [link] [comments]  | ||
| Posted: 20 Oct 2019 05:47 PM PDT How Soil With High Organic Matter Content Could Potentially Lead To A Break Down Of The Carbon Cycle And Eventual Collapse Of A Closed Aquatic System.I wanted to include the most organic matter I could while keeping the soil balanced. I thought, a closed ecosystem of plants would require lots of organic matter in the substrate in order to last a long time, would it not? Seems self-explanatory. And in this thread, I am talking about anaerobic activity, the possible harm it can cause and how this activity relates to soil depth and it not getting oxygen. However, I realize now that I missed something crucial. Anaerobic activity will occur anywhere where there is a lack of oxygen. I was so focused on soil depth and oxygenation I overlooked this simple fact. Bacteria will increase in population with food supply, not whether or not they happen to be using Oxygen or another electron acceptor like NO3, SO4, Fe, or Mn.So if there's food, they'll be there reproducing and consuming it using the electron acceptor that is the most energy efficient. If not O2 then NO3 and right down the line.So if I include a very high amount of organic matter in the substrate of my Closed Aquatic System (CAS) then it will result in a large population of bacteria, if the plants in the system cannot supply the bacteria with enough Oxygen they will start to use the other compounds, no matter the soil depth or location in the system. This would result in the removal of Nitrogen from the system, and the production of toxic gases like Methane and Hydrogen Sulfide and even fermentation and acetate production. We can set aside the harmful effects of all those compounds for now (as the focus of this article is on the Carbon Cycle in a CAS with high organic matter) no anaerobic respiration of the type I described above will create CO2 for the plants, which is a crucial role the bacteria *should* be providing. This creates a "break" in what should be a self-sustaining Carbon Cycle in the CAS (in a perfect system where O2/CO2 production/consumption is 1:1). Now we have a system where there is a very large anaerobic bacterial population and much smaller aerobic bacterial population. Aerobic bacteria will still be present but in far fewer numbers. If the plants are alive they'll be producing some amount of O2 even if it is trivial. In the beginning stages of the CAS the plants are still capable of creating O2 from the depleting CO2. But the anaerobic activity is far greater and producing toxic compounds let's not forget. This Hydrogen Sulfide gas and Methane will increase rapidly in the system, so will the population of bacteria that is able to feed on them. These reactions cost Oxygen to perform and the output of that reaction is not CO2, like you want to see in a normal CO2/O2 respiration cycle. In fact, it takes two O2's to process one molecule of Hydrogen Sulfide gas, and again, it returns no CO2 to the system. Similarly, methane requires more Oxygen to breakdown less methane and does not return CO2 to the system. Oxygen and CO2 respiration that takes place back and forth occur in a 1:1 ratio. So overall, a loss in one is a loss in another. And while it's true that aerobic bacteria will try to use any O2 in the system, they are now competing with the Methane consuming bacteria and Hydrogen Sulfide consuming Bacteria for the Oxygen, and very quickly there will be a lot of both of those compounds. Competition will be tough, as the utilization of the free O2 is on a first come first serve basis and if there's more of those bacteria due to the greater amount of the compounds on which it feeds, the CO2 producing aerobic bacteria may be out competed. What we would then see is an overall decrease in O2 and CO2 in the system. Continual loss of dwindling O2 to processes which produce no CO2 means less CO2 for plants which means less O2 created, which means the small population of CO2 producing aerobic bacteria that might have managed to compete with Methane and Hydrogen Sulfide consuming bacteria will find it increasingly difficult to find O2 for aerobic respiration, more of them will switch to anaerobic metabolism and use other electron acceptors available. The CAS will lose O2 and CO2 over time. And it's frequently said in research papers that I've read that the overall metabolic activity of a closed system like this can be measured by measuring O2 and CO2 relationships. In essence, the system is powering down. A system with too much organic matter like I described above creates a positive feedback loop where the O2 <--> CO2 connection seems irreversibly damaged. A system where, due to the quick growth/reproduction of bacteria compared to plants, bacteria can quickly switch to anaerobic respiration in a matter of a day or two if oxygen isn't present and stop producing CO2 for the plants which in turn, cannot provide O2, leaving the bacteria increasingly deprived and anaerobic. That anaerobic activity then (besides creating many harmful compounds that could by themselves crash the system) causes bacteria to breakdown the harmful compounds created causing the system to "lose" more CO2/O2 respiration potential (by costing more O2 molecules to process 1 molecule of the harmful compound). Conclusion:If I'm correct, I was wrong to try to include a heavy amount of organic matter in my closed aquatic systems. It seems then that for a more balanced system that perhaps the Dead Organic Matter should be kept rather low and I should plant very heavily, ensuring the Oxygen needs of the bacteria are met. This would keep what looks like a self-destructing negative feedback loop of the break down of the Carbon cycle from occurring. Another thing realized from this new understanding is it would be enormously beneficial to inject a high amount of CO2 into the water of my BioJars before sealing them ensuring that the water has enough CO2 in it for proper O2 production. Furthermore, studies have shown that oxygenating the water before CO2 injection allows for a higher concentration of CO2 to be in the water without it negatively effecting oxygen breathing organisms -simple with an airpump. ##-SIDE NOTE:-## Of course, I'd have to ensure the proper O2 being created in the first place. So proper light control is obviously very crucial. However, high light, while ensuring plentiful O2 production will cause plants to grow. Not ideal in the smaller closed systems I build. I don't want fast growing plants that take over the space. Plant amount, not plant size, is more important here. Lets say there's a CAS with two plants and a CAS with eight plants, both producing the same amount of O2. The CAS with two plants will be experiencing fast plant growth while the CAS with eight plants will be experiencing slow growth. "living within your means" is important here too. AggressiveEagle [link] [comments]  |
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