Brief photosession of some details in my NPT pico aquarium

Some progress in plant growth is visible.

New plant: 4 small plantlings of Staurogyne repens.

First algae problem: Diatomeae visible on glass as a white blurry mist. 

Pregnant shrimp is crazy for raw chicken meat: 

Steampunk biosphere :)

An ode to Rhonda Wilson and Diana Walstad ;)

Material:

• big clean pickle jar
• raw potting soil with no additives
• sterile quartz aquarium sand mixed with a teaspoon of finer aquarium gravel
• lava rock with some moss already attached to it (java moss and cladophora aegagropila)
• fishing line and floating inert piece of plastic for the "riccia planet", button
• cycled aquarium water
• wire and cable, aluminum foil (...)- parts for a desk lamp + a reflector
• flora: healthy bits and pieces of small aquarium plants people usually throw away (hemianthus micranthemoides, glossostigma elatinoides, marsilea hirsuta, eleocharis parvulus, rotala walichii, baby ceratopteris, dwarf riccia, pistia stratiotes)
• fauna: red cherry shrimp, Indian dwarf shrimp (Rainbow shrimp), small snails (red planorbis sp.)

est. time: 30 min

1. Put dry soil into the jar. The soil layer should be no thicker than 2 cm. Damp it with a small amount of aquarium water a and leave it alone for 5 min (for the gasses to come out).

In the meantime make a "planet" for the shrimp with a fishing line and a net for riccia:

1. spread the clean net (5x5cm) onto a desk
2. spread some riccia onto the net
3. put the piece of floating inert plastic onto riccia
4. take the ends of the net and tie it up into a ball with the fishing line
5. tie the other end of the fishing line and tie the button with it - the button is an anchor for the "planet"

2. Put a thin layer of sand above the soil substrate (2mm). Pour some more aquarium water to make it damp again and shake the jar a bit. Put a thicker layer of sand (2 cm). Even it out with your hand and carefully pour 1/5 L of aquarium water- do not disturb the substrate (use a small tube for pouring water into the jar)!

3. Hence the jar is round it is recommendable to accomplish one central focal point using a hardware piece (rock, piece of driftwood) and placing it in the middle of the jar. I've used a lava rock because it has already been cycled in one of my aquariums and has some moss on it. All caridina species (shrimp) adore rock or driftwood with a lot of texture, especially if it has some moss on it! Also if it is centered you'll always know where to look for your shrimp. Rocks with nice textures, as well as drifwood, are also excellent mediums for dentrifying bacteria (biofiltering).

4. Plant those plantlets and find a suitable position for the lonely riccia planet. :)

5. Put in 3-4 shrimp and a few baby snails (using potting soil means the "tank" is immediately cycled + I've used already cycled lava rock and aquarium water so it's save for invertebrates).
Their movement in this small ecosystem will provide enough circulation for a stabile water chemistry.

6. Using a wire, cable, switch (...) and aluminum foil make a lamp and a reflector in 1 minute (if you already don't have an unused ugly old lamp to sacrify for the project).

7. Check the temperature of the tank. The lamp is a source of light for the plants and invertebrates and also a source of heat. Adjust the position/ direction of the lamp if neccesary. You don't wan't to cook your shrimp.

8. The plants will grow in, HM will need the most trimming in a few weeks. Rotala walichii will make a nice reddish contrast to the rest of the green flora. I'm planning to do weekly 30% water changes during the first month, and reduce the water changes to a once-a-month 30% water change until I see no water changes are no longer needed at all (hence: biosphere). It's possible there will be created a biofilm on the water's surface through the next few days. It' will also take a week for the soil to become stabile so an air pump (with airstone or airstone with a DIY ball on top made of aquarium sponge for mechanical filtration) must be nearby just in case it's needed for a day or two to clear out the surface or the water itself.

Enjoy in your new live desk lamp/ steampunk aquarium!

P.S.: You can also make "biospheres" for your friends. It is a nice introduction to the NPT method and aquarium hobby: 

On these pictures the water level is low due to more comfortable moving the sphere to the new owner. 

*3/21/2011-update of the pickle jar: 

HM has been trimmed already, marsilea has recovered with tiny new leaves, 1 pc of rotala rotundifolia and 2 small pcs od staurogyne repens have been added. 

No water change was neccesary.

..new morph with bits and pieces ;)

New branch and a new plants (echinodorus tennelus instead of cryptocoryne parva on the left- back, and didiplis diandra + rotala walichii for more contrast and texture in the back and a new accent plant: pogostemon helferi; soon: staurogyne).

Rotala rotundifolia, juncus repens, HM, eleocharis parvulus and java moss have been trimmed.

...last photo update of the 1st morphing with 3 new plants

This is the last photo update of the 1st morphing with 3 new plants: marsile hirsuta, hydrocotyle leucephala and hemianthus callitrichoides.

This was before these few new plantlings:

• Glosso is taken out and replaced with marsilea in the "path" from the moss branch to the front glass. 
• There are several small plantlings of HC next to the front glass (on the right) which have been given to me with glosso. 
• Hydrocotyle l. is currently too massive for this position but hopefully it will rise up and grow in the direction of the moss branch for balance. 

There is something missing in the back left corner behind lava stones... 

Or is there something to be removed from the front of the tank? 

Time will tell.. Plants still need a lot of time to work their way.

Small photo update of the 1st morphing

New plant: Eriocaulon type 2 (or Juncus repens..?)

Glossostigma elatinoides already showing some progress. 

Female danio is full of eggs:

...and so is the wild shrimp:

These "bald spots" will be covered in marsilea and glosso will be replaced with new marsilea under the shadow of the filter. 

...still morphing...

This time I've made two levels using more soil and sand to attach lava rocks with cladophora aegagrophila and java sorrounded with glosso and more eleocharis parvulus.

This still isn't a nature scape I have in mind.

Glossostigma elationoides is an interesting Australian foreground plant which actually grows best in rich soil or as a floating plant. This one came from a high tech plant and was under EI method with lots of CO2. 

I'm still thinking where to put an amazon swordlpant (Echinodorus tennelus) to prevent algae..?