Jarrarium is a nano-sized aquarium mainly used to keep shrimps or snails. Those who have space problems but have interests in keeping shrimps can easily start their hobby using a jarrarium. However, as it is small in size you cannot keep any other species except shrimps or snails.
Today in this article I will mention the process of setting up a jarrarium for ghost shrimps. This setup will also give you an idea of the basic setup process of a jarrarium so if you are planning to make a jarrarium for any other purpose this process will help too.
The steps are very easy and you can alone set up a jarrarium following the set by step process. So, if you are planning to set up a jarrarium, this is the right article to follow!
Without any further talk, let’s get into the set-up process now!
Materials Will You Need:
A Jar:
The first thing you need to set a jarrarium is a jar/container. It can be of any type and shape. A glass jar is recommended because it will give you visibility so you can easily see what’s going on inside. You can choose a jar from your house or you can buy one from online as well. You will find jars at local fish stores too in different sizes and shapes.
Now let me tell you one thing, jarrariums do not necessarily need to be built in a jar. It can be anything like a transparent vase, or a bowl type container, etc. One thing you should consider before choosing a jar is the size.
Remember the smaller the jar the more maintenance it will need because it will get dirty easily. So, a moderate-sized jar/ container is recommended and it will also allow more life.
Stones & Gravels:
Stones are always recommended for a shrimp tank or jarrarium because algae grow on the surface of it. You can choose either big stones or small stones for the jarrarium. You can buy stones from stores or get them from anywhere outside but make sure you take the clean ones.
Also, you will be needing some gravels too.
Gravels besides decoration helps as a biological filter in the jarrarium. As we will not use any filter in the jarrarium, biological filter will play the main role here in eliminating toxins like ammonia and nitrate.
Soil:
If you are planting live plants in the jarrarium, you have to put soil in the jarrarium as a substrate. You can use soil from your backyard or buy some from a fish store as well. Potting soils are available in most of the fish stores and its very affordable in price.
Live Plants & Moss:
To decorate the jarrarium you can use live plants and moss. It will not only make the jarrarium look attractive, but it will also help to control the ecosystem. Furthermore, plants are a great source of food for ghost shrimps. This is why expert shrimp keepers recommend live plants and moss for a shrimp tank.
Water:
Ghost shrimps are freshwater shrimps so you will need fresh water to set up the tank at the final step. You can take the fresh water from a pond or a cycled tank too as long as it is clean.
Lights:
Light is important because without it the jarrarium environment will get very damped. And it will keep the algae growth low. Depending on the jar size you have to choose light. Old light bulbs or LED light bulbs are good enough for a jarrarium.
Set Up Of A Ghost Shrimp Jarrarium:
For your convenience, I’ve divided the full set up process into 6 easy steps. Let’s start with the first step:
1st Step: Potting Soil
After you choose your jar/ container the first step is Potting soil into it. As I mentioned earlier, I will plant live plants in the jarrarium so the soil is important for that. If you are not planting plants then you can skip this step.
Now I will always recommend using soil that is small and refined. If you are taking it from your backward then you must make sure to clean the soil first and remove all dirt, large stones, small wood pieces, and stuff like that.
These can take away the places where plants can grow and make the water brown. And if you are buying potting soil from a fish store you don’t need to clean them because those are clean and well refined.
Pour the soil into the bottom of the jar and make a layer of an inch. Now shake the jar slowly so that the soil sits on the pot properly. If you have a jar bigger in length then you can put more soil.
2nd Step: Putting Gravels
After pouring the soil, the next step is putting gravel on the top of the soil. Make a layer of 1.5 inches with the gravel and spread them in the whole jarrarium evenly.
Gravel will help to keep the soil away from mixing with the water. Ghost shrimps are great pickers and if you leave the soil alone in the jar they will make a mess. So, it is better to put a layer of gravel after the soil.
Another reason why you need to put gravel is they will play the role of a biological filter in the jar which I mentioned earlier. Every experienced shrimp keeper suggests keeping a filter in a shrimp tank. But if you put a filter in a jarrarium it can take a lot of space. This is why I will recommend putting gravel to make a biological filter.
3rd Step: Putting Big Stones And Other Decorative Stuff
Before pouring water, I will put one big stone and one middle-sized stone on one side of the jarrarium. You can use more if you want to depending on your jarrarium’s size. You can even skip putting stones but if you are making the jarrarium for ghost shrimps I would recommend putting some stones. Algae will grow on the surface of the stones and ghost shrimps will love to eat them.
4th Step: Planting The Plants
Now it’s time to plant the live plants in the jarrarium before pouring water into it. Take the plants one by one and plant them properly. Make sure the roots go underneath the soil properly. While planting, maintain space between the plants. Do not overcrowd the jarrarium with planting too many plants.
5th step: Pouring Water
As the jarrarium is almost ready, now you have to pour water in it. You have to pour the water slowly else the plant roots may get off from the soil. You can use a pipe to fill the jarrarium with water too. This is one easy and safe option to fill up the jarrarium.
You can use another trick to pour water into the jarrarium if you don’t have a pipe. You can simply pour the water directly into stone so that the water doesn’t hit the substrate with full force. Fill the jarrarium near the top but leave at least two inches because when you add species into the jarrarium the water level will increase a little bit.
Last Step: Cycling
Leave the jarrarium for two weeks now to cycle. During this time don’t add anything new to the jarrarium. Keep it undisturbed in a place with moderate lighting.
If you don’t allow your jarrarium to cycle and add any livestock there you can face many problems in the upcoming days. Also, ghost shrimps are always recommended to put in a cycled tank. If you want to know why an uncycled tank is not recommended for ghost shrimps you can read this guide for detailed information.
Adding Ghost Shrimps Into The Jarrarium
After cycling for 2 weeks now it’s time to put the ghost shrimps into the jarrarium. But, before putting them I will test the water temperature and parameters to ensure that the parameters are in the balance. Ghost shrimps are very sensitive species thus they cannot survive in water that has an imbalance in the temperature and water parameters.
People who are new to this hobby most of the time add the ghost shrimps into the jarrarium or tank without ensuring the right water temperature and parameters. This is why the ghost shrimps die soon after you put them into the water.
So, I will recommend you to ensure the right temperature and water parameters for them first before adding them into the jarrarium.
The ideal water parameters for ghost shrimps are:
| Parameter | Optimal Range | Limits |
| Temperature | 70-80 degrees Fahrenheit | 62-82 degrees Fahrenheit |
| pH | 6.5- 7.5 | 7-8 |
| GH (General hardness) | 5-8 ppm | 3-15 ppm |
| KH (Carbonate Hardness) | 5-8 ppm | 3-12 ppm |
| TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) | 150-200 ppm | 100-400 ppm |
How Many Ghost Shrimps Should You Add In A Jarrarium?
Depending on the size of your jarrarium you have to add the right amount of ghost shrimps. Per one-gallon water you can add 2-3 ghost shrimps in the jarrarium. Never add too much because it will make the jarrarium overcrowded and the jarrarium will get dirty fast.
This can cause rapid changes in the water parameters and make the whole jarrarium environment unhealthy which are not good for the ghost shrimps at all.
A jarrarium about 1.5 to 3 gallons in size is good for ghost shrimps and the maintenance of these sized jarrariums is also easy. If you choose a smaller size than these sizes you will face a little bit of problem while cleaning and you cannot add a good number of ghost shrimps in there after adding plants and other stuff.
The jarrarium will look so crowded from outside and the ghost shrimps will not be able to roam inside comfortably.
Conclusion
I hope this article will help those who are looking for the setup process of a jarrarium for ghost shrimps. Setting up a jarrarium is not that hard if you know the step by step process. I mentioned all the processes in detail to easily set up a jarrarium at home.
People who have a space problem in their house or want a separate small place to keep ghost shrimps alone, jarrarium is the best option for them. So, if you are thinking of making a jarrarium follow my step by step process and make one today!
Happy shrimp keeping.
