I was going to comment on the post about a failed nature terrarium, but decided that I'd like feedback from you all who have more experience creating miniature ecosystems.
I'm getting into this hobby after decades as a houseplant person, a few years as a tropical container gardener, and now simultaneously starting to compost organic waste. I am 50 years old and literally just now understand the difference between rotting and composting. Hot compost relies on aerobic bacteria and fungi. It smells good! (Or mild, at least.) Rotting, or going foul, stinks terribly and is produced by anaerobic bacteria, mold, etc. Bokashi is a new method I just found in which waste is broken down by carefully selected anaerobic bacteria, like lactobacillus. It is like pickling waste. I haven't tried it yet.
All of these ideas relate to caring for plants in containers. Most typical "houseplants" can't handle sitting in water, and their roots rot. However, some plants are great at developing water roots, and can survive almost indefinitely in water. Epipremnum (pothos), Sansevierias (snake plants), Chlorophytum comosum (spider plants), Spathiphyllum (peace lilies), Philodendrons, Calathea, Aglaonema, Tradescantia (wandering dudes), Dracaena (like Madagascar dragon tree or lucky bamboo)…
I've been watching Father Fish videos and other aquarists, thinking about sand cap filtration, anaerobic vs aerobic layers of substrate, the difference between planted aquaria and/or aquaria with pumps, light levels, and bioload.
Does this biology help others of you inform your jarrarium designs?
by gringacarioca