Sealed ecosystems

October 23, 2014 9:12 AM

Are there any desktop sealed ecosystems, like an ecosphere that are not so terrible for it's inhabitants? Is there a source for Bottle gardens? I'm looking for a desktop ecosystem that requires near zero maintenance.
posted by aeighty to Home & Garden (3 answers total)

These Marimo moss terrariums are beautiful and the moss balls look pretty happy. They don't have any little creatures in there though.

You can get them on Amazon too: Hinterland Trading Live Aquatic Marimo Moss Ball Plant Pet Glass Aquarium Kit which has this adorable description:

Hi! I'm your new Marimo (Japanese) Cladophora Ball, or Moss Ball (English). I am a rare algae growth that only forms in a few lakes in Iceland, Scotland, Japan and Estonia. Many cultures consider me good luck. I'm very easy to care for. Just place me in a container with tap water and change it every one or two weeks. Please rinse anything you add to my container to keep my home clean. You don't need to feed me. I don't require anything but low light and clean water to live. Please don't put me in direct sunlight. We don't get much of that on the lake floor, so I don't like it. I am most comfortable in normal to low household lighting. The gentle lake currents give me my beautiful round shape. If you gently swirl my water every once in a while that would be great! As a special treat you could even take me out and gently roll me across your palm. I sink or float depending on my mood (oxygen produced by the photosynthesis moves me up and down.) If I turn brown you can help me by replacing my water, squeezing me under running water to wash out any dirt, and adding about 5% table salt to my water. I will recover quickly. Also, a night in the fridge is like a week at the spa for me as I prefer cold water. I can live up to 200 years and grow about .5cm per year. Thanks for being so kind to me. Now I'm going to get to work being awesome!

posted by barnone at 1:15 PM on October 23, 2014 [1 favorite]

Marimo moss pets are cute and iirc I got 4 of them in varying sizes for $11 shipped from eBay and now they live in a spare small fish bowl. I change the water when it runs low or when it looks cloudy over time. You can buy fish tank decorations like glass pebbles or water plants from pet stores for declarations.

Not sure if they actually are growing now that I think about it but they are still alive which is a good sign.
posted by chrono_rabbit at 3:50 PM on October 23, 2014

Do you sit near a window that looks out on to dirt? If you're into watching life through glass, try planting trees outside. It's excellent for its inhabitants.
posted by pracowity at 6:44 AM on October 24, 2014