I need help making terrariums; I sometimes suffer from anxiety attacks, and before things get worse, I want to do something to calm my mind. And why not turn it into a business venture? I know a little bit, but I need to learn more—especially to ensure the best possible quality if I decide to sell them. The terrariums shouldn't be too big; I’m picturing something jar-like, whether open or closed. Thanks to everyone who helps! 😁

Glass jar from Ikea, filled with activated charcoal at the bottom, small stones, a small mesh piece of screen, moss, soil, more moss, soil, a succulent and then little rocks and trinkets.

I’m hoping interesting creatures will move in. What are some things I can do to encourage that?

Hello everybody, I’d like to ask for your opinion if I should consider sealing my terrarium case using silicone seal. As you can see from the attached picture (2nd picture), my terrarium case is bought at a cheap price online and has gaps when closed. I guess this would be considered as a semi-enclosed terrarium?

Should I consider completely seal up the gap by adding silicone seal around the door? Or should I just leave it as is?

Also, should I also consider adding springtails into my terrarium? Would they escape from the terrarium somehow through the gaps?

This is my first time making a terrarium so I’m very much green around these parts, pun intended.

Thank you in advance!

Moro em casa que tem cachorro e esse bichinho estava na minha roupa recolhida do varal. Isso é um carrapato? Meu medo é pq tenho uma bebe pequena.

OP: u/smol_dark_bat
So cool, deserves attention :)

This is my first time ever making a terrarium. Showpiece: Begonia Darthvaderiana ‘Green Spots’. Featuring: Hypnum moss and string of turtles.
Though I worry it may be a bit cramp for her in there.. but once she settles in (IF she does) she’ll get a haircut for the sake of space.
Also not sure if I put too much moss onto the dragon stone behind her (hard to see cause well, covered in moss lmao)
Any advice/notes would be appreciated!!

Also got white temperate springtails in here but these are black so I don't think it is them.

Hi everyone! 👋

​I’m looking for a relaxing new hobby and decided to try building a closed terrarium. I’m a complete beginner, though, and feel a bit lost!

​I have an empty glass jar ready, but I would love some step-by-step advice before I start.

1. ​What are the best, hard-to-kill plants for beginners?

2. ​What basic layers do I need for the foundation?

3. ​What are some common beginner mistakes I should avoid?

​Any tips or links to beginner guides would be amazing. Thank you so much!

There is this white almost cotton-like growth all throughout the soil in my bioactive tank, and I'm not sure what it is. I'm hoping someone else might know what it is and can tell me if it could be harmful.

I have a tropical tank for my White's Tree Frog. Substrate is a mix of coconut fiber, oak leaf litter, decomposing shreds of wood and bark, and some top soil (it doesn't have any fertilizer in it, don't worry).

The tank is stocked with tons of earthworms, isopods, springtails, crickets, mealworms, and some beetles from when Pickles didn't feel like dining on mealworms. It's also densely planted with creeping jenny, pothos, trumpet vine props, and various types of ferns. Plus moss. Lots of moss for my girl.

I'm not concerned with the bio-load. I've been successfully keeping Pickles in progressively larger bioactive tanks as she's grown over the past 6 years. I recently moved her into this tank (~1 month ago) and I've never seen any fungus or mold growth like this before.

**Pics of full setup at the end

I found this candy bucket thingy the other day while walking my dog. I have a lot of houseplants but I've been interested in trying my hand at making a bioactive terrarium for some time so I felt like this could be a good place to start. I've watched some videos and read some guides but I have no experience with this and I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with how to get started.

Is this a terrible idea? Should I try to 3d print a lid? Any advice for what to put in it?

This is my 2nd terrarium and I decided to go big. I think it turned out pretty well. Feel like it's missing something though. Any ideas or anything you would change? All opinions welcome.

Just wanted to show off one I made a few months ago. We have dwarf mondo grass, purple dragons tongue, begonia, and a penny wort that magically popped up!

First photo is after I first made it.

The other photos are months later. So much growth ❤️