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Biobottle Project
Biobottle Project
1. Keep it simple!!
2. No mammals, birds or
poisonous organisms
3. Remember the 10% rule
4. Lots of decomposers in soil,
but aquatics need natural
sediments or gravel from a
working fish tank
5. No “colonial” organisms
(ants, bees, termites, etc)
Common Issues, Rules, and Questions (cont.)
6. What do plants do at night??
7. Be sure to leave some room in your bottle
for an “atmosphere”
8. What will be the relative humidity in your
bottle? Are your organisms adapted to that?
9. Where can you get your organisms?
a) pet stores
b) bait shops
c) self-collected
d) plant nurseries
Common Issues, Rules, and Questions (cont.)
❖ Do the research!!
❖ Aquatics:
❖ anacharis/elodea
❖ Indian waterweed (Hygrophila polysperma)
❖ seed snails (often on the anacharis)
❖ zebra danios
❖ common guppies
❖ betas
❖ a variety of algae-eaters with good growth of algae in bottle or
anacharis
❖ critical – gravel from working fishtank or substrate from a natural
source!
❖ Warning!! Many aquaria plants are non-native invasives. NEVER
dispose of these plants (or any store-bought organisms) into the
environment.
What works well in a Bottle Biosphere?
❖ Terrestrial:
❖ grasses
❖ dichondra & other ground covers
❖ the “leafier” the plants, the better!
❖ isopods (roly-poly/pill bug)
❖ large variety of self-collected insects
❖ crickets (yes, they escape and my room “chirps” for months ;-)
❖ worms (must have good drainage!)
❖ Good time to Remember the 10% rule (avoid 3rd trophic level)
❖ Warning: humidity level inside biobottle – crickets mold and
moths stick to the sides!