I am REALLY passionate about jarrariums and self-sustaining water ecosystems, having created over a dozen over the years and still running multiple at the moment (one still running since 2016).
The jar is the most important part of this ecosystem – and usually, the larger the jar, the better. But it’s difficult to know which jar is “best” for jarrariums, especially if you’re just starting. This is where I come to help by sharing the best jars for starting your own jarrarium / self-sustaining ecosystem.
Please note: We get commissions for purchases made through links in this article at no extra cost to you.
If you don’t care about reading all the details that I have to share with you, check out the jars below and just pick the one that seems best for your upcoming project.
(Keep in mind that its capacity is probably the most important factor to consider – larger ones give you more options and are generally better, in my opinion).
| Jar | Capacity | Store Link |
|---|---|---|
IDEALUX Glass Jar | 48 oz / 1.4 l | Check price |
| Square Jar with Blue Lid  | 67.5 oz / 2 l | Check price |
| Clear Glass Jar  | 102 oz / 3 l | Check price |
Glass Jar with Lid | 1 Gallon / 3.8l | Check price |
| Glass Barrel Jar  | 2.5 gallon / 9 l | Check price |
| Montana Glass Jar  | 2.5 gallon / 9 l | Check price |
Super Large Glass Jar | 3.1 gallon / 12l | Check price |
Huge Heavy Duty Jar | 5.5 gallon / 21l | Check price |
Now, let’s check some bigger images of our recommended jars and see what makes them so special. You might end up purchasing more, because there are always plenty of projects to start, right?
IDEALUX Glass Jar
If you’re just starting or if you don’t have a lot of room for your jarrarium, this small jar might be the perfect choice.
It offers a capacity of just 48 oz / 1.4 liters – so you won’t be able to do a lot with it, but it’s better than nothing and even better for starting up.
I actually have a similarly-sized sealed ecosphere with 2 shrimps ready to celebrate its first birthday, so you do have options.
Have in mind that this is a tall jar, not a wide one, so you will have to go with plants that grow high (I personally prefer wider jars, to be honest).
The lid is also bamboo-made (with a silicone ring for perfect sealing), but this also means that adding external lighting from the top – if you need that – will be impossible.
But this is the type of jar that you keep on the windowsill in indirect natural light anyway.
Click here to check the price now
Square Jar with Blue Lid
I will start by saying that this is my favorite type of jar when it comes to sealing: I don’t think it can get better than this!
Plus, in this case, the blue top gives it some extra glam and will make everything look better when you fill it up (and especially if you add extra light from the top).
It is still on the smaller size at 67.5 oz / 2 liters – but it still offers a bit of room to play and aquascape a bit, even add a snail or a couple of shrimp.
Click here to check the price now
Clear Glass Jar
We’re now moving to what I consider a decently-sized jar for a self sustaining ecosystem: 102 oz / 3 liters.
A regular jar with no bells and whistles, but with a perfect lid that seals as tight as possible, offering enough room for plants and decorations, as well as some tiny animals (snails and shrimp) if you want to have some inside.
It’s much easier to manage and make a larger jar work, so definitely consider this one or any of the larger ones if you have enough space and are serious about this hobby!
Click here to check the price now
Glass Jar with Lid
One-gallon jars and up are starting to be suitable even for some marine life – no more than shrimp and snails at this size, but still better than nothing.
And with this particular offer, you’re not getting one – but two. Because, well… we all know that you will never stop at one. It’s just the way it is.
Clear glass, a perfect lid, and decent size – this is the jar you should get if you mean business, but don’t want to commit to a larger one (yet).
Click here to check the price now
Glass Barrel Jar
This is not the easiest jar to look through, but it can definitely hold a lot of life, thanks to its 2.5 gallon / 9 liters capacity.
It is easy to carry around and gives you a lot of room to play, but apart from the fact that the glass and its design will make it a bit difficult to look through, the lid is not my favorite either.
But it is very large and due to its shape, can offer the opportunity for some interesting designs. Plus, it’s large enough to let you store some livestock inside as well!
Click here to check the price now
Montana Glass Jar
Another really large jar of 2.5 gallon / 9 liters, but which is now easier to look through and perfect in my opinion for those who are not afraid of giving it a go with a large jar.
It can definitely accommodate more life than all the others, including animals – from snails to shrimp, and maybe even a couple of tiny fish or a Betta.
In terms of large jars, this is definitely my favorite, with my only complain being the opaque lid which doesn’t make it easy for us to add external lighting.
Click here to check the price now
Super Large Glass Jar
A massive jar – 3.1 gallons (12 liters) – this one gives you plenty of options. It has an interesting lid that gives it a bit of extra style, and the size is decent for adding livestock.
Even without filtration, with proper care, this jar can become a paradise for shrimp and small fish – like microrasboras – or Bettas. Some would argue that it’s still too small for fish, but I successfully kept two handfuls of Microrasbora Galaxy in similar jar.
Click here to check the price now
Huge Heavy Duty Jar
Last but definitely not least, we have this massive jar that holds 5.5 gallons (21 liters). It’s more than most small aquariums – even I started with a 20-liter aquarium many years ago, and that seemed enough at the time.
You can build some amazing self sustaining jarrariums in this one. It’s expensive, but if you’re really serious about it – it’s pure gold!
Click here to check the price now
How to choose the best jar for a water ecosystem / jarrarium
I’ve seen a bunch of self sustaining water ecosystems and jarrariums made in very fancy-looking jars. But the long-term problem with that is that they’re difficult to clean and, in some cases, difficult to see through once you have some vegetation growth.
What works best? Simple jars that you can easily see through. It’s even better if you can easily fit your hand through the opening – any maintenance will be A LOT easier this way.
Also, the smaller the container is, the more difficult it will be for you to accommodate plants and potential life, like invertebrates or snails.
Plants will grow quickly, filling your special container fast, and will be unpleasant to the eye. Then they will die and rot and make the entire thing horrible and potentially destroy your jar and everything in it.
This is why I always recommend getting a pretty basic jar: easy to maintain, easy to see through, easy to seal or unseal if you need to do it. Make sure it’s large, transparent, and you will love it – what is inside matters the most!
Think long term here and remember that any bells and whistles will most likely turn ugly in a few to several months (and give you headaches in the long run, potentially making your entire ecosphere unusable).
Best size for your next water ecosystem
The best part about creating jarrariums – be they self sustaining or not, sealed or unsealed – is that you can choose any size – from the smallest available to humongous jars – depending on what you want to achieve.
I have had great success with tiny self-sustaining containers (maybe 5 ml of water or less) and a tiny bit of algae or moss ball. But generally, the larger the container, the more you can achieve.
I would consider “ideal” a size of at least 1 gallon (3.8 liters). From here on, you really have options and plenty of space to experiment.
Livestock in jarrariums – yes or no?
If you want your container to have some sort of variety of plants and maybe animal life like shrimps or snails, you will need a minimum of 2 liters (68oz).
And for this size, up to 1 gallon, you will generally think only about shrimp and/or snails. Fish are a bit more demanding and would require constant care, plenty of vegetation, and feeding.
Have in mind that snails – even though they look good early on, will multiply like crazy. So choose some that won’t reproduce as easily, like the Zebra Nerite or one large Mystery Snail (although it might require additional feeding).
IF you want to add fish to your jarrarium or water ecosphere (whatever you want to call it), you will generally need a larger jar – 5 to 10 liter or larger is recommended (1.3 to 2.6 gallons) but even so, you won’t be able to add a ton.
For such a size, consider adding one single Betta or a few mini fish like the Rasbora Maculata or Microrasbora Kobutai.
These tiny fish can live well in a jar, but many people would still consider the container too small for them. I had them in a self-sustaining one and they did well and thrived.
It was incredible – but the jar was heavily planted and I still added some food once per week or once every couple of weeks and partial water changes ever couple of months.
You can read my entire article dedicated to adding livestock to jarrariums here.
Self sustaining jarrarium or not?
I love the idea of creating self sustaining ecoshperes and jars, but the truth is that anything with life in it will require some sort of maintenance in most cases.
If you want to build a self sustaining jar, start with plants only. You will have a lot of success by adding any type of plant that doesn’t require CO2 or special conditions.
Plants like any type of Anubias, Vallisnerias, Egeria (beware its rapid growth!) or Java Moss will do really well in any sort of jars. There are other plants that can thrive in a self-sustaining jar, but these are tested by myself and never fail.
You can check out my list of recommended plants for jarrariums if you need some inspiration.
Of course, you need to make sure that you choose the right substrate for your jarrarium to encourage plant growth, but with plants the golden rule of thumb is that it’s easier than it is when adding livestock.
Adding living beings to your aquarium makes the self-sustaining part a bit more complicated.
The easiest livestock to add are shrimp (hardy ones like the Red Cherry Shrimps) or Snails – anything else and it’s virtually impossible to have a self sustaining jar
Out of the two, Snails are actually considered poop factories. Combine that with the fact that most snails multiply like crazy, and you’ll get very dirty water really soon.
This is why I believe that the only real route for having a self sustaining ecosystem with livestock is by adding a few shrimp only.
However, if you don’t mind doing regular water changes (from once a week to once a month) and also feed your animals living in the jar, you have a lot more options.
IMPORTANT: If you decide to add animals to your aquarium, make sure that you have a proper water temperature at all times!
So in the end, it’s a matter of preferences and how involved you want to be with the maintenance of your jar. But I would recommend beginners to start with a plants-only jar, and upgrade later on after a few to several months if they feel the need to do so.
Judging on the fact that I now have 8 water ecoshperes (with 1 more planned), you will probably not stop at 1 jar only. Either way, future articles will detail more in-depth the creation process of both self-sustaining and maintenance-requiring jarrariums.