Things You'll Need
- Aquarium
- Tight-fitting lid
- Plants
- Crickets
- Meal worms
- Toad, turtle or salamander
- Sand
- Fertile soil
- Small pebbles
- Charcoal
- Water dish
- Driftwood pieces
- Distilled water
Instructions
Layer pebbles, sand and charcoal on the bottom of the aquarium and top off with a layer of fertile soil. Make the mixture on the bottom of the aquarium approximately 2 inches deep. Switch the sand with the soil when you are building your layers if you are making a desert ecosystem.
Plant a variety plants, such as mosses, ferns and liverworts in the soil to create a woodland terrarium-style, self-sustaining ecosystem. For a pond ecosystem, plant cabomba, anacharis and elodea, and for a desert ecosystem, plant a pincushion cactus, a night-blooming cereus or a fishhook cactus.
Add some smooth pebbles, shells, sticks or pieces of driftwood throughout the tank, which will provide a place for the animals and insects to sleep, climb and hide under. Your choice of extra items and decorations depends upon the type of ecosystem you are creating.
Set out a dish filled with distilled water for two days before placing it in the aquarium. You can purchase water dishes in various shapes, sizes and designs, including dishes that look like a pond or a rock bed that will fit with your terrarium theme.
Add the animals and the insects to the aquarium and cover it with a lid. Animals for a woodland setting include salamanders or small toads, while snails, newts, water insects and tadpoles work well in a pond terrarium. For a desert ecosystem, use a desert tortoise or a horned lizard. Insects selected will depend upon the eating habits of the animals placed in the terrarium, but they can include grasshoppers, crickets or meal worms.