Meet the teen building miniature ecosystems on the Peninsula

A thriving terrarium or aquarium can add a touch of natural beauty to a home or workplace. But the aquariums and terrariums Evan Johnson and his nonprofit team help build and teach about aren’t just decorative – they’re self-contained ecosystems that, though small, offer a connection to the natural world. Fostering that connection, Johnson said, can make a difference in mood and well-being.  

“The main benefit of living with an ecosystem in general, whether it be an aquarium or terrarium, is it helps you calm down,” Johnson said. “An ecosystem can truly impact your psyche and overall lower your stress.” 

Johnson has been an avid fan of terrariums and aquariums for years. The 11th grader at Bellarmine College Preparatory in San Jose also breeds his own fish and grows his own plants. Inspired by his grandfather, the teen founded the nonprofit Ivan the Angelfish in 2025 to help bring the joys and benefits of terrariums and aquariums to others through workshops, free installations and outreach. 

The youth-led nonprofit’s leadership team includes fellow students, including Peninsula residents Rahul Shrivastava, George Kolotouros and Andrew Lin. 

Bringing nature indoors

Johnson inherited an interest in aquaculture from his father and in medicine from his mother, a physician. Johnson’s grandfather Ivan Sitalov, for whom the nonprofit is named, is a veteran who served in the Soviet air force, including during the Afghan-Soviet war, a traumatic experience that left him suffering from depression and anxiety.

“I wanted to help him. I saw him struggle; he had night terrors; he wasn’t eating as well,” Johnson recalled. “I built an aquarium for him and – alongside medication of course – it helped him quite a bit.” 

After seeing his grandfather respond so positively to the simple practice of watching his aquarium, Johnson said he is particularly motivated to help residents of senior-living facilities, as they may be less mobile and less able to get into nature to hike or work in a labor-intensive garden. 

“For elders, they don’t have the privilege of being able to go outside all the time. An aquarium (or terrarium) serves the same purpose,” he said. 

But the appeal isn’t limited to seniors. Johnson sees terrariums and aquariums as a way for anyone to bring a small piece of nature indoors, whether at home, in a school or in a workplace. 

The organization has been steadily developing a presence on the Midpeninsula. It has worked with local schools and senior communities, and this summer participated in a children’s camp at Woodside High School, where students built terrariums. Its next local workshop, for adults 55 and up, is scheduled for Sept. 3 at the Mountain View Senior Center. 

Building an ecosystem 

The type of planted aquarium Ivan the Angelfish teaches about is an enclosed system that contains various factors – substrate, plant life and hardscape like rocks and stones, Johnson explained. A terrarium is similar, using the same principles, only dry rather than aquatic. When the proper plants and animals are chosen and the conditions areset up correctly, the systems can become largely self-sustaining. 

At Ivan the Angelfish’s hands-on terrarium workshops, each participant is given a jar and all the necessary materials. 

“It’s very sensory. They get to touch the soil, they put in a drainage layer, moss, various plants,” Johnson said. 

A growing presence

Since launching locally last year, the nonprofit has built partnerships with senior facilities, schools and medical offices while expanding its outreach globally. It now has 29 chapters in 17 countries and received commendations from the Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors and the city of San Jose in late June. 

A few months ago, Ivan the Angelfish held a terrarium workshop at a team-building event for staff at Sutter Health in Los Gatos, where Johnson’s mother works. Priscilla Aguirre, a clinical supervisor to internal and family medicine, told this news organization in an email that building the terrariums was a source of joy and accomplishment for the team. Her office also has an aquarium installed, which she said has helped create a more calming and welcoming environment for employees. Terrariums and aquariums, she wrote, “provide a peaceful focal point that allows team members to briefly shift their attention away from the daily stressors and fast-paced environment of healthcare.” 

Beyond the workshops and installations, members of the nonprofit’s team return to sites to check in, gather feedback, perform needed maintenance and offer educational sessions, the organization’s website states. 

More information is available at ivantheangelfish.org; Instagram: @ivantheangelfish.

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