Eco spheres

[bogusmove]

Saw these in the gadget shop while touring the streets of London today and was amazed. I didn't realise this was possible! Thought i'd post in case anyone else was interested! Hope it hasn't come up before, search thing never seems to work.

http/www.ecospheres.co.uk/

Basically it's a small permanently sealed glass sphere with a complete self sustaining eco system... Actually it's a slight cheat as although the website doesn't make this entirely clear, I think the shrimp die and are not replaced by breeding... Still, they say it lasts 2 to 3 years or up to 10 years in (presumably ideal lab conditions) some cases, and all you have to do is give it light! Pretty impressive I think.

 

[Dwarfs]

Hmmm...very suspicious...

 

[jflowers]

XLR – extra large – if you really want to impress this is the one for you. Almost the size of a football, and weighing in at around 5 kgs, this sphere houses over 35 shrimp. All our XLRs contain fantastic pieces of Gorgonia which enhance the beauty of these amazing self-contained worlds.

'Almost' the size of a football, £479? thats crazy. And thier advise on controlling algae is questionable, if it was that easy there would not be so many posts here on it.

 

[ddm18]

jflowers, I don't really think that their algae advice is questionable. Don't forget that this is a closed system (our aquaria are far from that), and shrimp and algae are very simple organisms, so it's considerably easier to predict exactly what will happen. Not that I could make those predictions successfully, but then I'm not a NASA scientist...

 

[jflowers]

Don't forget that this is a closed system (our aquaria are far from that), and shrimp and algae are very simple organisms, so it's considerably easier to predict exactly what will happen.

Ok true I am no scientist either (though i have a BSc in IT does that count ).

Jon

 

[yvez9]

they look a lot more legit than those vases with plants and a betta in the water...

shrimp eat algea and this system produces algea and oxygen. True it is closed off but the only thing I can see go wrong is have a shrimp die. This must throw off the whole system when it happens, and it is bound to happen.

At least the shrimp aren't mistreated as they are fed their natural food.

Then again, i'm no shrimp expert, all I know is they taste good

 

[jflowers]

My shrimp eat whatever I put in the tank, catfish pellets, flake, frozen bloodworm even freeze dried shrimp . No shrimp expert either, should be one or two around to answer whether shrimp can survive on algae alone?

Jon

 

[bogusmove]

I don't think there is anything dodgy/fake/suspect about them. I don't think a retail outlet like the gadget shop would stock anything that was in any way basically a sham of any kind.

It's a shame there isn't more information available though. I'd love to know a bit more about the detail of the eco system, its nitrogen cycle, types of bacteria and algae, what the tree thing is (ignored by the diagram, maybe it's just decorative) and what happens to the "soup" as the years pass (i.e. does it change, are any of the nutrients depleted).

Also, energy is transmitted into the eco system by way of light, so it must also lose energy somehow... presumably by cooling... but it doesn't say.

Ahh well! Maybe i'm a bit too fascinated lol!

 

[jflowers]

It does say that the 'branch type thing' is not a living organism, so its either a dead twig or an ornament.

Jon

 

[bogusmove]

Your right. Thanks. Missed that.

 

[sylvia]

It also says the branch thing is there, besides the gravel, to increase surface area for bacteria and algae to grow on.

Interesting BTW - I went on holiday to Paris a while back and saw one of those at an exhibition. I didn't realise at the time what they were - though they were just one of those 'sea-monkeys' things with big shrimp