EcoSphere's make Unique Gifts

[iGav]

Indeed they would, bit pricey though.

Rinky dink link

Thoughts?

 

[Mr. Anderson]

I've seen these in a store - can't remember where, though. They're kind of cool but even less interesting to look at than a fish tank - and I'm not much of a fish person to begin with.

I'd love to see one that had been around for a year or three.

D

 

[MongoTheGeek]

Indeed they would, bit pricey though.

Rinky dink link

Thoughts?

The Smithsonian has been selling them for years, or least something similar. Never actually bought one though.

The prices I remember were that in dollars, but this was a decade ago.

 

[clayj]

I've seen these in a store - can't remember where, though. They're kind of cool but even less interesting to look at than a fish tank - and I'm not much of a fish person to begin with.

I'd love to see one that had been around for a year or three.

D

The reason that they're so uninteresting is that they're a low-energy closed system... the only inputs into the system are heat and light, and since the processes that convert heat and light into calories (which is what the shrimp need in order to move about) are so inefficient, the shrimp are basically living on a starvation diet. Also, since the systems in these spheres are so delicately balanced, it's only a matter of time before some part of the system becomes UNbalanced, resulting in a systemwide crash.

I think after about a year or three, you usually end up with little shrimp corpses and a sphere full of dead algae.

 

[dcv]

I think after about a year or three, you usually end up with little shrimp corpses and a sphere full of dead algae.

Mmmmm, *please* buy me one for Christmas

 

[devilot]

I've seen these in a store - can't remember where, though.

They also sell them in Brookstone.

 

[iSaint]

Creating an ecosphere is a fun boy scout, or any kids, project. I did it at BSA camp with lake water, algae, and some small fish. We only kept them for a week at at time, but it was still interesting for me and the kids.

ecolink

 

[iGav]

I think after about a year or three, you usually end up with little shrimp corpses and a sphere full of dead algae.

Just like keeping fish then.

 

[clayj]

Just like keeping fish then.

Well, the primary difference is that with a fishtank, you have a lot more control over what happens inside... you feed the fish, you clean the water, you can add new fish and remove dead ones, you can change the vegetation, etc. With one of these spheres, all you can do is add or subtract light and heat... more light and heat adds more energy to the system, but also increases the chances of causing an algal bloom which will upset the delicate balance of the sphere.