# YOUR Ecosphere opinion!



## PaintingPintos

Skip to the bottom paragraph if you don't feel like reading a lot of nonsense ;-)

Okay... so I've been meaning to do it for a while, but yesterday I finally set up my own homemade Ecosphere. It's quite pretty ^_^ 
I bought a 10$ big glass jar from Walmart, along with some pretty gravel/pebbles that coat the bottom about 1/2 inch deep. The jar is 2-3 gallons. I also scattered around some larger glass marbles along the bottom with the little pea-sized gravel. There is a jar in the middle with large glass pebbles and a loooong sprig of Anacharis in the middle. On top there is a very large bunch of water sprite that's floating. It has provided noms for the single ghost shrimp. 
So for you Pokemon fans.... In my betta tank the shrimps were named Ash, Misty, and Brock. I decided to put Brock in the sphere with the new Nerite snail named.... * drumroll *..... NURSE JOY 
I'm going to add a hiding place because Brock has been rummaging through the sprite, hanging out there... he apparently likes it but I really want him to feel secure and give him something to molt in.
The reason I made the Ecosphere is because I'm showing how it works in my science fair project...also a plot to get another pet (hehe)
So anyway... I'm going to go research some more stuff on algae right now xD


Opinions? I've heard plenty of people say that Ecospheres are "cruel" and "mean"... but after all, the plants provide oxygen, they break down the waste, the snail noms up extra algae and dead plant matter, and the shrimp is merely something pretty that dos a bit of cleanup, too.
WHY would it be cruel? It's just as mean as putting our shrimp into a little aquarium. They get everything they need in there :3


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## Termato

PaintingPintos said:


> Opinions? I've heard plenty of people say that Ecospheres are "cruel" and "mean"... but after all, the plants provide oxygen, they break down the waste, the snail noms up extra algae and dead plant matter, and the shrimp is merely something pretty that dos a bit of cleanup, too.
> WHY would it be cruel? It's just as mean as putting our shrimp into a little aquarium. They get everything they need in there :3


Are you referring to this: Ecosphere Associates, Inc.: Closed Ecosystem, Self Contained Aquarium

I don't think that's what you are talking about though is it?!?


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## Olympia

The only thing I can think of is that the shrimp will still require heating :/
You also do need to provide food.. Don't think your Plant will totally sustain a ghostie..
I've wanted to do one of these for a while too.


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## Termato

Olympia said:


> The only thing I can think of is that the shrimp will still require heating :/
> You also do need to provide food.. Don't think your Plant will totally sustain a ghostie..
> I've wanted to do one of these for a while too.


Unless I understand this differently...you can't open it or put anything inside of it. It comes all set up and just ready to go. I don't see where you could put anything in there... Am I not understanding it correctly or can you open it from the bottom or something but they just dont tell you that?

It supposed to last 2-3 years or more depending on maintenance such as indirect natural or artificial light. 

Interesting little thing. Never heard about them until now. They look cool and as long as you keep them how you get them it sounds awesome. I don't know about adding anything to it considering it is designed to be self maintained and you never have to do anything (not even a water change?).

Personally skeptical but who knows....it looks awesome!


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## Olympia

Well PaintingPintos is making their own jar.. So I wouldn't try any of that closed ecosystem stuff. :/ It is totally possible to do it.. but I don't know. It'd look cool, but it'd be so much simpler to be able to get in there. Plants like anarchis will NEED to be trimmed, they grow like crazy and would just ruin the jar if they were never trimmed. Also not totally positive on how the plants would manage to break snail poop up faster than it is produced. And I would have probably put in a potting soil instead of glass stones and thin gravel, as soil, or even sand, is more natural and might be able to support more bacteria in the long run.. 

I have NO idea what that thing they put into the ecosphere link you posted is. Looks like dry coral to me xD
edit: okay just read that those ecospheres ARE salt water. So that is coral in there.


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## Termato

Olympia said:


> Well PaintingPintos is making their own jar.. So I wouldn't try any of that closed ecosystem stuff. :/ It is totally possible to do it.. but I don't know. It'd look cool, but it'd be so much simpler to be able to get in there. Plants like anarchis will NEED to be trimmed, they grow like crazy and would just ruin the jar if they were never trimmed. Also not totally positive on how the plants would manage to break snail poop up faster than it is produced. And I would have probably put in a potting soil instead of glass stones and thin gravel, as soil, or even sand, is more natural and might be able to support more bacteria in the long run..
> 
> I have NO idea what that thing they put into the ecosphere link you posted is. Looks like dry coral to me xD
> edit: okay just read that those ecospheres ARE salt water. So that is coral in there.


Thats some kind of fan plant, they sell it dry at my local pet store.


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## LittleBettaFish

I don't think products such as the ecosphere can properly mimic ecosystems. People have enough difficulty setting up self-sustaining systems in much larger aquariums, I cannot imagine how this can be achieved in a small jar. 

I have heard the shrimp they use in those ecospheres that termato linked to, are slowly dying. Each molt they get smaller and smaller as they are consuming their own body. This can take a couple of years, but I do not see how that process is a 'healthy thriving' ecosystem.

People keep shrimp in Natural Planted bowls and jars all the time, so I suppose as long as your anarchis and water sprite is growing well, it should be able to support the bioload of a snail and shrimp. 

Don't know if it's what I would describe as an ecosystem though.


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## Olympia

I can see how those shrimp would die slowly. :/ It just doesn't look right to me. Doesn't even look attractive in my opinion 

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/planted-nano-tanks/46640-nano-shrimp-bowl.html

http://www.atlasbooks.com/marktplc/00388Shrimp.pdf

This is more like what I wanted to try


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## thekoimaiden

While it seems like a neat idea, closed systems without water changes don't work in the end. It's just not a large enough area to maintain all the intricate aspects of an ecosystem. But if you do plan to do water changes and pruning it sounds like it would be a neat little nano tank.


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## Bombalurina

+1. I also wouldn't use ghost shrimp, as they are scavengers, not algae eaters, and do appreciate a little bit of meat in their diet. With some nice CRS in a stable temperature you could do something very neat, though.


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## MollyJean

Edit: 

I mean.. I HAVE something close to this in my seamonkey tank.


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## Termato

I'm thinking about doing something like that too. It looks awesome! way better than the pre-made ones.


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