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Has anyone seen these things? I saw them at the mall the other day and was surprised, but not thrilled, to say the least.

http://www.brookstone.com/search/search.asp?N=0&Ntk=product&Ntt=ecosphere&D=ecosphere&act=A30&search_type=search&search_words=ecosphere&cmid=hdr_search

I saw those years ago. I think they are neat, the way they can balance everything that one form of life lives off the other in a complete circle.

Dan


Dan

Actually, all claims aside, the shrimp in question (Halocaridina rubra), especially in smaller "spheres", slowly waste away, eventually succumbing to waste buildup and food deprivation.

Last edited by Veneer at 15-May-2005 08:17

"The Hawaiian Red Shrimp is probably one of the most amazing creatures out there. It is a shrimp of the extremes. Coming from anchialine ponds in Hawaii, it had to develop a host of abilities to survive in very hostile environments and circumstances. Hence, this shrimp became a "Super Shrimp" of sorts over its millions of years of evolution. The Opae ula (as this shrimp is called in Hawaii) can take temperature extremes, salinity extremes (from fresh water to more than full strength saltwater), environmental extremes (lack of food for months or years) and supposedly manages to live for more than 20 years if given the right conditions!

Sadly, this little shrimp is currently being abused by being sold in tiny, spherical, fully sealed glass containers widely called "ecospheres." It is claimed by the companies that sell them that they are selling a fully functioning ecosystem with the shrimp and the algae keeping each other alive. However, that is a sad and devious lie, which is being propagated by these companies for the sake of profits and to the detriment of these wonderful animals. The truth is that these shrimp are slowly *starving to death*, *suffocating* and being *poisoned* in those containers, due to lack of food and oxygen, and the accumulation of shrimp waste. This kind of container would kill any other shrimp within a few days, but it takes 1-3 years for Hawaiian Red Shrimp to finally die, since it has developed such a remarkable physiology to deal with extreme situations. During this 1-3 year torture, they actually *shrink* (every time they molt) due to lack of food, which means that they are basically consuming their own body. They could perfectly well take all the other extreme conditions in those "ecospheres" (lack of air etc.), but what kills them in the end is the lack of real food over a long period of time. The little algae they find in the container lacks in nutritional value and is just not enough to keep these shrimp alive for long. It seems to be "in" and "cool" to have these tiny torture containers sitting on one's desk nowadays, but hopefully this website can contribute towards informing the general public about twhat is really behind those "ecospheres." It is my sincere hope that this shrimp becomes widespread in the hobby at some point in time, so that there will be no need to buy "torturespheres."

The Hawaiian Red Shrimp should be given just as much space as any other shrimp mentioned on this website to flourish and breed. It is a typical algae and aufwuchs eating shrimp. This shrimp prefers to live in brackish water. However, as the Opae ula has not been kept in the hobby, yet, there is not much data available on what salinities are needed for this shrimp to breed. It might actually breed and live even in freshwater, since the water parameters in Hawaiian anchialine ponds vary extremely. Further experience with keeping these shrimp will provide us with more information about this amazing creature. I currently have a breeding population of this shrimp. I will try to breed sufficient numbers for further distribution in the hobby so that others can enjoy this wonderful shrimp. The Opae ula is a truly remarkable shrimp and should be given the respect it deserves."

From http://www.petshrimp.com/hawaiianredshrimp.html.

After hearing Veneer's explanation of the shrimp I thought I'd buy a sphere just to get the shrimp out of it... But dang are those spheres expensive! They make a pretty penny off of glorified sea monkeys.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

Amazing isn't it? I thought the same thing when I saw them.

At least I got to learn about Hawaiian Red Shrimp