Re: [GSAS-Member] Fun Present

["Matt Staroscik" <matt@wrongcrowd.com>]

I have a small Eco Sphere. It started with 3 shrimp. Today, about 7 years
later, there is one left. Hey, I think I should name him!

I would like to see the alarmist claims vetted scientifically, for example,
analyzing the water quality from a sphere that has been in use for a long
time.

It's not an ideal environment, but don't know that I would call it a
"Torturesphere."

I have accidentally caused much more grief to higher life forms in my
aquariums, I think.

- MS

On Dec 18, 2007 4:16 PM, Bryan Nichols <b_monius_funk@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Really? I really hate to be a kill joy but there is a lot of informatio on
> the web that is negitive towards these things. Before I started reading up
> on ecoshperes I really wanted one too. But it turns out that they aren't a
> sustainable eco systems and the shrimp will usually die of starvation in 2 -
> 3 years. Here's a quote:
>
> "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 what 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." "
>
> >From this website: http://www.petshrimp.com/hawaiianredshrimp.html
>
> Once again, I dont mean to be a grinch.
>
> -Bryan Nichols
>
>
> Shango Los <Shango@shangolos.com> wrote: I just got one of these for
> Christmas.  If you haven't seen them, you
> should.
>
>
>
> Right up our interest area.
>
>
>
> http://www.eco-sphere.com/
>
>
>
> Shango
>
>
>
>
>
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