Mini-Aquariums – Pets with Zero Maintenance

Posted on | January 3, 2006 | Leave a Comment

Dogs, cats, etc. are great pets, but if you’re busy with various projects or traveling, or just otherwise occupied, they don’t always get the time and attention they deserve. Aquariums can be less time consuming, but still require some effort. I like the idea of being able to take off somewhere for an indeterminate period of time without worrying about what to do with pets…

So for Christmas I got the next best thing – sort of a self-contained mini aquarium, but the great thing about it is thereâ€™s no upkeep involved â€“ not just minimal, but absolutely zilch. It doesnâ€™t get much better than that.

Itâ€™s called an EcoSphere which is basically a completely self-contained, self-sustaining ecosystem. A small aquarium that contains shrimp, algae, and micro-organisms, all sealed up in perfect ecological balance requiring no maintenance at all.

All it needs is minimal light and room temperature â€“ no feeding either. The algae use light to produce oxygen; the shrimp breathe oxygen in the water, and eat the algae & bacteria; bacteria break down the animal waste into nutrients which the algae utilize; the shrimp and bacteria also produce carbon dioxide that the algae use to produce oxygen.

This technology was actually a spin-off from NASAâ€™s research into human life support systems for use in long-term space exploration, which was pretty interesting in itself. Average life for these systems is about 2 to 3 years (normal lifespan for the shrimp is around 5 years), and some systems have gone on for over 10 years.

Needless to say, Iâ€™ve become a real fan of these. In a way theyâ€™re like a decorative piece of art, but more relaxing.