Digging into 'ecosphere' claims

[lisneydand]

I did some digging around about the 'ecosphere' and found the document they use to cite a NASA connection ('based on research @ NASA').

https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi ... 090822.pdf

^ It looks like that document is the only available link of the product to NASA.

Things I don't see:

1. Multiple competing hypotheses (they just decide that the shrimp living means it is self sustaining)

2. Control group (e.g. shrimp in a tank with no algae)

It seems like they just noticed that the shrimp didn't die and decided that it meant they made a balanced system.

Furthermore, I looked at the ecosphere website and can't find any info on where the shrimp are from. This makes me think they are wild harvested, simply because it would be leaving money on the table to avoid cashing in on the 'we are sustainable' angle.

They also have a plug from Carl Sagan, which is great, but he wasn't a biologist. I don't ask Jane Goodall what she thinks about cosmic background radiation; I'm not sure if Carl Sagan was the most qualified to evaluate the feasibility of the ecosphere company's claims (especially in the pre-Internet age). The idea of something being able to live without food for years does seem intuitively far-fetched.

I think they're good at glass blowing and marketing but less good at correctly understanding their own product. It wasn't even their idea! They licensed it.

Does anyone know if they have exclusivity on selling these things? Could someone else also license the idea from NASA and sell a more sustainable version? It could be a container, a correctly measured pouch of marine salt, a little bag of crushed coral, instructions, educational info on the shrimp, a mail-in coupon for livestock...

I bet museum gift shops would eat that up.

[jcfrank922]

I think your idea of a prepackaged sustainable Opae Ula Kit is a great idea! Possibly a 1/2 gallon tank with lid. Inside, a package of crushed coral, some sea shells, a sea fan and a premeasured amount of marine salt along with a certificate to receive say 10 shrimp. On the downside, people these days want easy instant gratification. The Ecosphere appeal is that it is already set up with live shrimp and they (falsely) advertise zero maintenance. This kit would require setup and a month or two cycling period before ordering the shrimp. You could, although, advertise it as: "Easy setup, and with minimal low maintenance care, your shrimp will live for countless generations and last you a lifetime!" Unlike Ecospheres, where the shrimp tend to die off in a year or two. I do think your kit idea would sell well in pet stores. I know when I set up my 1.5 gallon tank, I had to buy WAY more crushed coral and marine salt than I needed. It would have been nice to have a prepackaged kit where all you have to add is distilled water!

[Mustafa]

Yeah, the research on "ecospheres" is shabby at best and of course not properly peer reviewed since there were never that many people that were involved in such research. Most of the rest of the claims is just crap to support the commercial enterprise. I recently read a paper that claimed that tested Opae ula/Halocaridina rubra/Supershrimp's ability to survive without food. They managed to kill the animals after something like 14 days (will have to look up the exact number) in tiny little containers. Then they claimed that 14 days was their limit. I have sent these shrimp all over the world without food and once there something went wrong and the shrimp actually were sent back to me. It took about 35 days for them to get back here so the shrimp were in a plastic bag for that long without food. Not a *single* shrimp died. They were as lively as on the first day I packed them. They can live for months or longer even without food...period. So, yes, if the experimental setup is shabby and the researchers aren't very knowledgeable or pay attention to detail, the results are going to be shabby too.


I've been toying with the idea "Supershrimp" sets for years. Just add salt and water. 1/2 gallon is really the minimum I would sell here because I want reproduction. 1 Gallon is even better. Smaller systems are feasible but reproduction is going to be much harder. For people who don't care about reproduction that could of course be offered. In the case of getting shrimp from Petshrimp at least the wild populations aren't getting depleted as all shrimp here are captive-bred...and all the other shrimp that are sold commercially are from the wild.

[eggsthetic.sandwich]

Does anyone know if they have exclusivity on selling these things? Could someone else also license the idea from NASA and sell a more sustainable version? It could be a container, a correctly measured pouch of marine salt, a little bag of crushed coral, instructions, educational info on the shrimp, a mail-in coupon for livestock...

I bet museum gift shops would eat that up.

Actually such a thing already exists! I own one haha they have premixed water, algae, shrimp (3-4), crushed coral sand, sea fan and a glass bottle with a cork that you can open up whenever

[Vorteil]

I think Eco Sphere went out of business. The website has been down for some time.

[Mustafa]

I think Eco Sphere went out of business. The website has been down for some time.

Seems to be true! Well, about time actually......They were able to spread misinformation long enough...decades, and finally it seems to be over.