EcoSphere Closed Aquatic Ecosystem, Small Pod, Clear (SP-385)

This item arrived within 3 days without special shipping, and over the weekend. It was packaged securely and the contents appeared to have traveled well. When we opened the box-WOW-what a surprise. The pictures are amazing and accurate but do not do it justice at all. Quality, quality, quality. I purchased the small pod (oval) and it contained a good layer of white stones, shells, 3 pink and 1 grey shrimp. I recommend reading the booklet, it contains alot of information. It literally takes 2 minutes and gives a complete overview, especially regarding the lighting and cleaning. My family is very excited to have this and have been watching it all day. It requires no care for a ton of enjoyment. This has been way beyond my expectations for an unusual and unexpected gift for our house. I will provide an update as time goes by but for now, feel extremely satisfied with this purchase. UPDATED ON 9/15/2012 (4 WEEKS) The shrimp are still alive and moving around. The algae has maintained its same size and no build-up. Again, just read the booklet and there is no maintenance required for such an unusual gift. Everyone that visits our house from youth to adult is amazed and continues to watch it. Something that I noticed is that our pod has more gravel and a variety of shells more so than the pictures show. I would highly recommend this purchase for anyone-quality product with tons of enjoyment and no maintenance. UPDATED ON 2/22/2013 (6 MONTHS) All the shrimp are still alive and moving around. The algae has maintained its same size. About a week ago, I noticed a few smaller than pea size spots on the glass. I read the booklet regarding the spots and got the small booklet with the magnet. You just put the open exposed magnet GENTLY at the bottom to find and attach the inner magnet. I say GENTLY because you might not see it before it shoots up to your magnet and might injure a shrimp. I had about 5 spots and gently rubbed them out. It took maybe a minute. Again, just read the booklet for proper care then there is literally no maintenance required.

Coolest gift I ever gave my kids. 11 years later and the shrimp is sitting on our living room table getting the perfect temp (they don’t like it too warm: mine dont anyway) and light (definitely do Not let them sunbathe, direct sun is too much. This dude is thriving in his own ecosystem and it’s amazing to watch. I hope these come back because the quality was top notch compared to the competitors that came after. Would and want to buy again.

Just ordered mine a week ago, and it arrived a couple of days ago! Woohoo, fash shipment! It came in breakproof packaging that was suprisingly easy to open, and IT... IS... GORGEOUS!!! I spent the better part of 3 hours just staring at it, transfixed! Came with 4 shrimp, a gorgeous underwater tree/branch/thing and a couple of tufts of green algae. Three shrimp are still grey, but one has already turned pink/red. I am stoked about it, and have found what I believe to be the perfect place for it, where I can gaze into its hypnotic splendor without subjecting it to too much light. I have read the instructions carefully, and I recommend that anyone considering this product read the booklet that comes with it VERY carefully, as well as google it and read what the website says about them. Overall, completely recommended! Pretty cheap for what it is, being handcrafted and put together just for your specific order. This is a great gift for people who love fish, people who like pets, people who like cool things that don't need maintenance, people who don't like pets but should, people who like ecosystems, people who are even slightly interested in science, people who like to watch things, people who like art, people who like living art, people interested in the interactions within ecosystems, people who like to breathe, people who like to watch just about anything.... the list goes on and on BUY ONE, you won't regret it!

Been over 11 years and still got a little guy swimming away.

Bought this ecosphere since July 2014. The last shrimp just disappeared ~March 2026. That’s almost 12 yrs. Hope they had good lives. RIP.

Alright, I ordered this item on Whim. Like.. I don't even know how I found myself looking at the 'EcoSphere' really.. but my attention had been caught none the less.. And then I was like, I want a large one if I'm going to purchase, so I'm going to pay 165+usd for this bad boy. Now, what I did not smartly do, is look at the size difference.. the large one is only 7.5" tall.. vs 5.2" tall. But you pay a significantly higher price just for those 2.3 inches you get... I'd argue its not worth the price. Go get a measure tape and pull out 7.5 inches. Its not that tall..or substantial within the context of this matter. Having those numbers to look out will help you make a grounded purchase. Now onto the item. It arrived very well packaged. Looked like a regular ol box, but the EcoSphere Pod had a form fitting foam enclosure around it. As long as you get fast shipping and what not, I would imagine that you wouldn't have much issue with your shrimp. All of my shrimp .. (count 6-8?) seem to be alive and well. I've got one large tree branch in mine. A very small spot of green algae. Trying to make sure it gets plenty of light none the less.. this first day, because I don't have a clue how long its been in the box and what have you. They say don't go to crazy on the light in the instructions because, too much algae equals a higher PH...which surprises me. You get some very detailed instructions on how to care for your little glass world you receive. Overall its a cool product, easy to care for, and its pretty to look at. I would make sure if you have a cat... that uh, this product is secured to the table surface or whatever.. I can imagine one of those A-hole cats that just like to knock stuff off table for s**ts and giggles, would look at the little moving shrimp and maybe try to swat at them or something. Then there goes your expensive science/art display into the floor... I'll try to remember to do an update on this product down the line. Update Time "You purchased this item on April 23, 2017." It's now Feb 2020. Some of the Shrimp still live. You can indeed add water to this "Self contained" unit if you try hard enough. I had some aquarium sealant. Safe for fish, I flipped this bad boy over, using a very sharp knife & being really really careful, I took out the plug at the bottom, added some fiji bottled water to the system, it was at the same temp. Yes really fiji, (I thought if I could safely drink it, it had to be safe for shrimp), anyways sealed it back up, no leaks. I wish more of the shrimp still lived, but the ones that are alive I guess are the toughest of the bunch. They've defintely survived some temperature fluctuations over their life spans, were talking from 20 degree cold room to 100 degrees. So they are pretty hardy in that regards. I would like to ultimately get a nice little aquarium for the surviving shrimp, so I could give them something a little more appetizing that algae. Anyways, happy with my purchase still.

Amazing. What a spectacular scientific design. Ive only had my Ecosphere for 4 days and I already have the Red Hawaiian shrimp Molting. I had noticed upon first receiving the Ecosphere that one of the shrimp werent moving as much as the other 3. Now that he/she has molted everything is fine. I have seen algae growth (light growth-dont overgrow) from the Ecosphere being under a fluorescent light 6 hours a day. This is my 3rd Ecosphere. My first 2 got destroyed in a move sadly and I wanted a replacement. This Ecosphere seems to be functioning better than both of the ones I owned in the past. I would definitely gift this to someone who loves science. It's also a great conversation piece. P.s. my shrimp are named Dora, Boots, Freddie, and Jason- What are yours? UPDATE October 16th 2019 I purchased this ecosphere in May 2017. I lost 3 shrimp after letting a friend take care of my ECO-Sphere while I was overseas but the eco system is going strong again! My last shrimp (let’s call him boots) has been consistently molting and is growing as time goes on. My algae almost died and turned a very dull poopy yellow color. Now the algae has recovered after a month in indirect sunlight and my shrimp has turned a nice red color. Now that it’s the winter I’m keeping my shrimp away from the indirect sunlight in my window and moving him to a timed fluorescent light that is on for 10 hours a day on a lighter lumen setting and should do the job. This will help the water stay at a nice 70-74 degree temperature! I’ll update you guys if my shrimp does suddenly pass away but things are good here!! That last pic is the final survivor and he is definitely active! UPDATE July 7th 2020 My last Shrimp died over the weekend. I was deployed for a few months and during that time with nobody to care for him he sat in my closet. 6 months went by and I 100% expected him to be dead. Nope. Found him swimming partially (I’m not sure but there was no flex in his tail anymore). Today (1.5 months) after I got back I found him dead. It’s a sad day because I’ve had this pet throughout my military career and honestly it was a nice responsibility to have. I think 3 years was a good run. I’ll probably get a larger Eco-Sphere and see how long I can have that one live and I’m hoping the extra space will be kinder to my shrimp. Thanks all for reading my Reviews!

EDIT: So ever since I got this item, I've been doing research on what they actually are and how they can survive longer... if you want a sustainable ecosystem, this sphere WILL NOT provide you what you are looking for. These spheres provide just enough food for the shrimp to barely avoid starving. These shrimp are known to live up to 20 years! How cruel is it to know that even under such ideal "conditions" as stated by Eco-Sphere, these shrimp are only expected to last 1-3 years (if you are lucky more). I will say this now: If you like the idea of purchasing or making a SUSTAINABLE environment for these tough-as-nail shrimp, DO NOT BUY THESE ECOSPHERES. Instead, buy the shrimp directly from the source in Hawaii, and understand what they need as aquatic pets to make a balanced ecosystem. The idea of using these shrimp is a good one, but Eco-sphere's CLOSED Ecosystem comes with more of a price than meets the eye. I almost regret writing my 5 star review earlier. :'( If you are like me and actually care then take a look at these two websites and decide for yourself which route you'd like to choose. [...] & [...] EDUCATE YOURSELF AND SAVE SOME SHRIMP LIVES!!!! Extra info: I will be a drilling hole on the top of my ecosphere... this will allow air to move freely between the outside and inside, breaking the closed ecosystem, and it will also allow me to feed them directly. Although constant airflow is not necessary, air it out twice a month is recommended. Eventually, I will move them into a large 2 gallon brackish water tank. This and along with a very shorty list of other "ingredients" will provide enough space and nutrients to sustain you own colony of reproducing shrimp. Studies indicate that these shrimp take 2 years to fully mature sexually, so don't be expecting to make a hatchery in a month. Original Review: Received my Eco-Sphere in the mail today and the shrimp were still swimming when they arrived! The packaging was great so, I wouldn't be worried about getting broken product. I recommend all customers select the NEXT DAY shipping option. I say this because: These Eco-Spheres weren't made to spend long periods in the dark and without warmth. The faster the shipping, the better off your shrimp will be when they get to you. :) If you need more info about the actual product and how it works, check out: [...] I am really enjoying my shrimp thus far and I hope to enjoy them for years to come. I will be updating this if need be but for now I give it 5/5 stars for the following three reasons: 1. It's an ingenious idea that encourages curiosity and education (mostly having to do with Marine Biology). 2. Amazon offers the lowest online price (as far as I know.) 3. It's elegant, simple, and hassle-free design leaves you without the burden of responsibility and is also aesthetic pleasing (they look great on table tops, but should not be put near heat sources or speakers). All in all.... Fantastic product experience thus far!!

It's beautiful! Came with at least 5 shrimp. They are hard to count. I am so happy I didn't get an EcoSphere with dead shrimp in it!

Excellent Christmas present for my son.

Very cool little ecosphere. It arrived safely with great packaging. Only one shrimp didn't make it but there are several others still kicking.

Came with 4 little shrimp inside and happy to say 4 months later they are all still alive and doing well!

There was no life when this arrived. We returned the product.