Comments on: Make Labs' Biosphere & More!

By: Annie McAulay

Annie McAulay — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 04:30:13 +0000

When we did it our shrimp lasted 3 months.. second is going strong and it loves the plants! I would check the plants we had to buy extra and some were about to die.. our snail in there lived, though through both snail deaths. I also used tap water since we don’t live by ponds or lakes. Also put where there is plenty of light. I hope it helps.

By: A. Murphy

A. Murphy — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 16:33:35 +0000

The boy in his photo is growing Eurasian Watermilfoil, an invasive plant species in much of the United States. This plant grows about an inch per day and takes over native plants residing in waterways, disrupting natural ph balances and ecosystems. It has also been the cause of several swimmer deaths over the years. I know this because I am a scuba diver currently subcontracted at Emerald Bay, Lake Tahoe working to remove this prolific plant from the area. It began growing in Lake Tahoe back in the 60′s when a person irresponsibly dumped their fish tank into the lake when they decided they didn’t want it anymore. I would urge anyone who intends to do this project to choose their water plants responsibly, doing their research and using only plants that are native to their area.

By: cephalopodcast

cephalopodcast — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Thanks. I had fun with this project. Also made a short video to go with it.

By: Cassica

Cassica — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Although it’s difficult to get actual large organisms or aquatic life into the bottle, you should note that there is micro-organisms like plankton living in the water. If you combine this with say a small lamp overhead (emulates sunlight) you could potentially make it hospitable for a wider variety of life forms. Just remember that living plants are a necessity since they produce oxygen, without which your organisms will die.

By: BubbleJar

BubbleJar — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

THE BIOSPHERE AND THE SHRIMP
Ok, so I used fresh river water and the water that came with the shrimp. All the bugs and plants lived except the shrimp. I’ve tried it twice, and both shrimp died. The first biosphere lasted a week, and the second lasted only two days. The second time, I put a water thermometer in the biosphere jar to see if the water was too hot for the shrimp. The water temperature was 30 degrees C.

I want to know why both shrimp died.

I would be thankful for anyones suggestion.

By: mjb2000

mjb2000 — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Hi BubbleJar, sorry to hear about your experience. From what you’ve written I notice there are two places you have diverged from the recipe in the article. You used river water instead of “nitrate poor freshwater,” which may have been loaded with nutrients and therefore contributed to an algal bloom, reducing the amount of oxygen available to your largest animals. Also, your temperature (30 C or 86 F) is higher than recommended by the article. I believe the Amano shrimp are a temperate and not a tropical species so their tolerance to high heat may be poor. There’s a reason for practically every detail in the article, so if it’s at all possible for you to follow it exactly, please give that a shot. While it’s not guaranteed, your chances may be better. -mjb

By: Sparks_Research_Group

Sparks_Research_Group — Wed, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

I’m the kid in the Sparks Research Group picture. It’s been 37 days now and everything is A-OK. Shrimp have already molted. Found a lot of baby snails.

Thanks for the project!