I purchased a small sphere in June 2000, as a gift for my husband. We had three shrimp at that time. Over the years, we moved twice, were evacuated for wildfires twice, and raised four kids (not all done yet,) with our shrimp in tow, and our other pets as well. The ecosphere and the shrimp were a great addition to our family, and we always enjoyed watching the shrimp. The shrimp, amazingly, never let their small home get out of balance. Our children checked in on them often, and anyone who came to visit or work, were introduced and cautioned not to accidentally bump our tiny pets home and disturb them. The ecosphere housed them beautifully for many years, and the last remaining shrimp just passed away this month (August 2015.) It is amazing that only after such a small time, the ecosphere is now almost over run with algae, as no one is tending to their home any longer. We will all miss our long time companions.
-Thank you!