Trying to find a certain filter media

we have bio balls, but those are simply to provide a location for beneficial bacteria colonies to grow in the filter. Filters are important because you need a way to draw all of your water through one central location thereby exposing it to the bacterial colonies and mechanical filtration. Or rather, you need to provide an advantageous location from which BB can access all of your water.


http://www.fosterandsmithaquatics.c...1csegpl&ref=6112&subref=AA&CAWELAID=529160316

The first picture on the natures-trail link shows a black skirt tetra in a tiny container. They love to swim in schools and swim freely.
A beta could be content in one of those. A couple of shrimp perhaps, but little else.

Eco-spheres are controversial.

I doubt that I would support the use of those in any situation. I know it's not your job to answer, but some of the questions I have would be: Since they appear to be semi-sealed containers, how and where does oxygen exchange take place? What keeps the water fresh? Many other questions that neither site clearly answers. Seems very similar to keeping a goldfish in a small bowl and saying "Oh don't worry, they only grow to the size of their bowl".

excuzzzeme said:

I doubt that I would support the use of those in any situation. I know it's not your job to answer, but some of the questions I have would be: Since they appear to be semi-sealed containers, how and where does oxygen exchange take place? What keeps the water fresh? Many other questions that neither site clearly answers. Seems very similar to keeping a goldfish in a small bowl and saying "Oh don't worry, they only grow to the size of their bowl".

Click to expand...

I agree, I hate the fact that my betta is in approx 1g of water right now. (he gets the 5g as soon as the 10 is ready for the fish in the 5)

I honestly find any product that claims to be a "self sustaining ecosystem" laughable.

why try and keep anything at the outer limit of its possible existence. These tanks, if they do work at all, will sustain life by the barest of threads, why not set up a habitat in which they can thrive? Nobody wants to have a houseplant that is barely alive, or a car that barely runs, or speakers that are barely audible...why would you keep a fish that is barely alive...or shrimp...or snail. Just throw in a few bucks for a nice 5 gallon nano tank...if you want something spiffy get a fluval chi

They're not that expensive ($59 from amazon) and the lights and filter are all included so there's less of the standard upgrading the aquarium bills. I just know i hate to look at my fish and know that they could be living a better life, so i make sure that their tanks are appropriately sized, filtered, planted, arranged, stocked, and are filled with the appropriate chemical makeup of water. I try to make it so that my fish can live in an environment that resembles theirs as closely as possible. If I took one of my pleco's and dropped them into my africa tank they're lives would be shortened by 50-75%, DESPITE the fact that the tank is big enough, the exact correct temperature, and has enough filtration to run a tank 3 times its size. With this type of "enclosed ecosystem" there are simply too many variables that are essential to the survival of any species of aquatic life that are not provided for, and furthermore, your ability to assist the tank in adjusting is completely removed.

Think about it this way...its like saying..."well i cut a hole in the floor of this closet for it to poop out of, and it really wont get so big that it can't sit up or lay down, and here's a chute that i can dump in food and water through once every 3 days, so now i'm going to put my child in here and just let it grow up. Its low maintenance right?"

I'm not saying that a fish has nearly the value of a human being, or that ethical lapse would be the same, i'm simply trying to get you to think of all of the variables that go into keeping your species alive and in health. Just because a fish has less intelligence or lives a simpler existence doesn't mean that there are less integral factors to its successful existence.

So, you were a kid when you had these? Chances are, your parents were replacing the fish without your knowledge.

I know "angry people on the internet" can be a bit annoying sometimes, but people who keep fish are understandably peeved about this junk. Keeping a black skirt tetra, or even a betta, in any kind of vase type thing with a sealed top is just ridiculous. Even if there were a continuous source of fresh water (and obviously this is not something that's plumbed into anything) how is the fish supposed to move around? How is it supposed to have any sort of quality of life at all in this...jar?

No one with any kind of knowledge of how aquariums work, and of how fish act when they are given a suitable environment to live in, should even be considering such a thing. Fish are meant to swim, not just bob around in water.

The second little novelty thing that you linked at has a single shrimp in it. I've seen it for sale at the airport Brookstone. I imagine it will last for quite a while, but again, as above...this is a glorified glass paper weight. If you want an aquarium for your desk, there are ways to make it almost sealed with little evaporation, and very low maintenance (shrimp tank, or shrimp and MTS only). I imagine it will cost less than the "Eco Sphere" which will not be that interesting, believe me. It has a lot more in common with a paper weight than an aquarium.