EcoSpheres Inhumane?

I was wanting to get some opinions on the EcoSphere, initiated by NASA,
in which tiny creatures live confined in a glass ball with a little bit
of water, oxygen and a dead plant with which to feed on. (They are
definitely eye-catching.)

http://www.eco-sphere.com/home.htm

I don't know how many here remember the AquaBabies market, but many
protested their existence, stating it was inhumane to confine the
little fish to such a tiny living space.

To me, the EcoSphere seems no different. Brine shrimp though they may
be, surely they would like more space?

Some might say it's akin to keeping a dog locked-up in a cage, while
others might think it's a "cool" novelty.

What is your opinion?


-Stacey

"Stacey Whaley" wrote in message oups.com...
To me, the EcoSphere seems no different. Brine shrimp though they may
be, surely they would like more space?

Residents of downtown Tokyo would like more space too
Nobody seems to feel that their living space is inhumane.

"Gfishery" wrote in message
...

Residents of downtown Tokyo would like more space too
Nobody seems to feel that their living space is inhumane.




but they always have the option to leave if they want to, instead they
CHOOSE to live there ;op

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

Reality check: Artemia are small, planktonic, crustaceans, relations
of daphnia. They spend their entire existence swimming aimlessly in
predator-free temporary waters, and are often found in enormous
densities. They without doubt have computing power closer to that of
an earthworm than a housefly, and certainly nowhere near that of a
fish.

"Margolis" wrote in message ...
"Gfishery" wrote in message
...

Residents of downtown Tokyo would like more space too
Nobody seems to feel that their living space is inhumane.




but they always have the option to leave if they want to, instead they
CHOOSE to live there ;op

I haven't run into any "Live Free Or Die" shrimp lately.

If the brine shrimp could choose between becoming an ingredient of my goldfish food flakes
or living in an ecosphere, I'm sure they would choose the latter

But I must say the shrimp served at the last seafood restaurant I dined at were excellent!

Well think about it a bit before you decide whether this is inhumane or
not. How much space do these guys actually have? Well according to the
link you provided the smallest available ecosphere is 3.25" now I don't
know exactly how big the creatures inside are but for simplicity lets
say they're 1/2 an inch long. Sound reasonable? Well then that means
that the diameter of their world is 6.5 times longer than they are.

Now lets think about a full grown Oscar in an aquarium. Lets assume
this fish is a foot long - that's reasonable. Now, for it to have as
much living space as these shrimp it will need a 6.5 foot diameter
tank. How many full grown Oscar owners out there have a tank with a
single 6.5 foot dimension - let alone a 6.5 foot diameter sphere's
worth of living space?

We keep fish in much smaller areas than these guys are being kept in,
relatively speaking. It is probably much more humane than many of the
things we do every day and think of as good practice. I think the
spheres are a neat idea.

-Daniel

interesting points ;o)

--

Margolis
http://web.archive.org/web/200302152...qs/AGQ2FAQ.htm
http://www.unrealtower.org/faq

Are you a troll? You are comparing a brine shrimp to a dog? I think
you have the intelligence of a brine shrimp. In the same vein, I am
making yogurt and I am concerned about the tiny plastic jar the all
those bacteria have to live in. I am also worry about how barbaric
that I am ingesting million of lives alive. And don't get me started
on the countless yeast lives I am killing everytime I bake bread.
*sob*

wrote in message
oups.com...
| Are you a troll?

....speaking of trolls......

billy

wow. sounds like everyone is bashing Stacey for either not thinking
practically enough and being too humane. in my opinion the world needs
more people to ask more questions like this, instead of more nasty
analytical thinkers that discourage these questions. i dont have an
opinion about these ecospheres because i dont know enough about them,
but lets not discourage people like stacey from asking questions like
this.