About Your AquaWorld
Our planet is a closed system in which living
organisms thrive: a biosphere where nothing leaves or enters except
sunlight. Your AquaWorld is a miniature biosphere, encapsulating the
fundamental working of our own Earth.
Inside
your AquaWorld Crustacea known as Red Shrimps are sustained in a beach
environment. You do not have to feed the shrimp, or change their water.
It’s the Perfect Pet! Nothing enters or leaves the container but light
and heat - no food, air, water or waste. The light causes the algae and
microalgae to produce the oxygen for the shrimps, and shrimps on their
side produce carbon dioxide and nutrients for the algae to grow.
The
creators of the Aqua World have completed one ten day space experiment
on U.S. Shuttle and two four month experiments on board the Russian
Space Station Mir with sealed closed ecosystems similar to the Aqua
World .
Who Lives Inside Your
AquaWorld?
The
residents of your AquaWorld are Red Shrimps, 1cm-1,5 cm (0,4 –0,6 inch)
in size. They are found in some specific parts of the World’s Ocean.
They inhabit island’s shores. The shrimp do not eat the algae itself,
but rather groom it, eating the microalgae and bacteria that grow on the
algae mats. They are literally the gardeners of their environment. They
maintain the balance within the places where they live and keep them
clean so the large algae can thrive.
In
your AquaWorld you can watch the shrimps grazing, grooming themselves
and even carrying the odd piece of sand around! If the shrimp are
disturbed they tend to temporarily loose their bright red color in an
attempt to blend in with their background. Once they have settled they
will soon become red again.
Unlike
in their natural environment, there are no predators in the AquaWorld,
so the life span of the shrimps can be very long, up to around 10 years.
They usually do not produce offspring in the AquaWorld as they like dark,
secluded places in which to breed. The AquaWorld is too small to sustain
increasing numbers of shrimp so we do not provide breeding places. The
AquaWorld is expected to live from 3 to 5 years, but they have been
known to live as long as 12.
There
is also a sprig of algae in your AquaWorld. This is to help keep the
water clean and provides oxygen for the Red shrimp. The shrimp groom the
algae and keep it healthy.
