the_jon_person <no_reply@yahoogroups.com> writes:
> Also, Would I be okay with only bacteria and plants in biosphere or
>should I add a few critters to help balance out the O2 CO2 etc. levels.

Remember that in the absense of light, plant cells respire. (use O2 and
release CO2.) if you have too many plants, you can cause a pH shift in
the system at night from excess CO2 which could be harmful to some
higher life forms. (in large saltwater aquariums, they sometimes counter
this by turning on the algae scrubber lights when it's dark in the tank.)


As for animals, I minimally put a cleanup crew of a few snails in.
They scrub the walls so when you do get something interesting
in the sphere, you can see it. ;)

As for quantity of plants... hard to say. I used to eyeball it.
Couple lemma minor, some java moss, mayby java fern if it was handy.
Probably not more than half the "volume". (counting the water space
between the leaves as part of the plant allotment.)


--
flip
When you see beyond yourself
then you may find, peace of mind
is waiting there. --George Harrison