Dino Bioluminescent Plankton Sphere

Product Description

Features

• The DinoSphere is living, filled with thousands of non-toxic marine algae
• Bioluminescent dinoflagellates will emit natural blue light at night when swirled in the dark
• A 10cm clear glass semi-sphere with a flat bottom and small hole on top
• A coupon code to redeem on the BioPop website for the dinoflagellates and nutrients. These components will be shipped fresh to you from BioPop at no additional cost.

Top Reviews

BEAUTIFUL light-blue/greenish light, easy to maintain. READ THE PRODUCT DESCRIPTION FIRST before wri
by Chris Trimble (5 out of 5 stars)
August 19, 2017

Before I share my opinion of this product, I would like to comment on many of the low-star reviews and also provide you with some extra information. The most important concept you have to understand is this "toy" is ALIVE, and life can be finicky sometimes. These brilliant little eukaryotes originate from large bodies of salt water (other species of dinoflagellate are able to live in fresh water, but that's just a nifty fact), therefor they are not exposed to quick changes in temperature or salinity. However in a small habitat like the glass sphere, or the pouch they initially arrive in, the temperature can dramatically change within a short period of time. So if you let the delivery sit on your front door for a couple days, or your apartment has no AC during the summer, you can expect these little guys might die. The same goes with cold weather as well. So make sure you provide these guys the right temperature to live in. I don't think I have to go over trying to fill the rest of the sphere up with aquarium salt water, then giving it a 1 star review because they died in a week. But just in case.. yeah... don't do that... the difference in salinity and pH will kill them.

Let's discuss sunlight too. Not only do they need it to live, but it is required by this species to produce the mesmerizing blue light. These guys use sunlight for ATP synthesis, which is used as an energy storage system of sorts, and drives the light emission you see at night. So they need enough of a "recharge" during the day, therefor provide them with the right amount of sunlight! If you store them in a room with no windows, they won't get enough. Also, even though they are alive when you receive them you will not see light until they go through a couple day-night cycles. Don't panic, wait a couple days and you will see it! Make sure they are in the dark at night too, not by a lamp or anything. The light they emit is a beautiful light blue with a hint of green... it really is mesmerizing to watch. It is worth noting that you should disturb them at least once during the day to ensure all plankton get enough sunlight!

THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT THING TO KNOW... it is NOT like a lightbulb. The light emision only lasts a second or two, and under continuous moving or swirling the light will ONLY LAST A MINUTE or so. The plankton are TINY, you can't expect them to hold enough energy to produce light all night long. So don't read any of the bad reviews that talk about how "dumb" or disappointing the whole thing is...

So my opinion? I love it. Really is an awesome concept, I have one on my desk at home. I've had the sphere for almost a month now and the light it produces has continued to grow more intense as more of the little plankton are made. Feeding is easy, just use the little bottle it comes with every week or so (if you want constant growth feed it weekly, but I've heard from people who feed them every other week or even up to once a month) and they will continue to emit light. As I've said above, don't expect light on the first night, and don't expect a magical light bulb. Also, YOU ONLY RECEIVE THE GLASS SPHERE IF PURCHASED ON AMAZON, it states so in the description. You get a code to type in on their website and they will send you the dinoflagellates. I liked this thing so much that I got the dinosaur for my buddy's birthday, but I purchased it on their website this time to have all the materials sent at the same time. The only issue I have with this product is the food you need to give them is kind of expensive, especially if you feed them weekly. Once again, you can look at the price of the food BEFORE BUYING to see if you are okay with it. It shouldn't be such a shocker when you go to buy more food. Still 5/5 stars, 3 thumbs up, 110%/90%, I recommend it highly! I also recommend that you purchase it from their website instead (sorry amazon) so you won't have to deal with the whole code thing, but also because they have A LOT more information on the species and how to maintain them.
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Glow was promised
by Chris (4 out of 5 stars)
September 18, 2016

Bioluminescent critters glow as promised. One caveat: Don't buy if you live in an apartment that gets very hot. You are not supposed to expose them to heat over 77 degrees. Mine did not survive the summer because of this.
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I am in LOVE with my Dino Sphere
by Michael Bundy (5 out of 5 stars)
September 19, 2017

I am in LOVE with my Dino Sphere. Every night it glows brighter and brighter as I continue to feed them. By following the directions provided in the packaging, your dinos will grow strong and bright! The packaging was extremely beneficial to ensure my sphere and dinos arrived unharmed and in good health. I can definitely recommend BioPop Dino Spheres to all, and will be buying more products in the future without a doubt!
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Cool, but not care free
by S. MARCHUS (4 out of 5 stars)
December 31, 2017

It's pricey for what it is, but it's brighter than I thought it might be. It's way cool, but probably not worth it for most people. It needs weekly care, and also requires regular purchases of nutrients, so if you want a cool paperweight that requires no care, this isn't it.
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Worked for less than a month.
by C. Walker (1 out of 5 stars)
March 25, 2018

These were really cool and lasted for about a month and now it's just a $50 globe of water. It's sad to look on my nightstand every night to dead Dino water. I did everything right but very sad and now I'm stuck out of $50. My advise is Watch a video for a month and see how cool it could be then you save $50 and the feeling of failing an killing your Dino pets.
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This is the same organism as used in the successful Dino Pet, in an improved container. Nicely done!
by TechieBiologist (5 out of 5 stars)
September 7, 2016

This Dino Sphere is an upgrade from the 4-star (per Amazon reviews as of today) DinoPet, which is available from the same manufacturer and also via Amazon.com. The Sphere contains the same organism as in the Dino Pet.

The Dino Sphere has a hole in the top covered by a protective filter, which allows for gas exchange and thus for a culture of the light-producing dinoflagellates which is even stronger than the original Dino Pet provided. The original Dino Pet is a completely closed system and thus needs a little more attention from the owner (every two weeks where the Dino Sphere last for months).

BioPop is very clear that the light from the organisms only appears at night, and that it only last for about a second or three, when shaken. That is how life works, no animal on the planet functions as a continuous light bulb. It is like a firefly flash, shake it, it flashes, shake it again, it flashes.

This product is an elegant means to bring a living product into your household. I have been maintaining the original Dino Pet for 8 months using their media, and my initial 1-cup culture now lives in a 2 gallon jar (plus the original Dino).

Follow their instructions, and do not dilute it too much at once (just like bread yeast, for example- if you spread the organisms too thinly, they will not perform as you expect).

I have found the BioPop tech support very knowledgable about their product and BioPop has provided great answers when I have had questions.
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Kids enjoyed it for a few minutes but quickly became
by H. M. Leith (3 out of 5 stars)
March 16, 2018

A lot of hype. Kids enjoyed it for a few minutes but quickly became bored
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Amazing! Took a few nights for the little guys ...
by Michael Rankin (5 out of 5 stars)
January 3, 2018

Amazing! Took a few nights for the little guys to get acclimatized but after 48 hours they consistently lit up much brighter than expected. Very very cool.
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Four Stars
by David Holifield (4 out of 5 stars)
October 16, 2017

Need an easy way to get more food but was amazing when it was alive.
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Amazing Product!
by sarah (5 out of 5 stars)
September 12, 2017

We received our BioPop last month and LOVE it! My 10 and 11 year old sons look forward to spend time with it every night before bed. They swirl it, tap it, tip it - and are always in awe of the glow... they can't believe it is ALIVE! We leave it on their night stand and if they wake up in the night - they can reach for the BioPop and be comforted (and distracted!)

It was really hot out (upper 80's) when we received ours and it survived! No problems at all!

I recommended for people who are not living coastal to learn about Bioluminescence first! It will deepen the amazement that you can have it live in a glass ball in your house!

Great Product!

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