Each Ecosphere comprises a clear ‘soup’ of filtered seawater containing gravel and gorgonia (the non-living branch like material) together with some shrimp, algae and bacteria. Each is a keycomponent of the ecosystem. The gravel, gorgonia and glass all provide surface areas to which the micro-organisms can attach themselves.

The EcoSphere works by gathering energy from the light and converting it biochemically. Light, together with the carbon dioxide in the water, enables the algae to produce oxygen by photosynthesis. The shrimp breathe the oxygen in the water and graze on the algae and the bacteria. The waste from the shrimp is broken down by the bacteria into nutrients, which in turn feed the algae. The shrimp and the bacteria also give off carbon dioxide and the cycle is renewed when the algae use this once again to produce oxygen.