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Bicycle lamp-ray

Pressurised transparent chamber containing luminous fish
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A pressurised windowed chamber at the front of a bike containing luminous deep sea fish to enable the cyclist to find their way. The assemblage consists of a thick-walled chamber of metal with a window of something transparent but strong - i'm imagining something like artificial diamond, indium tin oxide, polycarbonate or just some special kind of glass, enclosing highly pressurised water in a reflective chamber. The water is saline and starts off oxygenated. Carbon dioxide and nitrogenous waste provided by the fish is separated by regularly decompressing some of the water and moving it into a separate non-pressurised chamber which is completely transparent and contains algæ and copepods. The algæ are fertilised by the nitrogen and convert the carbon dioxide back to oxygen and carbohydrates via photosynthesis. These are then repressurised and placed back into the fish chamber, which they then eat. The excess carbon dioxide comes out of the water and is converted via potassium oxide to potassium carbonate, which is gradually added to the water in small quantities, partly as a fertiliser for the algæ. The fish are a small species of hatchet fish. The idea is to provide an entirely closed ecosystem so as to avoid the danger of opening the chamber and consequent explosion. When not in use, a shutter is drawn down over the window and the algal compartment is left in sunlight to "recharge".
nineteenthly, Mar 22 2009

Bicycle Lampray Bicycle_20Lampray
Thanks to [haikunick]. [nineteenthly, Mar 22 2009]

Eco-spheres http://www.eco-sphere.com/home.htm
Similar but neither pressurised nor luminous. [nineteenthly, Mar 22 2009]

[link]






       Your mini-eco system seems very impressive... I'm sure it's already baked but I can't find a link just now...   

       You could exchange the luminescent fish for an electric eel - powering the bicycle, and by swapping ground wires, it would be an effective theft deterrent.
knowtion, Mar 22 2009
  

       There are sealed glass bowls containing algæ and sea monkeys, i think it is, but it wouldn´t actually be dangerous to open them. I´ll try to find a link. The electric eel thing, yes, you could have both. In fact, you could have a bike consisting entirely of fish.
nineteenthly, Mar 22 2009
  
      
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