One of the most lively organisms you can get in an ecosphere. They are very voracious and can even cannibalise each other when food is scarce. They will prey on almost every other organism in your ecosphere, but tend to stick to plants and detritus when food is plentiful. They are great for controlling java moss and I would highly recommend using these when using java moss in any ecosphere. These animals are also great at keeping algae at bay and I have seen them completely clear ecospheres of algae blooms. They are an integral part of an ecosphere due to their ability to recycle plant matter. They tend to not do well in new ecospheres, so I would add them later on, once biofilm has spread across all the surfaces and plants are established. They can be sometimes found on pieces of wood submerged in ponds and slow flowing rivers. More commonly, they can be found just beneath duckweed in ponds. I would advocate putting smaller individuals in your ecosphere if you want to maximise your chances of getting a stable population. I would highly recommend using these or isopods in your ecosphere.