8 Gallon Aquarium Suggestions

We have a little Betta in a 5 gallon Elite tank, which we bought second hand. The plan is to set up this Betta with a more interesting tank in my husbands computer room, once he is finished renovating it. (He's a Star Trek and Firefly fan) 
 
I've been looking at a BiOrb tank, the kind that reminds me of a snow globe, or a BiOrb Flow tank, but both of these are difficult to find here in Canada and I would have to order them. http/www.everythingbiorb.com/biorbstore/index.php/biorb-biube-aquariums/biorb-flow-aquariums/biorb-flow-30-aquarium.html
 
Right now there is locally a second hand BioCube 14 gallons for $200 CAD, but that may be a little too large? http/ottawa.kijiji.ca/c-pets-accessories-14-gallon-oceanic-biocube-aquarium-tank-W0QQAdIdZ488229733
 
Also like the look of the Parallel Designer tanks: http/www.ebay.ca/itm/Parallel-8-Gallon-Designer-Glass-Aquarium-Includes-LED-Light-Safety-Lid-Grey-/370782985280?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5654635c40&_uhb=1
 
If anyone has any other tank suggestions, or words of caution on any of these above mentioned tanks, I'd love to hear them!
Thanks 
 
This is our little Betta tank

Don't get a biorb, they are horrible little tanks, designed by someone who had only recently graduated from Art College probably). The shape of them means there is very little water surface area (meaning the betta will have problems finding the surface to breath, you know how stoooopid they are) and they are a pig to clean.

+1 with TLM's comment. Most fish tend to swim horizontally not round in circles or up and down (unless they are stressed!) So the Cube would be better than the Orb one. Long footprints are even better than cubes for certain fish.
Was going to say the Ebay parallel one looks nice, but it has no lid and bettas are notorious jumpers - in the description tho it says there is a safety lid so that should be ok. You wouldn't want to find your pal dead on the floor in the morning! However I think I've seen someone saying in the forum that filling the tanks to the very top as in the illustration affects the gaseous exchange at the surface. So it would need to be under-filled to maintain that function which would then reduce your water capacity.  
P.S. I with your husband in liking Star Trek and Firefly. Did he see the film Serenity which wound up the cancelled Firefly series?

the_lock_man said:

Don't get a biorb, they are horrible little tanks, designed by someone who had only recently graduated from Art College probably). The shape of them means there is very little water surface area (meaning the betta will have problems finding the surface to breath, you know how stoooopid they are) and they are a pig to clean.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your post, the_lock_man! I've read some reviews on the biorb and people did mention these problems. I guess it is nice to get this confirmed from people you trust! Just too bad, because it does look really cool! 
 
Maybe the biube would then be the better choice from the biorb site! Still looking for alternatives, or maybe even a regular tank and we try to find theme-related decor for it, lol!

THe Biube is still a pain to clean, and the gravel is the filtration media, so you are still somewhat limited.

Mamashack said:

+1 with TLM's comment. Most fish tend to swim horizontally not round in circles or up and down (unless they are stressed!) So the Cube would be better than the Orb one. Long footprints are even better than cubes for certain fish.
Was going to say the Ebay parallel one looks nice, but it has no lid and bettas are notorious jumpers - in the description tho it says there is a safety lid so that should be ok. You wouldn't want to find your pal dead on the floor in the morning! However I think I've seen someone saying in the forum that filling the tanks to the very top as in the illustration affects the gaseous exchange at the surface. So it would need to be under-filled to maintain that function which would then reduce your water capacity.  
P.S. I with your husband in liking Star Trek and Firefly. Did he see the film Serenity which wound up the cancelled Firefly series?

Click to expand...

Thanks, Mamashack! I haven't thought about the issue of having to swim in circles, hmmm! What worried me about the "parallel" tank was the colour of the lid. If it is a clear lid, that would be OK, since it would not detract from the look, and yes, I definitely would need to lower the water level. The water capacity should still be OK for a single Betta even with a lowered water level, the tank has a 8 gallon capacity!?
 
The movie "Serenity", we own a copy, lol! For his birthday we got him all kinds of Firefly stuff, a model of the ship (pretty cool), a poster of the lay-out of the ship, poster of the map of the stars and planets there, tried to get him a replica of the gun, but they could not send it since Canada will not let it pass into the country! (boohoo)
Too bad the series was cancelled, it was quite entertaining! Nice to know there is another "Firefly" fan here!

the_lock_man said:

THe Biube is still a pain to clean, and the gravel is the filtration media, so you are still somewhat limited.

Click to expand...

Oh! 
Thanks, TLM!