Completely new biorb

Hi everyone,

I was recently bought a 30L biorb for my birthday. I have carried out the set up (filled and completed the water conditioner etc.) but haven't yet purchased decor or decided on fish. I also haven't set the heater up yet, but was bought it alongside the tank.

From what i've read it isnt exactly optimal for many fish, and i think i would prefer a betta fish (they look seriously cool!) to a handful or tetras that probably won't thrive. I am reading up on cycling and plan to do that before i think about getting the fish, so in no particular rush. However, is there anything i need to know before settling on the idea of a single betta? Could i keep shrimp with a betta? (I see that snails struggle on the rocks that come with the biorb, and although i can add black pearls on the bottom i'm not sure this is the best?)

Do they prefer particular types of decor? Plants over cave etc.?

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

asau93 said:

Hi everyone,

I was recently bought a 30L biorb for my birthday. I have carried out the set up (filled and completed the water conditioner etc.) but haven't yet purchased decor or decided on fish. I also haven't set the heater up yet, but was bought it alongside the tank.

From what i've read it isnt exactly optimal for many fish, and i think i would prefer a betta fish (they look seriously cool!) to a handful or tetras that probably won't thrive. I am reading up on cycling and plan to do that before i think about getting the fish, so in no particular rush. However, is there anything i need to know before settling on the idea of a single betta? Could i keep shrimp with a betta? (I see that snails struggle on the rocks that come with the biorb, and although i can add black pearls on the bottom i'm not sure this is the best?)

Do they prefer particular types of decor? Plants over cave etc.?

Any guidance will be greatly appreciated!

Click to expand...

one betta and a tiny bit of shrimp is fine, maybe amanos, they dont breed and bettas usually do not kill them
they are known to kill other types of shrimp

but first of all
ph
gh
temp

plants for betta:
- anubias
- sword plant (maybe too big for a 30l but it can grow out of the tank)
- carpets?
deco:
SMOOTH DECO
ex. river rocks, pebbles, SILK fake plants (plastic is hard and slicey)

This was the test i did of the water earlier (i haven't yet added any ammonium but thought it would be good to know my starting point).

Am i right in thinking the PH is a little high? I'm not quite sure which one i read to tell the gh?

Thanks for the advice!

GH is an odd one with this brand of tester. You have to compare the 3 squares on the strip with the four sets of three on the tub.
In your photo, they all look purple, so that's the last on on the right, >21 dH which is very hard. This goes with carbonate hardness (KH) being the highest colour and also pH being high. You can see them in the flesh - are all three squares purple after the 60 seconds?
You can double check the accuracy of the strips by looking on yuor water company's website for hardness. You need a number and the unit of measurement as there are half a dozen they could use.
It's not ideal for bettas as they are soft water fish, but there are few fish suitable for this tank and hard water. A dwarf puffer could be OK.
If you really want a betta, you could mix your tap water with a type of pure water such as reverse osmosis (RO) water. A half and half mix would halve the GH.


As for plants, you can't plant live plants in the substrate. Those rough rocks are the filter medium, and they are too large and coarse for plant roots. However, there are plants which can be grown attached to decor, everything from wood to rocks to plastic ornaments. Various species of anubias, Java fern (several varieties), and Bolbitis are all farily easy to grow.

I have just looked at the hardness of a business in Birmingham (Frederick Street) and Severn Trent gives their water as very soft.

Can I ask you to type your postcode in the box half way down this page, please, and tell us what number it gives on the German harness line.