Bi-orb Crash Course

[Miss Wiggle]

got a txt from a work colleague today asking how long you should leave a tank before putting fish in...... i just though, well not quite as simple as that love so gave her a call. She's got herself a bi-orb (the 60l one) and a shed loads of accessories, a test kit, and she's joined the bi-orb forum and has been reading up about fishless cycling. Must say I'm a bit gobsmacked but her lfs seems to have set her up pretty well. But she's only been cycling her tank 3/4 days and is already getting annoyed at not having fish in and is getting a bit impatient to stock it. So we're gonna take a load of media around for her tomorrow to mature her tank and take her round some of the decent fishy shops in the area. Just generally have a bit of a chat to her and get her set up.

Now what I don't know is is there anything I should tell her specifically about bi-orb's...... had she asked me before I would have told her not to get one and sorted her with a more conventional tank I think but as she's got it I wanna help her get the best out of it. So any comments about them etc etc ???

 

[Saedcantas]

Pretty simple really

Avoid all barbelled catfishes (so no corys), avoid fish that are (more) agressive in smaller spaces, avoid anything that grows larger than about 2"

Ideally a bi-orb is best stocked with maybe one interesting centrepiece fish such as a honey gourami and a light stocking of small tetra types.

Most people who buy a Bi-orb want a decorative easily maintained little tank, understocking is imperative where the filtration is so Pi$$ poor.

 

[pica_nuttalli]

based on what i've heard about the bio-orb substrate material, i'd avoid bottom-dwellers altogether. that stuffs supposedly quite sharp/rough.

 

[Saedcantas]

Well that is generally what I meant, but perhaps I didnt express it very well

 

[samyboy]

would sand be out of the question or a smoother gravel thinking about it though the bottom surface area probably isn't that big is it, as sujested before a centrepiece fish and some form of tetra

 

[pica_nuttalli]

again, this is just what i remember, but i think that the bio-orb uses a specialized undergravel filter. so yes, there's really no fixing the substrate issue without compromising the filtration design.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

yup it's an undergravel filter with that funny bi orb substrate so you can't change it.

went up to see her yest, took some mature media and whacked that in the tank to seed it and got her some danio's. managed to convince her that a betta really needs a tank of it's own and definately shouldn't be with guppys. Think she's gonna stock a small shoal of danio's, a small shoal of rummy nose tetra's then a centerpiece fish like a bolivian ram or a dwarf gourami.

she's already got mts though, she's gonna give it until xmas and see how she's getting on then maybe get a baby bi orb for a betta as she's her heart set on one. Showed her some 'proper' betta's i.e. not VT which is all you can get in lfs around here and she definately wants one. She was eyeing up some lovely bigger fish, angels and gourami's...... she say's she can definately see herself with a bigger tank in a year or two, but this was a good tank for her to learn the basics..... I'm not 100% convinced think there are other small stylish tanks that would have been better as she's gonna have to learn a whole lot more when she gets a tank that isn't a bi-orb but never mind, it's pretty and she likes it and is taking a very sensible approach and reading everything she can find so I can't say anything bad.