Bi-orbs?

[Teri]

I'm thinking about setting up a nano tank, and I quite like the look of the bi orbs.
But aren't they really no better than a bowl? Also, are the filters any good, and are they difficult to clean?
Has anyone got one?I'd be interested in hearing about them!

 

[Phoenixfish]

I'm thinking about setting up a nano tank, and I quite like the look of the bi orbs.
But aren't they really no better than a bowl? Also, are the filters any good, and are they difficult to clean?
Has anyone got one?I'd be interested in hearing about them!

the reason why people dislike them as they are not that functional and they have very poor surface to volume ratio... abit of a death trap if not careful

 

[seanyt66]

Hi Teri

I have ran a Bi-orb 60L tropical for some time now and it is great, its low maintainance and lovely to look at! You just need to be carefull in your fish selection. I keep fancy guppies in mine along with 3 amano shrimp and a couple of BN's - i never have algae problems thanks to the clean up crew and the water stats have always been spot on.

If you choose your occupants carefully Bi-orbs are great.

Sean

 

[fishboy619]

some people like them, others dont, personally i dont like them, more of a typical rectangle tank person myself
ive also heard bad reviews, not good for bottom dwellers as small floor space, same for top dwellers, but a few small fish are ok, livebearers, tetras, dwarf gouramie and bettas are ok as well.even a shrimp tank would look good, biggest problem with me is its an expensive tank, and it limits the fish that it can hold, for example the same 60lt rectangle tank would beable to hold more or a varity of fish, but it depends on what your after

 

[J4MES]

I have one they are really nice if you look after them

J4MES

 

[Campbell H]

Don't let peoples prejudices affect you decision. The one I have is just dandy and any fish deaths have been my fault through inexperience in the early days. My fish have been fine and dandy in it for over a year now I know (roughly) what I'm doing. My local fish shop has had one on display for 2 years and has never changed its filter. Once a month they remove the filter and clean it in the water syphoned from the tank - this removes any physical crud and leaves the organisms that have colonised it alone. I follow their example and have happy fish.

 

[fishboy619]

i wasnt saying they were crap, just ive heard bad reviews, depends on what your after if they are for you or not,
still, they are expensive for what they are

 

[for_my_fish]

They look good and with the right fish they are OK. Problems are the filter is absolute crap. The top opening is small and makes cleaning a bit of a pain (esp for a bloke!). Theres not enough water to make life easy, theres little stability in the water.

Agian with the right fish they are ok. But you can get a nice tank for the same money.

 

[Yetti]

For the price of a biorb you could get something way better.

 

[Teri]

I've never actually seen one set up, I've omly seen the promotional photos on various websites, and they do look good, but the fish always look a bit cramped, with nowhere to go. I wouldn't consider one for any "normal sized" fish, eg guppies, etc, just to use as a nano tank. But I guess even tiddly sized fish would find themselves swimming round and round in circles......

 

[Campbell H]

I've never actually seen one set up, I've omly seen the promotional photos on various websites, and they do look good, but the fish always look a bit cramped, with nowhere to go. I wouldn't consider one for any "normal sized" fish, eg guppies, etc, just to use as a nano tank. But I guess even tiddly sized fish would find themselves swimming round and round in circles......

The promo shots are all photoshopped and have little to do with reality - I've got 4 guppies in mine and they seem contented enough. As for cleaning it it's not a major problem - it's pretty easy to clean if you don't have arthritis. The filter is pretty good for what it does but I also always syphon as much gunk out as I can when I change the water and my levels are just that - level. Oh and yes you can get a lot more tank for the money but they do not look as good IMO - you'd have to spend a lot more than that - especially with the 60 but again that's my taste and not yours

 

[OohFeeshy]

TBH there are tonnes of better nano tanks on the market, both from a practicality view and a price view. Obviosuly the shape means less area, difficult to aquascape etc, and the design means no bottomdwellers or anything thta could scratch the tank. Look into the more cubular tanks- these are far more reasonably priced with better equipment, space etc.

 

[molitor75]

I have a 30litre bi-orb, i'm sitting on the fence at the moment, it does look good but doesn't seem to keep itself clean and needs almost constant attention....

Can anyone recommend something other than neons that will go in there??? I had Bettas but they got whitespot and died recently!

 

[Dorkhedeos]

ill give you my lfs owners opinion when somebody asked him why he doesnt stock them. "i dont stock bio orbs because they suck, but i can order one if you want it." i would suggest a bio cube if you want something of that nature. my lfs has 2 bio cube nanos and they are doing really well. the filtration is pretty cool in those things because it pretty much has a small sump built into it.

 

[Aisling]

I had a 30L bio-orb and I'd advise strongly against getting one. Everything I had in it died and it's such a small volume of water that if anything goes slightly skew-ways (and again because it's such a small volume of water this happened to me a lot!) then it's very difficult to turn things around. I know some people have had success with them but for me it was a complete disaster. I invested in a 180L rectangular tank ... used fishless cyling and at the moment it houses 5 beautiful platys, 4 stunning platy fry, 4 gorgeous guppies and 6 mental zebra danios. The Bio-orb was my nightmare, everyday I'd come in expecting to see a death, I was constantly battling illness and high ammonia/nitrite/nitrate levels. The one thing I will say is that I was very inexperienced when I got one ... all I wanted was a nice bowl that I could put a few goldfish in ... then I woke up!!!! Because of the small surface area on the top and bottom, I don't think that it's suitable for keeping fish comfortably ... and now I know how bad it is for them when I see the way the fish happily interact in my new tank. And most importantly as someone said earlier, they are quite expensive for the size of them and you'd get something far superior for the same money!! I hope this helps in your decision!