Biorb 30L - Dont Hate Me Please!

[Tizer]

haha yeah so true.

thanks again everyone for replies..

im so disappointed though about not being able to have a clown loach that was going to be my favourite!

oh well gives me an excuse to buy another aquarium in the near future

You can buy me more clown loaches and i can send you pictures? works for me!

 

[JHR]

You can buy me more clown loaches and i can send you pictures? works for me!

lmao, sounds like a good deal for one of us! that would be like the 'adopt a snow lepoard' thing lol.

and @ balajake:

i won the tank on ebay pretty cheap so cant return it but thanks anyway mate

 

[fluttermoth]

As long as you cycle and are careful with your stocking; ie, six or eight very small, adult size fish (important! you don't want anything that'll grow to over an inch in length), it should be a very nice looking tank.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

The substrate in the Biorbs is a death trap and I do sort of hate you for that!

It's not your fault though, it's Biorbs, you weren't to know.

Let me tell you now though, to save you some heartache, I've heard of bettas getting ripped up by the substrate, of smaller fish getting stuck (and dying) in the substrate, of fish generally getting messed up in the satanic Biorb substrate!

So, put a very thin layer of gravel over the 'Biorb death rock' before you introduce any fish and you may just have a happy Biorb experience.

Or, as I usually suggest, put the Biorb in a cupboard and wait till your next fancy dress party and wear it as a space helmet. Either that or throw it away!

I hate Biorb - did I tell you that?

 

[Junior Gent]

I got a Biorb life 30 Ltr bought as a present and thought the substrate could be a real problem, i did some searching and managed to find sometihng suitable to cover it as shown in the pic below. My tank is currently 4 days in to a fish-less cycle.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Excellent idea JG. So what are those orbs, black pearls?

They look just right. They allow water movement but keep the livestock from harm.

 

[alayton]

Ive had a biorb 30l for some years now and had lots of heartache and frustration as Ive tried to stock it up to the level I wanted.

Ive tried to get the target 10-12 inches of fish but I can never sustain more than 6-8 fish/inches at any one time. Currently I have 5 rummy nose tetras and one solitary Tiger Barb which have lasted for 18 months so I may have stumbled on the optimum number. Rummynose seem to school a little as well, or at least as much as they can in a Biorb.

Previously had Zebra Danios *much underrated , constantly on the move and the long finned ones look better to me and they are good for a new tank.

Cardinal Tetras did well for while, smaller than the rummynose perhaps so could be worth a try, best get 5-6 as they seem better in a group.

Green tiger barb (I love the look) and the usual orange striped Tiger Barbs but they can chase the other fish, including their kind, around, bit of a pain.

Otocinculus did really well at cleaning the glass and the plants (not a bottom feeder I was told),tried 3 at one time but they died out because I think I tried to get too many fish in the tank.

Plants just dont last, tried twice, I,m nothing if not persistent, now have plastic plants

And I hate that the curvature of the bowl can hide those little fish sometimes.

So I would echo what others have said,if you can send it back, if not try 6-8 fish, smaller tetras/raspboras etc. as suggested (perhaps after you have tried something hardier like 3-4 Danios to start the tank off) and I'd suggest one species to encourage schooling.
Might be worth trying an Otocinculus as well to help with the cleaning.

Let me know if you try a shrimp or two as I'm about to upgrade to 90 or 120L tank and not sure what to do with my Biorb, might be worth trying some shrimp and layering the bottom with pebbles maybe.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

Ive had a biorb 30l for some years now and had lots of heartache and frustration as Ive tried to stock it up to the level I wanted.

Ive tried to get the target 10-12 inches of fish but I can never sustain more than 6-8 fish/inches at any one time. Currently I have 5 rummy nose tetras and one solitary Tiger Barb which have lasted for 18 months so I may have stumbled on the optimum number. Rummynose seem to school a little as well, or at least as much as they can in a Biorb.

Previously had Zebra Danios *much underrated , constantly on the move and the long finned ones look better to me and they are good for a new tank.

Cardinal Tetras did well for while, smaller than the rummynose perhaps so could be worth a try, best get 5-6 as they seem better in a group.

Green tiger barb (I love the look) and the usual orange striped Tiger Barbs but they can chase the other fish, including their kind, around, bit of a pain.

Otocinculus did really well at cleaning the glass and the plants (not a bottom feeder I was told),tried 3 at one time but they died out because I think I tried to get too many fish in the tank.

Plants just dont last, tried twice, I,m nothing if not persistent, now have plastic plants

And I hate that the curvature of the bowl can hide those little fish sometimes.

So I would echo what others have said,if you can send it back, if not try 6-8 fish, smaller tetras/raspboras etc. as suggested (perhaps after you have tried something hardier like 3-4 Danios to start the tank off) and I'd suggest one species to encourage schooling.
Might be worth trying an Otocinculus as well to help with the cleaning.

Let me know if you try a shrimp or two as I'm about to upgrade to 90 or 120L tank and not sure what to do with my Biorb, might be worth trying some shrimp and layering the bottom with pebbles maybe.

If there was a school of 'do it wrong' then you...alayton...are the Principal.

I just can't begin to tell you how many bad bad things you've done, and are suggesting.

Everything you've said, and I do mean everything, is bad. Bad bad bad.

So bad!

 

[Junior Gent]

Cheers PO they are just like polished black marbles, along with the polished black centre peice i think they sit well. I managed to pick them up online but only seen them in one place, i thought they would be more popular for biorb owners. They seem to be a no brainer to me. only £10 to cover the tank. Im very new to this so lets hope i can keep it looking the way it is.

 

[Prime Ordeal]

What fish are you going to put in there JG?

 

[Junior Gent]

Im really not sure as yet, only 4 days in to my fish-less cycle. I like Guppy's with the variety of colours, although 9 gallon might be too small. I would get maybe 4 and somthing else like pigmy cory's, i know the tank doesn't lend itself brilliantly towards cory's as a whole but pigmy's spend a little more time towards mid-water, and obviously they are the smallest. The other route is the Betta route, i would get a show peice betta, halfmoon big ear. But not sure what exactly to twin with it. I like the thought of shrimps in there. Other fish i like are the smallest hatchet fish and the red mirco rasbora's. Not sure i could fit them in with my other options though. Im new to this but have been doing all the research i can. Currently abit confused as to what direction though.
Any ideas?

JG

 

[pablothebetta]

i did read of someone having a betta in the same tank as mine however i believe they need a lot of swimming space dont they? what other fish would be suitable to have in there with it?

I once kept a betta in the baby version of the Biorb, now he's in a larger 'regular' tank. Breathing-wise he was absolutely fine, you find there is plenty of surface area in terms of that. The 15L version I had was, IMO, too small for him, but I think one would work nicely in a 30L.

You mentioned pygmy cories, however you won't be able to have any corys or bottom dwellers as the bottom area in the Orb is simply too small, regardless of substrate. They also appriciate sand which is virtually impossible in the BiOrb because of the Undergravel Filtration (UGF).

In my opinion, you have a few options - betta, small fish or shrimp.
If you went for a betta, you could keep him with some shrimp and possibly 2 or 3 male endlers. If you went down the 'small fish' route, you're looking at microrasbora, endlers, and maybe male guppies. You'd probably get away with 6 microrasbora or endlers, though I'd say 3-4 male guppies would be the max. From what I've heard, they tend to do best in tanks larger than this. Shrimp, again, could be kept with the 'small fish' idea. Alternatively, you could just keep shrimp. So basically, for me, it'd be:

- Male betta
- Possibly 2-3 male enders
- Shrimp
OR
- 6 microrasbora
- Shrimp
OR
- 6 male endlers
- Shrimp
OR
- 3-4 male guppies
- Shrimp
OR
- Just shrimp

If you wanted a betta, make sure you cover up the ceramic media. It is very rough, my bettas fins were shredded on it and he hasn't recovered even though he is now in a tank with no sharp or harsh surfaces.

 

[fluttermoth]

Go with the six or eight microrasboras or the betta and maybe some shrimp, and leave it at that; honestly trying to get cories or hatchets in there just insn't going to work.

Get a bigger tank if you want a larger variety of fish!

[Definitely[/i] no tiger barbs or zebra danios, please, they're just not suitable for your tank.

 

[Junior Gent]

Cheers for the advice guys, this is my tank above, its a biorb life 30 litre. It has a larger surface and substrate than a standard biorb, and as you can see i have found a nice solution to cover the filter media in case i decided to go for the Betta option.

Im really torn as to which way to go, either betta or guppy's. I like the showpeice fish idea, and the personalitites that Betta's have, but the varieties of guppy's are very appealing too. Im swaying towards the betta and the wife the guppy's.


Ive looked in to shrimp and know i need a decent size as to avoid them looking like Betta food, but which variety is best in a small tank? I have enought cover on the substrate to keep the shrimp happy with plenty of places to hide.

JG

 

[CezzaXV]

As someone who owns guppies, I'd go for the betta. I was originally gonna get a betta, then decided to get guppies instead. Now I wish I'd got a betta