Biube Starter

[jamespond]

Hi,

I know I’ve already done a beginner thread on here, but I wanted to ask if there are any other Biube/orb owners out there who can offer advice on setting up the tank?

Any do’s and don’ts? (Although I’m sure someone will say DON’T buy a Biube)

My tank (35 litre) gets delivered on Monday/Tuesday and I was planning to cycle it with 2 small fish for 6 weeks or so. Apart from that, is there any experiences other people have had with these tanks that they would like to share? I bought a Biube because i really don't want a lot of fish or spend the long time in keeping a large tank like i had before.

Thanks in advance.

 

[BigIan]

My tank (35 litre) gets delivered on Monday/Tuesday and I was planning to cycle it with 2 small fish for 6 weeks or so.

I havent had any experience with biubes, however rasther than cycleing with fish (this is potentially lethal to the fish) try reading about a fishless cycle HERE

And welcome to the forum


P.S
DON~T BUY ABIUBE!!!!

 

[andyt_uk]

i am sure everyone will say dont cycle with fish
i started with a biorb which i though was great, small - which suited me at the time, stylish looking - admittedly there are other good looking small tanks around now but 3 or 4 years ago there werent.
are you going tropical or coldwater?
my only advice would be to remove the filter housing (assuming its the same as te biorb, is the air tube in the tank with the filter disk attached) regularly and syphon up all the crap under it.
if you have the little ceramic rock be careful moving them about as they can scratch he tube, but try to syphon crap from under them too.
also be prepared to change your air stone often.
i wouldnt say they are any easier to maintain than other tanks though, the filter thing is a bit fiddly and is in the middle at the bottom so not th easiest to get to.
i've not looked closely so the biube may be different.

you certainly have a very stylish looking little tank - good luck.

 

[jamespond]

i am sure everyone will say dont cycle with fish
i started with a biorb which i though was great, small - which suited me at the time, stylish looking - admittedly there are other good looking small tanks around now but 3 or 4 years ago there werent.
are you going tropical or coldwater?
my only advice would be to remove the filter housing (assuming its the same as te biorb, is the air tube in the tank with the filter disk attached) regularly and syphon up all the crap under it.
if you have the little ceramic rock be careful moving them about as they can scratch he tube, but try to syphon crap from under them too.
also be prepared to change your air stone often.
i wouldnt say they are any easier to maintain than other tanks though, the filter thing is a bit fiddly and is in the middle at the bottom so not th easiest to get to.
i've not looked closely so the biube may be different.

you certainly have a very stylish looking little tank - good luck.

i'm going tropical with the iLight and will probably upgrade to the iHeat system when it comes out in the new year. I did shop around, but the biube was the one i really liked the look of. As i've said, i really don't want a lot of fish (6-8 small ones will be fine) and am not too keen on having something that will take up a lot of room.

 

[DarkEntity]

If there is no heat in the tank then you simply cannot go tropical.

 

[knobby]

Good luck with your Biorb,
Had mine since 14 sept .. followed instructions in packaging (added the sachets, left for two days to be sure)

Added 2 gold barbs at 2 days, left for a month, then added 2 Zebra danios and a CAE ! changed filter at 6 weeks with 1/3rd water change ... all ok so far.
water looks sparkly clean so far, filter looks grubby tho, must be due a change soon again

PS DON'T over feed in the early days

Good luck again
Gaz

 

[jamespond]

If there is no heat in the tank then you simply cannot go tropical.

i
It does come with a heater...but there's a new type coming out in March. Its called iHeat and its basically it looks like a rock, but it heats the tank!

 

[OohFeeshy]

The best tip for Biubes is to pretend there are no other products by Reef-One. Seriously. All their products are overpriced and impractical. It is much easier and better on the wallet to buy seperate items- heaters and lights, for example. While this 'iHeat' might sound like a good idea, it's unlikely to work very well, will be very expensive plus you'll have an ugly wire running from the rock (at the bottom of the tank) to the top of the tank. Plus, don't cycle with fish. The only fish small enough to warrant 6 or so in a Biube are schooling, so not only is it unnessecary cruelty to cycle with them (they're fairly fragile fish) but having just two or so is also not good.

 

[juhill]

Hi

I have a biube. You'll get lots of comments on here about how awful they are but if you like the look of it and are prepared to stock carefully, then don't worry too much. I wanted a small tank that would look cool in my bedroom. It does and the fish are happy and well cared for.

I wouldn't have got into tropical fish if I hadn't seen the biube and loved the look of it. I am now planning a bigger tank (more tff acceptable ) for my lounge and I'm waiting for the free cube from the pfk website that will go in my kitchen. This fish thing has got me now, but the biube started it!

Please do a fishless cycle, it's much kinder to the fish. Mine took around 2 months but that's because I had a very low ph which caused the cycle to stall.

I have harlequin rasborahs and otocinclus who are all very happy and healthy and have been for a couple of months now.

My biube is very well planted. You have to be careful to choose easy to keep plants as the substrate isn't the easiest to plant in. I keep my lights on for quite a while but the otos eat up all the algae and it doesn't seem to be a problem.

I feed sparingly as it's a small tank and it's important to watch your water parameters as a smaller tank is less forgiving.

Don't go buying the filter replacements every month. Just swish your sponge in old tank water and put it back. I upgraded my pump to a tetratec one as it is quieter and I bought the cold water set up and bought my own heater anyway as it worked out cheaper (and I now have a spare pump just in case). I also bought and fitted a one way valve as I wanted to put the pump below the tank height.

Lots of friends have seen my tank and all admire it (trust me, my friends would let me know if they thought it was pants ) and a couple of them are now considering getting one themselves.

Don't get me wrong, it's not the easiest tank to maintain (bear in mind this is the only tank I've had, but I can imagine) tank maintenance isn't simple as it's quite deep but the gravel vac reaches to the bottom and if I want to move the substrate to get all the crud up, I just do a bigger water change so there's less water in the way. I also have to put a towel around the bottom of it as I tend to splash water everywhere but hey, you want to see me wash up!

Anyway, I just wanted to reassure you that whilst the biube isn't the most popular or easiest tank to maintain, it can be done. Just choose small fish, make sure you check what requirements they have, shoals, temp, etc and test regularly and do weekly water changes. And fishless cycle. Oh, and listen to the advice the guys on the forum give. I wouldn't have got through the fishless cycle in one piece without them!

I'm just a beginner but I hope this helps.