I have been doing some research with a fish centre which stock a number of different aquariums and livestock. I say livestock, simply because this centre is only one of a few that are licenced to sell some rare terrapins.(over £400.00 each!)
It also houses a large range of aquatica "stuff". So I asked the manager if I could "test drive" the BiOrb and BiUbe and find out the pros and cons.
There was no problem.
The two aquariums are designed for the beginner, or so the blurb leads you to believe. It comes complete with its own media and filter and lamp and if you go for the tropical version it's own special heater mount and 50W heater.
Sounds good so far. The two units are similar except for the shape. BiOrb as the name suggests is ORB shaped(round to you and me) and the BiUbe is TUBE shaped. It is lightweight.
Now to breakdown the individual components.
It is neither my intention to condone nor condemn these units. I will simply give you my own personal point of view and you, the reader must decide if if want to use them.
So once the unit is unboxed and all the parts are exposed, you simply put them together. The light which is a sealed 10W halogen unit, the air pump-a small sealed unit and the orb/ube and heater, the media, uplift tube and chemical/mechanical pack. It comes with clear easy to follow instructions.
The very first thing you notice about these units are that they are very light. The reason is because it is made of acrylic. This is the danger, the surface scratches quite easily and once filled with water you run the risk of the unit cracking/splitting if moved. The supplied media is of man made construction and is designed to look like small rocks. It has been designed to be the biological filtration, to house the beneficial bacteria, and therefore has a large surface area in a small area. Each piece of media is quite sharp, hence when you place the media in the units or taking them out, it must be done by hand and not tipped or scooped. The surface of the units would be badly scratched.
The chemical and mechanical part of the filtration is covered by a "service kit" that you buy every 4-6 weeks. Works out quite expensive. Inside this kit is about a tablespoonful of zeolite and a tablespoonful of carbon and a course sponge pad. Included also with the kit is a sachet of stress coat and stress zyme. (teaspoonful of each) but nicely packaged.
The idea of the filtration process is by uplift bubbles, like an undergravel system. In this instance, water is drawn through the media(stone lookalike) into the chemical/mechanical unit(service pack) and by means of air bubbles through an uplift tube the water is returned back into the unit. The blurb tells you that the biological part of the filtration(stones/media) is not cleaned and therefore the bacterial colonies don't get washed away.
What the instructions don't say is to clean and disinfect out all the equipment supplied before assembly otherwise you will introduce some nasties into the water.
It tells you after 24 hours you can introduce your first fish!
Personally in my opinion this is not a unit that I would introduce to a beginner.
Whilst it might look, "cool" or "high-tech" in an executive office or a minimilist's house, it is nothing more than a glorified fish bowl.
I thought that we have moved on from those days, and we would treat our tankmates with a little more respect.
The units are designed for the purpose of keeping fish but at what cost, both to the keeper and to the fish themselves.
If you are going to spend that amount of money for either an orb/ube, i would suggest that you go for a traditional glass aquarium. They come in many shapes(not orb or tube shaped) but many other shapes and designs and are more robust for the first time fishkeeper.
If you have any questions I'll be happy to try and answer them for you. OR if you are an ORB/UBE owner you may want to let us know your experiences with these units and let us know if you feel that its suitable for a beginner.
It also houses a large range of aquatica "stuff". So I asked the manager if I could "test drive" the BiOrb and BiUbe and find out the pros and cons.
There was no problem.
The two aquariums are designed for the beginner, or so the blurb leads you to believe. It comes complete with its own media and filter and lamp and if you go for the tropical version it's own special heater mount and 50W heater.
Sounds good so far. The two units are similar except for the shape. BiOrb as the name suggests is ORB shaped(round to you and me) and the BiUbe is TUBE shaped. It is lightweight.
Now to breakdown the individual components.
It is neither my intention to condone nor condemn these units. I will simply give you my own personal point of view and you, the reader must decide if if want to use them.
So once the unit is unboxed and all the parts are exposed, you simply put them together. The light which is a sealed 10W halogen unit, the air pump-a small sealed unit and the orb/ube and heater, the media, uplift tube and chemical/mechanical pack. It comes with clear easy to follow instructions.
The very first thing you notice about these units are that they are very light. The reason is because it is made of acrylic. This is the danger, the surface scratches quite easily and once filled with water you run the risk of the unit cracking/splitting if moved. The supplied media is of man made construction and is designed to look like small rocks. It has been designed to be the biological filtration, to house the beneficial bacteria, and therefore has a large surface area in a small area. Each piece of media is quite sharp, hence when you place the media in the units or taking them out, it must be done by hand and not tipped or scooped. The surface of the units would be badly scratched.
The chemical and mechanical part of the filtration is covered by a "service kit" that you buy every 4-6 weeks. Works out quite expensive. Inside this kit is about a tablespoonful of zeolite and a tablespoonful of carbon and a course sponge pad. Included also with the kit is a sachet of stress coat and stress zyme. (teaspoonful of each) but nicely packaged.
The idea of the filtration process is by uplift bubbles, like an undergravel system. In this instance, water is drawn through the media(stone lookalike) into the chemical/mechanical unit(service pack) and by means of air bubbles through an uplift tube the water is returned back into the unit. The blurb tells you that the biological part of the filtration(stones/media) is not cleaned and therefore the bacterial colonies don't get washed away.
What the instructions don't say is to clean and disinfect out all the equipment supplied before assembly otherwise you will introduce some nasties into the water.
It tells you after 24 hours you can introduce your first fish!
Personally in my opinion this is not a unit that I would introduce to a beginner.
Whilst it might look, "cool" or "high-tech" in an executive office or a minimilist's house, it is nothing more than a glorified fish bowl.
I thought that we have moved on from those days, and we would treat our tankmates with a little more respect.
The units are designed for the purpose of keeping fish but at what cost, both to the keeper and to the fish themselves.
If you are going to spend that amount of money for either an orb/ube, i would suggest that you go for a traditional glass aquarium. They come in many shapes(not orb or tube shaped) but many other shapes and designs and are more robust for the first time fishkeeper.
If you have any questions I'll be happy to try and answer them for you. OR if you are an ORB/UBE owner you may want to let us know your experiences with these units and let us know if you feel that its suitable for a beginner.
