Converting a 30L Biorb Life

[Miloubar]

Hi All,

Newbie to the forum here, go easy

Yes I made the same silly mistake a lot of people do and got myself a 30L Biorb. It's a Biorb Life though, so not quite as bad as the orb ones, or so I hear.

I have one Betta and 5 Nerite snails. In some respects all seems to be going well, Sashimi (Betta) is healthy and the snails are doing a grand job with the algae. The tank is a couple of months old now and I have no plans to add extra stock so I'm hopeful that Sashimi will have a long happy life in there.

I have a few of questions:

1. I have one of those smart heaters from Biorb and from what I can tell there's nothing smart about it, the tank stays a couple of degrees warmer than the room and is too low for my Betta. I want to switch it out for a suitable heater, any suggestions? I believe he needs around 27°c, it's currently sitting at 22°c, not ideal!

2. I want to take the awful substrate out as it's cutting up Sashimi's fins. I was thinking of removing the entire filtration system and replacing it with one that can stick to the side of the tank. Again any suggestions?

3. Finally, how do I successfully switch the substrate for sand without losing the bacteria colony? Should I do this before adding the sand to the tank? I'm thinking if I take some of the substrate out and put it in a bucket with the sand for a while before swapping the rest out for the newly cycled sand?

Thanks in advance for any answers and apologies for another eye rolling Biorb thread.

 

[Colin_T]

Hi and welcome to the forum

I'm not sure I should be offering help to someone who names their pet fish Sashimi

I am unfamiliar with the brand you have but if you can provide us with pictures and a description of the filter we will have more to go on.

Bettas are fine at temperatures between 20 & 30C. 22C is on the low end but he isn't going to die from being kept there. However, 24-26C would be betta for him.

I use Rena brand heaters but the smallest they do is 150 watt and that is a bit big for your tank. Most 100watt aquarium heaters will be fine. If you get a brand name (Rena, Eheim, Fluval, etc) they should last for years. Ask the local pet shop what brands they have and recommend and see how long the warranty is and whether you return the heater to the shop or have to deal with the supplier. If you have to deal with the supplier, find another brand.

 

[TallPaul]

Hi, having looked at the Biorb Life it looks like it would take a 50 watt heater without trouble. Generally you would use 1 watt per litre of water so 50 watts is more than enough, even a 25 watt would be fine.

Price wise though there is nothing between 25, 50 and 100 watts so it's not worth stressing over.

As for the biological media substrate, you could cover it will a similarly coloured sand or fine gravel, or go a completely different colour, it's up to you.

I have no experience with Biorb filter or pump. I just know that it is a tube in the centre of the tank.

If it can be completely removed then you could remove it, along with the substrate and fit a cartridge filter and pump on the inside. Something like the Fluval u1 would be fine as it is rated for 55l so it's good to have more filter capacity than you need.

Be aware that if you do choose to strip the substrate and everything then you will have to cycle the tank again. It might be wise to use some bottled bacteria such as Tetra Safe Start or equivalent and keep a check on water parameters.

 

[Essjay]

Biorb filters are basically undergravel filters which use the rocks as the biomedium, though they also have a cartridge which contains sponge in one half and a carbon/zeolite mixture in the other half. You can't cover the rocks with sand and still use the UG filter.
Changing to an internal filter is one option; use the sponge from the cartridge, cut up to make it fit. Fill in any gaps with the media that comes with the filter. Small filters often have nothing but carbon cartridges as the medium. If you can find a small filter that uses plain sponge that would be much better. If you are in the UK look at this filter from Maidenhead Aquatics https://www.fishkeeper.co.uk/product/aqua-range-aqua-internal-50-filter The media is a sponge with a cavity filled with carbon - throw away the carbon and stuff the sponge from the biorb's filter inside instead. The biorb sponge won't have enough bacteria immediately but water changes should keep the betta and nerites safe while the bacteria multiply. Tetra Safe Start may help as well. That Maidenhead Aquatics filter also has an adjustable flow - there is a flow rate adjuster as part of the mini spray bar which makes it suitable for bettas.