Fluval Edge Or Birob?

[oliviajam]

Hi everyone, I am currently doing a survey about modern fish tank design and there are specific brands that I know of, the Fluval Edge and Birob. They seems to have some very nice design as well as intelligent features. Which one would you guys prefer? If you are an existing user or past users of these tanks, are there any problems that you have come across? How did you resolve it? Actually, I wonder whether there are any disadvantages on these tanks.. cheers..

1) Fluval Edge 23L

2) Biube 35L

3) BiOrb 15L, 30L, 60L

4) BiOrb Life 30L, 45L, 60L

Many Thanks,
Olivia
078 5632 1783

 

[danotto]

i had this dilemma when i bought mine i prefered the look of the biorb life but the people in my local fish store said the filtration in the fluval edge was a lot better , and im glad i got the fluval edge as i think theres more ways to decorate the tank over the biorbs.

 

[mattlee]

the fluval edge has very little surface area due to it being enclosed like a box. also there have been reports of fish being sucked into the filter which a few people have had to modify. cleaning the edge without buying the edge designed equipment can be very tricky too..... all of these tanks are very easy on the eye and look nice in a modern house put none are very practical and limit the fish that can be kepy due to the shape and size im affraid.

i was at lfs today and they had a fluval chi on offer at £59 which looked quite nice and had much more room than the edge and wasnt a strange bowl shape like the biorb.

 

[chilli-spice]

for the price that you pay for these tanks. there are better and bigger out there.
if im honest i wouldn't have either of them.

the fluval edge has hardly any surface area for fish like bettas to breathe from - despite all advertisements saying it is suitable for a betta. i wouldnt keep a betta in one of those, no chance.

the biorbs are ridiculously expensive and equally ridiculously small.
ok i guess for people with whom money isn't an issue, but there is no way i would spend that amount of money on a 30litre tank.
another problem i have with the biorb is that round tanks can disorient fish. so you need to be very clever with the planting to ensure that you don't have terrified fish that will die of stress before long

in honestly, if i was going to buy a small tank, then i'd spend £70 and get the one from argos......

but then, i am a cheapskate :


quite like the look of that fluval chi you're on about mattlee
http/www.seapets.co.uk/products/aquarium-supplies/aquariums/fluval/fluval-nano-aquariums/fluval-chi-aquariums/fluval-chi-aquarium-19-litre.html?ref=googlebase

 

[james_fish]

I have the Biorb Life you listed (60 litre one), got it on a freeby. Mixed emotions with it, odd shape really. But a good piece of furniture and has a good lighting unit. But, madly overpriced in shops

James.

 

[littleandy0410]

I've got an Edge, and I love it. Clean, sharp design, and looks bigger than it is due to being able to see in from up to 3 angles at a time. Small size and lack of surface does limit what you can keep in it though. I wouldn't keep any labyrinth fish in it.

I'm not a fan of the biorb or biube at all, but I quite like the biorb life 60. Pricey for what it is, and not keen on the lighting wire dangling down the back of the tank. Same story with that new Fluval Chi - lack of planning/attention to detail with the power cable.

So, in my biased opinion, Edge wins for me!

 

[Timmy_Bee]

i used to have a 60L BiOrb and it was... rubbish.
You cant really plant it well because there is very little surface area at the bottom. In the end, i just had a Volcano to cover up the central tube and some fake plants stuck into that.
Also, you cant have any medium sized fish because they need more space to swim in a straight line, so all you can have is some Neons etc

Also, the volcanic rock stuff is good for bacteria growth, but not too good for fish because they try to dig in it and cut their mouths...

There were 2 things i liked about my BiOrb - my plecos looked great when they would chase each other sticking to the glass (well, plastic) going round and round. And my cats couldn't get on top so they could try to go fishing!

In short, i ditched mine and got a 2nd hand bigger 'normal' tank which i much prefer and so do my fish!

Edit: anyone want to buy my BiOrb?

 

[the biffster]

i think you would be better with
one of these

http/www.onlineaquariumstore.com/acatalog/Aqua_One_Aquastyle_850_Aquarium.html

 

[Davo86]

i think you would be better with
one of these

http/www.onlineaquariumstore.com/acatalog/Aqua_One_Aquastyle_850_Aquarium.html

tbf if they're looking at 20-60L tanks they will not be interested in a 165L tank,

IMO the most suitable tank of this size and price range would be the Juwel Rekord 600

 

[the biffster]

i think you would be better with
one of these

http/www.onlineaquariumstore.com/acatalog/Aqua_One_Aquastyle_850_Aquarium.html

tbf if they're looking at 20-60L tanks they will not be interested in a 165L tank,

IMO the most suitable tank of this size and price range would be the Juwel Rekord 600

sorry didn't know they were just on about 20 to 60 ltr
tanks i would say one of the smallest ones i would pick
is the Bi Orb Life in 60ltrs but that would be at a push
there's plenty in the aqua one range to choose from

 

[chilli-spice]

is it just me, or, reading that first post back,
does it seem like the op isn't looking to buy a tank at all?
more like just get information for a company?
or am i just being too skeptical LOL

 

[curlyriff]

Looks like op just wants info. Maybe they will be desiging there own or something depending on feedback.

Now for the question asked. I have looked at the BiOrb and BiUbe and they didn't look that great. The filter was not good at all. The lighting is basic and generally doesn't reach the bottom of the taller tanks well. The quality was alright but not best. Also as people have mentioned you cannot get allot of fish for the actual tank size because of swimming area.

Now I have a Fluval Edge and in some ways don't want to compare to the Bi designs as they generally larger tanks in comparision apart from the one BiOrb availible. It all depends on what people want the tank for.

My little edge is in my computer room just for something to look at and give some life to the room more than anything else. I have some live plants and bogwood.

The issues I have are, maintance is a little difficult but easily overcome with the correct tools. All of which could be used for a bigger tank. I use the small gravel cleaner on my larger tank with no issues. The lights where not great but I have solved that with just adding some LED's that are brighter and my plants seem fine from that.

I don't see any issue with keeping a betta in this tank as I have a pure white male and he is more than happy and knows exactly where to go for some air should he need too.

I guess slightly smaller than I would have liked. Something around the 40ltr mark would have been nicer but was limited for space and wanted something that looked good too.

I think they are all overpiced for what they come with although the Edge filter I have found to be very good and more than adaquate for the tank it's in.

There is also the fluval EBI & Flora which are worth a mention. They are slightly large than the Edge at 30ltr (7.9G) and with one for planting and one for non plant give good options.

The Flora set comes with everything to get going with all the kit such as CO2 and Substrate which isn't a bad start and it looks good too IMO. They are easier to work with as well as they have a full sized tank surface area. I would also choose the Fluval range over the Bi range of tanks.

I think people worry too much about the surface area of the Edge tanks as in nature I am sure stuff like bettas cope with only small places to get oxygen from be it from plants or something else allowing little access otherwise. Plus if you really are worried about it you can drop the water around 5mm from the top. The tank still looks good and isn't noticed unless you look direvct at the water line.

Kind Regards,

Adam

 

[madguy]

Getting back to the question.

I had a Biorb 60ltr for nearly two years and loved it. had obout six fish at one time, added a heater and made it tropical, used the volcano decoration and added some plants and my fish seemed very happy.

Only got rid of it to get a larger tank. i wish i had kept the orb as a breeding tank or something but gave it to my girlfriends mate who has been using it for over a year and loves it..

Personaly i prefer the look of the Biord to the edge and think its more of a centre piece, but thats just my opinion.

Cheers

Madguy

 

[oliviajam]

is it just me, or, reading that first post back,
does it seem like the op isn't looking to buy a tank at all?
more like just get information for a company?
or am i just being too skeptical LOL

Yea, I am not really trying to decide which tank to purchase, but to get information from the existing fish keepers and users on how they react to these 'newly designed" products from the market, because I am doing a major design project for my degree that I'm thinking of re-designing a fish tank that suits customer's needs better. Thanks, Olivia

 

[zophie]

You should really get a Fluval Chi. For 100 bucks, you get way more, and it's very nice. What kind of fish do ya want to get?

Zophie