What To Put In My Baby Biorb

[MrsTeriyaki]

Ah my first post


We currently have a goldfish in a regular fish bowl, this is the extent of my fish experience!
My mum got us a Baby BiOrb for christmas which would probably be fine for little Sahara but after looking around I'd like to put a few tropical fish in it instead. I have read
around and come to see that people either love or hate the Baby BiOrb because it really is small and has poor water surface area - so, I'm really not looking to put many fish in it at all!

My thoughts so far are some Glofish and a Cherry Shrimp with some live plants.

What does everyone think? And how many Glofish would be ideal, is 4 too many?


Thank you folks, H

 

[Fishy friend2]

A baby Biorb is 4 gallons, right so you could possibly have one male Betta, as glofish are not suitable for your setup

 

[MrsTeriyaki]

A baby Biorb is 4 gallons, right so you could possibly have one male Betta, as glofish are not suitable for your setup

Is this because they require more space?

I'd like a few small bright fish rather than one larger one like a Betta.. any suggestions?
Would one shrimp be ok in a Baby BiOrb?


Thanks

 

[eaglesaquarium]

Glofish are actually zebra danios and are FAST swimmers. THey need space to get out and really move. A biorb doesn't really supply that. I understand your desire for small brightly colored fish, but to be honest, 4 gallons (especially in a biorb) just isn't big enough for that.


The single betta and some cherry shrimp would be your best option. The betta would be very colorful, and they have a great deal of personality.


If you were to upgrade to a regular 10 gallon tank, you could go with a small group of endlers or Trigonostigma espei. But unfortunately, the surface are of a biorb is even less than a standard 4 gallon tank, so going with a small group of fish just won't be possible. The betta can actually "breathe" air if necessary (and even if not necessary), plus they are not very active swimmers, so it would be the optimum fish for such a tank.

 

[StandbySetting]

Boraras brigittae would look awesome, their colouration is superb and they'd be fine in something like this in my opinion.

 

[MrsTeriyaki]

Boraras brigittae would look awesome, their colouration is superb and they'd be fine in something like this in my opinion.

These little guys look nice! How big do they grow? Would 4 be too many?

Thank you

 

[pablothebetta]

Goldfish actually need tanks many times the size of BiOrbs, and many times the level of filtration. Even "small" fancies need around 20-25 US gallons per fish and around an additional 10-15 US gallons for each extra fish as a rough guide. Commons and Comets really belong in ponds. If your goldie is in a bowl, I suggest that before you stock this tank, you get it rehomed pronto. If you're not able to accommodate such a tank, then I'd see if your LFS will take it in, many do

As for the BiOrb, I started out with that tank (aside from some goldies I had when I was a very small child) and I must give you some advice. Don't every feed sinking food - the waste becomes trapped in the media, causing ammonia and when you see it build up and decay, it really isn't a pretty sight.

As you can probably tell by now, they are also pretty tricky to stock unless you want shrimp. I kept a male betta in mine, but upgraded his home to a 7.4 gallon tank - he is so much happier. The ceramic media also tore his lovely fins into tatters. So basically, it's fine by me if you don't want a betta.

Shrimp would be fine - you could start with several in there, as they will breed. I'm not sure about snails, as they have high bioloads which may not be the best idea in that tank. A couple of bororas brigatte like standbysetting said might be ok so long as you keep the water quality good. Ensure you cycle your tank first before adding any inhabitants too, don't follow the instructions which barely mention it.

Live plants would be a nice idea, though I don't know how well they'd do with the ceramic media and undergravel filtrationthey.

 

[MrsTeriyaki]

Goldfish actually need tanks many times the size of BiOrbs, and many times the level of filtration. Even "small" fancies need around 20-25 US gallons per fish and around an additional 10-15 US gallons for each extra fish as a rough guide. Commons and Comets really belong in ponds. If your goldie is in a bowl, I suggest that before you stock this tank, you get it rehomed pronto. If you're not able to accommodate such a tank, then I'd see if your LFS will take it in, many do

As for the BiOrb, I started out with that tank (aside from some goldies I had when I was a very small child) and I must give you some advice. Don't every feed sinking food - the waste becomes trapped in the media, causing ammonia and when you see it build up and decay, it really isn't a pretty sight.

As you can probably tell by now, they are also very tricky to stock unless you want shrimp. I kept a male betta in mine, but upgraded his home to a 7.4 gallon tank - he is so much happier. The ceramic media also tore his lovely fins into tatters. So basically, it's fine by me if you don't want a betta.

Shrimp would be fine - you could start with several in there, as they will breed. I'm not sure about snails, as they have high bioloads which may not be the best idea in that tank. A couple of bororas brigatte like standbysetting said might be ok so long as you keep the water quality good. Ensure you cycle your tank first before adding any inhabitants too, don't follow the instructions (again, yet another mistake I made...).

I kept my last goldfish in this bowl (no filter) and he lived a good 9 years. Won't make that mistake again - it's pretty embarrassing the knowledge we have until we discover forums like this!

I do like the look of a Betta but a lot of people say that a Baby BiOrb is really not big enough for one so I might just get 3 Bororas Brigatte with one Cherry Shrimp? Does this sound ok?


Yes I will cycle the tank first and ignore the 24 hour instructions on the Biorb box. I'm still reading up on how to do this as it's kinda confusing!


Thank you everyone again

 

[Wills]

Sounds like you are on the right track now Dont just get three of the Bororas go for 5 or 6 and 5 or 6 Cherry Shrimp both species like to be in groups

Wills

 

[MrsTeriyaki]

Sounds like you are on the right track now Dont just get three of the Bororas go for 5 or 6 and 5 or 6 Cherry Shrimp both species like to be in groups

Wills

Ok, thank you for your advice.

I don't want to over crowd the tank though.. 5 Bororas and 2 Cherry Shrimp?


My next question is about the live plants:

I know nothing about them so I guess I just want something pretty to look at and good for my fish to hide in. Also something good for the shrimp to eat from (not directly)

Will I need a different light? As the Baby BiOrb only comes with a small halogen bulb..

 

[pablothebetta]

With any luck, java moss/java fern and possibly anubias may be alright under the lighting, though they need to grow on something rather than in the substrate. I don't know a whole lot about plants though, so I can't really advise much more on that though.

 

[StandbySetting]

You could comfortably get 10 in there, they really are tiny and produce very little ammonia, and you'll need powdered food if you want them to eat.

 

[onidrase]

With any luck, java moss/java fern and possibly anubias may be alright under the lighting, though they need to grow on something rather than in the substrate. I don't know a whole lot about plants though, so I can't really advise much more on that though.

Java ferns and anubias get pretty big, I dunno if either of them is a good idea you can also plant them in the substrate, as long as you leave the rhyizome exposed.

I honestly can't think of any live plants suitable for a baby bio orb. I think the substrate itself is actually where the beneficial bacteria is, I'd try to leave the ground as uncovered as possible to get proper water current flowing through it.

 

[StandbySetting]

I can think of loads:

Most Crypt species, smaller species of Anubias, Microsorum pteropus, most mosses etc, you could even use synthetic plants if you wished but I hate them as much as the next person but each to their own.

 

[pablothebetta]

With any luck, java moss/java fern and possibly anubias may be alright under the lighting, though they need to grow on something rather than in the substrate. I don't know a whole lot about plants though, so I can't really advise much more on that though.

Java ferns and anubias get pretty big, I dunno if either of them is a good idea you can also plant them in the substrate, as long as you leave the rhyizome exposed.

I honestly can't think of any live plants suitable for a baby bio orb. I think the substrate itself is actually where the beneficial bacteria is, I'd try to leave the ground as uncovered as possible to get proper water current flowing through it.

Good point about the java fern/anubias, I didn't think of that...
Anubias nana? From what I've heard it doesn't grow as large as some of the other species of anubias.