Biorb
- Thread starter Ieesha99
- Start date
Biorbs are definitely not worth the money. They appeal to people because they're round and look more decorative to people, but they're not good for fish, and they cost way more than a usual rectangular tank does.
There's a reason the hobby has mainly stuck with rectangular glass boxes, and it's not just about ease of making them. It's because they work out the best for the fish we tend to keep.
The downsides to biorbs include that you need biorb products for them. So you'll need to spend even more than just the initial cost of the tank. They also scratch easily when being cleaned, spoiling your view of the fish. Also imagine it from the fishes' point of view. When they look out, everything they see will be distorted.
Live plants are also better for the long term health of the tank, and fish prefer them - it's much harder to grow live plants in a biorb, and sharp plastic plants can rip tails, especially not recommended for bettas, with their long, delicate trailing fins, or guppies with their large and easily damaged tails.
Bettas are solitary fish, some are more territiorial and aggressive than others, so some of the more laid back ones have been kept with other fish in the past... but guppies are probably the worst to live with a male betta, since those long tails can make the betta think it's another betta in his territory, and they're very capable of killing other fish. That's why they were bred and gambled on as fighting fish, after all.
They also need different water conditions, with betta being soft water fish, while guppies need hard water. If you look at your local water companies website and give us the number and measurement used for GH, KH and calcium, someone here will no doubt be able to say whether your water is soft, middling or hard - in the fishkeeping sense, so then you could choose fish that match the water you use!
You could probably keep a reasonable number of guppies in a 60L biorb without a betta. But I'd recommend getting a simple 60L usual tank with filter and heater from Gumtree or similar, and giving it a go with that first, rather than waste the money on a biorb that will really limit your options.
But, I admit I'm biased against biorbs. I hate those things for all the above reasons, and more! But we'd be happy to try to help you with your hobby plans, whether you decide to go ahead with a biorb or not.
There's a reason the hobby has mainly stuck with rectangular glass boxes, and it's not just about ease of making them. It's because they work out the best for the fish we tend to keep.
The downsides to biorbs include that you need biorb products for them. So you'll need to spend even more than just the initial cost of the tank. They also scratch easily when being cleaned, spoiling your view of the fish. Also imagine it from the fishes' point of view. When they look out, everything they see will be distorted.
Live plants are also better for the long term health of the tank, and fish prefer them - it's much harder to grow live plants in a biorb, and sharp plastic plants can rip tails, especially not recommended for bettas, with their long, delicate trailing fins, or guppies with their large and easily damaged tails.
Bettas are solitary fish, some are more territiorial and aggressive than others, so some of the more laid back ones have been kept with other fish in the past... but guppies are probably the worst to live with a male betta, since those long tails can make the betta think it's another betta in his territory, and they're very capable of killing other fish. That's why they were bred and gambled on as fighting fish, after all.
They also need different water conditions, with betta being soft water fish, while guppies need hard water. If you look at your local water companies website and give us the number and measurement used for GH, KH and calcium, someone here will no doubt be able to say whether your water is soft, middling or hard - in the fishkeeping sense, so then you could choose fish that match the water you use!
You could probably keep a reasonable number of guppies in a 60L biorb without a betta. But I'd recommend getting a simple 60L usual tank with filter and heater from Gumtree or similar, and giving it a go with that first, rather than waste the money on a biorb that will really limit your options.
But, I admit I'm biased against biorbs. I hate those things for all the above reasons, and more! But we'd be happy to try to help you with your hobby plans, whether you decide to go ahead with a biorb or not.
The first thing you will acknowledge gaining experience.
While they are compact, aesthetically very pleasant and "relatively easy to maintain".
Is that these kind of setups have a serious lack of environmental control and customization options.
In addition to their outrageous price. Maintaining acrylic scratch free is impossible. They rely imo, on subpar filtration system that make maintaining water quality challenging.
But if you are going for something lightly stocked and fishes that are not too delicate...
They are a blast to look at.
While Fluval are not that good looking...
Check out their Flex or Vista line. They have sound filtration system and good light. The Vistas comes with an Aquaclear filter that has earned their wings for decades already.
They are both made of glass and with good care will still look like new in 20 years.
While they are compact, aesthetically very pleasant and "relatively easy to maintain".
Is that these kind of setups have a serious lack of environmental control and customization options.
In addition to their outrageous price. Maintaining acrylic scratch free is impossible. They rely imo, on subpar filtration system that make maintaining water quality challenging.
But if you are going for something lightly stocked and fishes that are not too delicate...
They are a blast to look at.
While Fluval are not that good looking...
Check out their Flex or Vista line. They have sound filtration system and good light. The Vistas comes with an Aquaclear filter that has earned their wings for decades already.
They are both made of glass and with good care will still look like new in 20 years.
They are a blast to look at.
Gorgeous photo! Although it looks terrifyingly expensive to me!
Any idea what company made it? Likely bespoke, because it doesn't look like a Biorb product. That's a solid recommendation! Have seen some brilliant fluval flex tanks, they got really popular.
I had one and hated it. Difficult to clean and I killed fish in it. I finally gave it away with a warning about my troubles with it.
It's from their website... It's a Biorb classic 105.Gorgeous photo! Although it looks terrifyingly expensive to me!
Ah! I had no luck trying to find it, thank you! Okay, fair enough, when it's 105L, nicely decorated and in a beautifully staged photo, it looks great.
Ach, I gave some credit to Biorbs, ack! But even so, even the largest and most expensive one is going to limit your options a lot more, and I still think anyone, especially someone new to the hobby and would like long term success, would get more bang for their buck with a Fluval or pretty much any other brand tank.
I just see too many complete 15L and 60L second hand full kits being sold where they're super scratched, but not even that old, or people who spent a fortune on a smaller biorb, fish have all died, and they're here, having spent a small fortune on a tank, decor, equipment, accessories, fish and meds - but the tank just couldn't hold much besides a few guppies or something. So I have an almost pathological dislike for those tanks, haha.
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