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biOrb Life Aquarium
UPDATE (1 Year): Just wanted to quickly update my experience with these tanks. It has been a year since I bought them and my fish are healthy and still no loses. I am still using the supplied air pumps with out any noise problems. If you are careful you shouldn't have to worry about scratching the acrylic, my tanks still look as good as the day I bought them. Only drawbacks are the small feeding holes and you can only get one hand/arm through the top of the tanks when setting up and cleaning, this can make it difficult when trying to reach the bottom of the 16 gallon tank because of how tall it is.I have had this this fish-tank (the 8gal Bio Life) for a few weeks now.
I added the ceramic media, and conditioned the water with Stress Coat and Stress Zyme, Installed the filter which was a breeze! and let it run without fish for over a week so the tank could settle.
I also made sure that the temperature was stable for the fish that I wanted to keep. I live in Jamaica, where it is mostly warm, but we have a air-conditioner in the living room where the tank is so it can get a bit cooler than normal.
All other water parameters were good, meaning Ammonia, PH, Nitrate, and Nitrite Levels were all good.
Now it was time to add the fish, Not to overload the tank, I am starting out with a group of 4 Neon Tetras (I will add 4 more in a month to make it a school). I know they are not the recommended starter fish for a New Tank, but I thought I would give it go seeing that all tested conditions were good.
I have to say I was a bit worried at first with all the information on the Net saying how hard Tetras were, and that you definitely need a heater etc. etc., I has been over a week, and I am glad to say that my fish seem very happy, and tank is doing fine! and without a heater. I even grew some brine shrimp to give them a treat, and they ate them readily!
I really love this tank it is not only beautiful to look at, it is so convenient in every way! Here are my Likes and Dislikes:
Likes:
Beautiful A Work of Art
Convenient Adequate Filter System So Far
Convenient Feeding Hole.
LED Lighting to mimic real light situations and saves energy.
It's Acrylic which is stronger than glass! Also, not many people realize, but Acrylic does not Conduct the Outside Temperature to the Water inside the tank very readily because Acrylic is a poor heat/cold conductor. So it keeps your water at a more stable temperature than a glass one. (see for yourself, place ice inside a glass, and place some in a plastic cup which one can you feel more cold on the outside? The Glass of course.
Comes Complete with almost everything that you will need to start (You will still need a Net, a fish tank water changer/cleaner, and more fish food and water conditioners, and replacement media)
Note: To save on buying replacement filters, buy just one more Replacement Bio-filter, and some Bulk Activated Carbon Pellets, and Some Diamond Blend or other Ammonia Removing Product. So when you need to change the filter you can, rinse the sponge filter in some of the tank water removed (not to kill the good bacteria), and replace the carbon and ammonia stones with what you bought, and you can vary the amount of each depending on your tank conditions.
Dislikes:
LED Light should have a 24HR Moonlight setting
Could have a diverter air valve inside so that you can connect other air stones, etc, without having to push an air line through the top.
Overall I really like this tank, and thinking of buying the 16gal.
I will followup this review, as I have the tank longer if anything out of the ordinary happens.After purchasing the biUbe 9 gallon aquarium for a bedroom (and loving it) here on amazon.com, we decided to get the biOrb Life 60 for our living room. I would say it's an in between tank (better than those little Sponge Bob tanks but not as good as a regular 20 or more gallon tank with optional filtration). The upright design makes it a perfect addition due to limited amount of space. We set it up as a small freshwater tropical tank for some Glofish. It fits nicely in the corner and is the first thing you notice when you walk into the room.
The tank comes with everything you need to set it up. If done correctly, it makes a beautiful aquarium for our small tropical fish. I like the upright design of the tank and the fact that it is flat (as opposed to the biUbe which is round and distorts my fish) so you can see the fish clearly.
Pros:
Nice upright design for those looking to save space and can't fit a long rectangular aquarium.
Comes with everything you need to get started. Directions are clear to follow.
The light is nice and bright just like the fluorescents you see in those nice big tanks.
Cons:
Overpriced. I brought mine on sale, and though I love the look of the tank, I think they are way overpriced.
The air pump that comes with the tank makes a buzzing noise and doesn't last long. I use mine as a spare and purchase a Rena 100.
It's acrylic which maybe stronger than glass, but scratches very easily, so be careful when maintaining.
There is a limited amount and types of fish you can keep in these.
So basically, if you have the room to fit a big tank in your house, than get a bigger cheaper one (the bigger the tank, the easier it is to maintain). But if you are like me and don't have a lot of space and would like to keep a small amount of fish in a designer aquarium, than the biOrb Life is right for you.
UPDATE: After having the tank for a couple of months I wanted to update my experience with this tank. The one complaint I have is the top of the tank. The opening is a bit small which makes it a little hard to do regular maintenance and leaves little room for any added filters and such (the little opening in the light fixture is just big enough to fit the cord from the heater). I added an internal filter for some extra filtration because I like to over filter my tanks, so my light fixture doesn't fit perfectly in the opening due to the extra cord coming out of the tank (no big deal though). Also, because of how deep the tank is, I find siphoning the bottom to be somewhat difficult. This is something I can deal with. Other than that, so far so good.
Read Best Reviews of biOrb Life Aquarium Here
PLEASE DO NOT BUY THIS TANK. Save yourself some grief. We lost so many of our beloved fish in this tank and we're experienced fish keepers.This review is for the 16 gallon tank but, I'm pretty sure it applies to the other sizes.
Pros:
Great looking tank. That's it.
Cons:
Inadequate filter system
Inadequate lighting system
No additional filters, lighting or feeders in the market that are made specifically for this type of tank
Very difficult to balance the tank due to all of the above
Our experience:
Plants wither and die.
Fish are unhappy and we lost a lot of fish due to difficulty in balancing tank.
We bought a standard tank and transferred the other fish and they are thriving in that tank. The standard tank has been low maintenance and the fish and plants are thriving.
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I bought the 12 gallon BioOrb Tank in Feb from Amazon. After 1 month, the fish tank exploded and the water, rocks, and fish ended up on my living room floor. I have pictures.Worst tank ever. Don't be fooled by the slick design, that is if you care about your floorboards and furniture.
San Francisco Bay Brand ASF88057 Flat Bloodworms for Freshwater Fish, 16-Ounce
San Francisco Bay Brine Shrimp Eggs 6g
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Very fast shipping but the product I received looked much different than the one pictured. You're only getting a small amount (which I knew) but the picture makes you think you're getting more than what you get.Read Best Reviews of San Francisco Bay Brine Shrimp Eggs 6g Here
Took a little longer than the package says but good hatch rate and my salt water fish loved them, especially my Mandarin!!What can I say. Got a bunch of eggs. Use them regularly and they hatch. I have to add salt to the water, but that's it. Works great.Perfecto Manufacturing APF34305 Glass Canopy Aquarium, 36 by 18-Inch
This glass canopy lid for the aquarium is ONE PIECE. It is hinged in the middle. This means, you don't have to worry about lifting the side to feed the fish and having the whole thing come up. It also opens to the front (as most aquarium lids should) instead of the middle (yes, I've seen this). It is heavy enough that there is no movement when you open the lid to drop food in or whatever you need to do inside the tank.
We topped it with Aqueon Coralife 05619 Aqualight T5 Freshwater Dual Lamp Fixture, 36-Inch which fits perfectly with this lid. We have absolutely no complaints about this lid. It is a good, solid lid that looks great on top, had a good plastic, raised handle. We highly recommend it!Might be an okay cover, but I wouldn't know since it arrived with pieces of glass falling out of the box. Not sure whose idea it was to ship a glass aquarium cover in a box without a "fragile" or "glass" label and with only a single piece of crinkled paper for padding, but this product is no good unless it arrives in one piece.
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JW Pet Company Anchor Bubbler 9-Inch Aquarium Accessory
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I was apprehensive about buying any bubbler stone at all, since the web is full of bad reviews for such items. This one worked like a charm. It stays at the bottom of the tank, and has bubbles across most of its width. It was very helpful that I bought an air pump with an adjustable output, as it allowed me to customize the amount of bubbles to my liking. I had not bought a check valve for the air line, and I'll have to buy one next. I was surprised to see that when I shut off the air pump, water moves up the air line by itself, which I would guess would be by capillary force.Read Best Reviews of JW Pet Company Anchor Bubbler 9-Inch Aquarium Accessory Here
15 PC DIY Cave Kit. All Natural Stone. Aquarium Aquascape DIY Kit, Aquarium Safe, All Natural Stone
Coralife 05496 Actinic Straight Pin Compact Fluorescent Lamp, 65-Watt
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product was broken when I got it had to return it so had to return it did not work sorryRead Best Reviews of Coralife 05496 Actinic Straight Pin Compact Fluorescent Lamp, 65-Watt Here
I got two bulbs overnighted and had no problem with broken bulbs. As with something this fragile, that is sometimes to be expected the way shipping companies throw things around. I installed this into my aquarium hood and it worked as expected, my plants and coral should be happy!Want Coralife 05496 Actinic Straight Pin Compact Fluorescent Lamp, 65-Watt Discount?
Marineland Magnum, 350 GPH
Now that I am in a good stable relationship, out comes the aquarium lusts again! I plan on getting the Magnum 350 here at Amazon soon. What makes the Magnum so special is that you can use it as a continuous filter media/activated charcoal filter in your large tank and it will sit there filtering the water for months with no upkeep. And when it is time to clean and replenish it's media, the operation is easy to do. AND, you can convert this filter into a diatomacious earth filter for those massive grungy tank cleaning jobs. This filter can remove all the crud from large tanks and still keep great water flow. Again, it is easy to clean out this unit after diatom use and re convert it into a everyday power filter.
Once you buy a Magnum, it will last a lifetime.I've had this filter for almost 20 years, but lost it in the last house move, so I'm buying another one. I like being able to see through the smoke plastic side to see if crud is building up. It uses magnets to spin the propeller, so there is no seal to leak when it is taken off the base. i make my own filter media by putting activated charcoal in a nylon stocking. Makes it cheap to run and lasts for months. Powerful and reliable.
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We got this filter for a turtle tank. Two red-eared-sliders. They make a big mess. It's a 40 gallon aquarium filled about half way. So this filter is way oversized. However, all the smaller mechanisms we used didn't do the job.This one seems to work fine. It keeps the water much cleaner than any others we have tried. A quick rinse of the filter cover every few days keeps it in top shape. It's fairly quiet too. That's important as it's in my daughter's bedroom.I keep an adult red-eared slider semi-aquatic turtle who is very very very messy... like most turtle owners I have struggled to keep the water clean over the years ( frequent water changesreplacing filter cartridges having been a must.) My previous filter was destroyed by the turtle and I started looking online for a replacement. I wanted a high performance filter. I bought this filter about a month ago and have been amazed since then. I keep the animal in a pre-formed pond liner in my kitchen with around 60 gallons of water. I have not so far have had to change the water ( just add some) and it is clear and free of odors. The carbon in the filter really does wonder at purifying and the blue sleeve catches the debris very well. I have replaced the sleeve twice and the carbon once in a month time. The bio wheels are I think a must for turtles as they oxygenate the water and create more movement. I had to modified the set-up a bit in order to instal it on the pond liner instead of an aquarium, which took a little time, but so far have had zero problems. I highly recommend this product to anybody who takes care of turtles. It is powerful, quiet and very well made. I've had a 75 gallon tank for about 30 years. This is only the 1st time I've had to replace the original Magnum I started with. I stared experiencing problems with the motor about 3 months ago, which I repaired, and then it stopped pumping as much water. I probably could have repaired that, as well, but felt it was probably time to get the latest and greatest. The main reason I stayed with Magnum, aside from my extreme satisfaction with my first one, is the ability to use generic charcoal/filtering materials. I took the opportunity to look at several other makes and all required the use of their own filters, pads, etc., all at high cost. Being able to use generic supplies keeps the long term costs down. Installation was a breeze. The reason for a 4 instead of a 5 rating is due to the slight difficulty of positioning the unit under the tank. Due to the quick release valves, the actual height needed is much higher than the actual height of the unit itself. I found that I had to "force" the hose to bend around the edge of the tank to go up the back. It seems to put a lot of stress everything and I'm concerned about the long term effect. Time will tell. In the meantime it works great, is quiet, and I am looking forward to another 30 years!
Finnex 150-Watt Hang-On Electronic Controller Aquarium Heater, Titanium Tube, 30 to 60-Gallon
I assumed the heater was the same except for the controller. Either this is not the case, I got a dud, or Finnex is just not building them like they used to.I'd give this unit '0' stars if I could!
I have wasted my money on two of these units. I thought it was a nice feature to have the temperature control on the outside of my tank. Nice idea but the unit only works correctly for a very short time, (2-3 months at best). I expected allot more for an aquarium heater as expensive as this one. When the first unit failed, I thought maybe I just had a "Lemon". Now that the second unit has failed as well, I know this is what you get with this product. I was lucky to not loose any fish because I monitor the temperature regularly. Good thing, or I would have cooked my fish. THIS HEATER IS JUNK! Don't waste your money. Don't expect any help from Finnex. All they do is give you the run-around! I will never buy a Finnex product again.This heater worked fine for the first month or so after I bought it. Then it started heating my tank to 90+ degrees when I had it set for 72. It has completely lost the ability to regulate its output. Do not buy this if you would like to keep your fish from bing cooked.
Java Fern "Large Mat" Live Aquarium Plant Microsorum pteropus
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I have 90 gallon discus aquarium and this plant looks perfect w all of my other plants! It's very full and a very nice size.It was in great health when I received it! I hope the seller gets more I want another one,very satisfied! ;)Read Best Reviews of Java Fern "Large Mat" Live Aquarium Plant Microsorum pteropus Here
These seem like they would have been amazing specimens, but they did not travel well from the West coast. When I received them, (in MA) they were covered in black spots apparently from heat damage sustained in transit. I will say that the seller was very, very cooperative & immediately issued me a full return. If you live closer to CA or are planning to order these in any other season except winter or summer, I would say go for it.-Ben
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The local fish shop was out (and would have cost more). Got a good size 4x3" or so densely planted mat, shipped USPS express. It's a good low light plant, and you can split the mat up so you can keep a bit in your quarantine tank too.
