Biorb Life 45

Hi Buranda,

Welcome to the forum ... there are alot of people on here with a great amount of experience so you have come to the right place

I havn't any comments on the Biorb as I havn't had one before. A few things to think about ...

I bought a 55L aqua nano aquarium back in Oct 2012 and have already bought another 200L aquarium as I found the tropical fish I wanted to keep would outgrow and need a bigger tank than the 55L. So I would firstly say go for the biggest tank you can to begin with. A larger volume of water is more stable and would allow you a greater choice of fish to choose from. Secondly do not rush into it! I don't know if you have kept fish before but like keeping any pet do your research first I used the community creator on this website to plan which fish I wanted to keep and if they were compatable with eachother.

The main difference I see between my cold and tropical tanks is the cold water fish tend to produce more waste and require more frequent cleaning.

Daniel.

The problem with cold water fish is that there aren't any that would fit in a 45 litre tank. The only true cold water fish we can get in the UK are goldfish and even one needs a tank twice as big. For fancy goldfish, think of a rugby ball with fins - that is how big they grow. The problem is that sale of most cold water fish is banned as the fish can survive in our rivers and streams, and there is a risk they will take over from the native species.
You can keep temperate fish as long as you make sure the room never drops below 18^oC on the coldest winter night. If the room is likely to get colder than that, you would need a heater set to 18 deg.

The Biorb Life is a tall, short tank which will reduce your fish choice even more. It only has a footprint of 38 x 26cm (15 x 10 inches). Zebra danios are the first temperate fish that spring to mind, but they need a much longer tank because they are such active swimmers. The profile on here says the minimum length is 60cm but people who have them in bigger tanks say they can cross a 4 foot tank in less than a second. White cloud mountain minnows also do better in a bigger tank than the Biorb Life 45.

As you can see, I agree with the previous posters that the Biorb Life 45 is not a very practical tank. If you want cold water fish, go for a minumum of a 100 litre standard rectangular tank and get one fancy goldfish (not a common or a comet as they need pond sized tanks, but one of those with a double tail). Or a 100 -ish litre tank and a heater (unless you keep your house very warm in winter) and get zerba/leopard danios and white cloud mountain minnows (they come in grey and gold so you could have a shoal of mixed colours)



And of course the Biorb Life tanks are more exprensive than a standard rectangular tank the same volume. If you get a 'normal' tank, you'd get a bigger volume for your money.

Hello Folks,
I have just spoken to someone who says they have replaced the media in the biorb with stone and has had no problems.
Cleans the filter every 6 weeks and has not changed the carbon for 4 months.
Tank running perfect.
Any comments please.

Bas

Thanyou for your reply,what puzzles me is the person has put ordinary tank stones in and removed the media, the system working correctly.
Them leaving in the carbon without changing it for 4 months and only cleans the sponge every 6 weeks would fall in line with your reply.
This biorb situation gets more complicated, the only reason I looked at the Biorb is because of lack of room.

Hi Sue.
No not gravel just smooth white stones.

Bas

It would depend, ultimately, on the type of stone.  Some naturally occurring rock is porous. I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be as good as the ceramics that were probably in there in the first place, but it should still do the job.