OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Mystery moss is pearling like crazy. 
60L Biorb
- Thread starter TMaier
- Start date
The friendliest place on the web for anyone with an interest in aquariums or fish keeping!
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
The only tank that got no attention this weekend. A few ramshorn snails added.
Plants are growing well. It gets bright indirect sun late afternoon and pearls like crazy.
Plants are growing well. It gets bright indirect sun late afternoon and pearls like crazy.
Last edited:
Enchantress
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2017
- Messages
- 165
Bowls are not suitable for anything other than snails, shrimp or plants. I certainly hope you won't decide to put any fish in there. :/
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's not a bowl. Please google Biorb.
Enchantress
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2017
- Messages
- 165
I realise that they come equipped with everything, but still, the shape is not optimal due to 1) distorting external visual stimuli, and 2) forcing the fish to swim in circles, which may result in spine/muscular/labyrinth organ damage and/or disorientation. No matter how large and well equipped it is, it's still a sphere, and as such poses more of a risk to fish than a tank that has only right angles
nirbhao
Aquarium Advice Addict
Just curious-- what literature do you have on this topic? I had never heard of a sphere being problematic in and of itself.
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Wow I guess all these guys at the Monterey Bay Aquarium got it wrong. 
Caliban07
Aquarium Advice Addict
I love the fact this pearls without co2. Someone once told me plants not need 30ppm co2 and bright light actually lowers the carbon compensation point. He then went on to tell me his tank pearls in direct sunlight too. It went against everything I had learned but I knew it was true. Nice job.
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
The moss pearls are amazing. 
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
That's one nifty food processor!
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Bass-O-Matic. Lol
Brookster123
Aquarium Advice Addict
It's like the slap-chop for all your scaley little buddies!
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Oh man we are old.
Enchantress
Aquarium Advice Activist
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2017
- Messages
- 165
I don't have any specific literature that I could refer you to, other than perhaps several other fish keeping forums, but there is information about this here and there on the internet. Spheres are problematic not only for the reasons I mentioned, but also - and more importantly - due to the fact that the shape minimizes the surface-to-air ratio, making it very hard to maintain proper oxygenation of the water. Plants can only do so much, and at night they actually consume oxygen. Also, the spherical shape reduces the swimming space the fish have at their disposal. If you think about it it's much less practical than a standard tank.
nirbhao
Aquarium Advice Addict
@Enchantress, I did search, because I had never heard about spheres being problematic. I found the PetHelpful.com article you quoted, which I think everyone on this site would agree with.
This is a 15ish gallon tank that has a proprietary filtration system which aerates as it filters. The manufacturer makes tools especially designed for cleaning and otherwise maintaining an aquarium with its unique shape. You really should read up on Biorb. It's really neat stuff.
In terms of comfort for the critters, 90° angles (or 60°, if you're into that sort of thing) are far less natural than a curved wall. This is why many large public aquaria have cylindrical displays.
In terms of visual distortion, any time someone or some critter is looking through both water and air, their vision will be distorted through refraction. Fish have excellent eyesight, and yet looking outside of the water is not what their eyes are designed to do-- with the exception of archer fish. And *their* eyes aren't designed to look through glass or acrylic in addition!
It very much sounds like the conclusion that Biorbs are bad for fish is a thought experiment expanding on the PetHelpful.com article. It's okay to admit that you hadn't previously known about this particular type of aquarium. We all agree that bowls are bad, but the reasons do not extend to a large, properly heater, filtered, and aerated tank like a Biorb.
This is a 15ish gallon tank that has a proprietary filtration system which aerates as it filters. The manufacturer makes tools especially designed for cleaning and otherwise maintaining an aquarium with its unique shape. You really should read up on Biorb. It's really neat stuff.
In terms of comfort for the critters, 90° angles (or 60°, if you're into that sort of thing) are far less natural than a curved wall. This is why many large public aquaria have cylindrical displays.
In terms of visual distortion, any time someone or some critter is looking through both water and air, their vision will be distorted through refraction. Fish have excellent eyesight, and yet looking outside of the water is not what their eyes are designed to do-- with the exception of archer fish. And *their* eyes aren't designed to look through glass or acrylic in addition!
It very much sounds like the conclusion that Biorbs are bad for fish is a thought experiment expanding on the PetHelpful.com article. It's okay to admit that you hadn't previously known about this particular type of aquarium. We all agree that bowls are bad, but the reasons do not extend to a large, properly heater, filtered, and aerated tank like a Biorb.
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
I would like to mention that some species of fish do seem to want to use the roundness and constantly swim around the parameter. The Betta and CPDs have not exhibited that behavior. They wander slowly in the plants that are dense in the rear third of the tank that spill forward and open towards the front. But the Endlers used it as a race track doing hours of laps. To counter this I moved plants against the outer wall to break up the path. This encouraged them to slow down and swim in the open center of the tank.
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
PWC today and added the water from the Baby Orb. Topped it off with conditioned tap and spotted Endler fry. 
Had no idea they were in there. I thought all of the Endlers were male. The plants are all growing with the exception of the Eusteralis being on the fence.
Had no idea they were in there. I thought all of the Endlers were male. The plants are all growing with the exception of the Eusteralis being on the fence.
OP
OP
TMaier
Aquarium Advice Addict
Ok these fry are almost as big as the adult Endlers I had but I'm not sure they are Endlers? Opinions welcome. 
I got some plants about the time these showed up, could there have been eggs on there?
I got some plants about the time these showed up, could there have been eggs on there?
Last edited by a moderator:
nirbhao
Aquarium Advice Addict
They are pretty big. So strange.
Similar threads
