Newbie advice about bio-orb

[Chris]

Hi

Bought a bio-orb a few weeks ago, just got a couple of newbie ish questions!

i've flicked thro here (after i bought it) and found people dont like the
bio-orbs, why is that? whats the difference between that and say a 35liter
normal tank?

have had problems with the nitrate/rite levels going nuts, think thats
because i overfed the fish too early and put in too many fish, at the moment
i've got 2 clouds minnows and one 3"ish chubby goldfish, i do 1/3rd water
changes every week and things seem to be ok again, i check the levels every
week and they seem to be more stable now, do you guys think i put too many
fish in too soon and that 3 fish will be ok for it?

also bought some pond weed type stuff which looks good, but the big goldfish
likes to hide behind it away from the minnows, he comes out every now and
then got a good swim then hides again, guess thats all normal?

also if theres any other advice you can give it would be much appreciated!

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Bio orbs are crap. They do not provide enough surface area
for oxygenating the water. They are also too small and not a
good shape for goldfish to swim in.

Goldfish require at least 10 gallons of water, preferably in
a tank that has good water surface area and a filter.

[Gunther]

In article >,
says...
> Hi
>
> Bought a bio-orb a few weeks ago, just got a couple of newbie ish questions!
>
> i've flicked thro here (after i bought it) and found people dont like the
> bio-orbs, why is that? whats the difference between that and say a 35liter
> normal tank?

Most probably based their objections on the fact that you posted
to a goldfish newsgroup. 35L is considered a bit too small for
a single adult goldfish. Your current population sounds fine.

There's also a potential problem with surface area, as Geezer
has pointed out elsewhere: oxygen enters the water at the
surface. Rectangular tanks provide a better surface-to-volume
ratio. The Borb's aeration system, being a simple airstone (probably)
helps, but not nearly enough, at least for goldfish, which are
fairly massive compared to many aquarium fish, and thus require
more oxygen. Again, for your small population, with your
water change regimen, you're probably fine.

Enjoy your fish. :-)


Gunther

[Chris]

thanks for that, much more helpfull than the "bio-orbs are crap" posts which
i was half expecting and have got! , they may be crap in some peoples eyes
but that doesn't really help me much seeing as i've just bought it!

i had a feeling it might be a surface area problem, think i'll leave the
light off it during the day, guess that will let a little more air in, fish
seem to be happy so far, think i'll stick with the amount i've got

thanks Gunther

Chris



"Gunther" > wrote in message
t...
> In article >,
> says...
> > Hi
> >
> > Bought a bio-orb a few weeks ago, just got a couple of newbie ish
questions!
> >
> > i've flicked thro here (after i bought it) and found people dont like
the
> > bio-orbs, why is that? whats the difference between that and say a
35liter
> > normal tank?
>
> Most probably based their objections on the fact that you posted
> to a goldfish newsgroup. 35L is considered a bit too small for
> a single adult goldfish. Your current population sounds fine.
>
> There's also a potential problem with surface area, as Geezer
> has pointed out elsewhere: oxygen enters the water at the
> surface. Rectangular tanks provide a better surface-to-volume
> ratio. The Borb's aeration system, being a simple airstone (probably)
> helps, but not nearly enough, at least for goldfish, which are
> fairly massive compared to many aquarium fish, and thus require
> more oxygen. Again, for your small population, with your
> water change regimen, you're probably fine.
>
> Enjoy your fish. :-)
>
>
> Gunther
>
>
>

[Geezer From The Freezer]

Chris wrote:
>
> thanks for that, much more helpfull than the "bio-orbs are crap" posts which
> i was half expecting and have got! , they may be crap in some peoples eyes
> but that doesn't really help me much seeing as i've just bought it!

Isn't the point to help the fish? If you're fish is a goldfish
(that could potentially grow large in the correct conditions) then yes
Bio-orbs are crap. You're goldfish could probably live in it comfortably
for a for a few months, but the bio-orb is likely to stunt its growth
ad shorten it's life.

What sort of goldfish do you have by the way?