Buy 10 Gallon Fish Tank

Review by Matt:

I first read about this thing in the NY Times and the article was generally glowing. Of course they only interviewed the owner of the company for the story. The thing that sold me in the article was that this was a super sleek design. The picture on the cover of the box certainly makes one think this as well. With just a little more effort this could have been an artful design - but the company skimped and it’s really just a plain aquarium with some accessories in the box. First as pictured here the fish would die within a few hours. You need a (not included) heater in order to keep the fish in this picture. The heater is a big ugly unit that attaches via suction cups to the back of the aquarium. The round shape only makes things worse - it tends to magnify the heater when looking at the thing from the front. They skimped - a better design would have been a built-in sleak heater along the bottom of the unit. With the addition of the heater there are now 3 power cables running behind the aquarium. These seem to be artfully Photoshoped out in the picture. 3 power cables does not equal elegant design. In an all in one unit like this why not have a single power cable into the head unit - that would have been sleak. The pump on this thing is loud, as we found out there are much quiter pumps than the one that ships in the box. Loud pump does not equal elegant design. Along with the three power cables dangling off the back, an air cable also needs to dangle out there. Again you don’t see this in the picture - a much better design would have been to build the airpump and air cable into the top peice of this unit.

I ended up returning it. I next went to the most reputable aquarium store in the area and had them build up an aquarium with the same specs as this one. It ended up being quiter, cheaper and in the end sleaker. I think that it is possible to make a more artfully designed aquarium, but the biUbe doesn’t come close.

Oh and the NYTimes gets 1 star for their article as well.

Review by R0cknR0bin:

I have always liked low maintenance aquariums having had an Eclipse 6 on my desk at work. I like the Biube so much I’m planning on purchasing the Larger 16 gallon Biorb for another room.

The set up was quick and easy (By the way, the light kit or other available accessories plug into the small airpump that came with it as it is also a transformer (only a problem when the airpump eventally dies like they all seem to do in time). Also the airpump is a little loud but really functions well. And the set-up saves a lot of cord clutter.

The only thing I’ve not been as thrilled with is the plastic-esque stand is not as nice as it appears in pictures and pretty expensive for what it is. In fact its almost too short for my liking and the design of 2 flat boards and a metal tube as the support is well… just plain cheesy. Also it would be nice to have some storage areas in the stand as there is no shelf or compartment or anything to hide the airpump or store extra filters, supplies and fish food. The tank is very cool, but I’m having a carpenter build a nicer looking stand to showcase my fish.

I’ve only had it set up for a week but I’ve already gotten tons of compliments on it and my fish are still swimming! My recommendation is buy the tank but skip the stand. The tank is really a conversation piece with it’s center column of bubbles!

Review by Sandra L. Zarembski:

I totally recommend this aquarium kit for anyone just starting out in the fish-keeping hobby. Vitually everything you’ll need comes in the box. However, when I bought my BiOrb a year ago, there was no heater included. If you want to keep tropical fish, you will likely need to purchase BiOrb’s heater kit if they haven’t yet decided to include a heater in the package. You can purchase a small heater at any good pet store, but it’s likely to be a bit of an eyesore in the BiOrb.

I keep 3 dwarf African frogs and one dwarf puffer in the BiOrb and there is ample room. Cleaning day is about every 8 weeks and is generally only a matter of changing a few gallons of water and taking out the old filter cartridge and putting a new one in. The tank is well-aerated and you never see fish gasping for air at the top. Plus, it’s a gorgeous tank.

My only complaint is that when I bought the BiOrb, I had no idea that they would soon come out with a 16-gallon version. I definitely would have gotten the larger tank, since with the smaller one, you have to severely limit the number of fish or aquatic creatures you keep in it. With the 16 gallon tank, you can have double the number of pets. Still, I’m very happy with my BiOrb.

Review by Pass-the-Salt:

I have owned a Baby Biorb (.99) for 10 months now, and I am VERY UNhappy with it. Irreconciliable personality conflicts among fishmates prompted me to purchase a second acrylic tank (10 gallons at only .99) within 2 months of purchasing the Biorb, so I am able to report on the comparative performance of the 2 rival tanks. The Biorb is superior to the other tank in ONLY 2 ways: 1) Its silver plastic accents are more attractive than the standard black plastic accents of the 10-gallon tank; and 2) The Biorb’s biological filtration system (the ceramic media foster bacterial growth and proliferation, unlike the plain gravel in my other tank) sped up the aquarium’s cycling process, whereby the Biorb had fully matured in exactly HALF the time required by the other tank. Now for the BAD news: The Biorb’s poorly engineered filter set-up necessitates lifting the soiled filter from the BOTTOM of the tank for replacement, at which time the disturbed filter releases appalling pollution into the tank. The replacement filter barely stands a chance of removing the residual pollution, let alone maintaining a healthy environment for the next “4 to 8 weeks.” As a result, I am finding myself replacing the filter an average of every 2 to 3 weeks, which - at .99 to .99 a pop - becomes ridiculously expensive, and the aquarium’s water is perpetually yellow and unattractive. The other tank, on the other hand, boasts a filter set-up on the SURFACE of the water. I simply lift out the soiled filter - only .99 a pop - and replace it. No harm done. While the makers of the Biorb claim that the 360-degree view it affords of the fish inside really places Biorb ahead of the competition, I find that my second all-clear hexagonal tank likewise boasts

a 360-degree view. If I had it to do over again, I would NOT invest in a Biorb. The long-term expense is prohibitive, and the performance is poor.

Review by S. Corum:

I would have given it 5 stars but my gerbils chewed the house up within a week or two and now after a couple of months they no longer have ramps. Currently, they’re working on chewing up the shelves.

So I’m off to buy one that’s entirely wire. Wish I had done that in the first place!

Review by Vera R. Boals:

Great idea, but the plastic in the ramps and platforms isn’t going to last much longer with my gerbils…they have chewed completely through one ramp and one platform. This would be a much better product if the ramps and platforms were made of a different (harder) material, or of wood. (The wood to give the gerbils something HEALTHY to chew on) Would be better if it came with an extra set of ramps and platforms until then.

Review by J. Price:

It is easy to use and rated up to a 5 gallon…I thought mine being a 6 gallon wouldn’t be a problem but this sissy thing bearly heats up at all.