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Product FeaturesSize: 16-Gallons | Color: Black
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Product Details
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Product Description
Size: 16-Gallons | Color: Black
The Mega biOrb™ combines the looks of a traditional fish bowl with the performance of a 'hi-tech' aquarium. The 16-gallon fish bowl incorporates a clever and easy to change filtration system that has been designed to provide maximum benefits and fish keeper. biOrb's stylish, globe-shaped design will prove an eye-catching feature in any location. Together with its low maintenance and strong, safe construction will appeal to all age groups in both private and business sectors.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
50 of 50 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Silver|Size Name:8-Gallons
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.
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.
47 of 47 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Black| Size Name:4-Gallons|Amazon Verified Purchase
EDIT: this tank is NOT appropriate for bettas, the filter is too strong.
the tank was really simple to set up, if you follow the instructions there should be no issues
There are several things that you need to know about this tank.
This tank can hold either one beta, or 4-6 (really) small fish
the upkeep of this tank if done the way suggested is EXTREMELY expensive. It runs around 145$ a year.
However you can bring it down to less than 50$ if you follow these guidelines:
(I've added links to the products I mention on amazon, but if you want to save money buy them at the pet store)
a) DO NOT BUY MORE THAN ONE EXTRA FILTER AT A TIME. The filter for the biorb is pretty simple, it is a plastic canister filled with a blend of activated carbon and zeolite cristals topped with a foam ring. Instead of buying a new filter, the old one can easily be reused by washing out or replacing the foam insert and replacing the crystals with a generic blend from petco (the 10$ bottle should last at least year)PETCO Activated Carbon and Zeolite Crystals
b) replacement cartriges come with two different packages of chemicals, one is to make tap water safe for fish, and the other is to cultivate the bacteria needed to keep your tank clean.The first can be replaced by a bottle of tetra aqua safe plus (you can buy this for around $8)Tetra 8-4/9-Ounce AquaSafe Water Conditioner with BioExtract. The company that makes the biorb buys alot of their supplies from a company called API. you can buy a bottle of the bacteria booster at petco for around 10 - 15$ (it's called stress zymeAquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Zyme 16oz)
c) if your bulb and the replacemment both die, the halogen bulbs are generic and can easily be purchased from third party vendors
THE GOOD
1) this tank is great for beginners
2) It looks AWESOME
3) fast setup
4) It looks AWESOME
5) easy to clean
6) the 5 step filtration system keeps water clear for several weeks
THE BAD
1) the tank does not come with enough ceramic media (the stuff at the bottom of the tank) You need to buy more. it also doesn't include any plants
2) older models of this tank came with a noisy air filter, this filter has been replaced with a much quieter one in newer models.
3) the bubbles from the air filter cause water to splash all over the top of the tank, this forms water droplets all around the tank above the water, this looks really unappealing and short of removing the air filter, I have not yet found a way to solve this issue.
4) the curved bowl acts as a magnifying glass, enlarging everything in your tank. it also creates blind spots.
5) If you leave the tank in direct sunlight the shape of the tank could act as a magnifying glass and set your desk on fire. =)
6) some people claim that fish get sucked into the filter, as there is no suction in this tank period, I believe their fish swam in. There is an optional air filter guard to prevent this from happening
the tank was really simple to set up, if you follow the instructions there should be no issues
There are several things that you need to know about this tank.
This tank can hold either one beta, or 4-6 (really) small fish
the upkeep of this tank if done the way suggested is EXTREMELY expensive. It runs around 145$ a year.
However you can bring it down to less than 50$ if you follow these guidelines:
(I've added links to the products I mention on amazon, but if you want to save money buy them at the pet store)
a) DO NOT BUY MORE THAN ONE EXTRA FILTER AT A TIME. The filter for the biorb is pretty simple, it is a plastic canister filled with a blend of activated carbon and zeolite cristals topped with a foam ring. Instead of buying a new filter, the old one can easily be reused by washing out or replacing the foam insert and replacing the crystals with a generic blend from petco (the 10$ bottle should last at least year)PETCO Activated Carbon and Zeolite Crystals
b) replacement cartriges come with two different packages of chemicals, one is to make tap water safe for fish, and the other is to cultivate the bacteria needed to keep your tank clean.The first can be replaced by a bottle of tetra aqua safe plus (you can buy this for around $8)Tetra 8-4/9-Ounce AquaSafe Water Conditioner with BioExtract. The company that makes the biorb buys alot of their supplies from a company called API. you can buy a bottle of the bacteria booster at petco for around 10 - 15$ (it's called stress zymeAquarium Pharmaceuticals Stress Zyme 16oz)
c) if your bulb and the replacemment both die, the halogen bulbs are generic and can easily be purchased from third party vendors
THE GOOD
1) this tank is great for beginners
2) It looks AWESOME
3) fast setup
4) It looks AWESOME
5) easy to clean
6) the 5 step filtration system keeps water clear for several weeks
THE BAD
1) the tank does not come with enough ceramic media (the stuff at the bottom of the tank) You need to buy more. it also doesn't include any plants
2) older models of this tank came with a noisy air filter, this filter has been replaced with a much quieter one in newer models.
3) the bubbles from the air filter cause water to splash all over the top of the tank, this forms water droplets all around the tank above the water, this looks really unappealing and short of removing the air filter, I have not yet found a way to solve this issue.
4) the curved bowl acts as a magnifying glass, enlarging everything in your tank. it also creates blind spots.
5) If you leave the tank in direct sunlight the shape of the tank could act as a magnifying glass and set your desk on fire. =)
6) some people claim that fish get sucked into the filter, as there is no suction in this tank period, I believe their fish swam in. There is an optional air filter guard to prevent this from happening
39 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Color Name:Black|Size Name:4-Gallons
Have to disagree with the other reviewer here ... I purchased a Baby biOrb recently for my new Betta, after having my first betta living in an airless bowl for a couple years. I simply got tired of cleaning a stinky bowl every week. As a result, I went shoppin for a new tank with a bubbler and filter system and found the Baby biOrb.
While I agree that the maintence costs are significant at $132/ year (if you need to change a filter every 4 weeks), the costs balance with ease of maintenance. Personally, my experience with cleaning the Baby biOrb was a snap with the optional suction hose. Took me fifteen minutes to clean the tank, drain the grimey water and add new water. Couldn't have been much easier. And, I am not sure how anyone could have a problem swapping filter cartriges unless they have motor skills issues.
I also built a noise dampening box for the air pump - my only real complaint is that the "whisper quiet" pump sounds like a mini jackhammer after about five minutes.
Great product and looks awesome.
While I agree that the maintence costs are significant at $132/ year (if you need to change a filter every 4 weeks), the costs balance with ease of maintenance. Personally, my experience with cleaning the Baby biOrb was a snap with the optional suction hose. Took me fifteen minutes to clean the tank, drain the grimey water and add new water. Couldn't have been much easier. And, I am not sure how anyone could have a problem swapping filter cartriges unless they have motor skills issues.
I also built a noise dampening box for the air pump - my only real complaint is that the "whisper quiet" pump sounds like a mini jackhammer after about five minutes.
Great product and looks awesome.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great aquarium for my office betta
I've had the baby biOrb in my office for about 3 months, with one betta in it. So far, so good! It looks great and it has been easy to maintain in an office environment. Read more
Published 5 months ago by ReaderAtl
Regret this purchase
I was wary to purchase this tank, as I read several reviews online stating its poor performance. I have kept fish for years and never had any problems. Read more
Published 5 months ago by handtd
Noisy filter, defective light.
We bought this tank as our first betta aquarium. We set it up properly and for the first couple weeks it worked perfectly fine, our only complaint was a mildly noisy filter. Read more
Published 5 months ago by J. Olsen
Great tank!
This is my second Biorb tank and it's just as fun as the first. I bought the baby Biorb back in March and just bought the 8 gallon version for my bedroom. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Tracker
Beautiful Tank!
This is a gorgeous tank that has such a cool vibe. My first Biorb tank that I got at Petco lasted a couple of years until my niece threw a music wand at it. Read more
Published 7 months ago by keets858
Kind of a pain.
I bought this aquarium about six years ago. While I agree that it's attractive, the maintenance is difficult and the filtration is inadequate. Read more
Published 8 months ago by cocobuttr
BiOrb Aquarium was LEAKING after I installed it...
At first, I was very happy to see how the aquarium looked BUT after I plugged the filter in, I noticed water was dripping from the bottom :(
I tried to repair it myself using... Read more
I tried to repair it myself using... Read more
Published 8 months ago by chbd
more pros than cons
We have had our 8 gallon Biorb for almost 3 years so I think I've had enough experience to write an honest review. Read more
Published 8 months ago by sneakysnake
Leaking 6 weeks in
We were initially disappointed at the view of the top of this tank which really detracts from the look of the tank, which was a big selling point for us. Read more
Published 10 months ago by K. Lewis
Works well for my halfmoon betta
I purchased this tank to upgrade my betta's tank; I have a combination of silk and real plants in the tank and my bettta stands out well and seems very comfortable in his new... Read more
Published 13 months ago by R. Moser
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Size: 16-Gallons | Color: Black
