Review on BiOrb 45944 0 Tube Black Aquariums by Tamara Simms

When I first set up my 4 gallon biOrb tube I really liked it. It was so nice. It seemed like the perfect home for my older rooster (he's blind in one eye and endlers are constantly stealing his food so he needs a separate tank). approx. 6 weeks I HATE THIS AQUARIUM Reasons why I hated this biOrb aquarium: HOW! Lots and lots of WHAT! Non-removable gravel, non-removable, non-cleanable AS. The gravel filter collects poop and anything else on the bottom of the biOrb where they linger under rocks. You can see it from the bottom of the acrylic walls, so I have to look at the poop every time I look in the aquarium. Due to the large, uneven, coarse chunks of media, it is impossible to go down and pump out the trapped feces. And because of the biOrb's design, the instructions say you shouldn't use regular gravel because in that case the filter mechanism won't work, leaving you stuck with large, bulky gravel that won't let your gravel cleaner suck you in. The droppings turn into a brown layer of sludge that is found on the bottom edge of the aquarium walls. I want to look at my beautiful fish and not at her droppings. I'm going to get rid of that 4 gallon food collector and go back to a regular tank where I can use regular gravel and suck up the food. The small air pump that came with the biOrb started rattling after about 2 weeks so I had to replace it with a quieter air pump. Curved acrylic walls distort the view of what is in the carnival-mirror-like aquarium. If, like me, you love aquascaping in your aquariums, the distortion makes it very difficult to trim the plants. I'm switching back to a straight-sided glass tank to enjoy my aquatic plants again. The flow from the central bubble tube pushes the floating food against the walls of the biOrb where my cock can't eat it. Any feed that sinks gets pulled into/under the rocks where my fish can't reach, also preventing my fish from sinking down and eating their feed from below. Leftover food is caught by the filter mechanism and decomposes between the pebbles, increasing the nitrate level in the aquarium and requiring more frequent water changes. This biOrb tube is great for decorating a space for those who love artificial plants and don't plan on keeping livestock in them. When you install it for the first time and it is new and clean, it is a wonderful aquarium. But as a real home for live fish, this is NOT the best choice.