4 Gallon BiOrb tank for Betta and a friend?

[Tanterobin]

What are the thoughts here on BiOrbs? I want something compact for on my desk at work, but big enough for a male betta and a friend or two. is 4 gallons enough? What are the thoughts on BiOrbs in general, as far as cycling, etc.??

[LizzyP]

By a "friend or 2" what do you mean? I hope you don't plan on putting anymore fish in there...

Some will say you can cycle a 4 gallon, some say you can't cycle anything under 5. But here's a 5 gallon that's $10 cheaper. With this you *might* be able to get away with a snail or something, but you would have to be pretty diligent on water changes.

http://www.petsmart.com/product/inde...26amp%3B+Bowls

[babystarz]

Honestly, I don't think the Baby BiOrbs are the best habitat for my bettas. The bigger BiOrbs are great and I LOVE my BiUbe. But the 4 gal BiOrb has just as much of a bubble current as the larger ones so that can bother some bettas, especially smaller juveniles and females. Also, keeping a heater in the BiOrb is awkward, even with the heater holder they sell to keep it in the orb. It's just impossible to hide the heater and the cord coming out of it. I haven't even bothered to set up my second Baby BiOrb.

The BiUbe takes up the same amount of desk room as the Baby Biorb, but it has more than twice as much volume due to being a cylinder. So you could keep a fish and some shrimp and snails in there without pushing the bioload too far.

Or if you don't want to go that big, the Tetra Crescent Kit is my favorite tank, available in 3 gal and 5 gal versions: http://www.amazon.com/Tetra-Crescent...tetra+crescent
It includes a filter and a fantastic LED light in the kit, so it's a great deal.

[Tanterobin]

thanks, all - that's exactly the info i was looking for! No BiOrb for at work then...I willcheck out the other tank recomended. I want to do it right this time!