biOrb Aquarium | Key tips | How to feed your fish

[@jenniferm7592]

Another fantastic video Mark. The new aquarium is stunning! More good information again. Thank you for the tip about how to “direct “ the food to make vacuuming it up easier- brilliant! Love these helpful videos.. please keep them coming! Your tanks always look so clean. I am dealing with some brown algae in my 2.5 month old biOrb 30L tank. I have a nitrite snail that is loving it… but he cannot keep up. Any suggestions?

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi Jennifer. Many thanks for watching and I'm glad you found the video helpful. Brown algae (diatoms) are common in new tanks and often appear in the early weeks and months after cycling. During the early stages the tank is still trying to mature and to balance itself. So, diatoms turn-up and take advantage of the situation. They do tend to reduce over time but it can be weeks to months before they become far less obvious or go away completely. They are often replaced by green algae which can out-compete diatoms at utilising nutrients. The main cause of all algae is waste and nitrates (in other words nutrients). Reducing water nitrate will certainly help to minimise diatoms as it reduces their food source. This is best achieved by making sure you feed your fish only just enough (don't over feed), regularly vacuum waste from under the ceramic media and undertake regular water changes. Water changes are probably the best means to reduce nutrients and ideally you should aim to keep nitrates less than about 20ppm. However, you will struggle if your tap water already has high nitrates (mine is about 22ppm to 28ppm!). Do weekly water changes of about 1/3rd of the tank (10L) or a bit more than this if your nitrates are getting high. In a 30, 15L should be the maximum water change to undertake in one go. Unlike green algae, diatoms thrive in dimmer light conditions...so brighter aquarium lighting helps. You may notice that they often tend to grow just under the ceramic media (often along the edge of the tank) that's because there is less light there! You could also get another one or two more nerite snails and let them help with the clean up. They will also help with green algae if that turns up (it probably will!) If all the above doesn't get the situation under control the alternative is to use an additive product. There are various products aimed as reducing algae etc such as this one: amzn.to/3amc5NH Add such products to the fresh water you are using for water changes and stick to the measures described on the label. I hope that all helps. Best wishes, Mark

[@jenniferm7592]

@@StepbyStep-biOrb Hi Mark - thank you so much for the information and thank you for walking me thru it. You are so very good at explaining things and making it understandable. I have been doing the 10L water changes weekly and have been testing using the API test kit. As. far as I can tell (sometime it is hard to read the color), but I believe I am between 5ppm and 10ppm of nitrates. I do think I am overfeeding the fish and not doing a good job of cleaning up and getting more of the waste removed each time I do the water changes. I will work on that. I do see the brown algae down along where the substrate is. I have been leaving the light on for 8 hours, going to bump that up to 10 hours to see how that does also. I think I will get another snail for sure - not only are the so very cute (I love the little antennas on them :), but they do a great job of cleaning up. Again, appreciate your advice and help.

[@SarahWalton-xo7sg]

@@jenniferm7592 Yes, his tanks always look so wonderfully clean!! It's an amazing youtube channel. I'm following the advice in these videos and so far things are looking really great and I have had no problems. Step by Step - can you please do a video specifically about nitrates as this seems to be a key problem for most of us mere mortals! Thanks S.

[@pattih7889]

Excellent video Mark!

[@beckyroberts9920]

love this visual demonstration. thanks for the great explanation and demo!

[@pamuppal4468]

Thank you for another great video, some very useful tips and new info.

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi Pam. Glad you found it useful. Hopefully there are some tips in this one that you can apply to your tank. Thanks for watching. Best wishes, Mark

[@PeanutTheBoySquirrel]

I love the information presented in this video! Very helpful. Your aquarium looks beautiful as well!

[@foltz-art]

Double food Double trouble foe sure. Great tip ! ✌🙏🐠🌊🥳🎶

[@foltz-art]

Have a Super fabulous weekend Mark ✌🍷🌞🙌🐠💨

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

I hope you have exactly the same my dear friend. Cheers to you and let's hope the sun shines :)

[@foltz-art]

🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞🌞✌🙏🍷🙌🐟💨

[@natureartswe]

Nice information and lovely aquarium there! Very helpful info, thank you for sharing 👌

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Many thanks for your comments and for watching. Much appreciated. Best wishes, Mark

[@davidyoules9568]

Hello Mark where did you get the ornamental centre tree root? Been looking but can't find.

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi David. That is the Moorwood Ornament Large (designed only for 60l + tanks) Item number: 46120. I believe biOrb have stopped producing them though - but you can still find it if you look around. Try Cascade Koi, but check if the ones they have are indeed this model. Occasionally they do come up on eBay. If you haven't got a 60L+ the one to get is this one: amzn.to/3cukAYx. This is designed for: CUBE (60 l), TUBE (30 l), LIFE, FLOW (30 l), CLASSIC (from 30 l) and HALO (from 30 l). Good luck! :-) Best, Mark

[@foltz-art]

I absolutely love this channel ❤ your so incredible Mark and you have helped me so much, Thank you for being such a blessing 🙌 my fish 🐟 love U as well and they are doing super groovy because of you! I couldn't have done it without you. Loveu brother your the Best! I hope you have a fabulous Mother's day your in my heart ❤ 🐠🐡🐟....🌊

[@donnabenvin7294]

Great video, 👍 Where did u get the Center piece you have in there and does it come in a smaller size

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi Donna. The centre ornament is called "Moorwood wood decoration". biOrb have stopped producing it for some reason. You can still get them online but it's availability (as a new stocked product) is rapidly reducing! As a "used" product it's value is probably going to rocket as there are so few still available! To be honest, I've always wanted this decoration and it the single/key reason why I went with the 60L Classic. I understand it fits certain tanks, over 45L, although the original was produced for the 60L and 105L Classic (orb shaped tanks). It certainly isn't designed for smaller biOrb tanks due to its large size (it is big!). biOrb still produce wood type decorations for a variety of tank sizes. Have a look in their online 2021 catalogue as I think most of the products it describes are still available. Best wishes, Mark

[@donnabenvin7294]

@@StepbyStep-biOrb thank you I will look for that, have a great day.

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Not a problem Donna. The most recent biOrb catalogue is this one: www.oase.com/_Resources/Persistent/2/a/0/d/2a0d0c730ffe1429d97cf9ff5c86012494e8c492/BI_Catalogue_B2B_2021-2022_EN_62244_V1_lowres.pdf

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Amazon have a biOrb store which stocks most things, with many items available on next day delivery. If you are struggling to get what you want for a biOrb use this shop: amzn.to/3I9e03F Have a great weekend, Mark x

[@donnabenvin7294]

@@StepbyStep-biOrb ok thanks again 🙂

[@jc30005]

If you plan to remove the ceramic media to clean in some of the tank water. Would you remove the fish from the tank or leave them? Is a vacuum a better option then removing it or would you still do both just less often with removing it fully to clean?

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi Jason. I think there are times when you may need to remove and quickly clean under the ceramic media and then put it back in. My suggestion is to leave fish in when you do this. I think this is less stressful for the fish than trying to catch them all and keeping them outside of the tank before putting them all back in again. But, a battery operated vac is an essential tool for owning a biOrb. With the correct vac you should be able to remove nearly all the material under the ceramic media without having to remove the media - so that is certainly the option I would go for. It's a no brainer! See my video on vacs as this describes the only vac that works with ceramic media. They are very low cost items and you can get them delivered next day from the likes of Amazon. Regular use of a vac (prior to water changes) only takes 10 mins and will keep you in total control of waste build up. You will find your water quality will quickly improve and nutrients such as nitrate will be held lower. The regular use of a vac almost eliminates the need to remove the ceramic media to undertake a deep cleanse. A vac is also good for removing tank water for water changes. Also, if you are getting a high waste build up of food and waste under the media, in a relatively short time (say over 2 months) then this probably implies that you are over feeding your fish. Hope that helps. Best, Mark

[@jc30005]

@@StepbyStep-biOrb thank you. That makes sense so I will get a vac ordered now. Also the tip of feeding one side of the tank will help a lot. I was just putting it into the middle.

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Not a problem Jason. Yes, get a vac. You will see what I mean when you start using it! Feeding to "your side" of the bubble tube will naturally mean more food waste falls down near to the front/face of the tank. It is an easier area to vac, compared to around the back of the tank. My tip on using crushed flake, and dip feeding will generally cause floating food to go down and then rise back up and increase the chance of fish finding it. Avoid sinking foods - a lot will reach the bottom before the fish reach it and it will get trapped in and below the ceramic media. When you get the vac you will need to do a thorough clean under the ceramic media. I suggest you take out anything from the tank (such or decor, ornaments, pebbles and plants) so that you can work across the whole of the bottom of the tank. Attach the waste collector (filter sock thing) and then push the narrow blue head of the vac down through the ceramic media so that you are cleaning material stuck at the very bottom of the tank. This should get rid of a lot (most) of the accumulated yuk. Beyond that, the regular use of a vac will keep waste in check for you. You should very quickly see better water quality (nitrates comes down) and water clarity as a result. Good luck with it. Anything else, just shout. Best, Mark

[@apdroidgeek1737]

Do you know the difference between bior halo series 5 and series 7?

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi. I didn't know there was/is a series 5 and 7 in the Halo. M

[@Walter3]

I just purchased a bio cube 30L ..thinking about going with 2 female betas. Wondering your thoughts on that. Love your videos.. thanks !!!

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Hi. Great to hear from you. Thanks for watching/ supporting the channel. Much appreciated. Yes, female Betta are a great choice for a 30. However, female Betta are better added as a group - say 5 fish, rather than 2. This is to avoid one individual becoming dominant (alpha) and picking on the other single fish (subordinate). With a larger group, aggression from a dominant fish would be spread amongst the group, rather than just being focused on one individual. A 30l would support this number of fish, but you may have to test the water quality before adding any additional fish species to make sure the water quality remains fairly good. You need to make sure your tap water quality is a suitable match (Betta from aquarium shops will be fine with pH: 6.0-7.5). The other key thing is that Betta are more suited to reasonably stable tank conditions (parameters) and are therefore best added to a tank that has already been fully cycled and is stable. They are not well suited to undertaking fish-in cycling. Whilst they will certainly survive cycling, this would likely impact on future health/lifespan. If I can help any further please do shout. Best wishes, Mark

[@Walter3]

Thanks for such a quick response!! Wow 5?! Would that be the minimum amount? Also I’m going to cycle the tank before adding new fish. I had a single beta in a 2.5 gallon tank that’s just passed… can I take the water from that tank and add to new 30L biorb to help speed up the tank cycling ?

[@StepbyStep-biOrb]

Not a problem :). You could try three but just be prepared that you might need to rush out to get another. Aggressive behaviour would be something you would need to keep an eye on initially. The alternative would be to go down the single Betta male route. Beneficial bacteria are not present in the water, they adhere and multiply on surfaces. So, adding the old tank's water wouldn't support the cycling or seeding of a new tank. However, materials/products from the existing tank certainly would help seed the tank (such as sponge filters, gravel/substrate/ media) and they could possibly reduce a typical fish-less cycle time by half. I would certainly add materials from the old tank but also, in addition, add a bacterial product to add a further boost (products such as these: amzn.to/3AMfhMm or amzn.to/3cOsZpR). I've also heard that Aquavitro Seed is extremely good but I haven't yet tried it for cycling. I'm sure they would all work fine! If you are doing a fish-less cycle, the best approach is to apply the correct doses of ammonia to provide the food source required to support bacterial growth.

[@Walter3]

Thanks again !!