# Really need some help with this biorb



## XxTOTTYxX (Feb 6, 2008)

Hi guys I'm new to fish (have reptiles) so please be patient with me

I was bought a 60ltr biorb, I set it up with the push in filter, the rock media, a few pebbles, 2 live plants a couple plastic plants and a stone coral thing that goes around the tube...

I let it run for a couple of weeks like the instructions said after that I added 4 guppies, everything is fine a week later I added a couple more and so on

Now I have 4 guppies, 2 mollies, 2 angel fish, 2 shrimps, and a Siamese fighting fish....

All the fish got along great can't say as much for my plants that the fish ripped apart :lol2: well I now have a bully In my tank upon watching them I see the 2 blue guppies chasing each other about I have watched now for 2 hrs...one has a bit of tail missing...

I've now looked closer at my tank and food is stuck under the rocks at the bottom like the filter isn't getting it out...

The temp is 25 all the fish are swimming eating and pooping but my fighter fish seems to be staying at the bottom hiding... Unless I go to the tank he comes out then or at feeding time he comes out also..

I don't know what to do about the nipping fish if I remove the guppy and it's not h etc

I'm going to get the water tested tomorrow so will post that on but now I'm worried about the 2 guppies and also now I've seen all the food under the media I'm worried it will make my fish sick

Thanks for reading any advice would be greatly appreciated x


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## cjd12345 (Nov 2, 2011)

Guppies and Siamese fighters are generally regarded as incompatible, the flowing fins of the guppies can be a trigger for aggressive behaviour from the betta. 
How big are your angels? I don't keep them, but from what I read/hear as they grow larger they'll happily eat your guppies and mollies. 
Also, I don't keep guppies or mollies so this comment is based on other shoaling fish (I tend towards tetras)... The numbers of each species is low, so the guppies aren't shoaling naturally and there aren't enough fish in the shoal to share the aggression from the dominant individuals. 
Whoever gave you advice on the mix of species didn't do a particularly good job. 

When the tank was running in, did you cycle it with ammonia? If you just left it running without a source of ammonia the filter won't have matured. 

Are you doing water changes since adding the fish? Hopefully you are, and if you use a syphon you should be able to suck out bits of food. But if there is uneaten food collecting you're probably feeding too much. 

Hope this helps for now?


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## Fargle (Aug 8, 2013)

You'll have to move on the angels fairly soon, these will easily outgrow a 60l Biorb as well as pick on the flowing fins of both the fighter and the guppies.

If you want the fighter to come out you'll have to remove the aggressive fish in the tank and/or give him plenty of hiding places, ie lots of fine leaved plants. The lights in biorbs aren't really great for plants so I'd stick to fake ones.

The filter at the bottom isn't really for taking out food, there should never be food left over to get into the filter, it should all be going into the fish. Over feeding is the number one cause of problems in fish tanks so take your time. Add little bits at a time and make sure all of it goes into the fish. Always keep them on the hungry side and feed small amounts 2-3 time a day rather than a lot once. The filter is there to take the waste from the fish, both solid and dissolved.


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## XxTOTTYxX (Feb 6, 2008)

cjd12345 said:


> Guppies and Siamese fighters are generally regarded as incompatible, the flowing fins of the guppies can be a trigger for aggressive behaviour from the betta.
> How big are your angels? I don't keep them, but from what I read/hear as they grow larger they'll happily eat your guppies and mollies.
> Also, I don't keep guppies or mollies so this comment is based on other shoaling fish (I tend towards tetras)... The numbers of each species is low, so the guppies aren't shoaling naturally and there aren't enough fish in the shoal to share the aggression from the dominant individuals.
> Whoever gave you advice on the mix of species didn't do a particularly good job.
> ...


Hi my guppies and fighter are fine with each other no problem at all I'm just not totally sure now who is the biter.. Last night I watched the 2 guppies chase each other then tonight I saw one Molly chase the other :bash:


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## LawrenceJMitchell (Feb 8, 2013)

Guppys live in large groups in the wild and chase each other around .......usually harmlessly or when males are trying to mate females......two or three on their own is not really enough.......better in a bigger group.
Keeping with Siamese Fighter s is not recommended but I have done it without problems.....


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## JP turtle (May 1, 2013)

I'm sorry to say but your tanks overstocked. First of all the tank design of a biorb is not well suited for fish, the rounded shape means there is minimal surface area and swimming space. Secondly your stocking; now a pair of angel fish should have a minimum of 100l when small and when fully grown no less than 180l. guppies and mollies don't do well with aggressive fish like angels or siamese and Siamese and angels don't do well together. personally i would move your angel fish on no matter what, then either just keep the mollies and guppies in there or just keep the siamese in there by him self maybe with a few tetra or something but preferably on his own!
sorry to be a downer but I'm just thinking of the fish's welfare. if it was me i would probably change the stocking completely and maybe just have like 6 galaxy rasbora and some cherry shrimp..but each to their own.
Josh
p.s there shouldn't be any food left over. only feed a pinch or two a day as this will help with water quality and stop over feeding.


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## XxTOTTYxX (Feb 6, 2008)

JP turtle said:


> I'm sorry to say but your tanks overstocked. First of all the tank design of a biorb is not well suited for fish, the rounded shape means there is minimal surface area and swimming space. Secondly your stocking; now a pair of angel fish should have a minimum of 100l when small and when fully grown no less than 180l. guppies and mollies don't do well with aggressive fish like angels or siamese and Siamese and angels don't do well together. personally i would move your angel fish on no matter what, then either just keep the mollies and guppies in there or just keep the siamese in there by him self maybe with a few tetra or something but preferably on his own!
> sorry to be a downer but I'm just thinking of the fish's welfare. if it was me i would probably change the stocking completely and maybe just have like 6 galaxy rasbora and some cherry shrimp..but each to their own.
> Josh
> p.s there shouldn't be any food left over. only feed a pinch or two a day as this will help with water quality and stop over feeding.




Hi thanks for the advice the fighter does not have a problem with anything and i put the amount of fish in i was told i could tomorrow as ive been at work today i will be giving away all apart from the shrimp and fighter


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## JP turtle (May 1, 2013)

Okay that's great to hear. If I'm not mistaken biorbs Are quite expensive? Possibly if you sold it you could buy a regular rectangle tank for the same price but double the litres. This would open up a whole new world of stocking ideas! Look on eBay or second hand tanks there are lots available.

Josh

P.s I picked up a 200litre tank of eBay for £50 in mint condition :2thumb:


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## XxTOTTYxX (Feb 6, 2008)

JP turtle said:


> Okay that's great to hear. If I'm not mistaken biorbs Are quite expensive? Possibly if you sold it you could buy a regular rectangle tank for the same price but double the litres. This would open up a whole new world of stocking ideas! Look on eBay or second hand tanks there are lots available.
> 
> Josh
> 
> P.s I picked up a 200litre tank of eBay for £50 in mint condition :2thumb:


Yes that's what I'm going to do now I'm trying to get a tank now for tomorrow... Can't sell my biorb yet as fish are in it I'm giving all my fish away apart from fighter and shrimps... Going to keep him and get a female and give up trying with the other fish :lol2:


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## JP turtle (May 1, 2013)

Just keep one male fighter. If you get a female he will kill her. Male and female fighters should only be brought together when breeding then separated again otherwise they are aggressive. You can keep multiple female fighters together with a minimum of 5 normally..but I don't know if you could have that many in your tank? I would just stick with the one fighter maybe some oto's and shrimp.
However if you are getting a big tank lets say minimum 80l then you could quite happily keep 5 female fighters in there then say with some cory's, oto's, shrimp!:2thumb:

Josh


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