# Noofjeuh and his fishy friends + opinion + tank review



## Noofjeuh (Jun 5, 2016)

Hello great world,

About me:
I live in Belgium and have started the betta hobby since I was 14 I think! Over the years I have evolved my Betta keeping and I have collected a few tips, tricks and opinions over the years.

**This journal should be read with a open mind and a pinch of (aquarium)salt!**

Anyway let's begin shall we?

So I started off when I was 14 years old. I got some cash for my birthday and came to the desicion that I wanted a new fish! 

So I went to the local pet store and bought a betta and_ a deathtrap_ which was called ' a marina betta aquarium' 










It looked cute and the pet store workers told me he did not need a heater or a filter only to rince out the aquarium every week or even *every month*

I rinced the aquarium out every week and my betta, was not very active I went to the pet store again with some questions and they told me betta's do not swim a lot they just hoover at the top of the tank. 

Three months later the betta died :crying:, and others would soon follow. 

I did some reseach and then I found out that they needed much more space and a heater! I went to the same pet store again and bought the 'aquatic nature cocoon 1 ' with a superfish heater
















And then I bought Timo, Timo is the betta I now still have and he is 1.5 year or so. He was doing great in his Cocoon 1 but I wanted to upgrade to 5 gallon(20 Liters). I bought Timo in an other petstore he was only 1 euro more expensive than the ones that cae before him but he is so much more beautiful and healthy. 

This Christmas I bought the Fluval Chi. Guys seriously a 5 gallon tank is *The Sweetspot! *for betta keeping! Your little friend will be so much more active and happy! He will truly become the best version of itself. He will transform from pretty into *gorgeous*! 

And then Timo *magically* disappeared! I could not find him anywere! I looked between the rocks, in the filter, ... Nada, GONE!

3 days later I accepted my loss and went to another pet store and there I bought Richard! He is my rosetail. He sort of looks like a dragqueen because he is a male and his fins look like a beautiful long evening gown!









And when I was about to drop Richard in the Fluval Chi suddenly Timo appeard as out of thin air! I still do not know where he went because me and my mom looked everywere for him!

Richard was put in a superfish aquarium we found cheaply on a flea market. He has the superfish filter and heater. 

And the last fishy friend is this blue one! He does not have a name yet but he is absolutly gorgeous! 

I have switched some things up over time and put the fish in an other tank, as this keeps them interested and gives me the opportunity for some mini aquascaping!


*My betta fish care phillosophy:*
_I do not want to critisize anyone and I it is not my intention to stirr up some trouble, these are my beliefs in betta keeping and my personnal tips & tricks to give your little one his biggest potential! _

1. Tank size:
Should be a minimum of *4.5 - 5 gallon* (+- 20 Liters) He will grow better, in my opinion the colors also become more vivid and radiant. Mistakes you make when it comes to water quality and so one have a less big impact compared to when you have a smaller tank. ' big' _(5 gal is not even big but anyway)_ also is easier to handle and requiers less easy work. And when you have a 5 gallon your betta will look like a butterfly in a beautiful world you have created yourself! While in my opinion a betta in a small tank is, well a small fish in a small tank... 

2. Heaters;
I am a huge fan of the superfish heaters! They are super cheap (10 euro.) and I have never had a problem with them! You give them the desired temperature and the heater slowly rises the temperature. It also switches on and off so it is not always using power. When you have the right temperature it stops working and when the temperature begins to drop it starts again. 

3. Filters
I have the suerfish filters and they have always just done the deal. As with the heaters they are super cheap (12 euros) and do a great job. 

4. Water changes:
I do my water changes once a week. (Sunday = fishday) 
I use a syphon and get to the bottom and suck all the dirt and junk right up. 30-50% water changes. I clean out the filter of the Chi and the superfish by squizing the filterpads in the old tank water so I do not remove all my beneficial bacteria! All this takes up about 30 minutes to 1 hour once a week.

5. Food
I use the pellets of aquatic nature betta fish. Just nice pellets, a little bit big if your fish has a small mouth. In that case you have to cut them in two with a knife. I am planning to change to the Hikari pellets.

6. Plants vs fake
I use fake ones because my BiOrb does not have gravel where I can put them in. The filter of my Chi get's clogged up by it and the superfish is fine. If I could I would use real plants because they help keep the water quality more stable. 




This was my little introduction!I hope you have enjoyed it I will continue with the journals of my little aquatic friends and tank reviews. 

If you need some help with anything please let me know and send me a PM or post below in the journals.

Timo, the hide and seek champion









Richard, the dragqueen









And mister X he still needs a name! 


















p.s.

Like I mentioned earlier I do *NOT* want to offend anyone. If your opinion/philosophy is different I am totally fine with that ! 

Happy reading and have a nice day.

XOXO Noofjeuh!


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## Aluyasha (Sep 2, 2010)

Welcome to the forum!
Have you considered little terracotta pots? If you cannot have gravel on the bottom try putting a plant and some gravel in a tiny flower pot (make sure it hasn't been used for plants). Also you can try plants that do not need to be anchored in gravel, like anubias. Anubias can float around or be tied to a piece of driftwood. Moss balls are pretty too. 
Fluvals are awesome, I have a Fluval Spec V and it is my favorite tank.
(In this picture of my Fluval, you can see the tiny flower pots and the anubias on driftwood)


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## Noofjeuh (Jun 5, 2016)

Aluyasha said:


> Welcome to the forum!
> Have you considered little terracotta pots? If you cannot have gravel on the bottom try putting a plant and some gravel in a tiny flower pot (make sure it hasn't been used for plants). Also you can try plants that do not need to be anchored in gravel, like anubias. Anubias can float around or be tied to a piece of driftwood. Moss balls are pretty too.
> Fluvals are awesome, I have a Fluval Spec V and it is my favorite tank.
> (In this picture of my Fluval, you can see the tiny flower pots and the anubias on driftwood)


Owh yeah Fluval is amazing I really like the kits and the price is also reasonable. :laugh::laugh::laugh:


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## Noofjeuh (Jun 5, 2016)

Biorb life review! 










We all heve seen a biOrb aquarium in the pet stores before, or maybe you saw one in a furniture shop! You saw it and you thought: wow this is really pretty! Then you saw the price tag and you walked away sad… Anyway that is how my experience always was!
But then I was finally able to buy one! This is my review!

Before I start let me explain the idea of the special filtration. Due to the bubbles and their fast motion fish waste and other debris are pulled to the sides and then dragged to the bottom, there they fall into the ceramic media. The ceramic media itself is the first filter of your biOrb. It is the place where all the bacteria live and do their job. Then you have the second filter. The remaining dirt is sucked up in the filter where it passes some carbon to clean it further and then it goes into a sponge ring where all the small dirt particles are trapped. Clean water is then pushed out along with the bubbles and the cycle begins again. 

My biOrb is the life 30 it is a square because I do not believe in bowls. It holds 30 liters which is 8 US gallons. I only put a betta in it and maybe in the future some pals but for now 1 is OK. In the box you will find the intelligent light, the filter/air tube, pump, acrylic aquarium, chemicals and the ceramic media.
Things I was thinking during unpacking and installation:
-	I think they could at least put a heater in it because I do not know about nano fish that do not require a heater, anyway.
-	There is a layer of ceramic media that is not thick enough to hide the filter. This just looks bad. 
Afterwards I unstalled a heater and let it run for a while.


Thoughts after having it for a while:
-	The aquarium is really beautiful and is defiantly an eye catcher. 
-	The pump is LOUD.
-	Algae are a major problem. No matter how much you scrape they will grow everywhere on the acryl. 
-	biOrb has its own set of decorations. They are not the cheapest but also not the most expensive. 
-	The ‘intelligent light’ is not intelligent at all! You have 9 different modes where you can program it to start or to stop however, you cannot set a start or stop time. The lights itself cannot be replaced. When they die out you have to buy a new light unit which costs you around 75 euros. 
-	There is just that something about the acrylic that gives you the illusion you can put your had in the aquarium and touch the fish. 
-	Official biOrb maintenance is expensive! The new sponge rings are expensive and you should replace them every 8 weeks. 
-	I am really happy with my purchase but it has high maintenance.


Verdict: 
The biOrb claim “more style, less fuss” is only half true. Yes they are stylish yes they are not the most difficult BUT there are easier units on the market for only half the price.


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