There are a number of factors that determine what fish and how many you can keep in any aquarium, and there is much conflicting information on the internet.
Some sources state that it's the volume of the tank, some say it's the surface area of the water, some say it's the physical dimensions of the tank and some say it's dependent on the filter system.
To a certain extent all of these factors have a bearing on how many and what type of fish you can keep in an aquarium.
The biOrb and biUbe have one other factor that should be considered.
In place of the standard gravel used in the bottom of fish tanks, these aquariums have 'ceramic media'.
This ceramic media looks like gravel and ranges between 10mm and 18mm in diameter.
It is very porous which allows the bacteria needed for the biological element of the filter system to develop.
It is critical to the function of the biOrb and biUbe tank and should not be removed.
Why does this affect what fish I can keep? The ceramic media, compared to standard aquarium gravel, is very sharp, and this makes it unsuitable for fish that feed off the bottom.
The vast majority of bottom feeding fish have a soft underbelly, which does not cope well with the coarse ceramic media.
What sort of fish feed from the bottom? In general loaches and catfish feed from the bottom.
If you're in a pet store, and there are no labels on the tanks, it's quite easy to identify fish that feed from the bottom - even if they are not on the bottom.
The vast majority of fish that feed from the bottom will have their mouths angled down.
Even if a fish is stuck to the side of the aquarium they would still be classified as bottom feeding fish and are not suitable for a biUbe or biOrb.
If the reason for you wanting to keep a catfish or loach in your tank was to add something different to the 'normal' fish then perhaps you could consider getting some shrimp.
There are many different types; cherry shrimp, ghost shrimp, amano shrimp...
They are fascinating watch, do a lot of cleaning and make an excellent addition to any aquarium.
Is there anything else I can't keep? Even the largest biOrb is not big by normal standards so to keep any fish in it that will eventually grow to over 1.
5 inches (approximately 38mm) is not going to have a particularly happy life.
Some sources state that it's the volume of the tank, some say it's the surface area of the water, some say it's the physical dimensions of the tank and some say it's dependent on the filter system.
To a certain extent all of these factors have a bearing on how many and what type of fish you can keep in an aquarium.
The biOrb and biUbe have one other factor that should be considered.
In place of the standard gravel used in the bottom of fish tanks, these aquariums have 'ceramic media'.
This ceramic media looks like gravel and ranges between 10mm and 18mm in diameter.
It is very porous which allows the bacteria needed for the biological element of the filter system to develop.
It is critical to the function of the biOrb and biUbe tank and should not be removed.
Why does this affect what fish I can keep? The ceramic media, compared to standard aquarium gravel, is very sharp, and this makes it unsuitable for fish that feed off the bottom.
The vast majority of bottom feeding fish have a soft underbelly, which does not cope well with the coarse ceramic media.
What sort of fish feed from the bottom? In general loaches and catfish feed from the bottom.
If you're in a pet store, and there are no labels on the tanks, it's quite easy to identify fish that feed from the bottom - even if they are not on the bottom.
The vast majority of fish that feed from the bottom will have their mouths angled down.
Even if a fish is stuck to the side of the aquarium they would still be classified as bottom feeding fish and are not suitable for a biUbe or biOrb.
If the reason for you wanting to keep a catfish or loach in your tank was to add something different to the 'normal' fish then perhaps you could consider getting some shrimp.
There are many different types; cherry shrimp, ghost shrimp, amano shrimp...
They are fascinating watch, do a lot of cleaning and make an excellent addition to any aquarium.
Is there anything else I can't keep? Even the largest biOrb is not big by normal standards so to keep any fish in it that will eventually grow to over 1.
5 inches (approximately 38mm) is not going to have a particularly happy life.