The Puffer Forum

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While I congratulate you for your creativeness, I've never been a fan of the Biorb. The reason I am not keen on them is due to the way it makes things look as if they are under a magnifying glass. I believe there was also some controversy about those type of bowls being "bad" for fish because of the strange way they make things look, but who knows if that holds any truth or not.
I would have to say if your puffer is happy and remains healthy, then that's good enough.

looks cool!

I have heard that bowls/spherical tans are bad for fishes' eyes, and can even cause blindness. The footprint seems a little small, especially since puffers like caves and you can't fit one. It's really cool-looking, though.

thats really neat.

What does the orb do to the eyes?

The water volume should actually be adequate. The base actual footprint is quite small -which makes me wonder, but I would reserve judgment on that.

I assume that the decor is artificial?

What is the circumference at the equator? Is there a circular near-equatorial current from the internal canister? If those are adequate, I would not condemn the unit but see how it goes over extended time.

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I seem to recall that one of the reasons Rome banned fishbowls was that the fish lost there sight and were unable to feed. It's hard to say though because I'm sure most goldfish in bowls die way before they lose their eyesight.



Anyway, does your F8 do laps pacing around the sphere? I bet it's pretty interesting in person and up close.

It's a cool idea. Hope it works. But I couldn't image living in a sphere . Especially if I was from the wild...

I don't see (no pun intended) that living in a sphere is inherently stranger than living in a square or rectangle - none of those shapes are found in the wild.

Most spheres (and hexes) are way too small, and visual distortions are strong.

I cannot imagine a sphere adequate to a goldfish - it would be massive.

BTW, my old cull goldfish (>20 years) has been blind for several years. I suspected some visual issues some time back, so i added one of the critter water bowls to use as a feeding spot and use only presoaked sinking foods. He learned fast, and never misses a bit of dinner. There are some driftwood "fence posts" in the tank, and he "knows" right where they are, so never bumps into them. I never rearrange the tank, that would be cruel.

Back when Clarias cats were legal for us, I had an albino in a big tank who was blind for many years, but it did not seem to bother him at all. He made a ripe old age without problerms.

The curved-front 90- or 180- half or quarter circle tanks don't bother me in the larger sizes, so an over 2' diameter sphere for a 3" fish would not bother me much either. That just over 200cm circuit is not bad for a lap. That is the equivalent of more than a 6' tank side on my 180 gallon tank. With a real but not too strong current circling the sphere, I would give it a try myself for one of these fish. I would label it experimental rather than controversial.

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Can you take some video..It doesn't necessarily have to be exciting.