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NOTE - I have 20+ years experience keeping fish. But after reading so many negative comments (most of which are on the silver MCR-light version), just to make sure, I talked with my local fish store equipment experts to make sure the little guys in my current tank would transition ok to this new tank, before I even bought it.
Here's my advice: Regardless, buy the air stream cap!! It's only $2, & it will make sure nobody gets stuck in that tube! (See newer pic with assassin snail).
-If this is a brand new aquarium for you, I would set it up according to the instructions. *Yes the air pump will be loud if it's right next to the surface the tank is on, as it vibrates. I recommend putting the BiOrb on a cabinet/stand with a drawer/shelf inside that you can put the air pump in (with a hole in the back for the tube to connect through).
*Keep in mind most tropical fish need a heater (yes the tank lid has space for its chord), so I would buy one. If you don't want to buy any decor not sold by BiOrb (like live plants & wood), you'll need to start slowly with your fish. I would add any bottom feeders (shrimp, snails, ottos) on the 1st day that you can add fish, & NOTHING else. (BiOrb DOES NOT recommend corys with their pebbles just FYI.) Wait another 2-3 more days, then add your other fish. Stay away from micro breeds & any digging breeds (again due to their pebbles) and don't overload the tank. The general rule is 1 inch of fish = 1 gallon of water. This model is an 8-gal tank, so no more than 8 fish total. Again, talking with your fish store expert will help. If everyone's happy in 8 months, you can be more flexible with this.
-If you are transitioning fish from an old tank to this one, this will work great. Don't use the fake pebbles that come with the tank if you're fish are smaller than 2". These pebbles are large & oddly shaped (& this is why small fish get stuck in the filter). Use standard, large aquarium gravel, or river rocks as I have here. The goal is to cover the filter enough that no one will get caught inside, but there will still be flow. Sand is a no-no as it will get stuck in the filter. If you use substrate, you'll want to use it in combination with something else, & position it away from the filter. You might need a bottom feeder fish if you don't have any, &/or don't want to clean the tank with a gravel vac as the filter will work slightly slower with smaller gravel just FYI. As my picture shows, I've already moved all my rocks, wood & live plants to the new tank right away. I recommend this (your fish will be fine without decor for the 3-day period the BiOrb needs lol). This will establish the healthy biome faster, & prevent ammonia spikes when the fish are moved over. If you have a planted aquarium, I would move some, but not all, of that so neither tank's biome gets messed up. Also, I'm not using the water bio booster (that comes with) because I have live stuff already in the tank, again to prevent ammonia spikes. And I have my own water conditioner my fish like, so I'm also not using the one that comes with it.
Hope this calms some nerves! This really is a beautiful aquarium, my fish will love it!!
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Update 2/23: Still love, love, love this aquarium! It took a few months to get the ideal balance between fish, decor placement, & cleaning (this is an 8 gallon, my previous tank size for over a decade was 5 & a completely different shape/setup)... But I expected that. Currently it has: Cardinals, a couple danios & platies, a licorice gourami, that snail, & two amano shrimp (one of which is preggers, so yeah everyone is pretty happy lol).
