Even after asking on here a while ago and being told "No!", DH and I still got carried away and bought a BiOrb Flow 15L (the rectangular one) last weekend.
I've set it up and am attempting a fishless cycle, no fish in residence yet.
We wanted to keep one male Betta in it for (fish obsessed) DS as I had read a lot elsewhere online that said that Bettas liked small tanks and that 15L should be fine. Plus they're absolutely gorgeous.
I even thought we were doing well having got a nice tank and heater, live plants etc, as my sis (overseas) has a Betta in a 1gallon tank with no heater.
Anyway, the filter is really bloody noisy so I was reading up on that on the Practical Fishkeeper forum, and came across loads of posts saying that 15L is still too small for a single Betta. :(
Also, and this really bugs me, the water flow in the tank is really fast - the pump sends up a huge amount of bubbles up the pipe and I can see from small bits of plant debris that the water moves in a strong circular current. Having read others experiences, it seems Bettas prefer a gentle current and will hide or restrict themselves to a tiny corner of the tank to keep out of the strong current. Strong current = unhappy fishy.
So - I'm seriously considering calling the shop tomorrow and asking for a refund as its not fit for purpose.
We told them how we planned to use it, the guy spent ages 'helping' us part with our money but it seems we made a bad buy.
Do you think I'm right to ask for a refund, or should I keep it and give it a go with a Betta once it's cycled?
Basically, if we can't use a small tank like this, we can't have a fish - we simply don't have room for a larger tank. It was hard enough finding a suitable space for this one.
DS is only 2 so won't be heartbroken if we have to return the tank, but we'll all be a bit gutted, he was so excited and says good morning to the empty tank already! :(
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Help - I've bought a shit tank haven't I? :(
LongTailedTit · 28/08/2013 01:03
Yes you have- sorry :( 15 litres is too small for any fish really. There should be a law against selling tanks this small 
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There was a similar thread the other day, I posted loads of links that might help you. Have a look.
Thank you Eau! I wish they weren't allowed to sell them, all it does is cause confusion and unhappy fish.
I just called the shop, they said its no problem to return it, just need to drain it and repackage it and they'll be happy to refund us.
The chap I spoke to was v nice about the refund, but did keep saying that 15L was fine for a single Betta. 
Damn it, no fishy for us then. :(
Aw, that's too bad LongTailedTit. Hope you have the room after your purge! I've been purging like crazy and managed to fit in a couple more tanks 
The children are starting to look nervous every time I log into eBay...
Ripping I've got 3 adults left at the moment, they only live about 18 months. I don't get too inundated, I sell the spare eggs on eBay or you can freeze them to sterilise them. It depends what species you get, if you get Indian stick insects then they'll breed like crazy and it's hard to sell the eggs because they are so common.
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