1 Dwarf In A 3-gal?

[fishwatcher]

Anyone object to having a single dwarf gourami in a 3-gal tank? It has a HOB filter rated for a 10-gal, heater, a few plants, sand substrate. I was thinking it would be ok since they only get to about 2.5 inches and they aren't overly active.
Thanks for the opinions!

 

[sylvia]

Gouramies don't like a strong current so a filter rated for a 10 gallon doesn't count as a good thing. A 3 gallon is far, far too small for even a single male dwarf gourami. Dwarfs are particularly fragile and highly prone to disease. They do not tolerate fluctuations in temperature, pH or water condition and all these are problems inherent in a small tank. The biggest tank possible is the best place for a dwarf gourami.

Having said that, a single MALE honey gourami (Colisa chuna/sota - make sure you get the species right!) would work fine. As would a single Betta splendens (check out the betta section). Still, the bigger the tank, the better.

In a 3 gallon, I'd personaly reccomend shrimp and lots of plants. Perhaps shrimp sound boring to you but, if you've ever kept them, you'll know that they are, in fact, just as active as fish - arguably far more active than your averae gourami! There are also many different species and colors to choose from and you could fit 2-4 in a 3 gallon. Check this out for inspiration: http/petshrimp.com

 

[fishwatcher]

OK, Sylvia, thanks for the advice. I just miss having a dwarf... don't have a place for one right now in my larger tanks so I hoped against hope that one would be ok there. (Even with the water flow hampered, it would still be too risky, huh?)
Around here the only shrimp for sale are ghost shrimp (which I can't seem to keep alive) and marble shrimp which are just too high for my budget. I'll just hold on to the tank until I find something suitable.
Thanks, again!

 

[Paradise_Gourami]

I personally would oppose putting any gourami in a tank that size because gouramis(even dwarfs) are kind of like the cows of fresh water fish in the sense that they seem to like to roam around. Ive have many kinds of gouramis and once they settle in like to mozy around the whole tank