3 Gallon Tank

[A3M0N]

Hi all,

I have owned fish in the past, but its been quite a while. I was looking at a 3 gallon Eclipse tank for my 2 y/o daughter's room. I know its small, and can probably only fit some tetras in there, but what are some hardy little tetras you could recommend? I don't want to put goldfish in there.

Thanks!

 

[smegforbrains]

Don't think Tetras are that hardy and you may have trouble heating a tank that small safely.


Have you considered White Cloud Mountain Minnows? They can be kept unheated and are pretty hardy. (I would recommend maybe wrapping a blanket around three sides during colder weather though).

 

[Colin_T]

any cahnce of taking the tank back and getting something a little bigger
5gallon is about the smallest you want to go for small fish like tetras and white cloud mountain minnows. A Siamese fighting fish or a Paradise fish would be ok in the 3g tank but it is a bit small for anything else.

 

[A3M0N]

Thanks!

I haven't bought it yet, just thinking about it. A betta would be cool, and I hate the tiny little bowls they sell for them. 3 gallon for a betta huh. Do you need to heat a betta tank to keep it properly?

I don't want anything too big for her little dresser, but 10 gallon would be cool.

Thanks again!

 

[Colin_T]

Bettas need warm water so unless the room is kept warm all year round, you will probably need a small heater to go in the tank. A small sponge filter would also be beneficial and help keep the water cleaner for longer, thus reducing the work you need to do to keep the tank clean.

 

[fish.com1]

Bettas need the same as any other tropical fish. Filtered, heated water. a betta will be fine in a 3 gallon , but a 5 or 10 gallon would be great for him. Remember you can only keep one male and you can't keep most fish with bettas as the betta can get aggressive towards the other fish.

 

[nosoup4you]

I don't think that White Clouds would be terribly happy in a tank of this size. They are very active fish and do best in large shoals. A Betta would be a better choice. Before getting any fish, you should be familiar with cycling. If you are unfamiliar with the process, here is a link:

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?showtopic=141944

 

[smegforbrains]

A bigger tank would be ideal if you decide on a Betta.

Bettas need to be in 24-28 degrees, preferably on the warmer side of 26 degrees.

An 8 or 10 gallon tank would be a lot easier to heat properly and you would be less likely to get heat spikes. A 25w heater would plenty.

 

[A3M0N]

So, I think we are wanting a betta splendens for her room. I will start posting in the betta forum for more specific questions, but I'm wondering where to buy one at. We just moved here to the East Anglia area of the UK. Can anyone recommend a pet store somewhere in Cambridge, or maybe Norwich or Thetford? Or an online retailer?

Thanks!

 

[nosoup4you]

Check the Betta forum, there are several breeders that post there.

 

[Dorkhedeos]

As long as your house has a heater to a regulate temperature, i dont really see the point of heaters. Betta are very hardy fish, ive kept them alive for many years even though the water was a little bit under 68F(i think thats 20C). The only time i needed a heater was when i was breeding them. The thing i have noticed with betta is they seem to get sick easier if your temperature is lower than around 65-68(not quite sure where the cutoff point is) If you keep the water clean, you shouldnt have a problem with this though. You might be able to split the tank in half for 2 betta depending on the dimensions of the tank. 3 gallons is plenty for a betta. I would say minimum is half a gallon(container with large surface area) 1 gallon being ideal and anything more than that is better.

 

[wilchil64]

Check the Betta forum, there are several breeders that post there.

I also am looking for a (male) Betta and have been looking through the forum but no one seems to have any at the moment! Is it the wrong time of year or are there generally so few around?