Advice For 3 Gallon Tank

[Madllama]

Hi there,

I have a 3 gallon that I am looking to populate.

I have had quite a bit of a look arround at different fish and are having a hard time finding something that wont be too big for the tank.

In terms of fish:
I really like the look of the Upside-down catfish (Synodontis nigriventris) and Gold Marble Bristlenose Catfish (Ancistrus claro), but unfortunatly they would seem to get too large for my tank.
I am also quite interested in the Pygmy Cory (Corydoras Pygmaeus), but get the impression that being a school fish that I would need to get a number of them.
The Dwarf rasbora (Boraras maculatus) also appeals, but seems to be hard to get hold of.

I would appreciate any advice on the availability and suitability of the above fish, or other fish recomendations based on what I am interested in above. Also if I ended up getting a number of small fish, is there much danger of them breeding out of control?

In terms of plants:
The tank that I have is sitting on my desk and exposed on all sides. At the moment there isnt too much in the way of plants there, but I am hoping to put a few in there. I would welcome any recomendations on flat broad leafed plants, preferably with verigated leaves.


Thanks.

 

[Miss Wiggle]

3 gallons? gosh that's teeny tiny

the boraras or the pgymy cories might be ok in there however it's going to be a lot of work. such a small tank is incredibly unstable it's going to require water changes probably every day even with a filter.

i don't know how much experince you have with fishkeeping, i'm assuming as you've posted in the 'new to the hobby' section that you don't have a lot, apologies if i'm wrong.

but in all honesty i would not recommed you keep any fish in this tank, there are a few members of this forum, people like George Farmer (if you don't know him he writes for PFK and would be considered one of the most respected and advanced fishkeepers in the country) have managed it however i would not advise it for a beginner and especially not if this is your first tank.

 

[SouthernCross]

I guess you could keep a betta (Siamese Fighting Fish) in there quite comfortably, but thats about it in terms of fish...

 

[Miss Wiggle]

see even opinion on betta's would be divided for a 3g tank, i wouldn't put one in less than a 5g

it's not an exact science though, people need to make up they're own mind what's fair on the fish

 

[Madllama]

Thanks for the quick responses.

So its not looking too good then.
My experience is quite limited, I did have a tank many years ago, But I really didnt know too much about what I was doing back then.

So is there anything else worth considering for this size tank, or should it just be converted into a pot plant

 

[Miss Wiggle]

get yourself (or your partner) a lovely bunch of flowers to go in it

in all honesty it can be used as a fishtank but it's going to be hard work and require patience, knowledge and experience. I don't like saying out and out no to anything as there's no hard and fast rules to fishkeeping and there's no reason why a novice can't undertake a difficult sat p for they're first time. however it does mean you must do an awful lot of research before.

if your just wanting a nice community type set up to get you back into the hobby i'd go for something around 20-30g as a minimum. stick the 3g away in a cupboard somewhere and then in a year or so when you've been bitten by the bug again and got some experience under your belt then set it up

 

[OohFeeshy]

I do have to say a tank of that size isn't as difficult to keep as Miss Wiggle makes out if you put effort into the preperation. The main thing to consider is fish choices, of which there are more than there may seem, although unfortunately many can be difficult to obtain. Since you want a planted tank, that will help in terms of waste management also. Firstly, you want to ensure good lighting for plant growth- ask around the planted section, as that area tends to attract more people with small tanks. Filtration, although it may seem you would want as large as possible, depends- if you go for fish from still water like a betta or other labyrinth fish, they don't like much current. You could always go down the invert route too- shrimp are becoming more popular, as are the more ornamental snails, and other non-fish options could potentially include african dwarf frogs, certain crab species or triops. The first thing to gather are the tank dimensions- strangely, a lot of smaller tanks are hexagonal, which doesn't really help, but an idea of the tank will help with fish choices.

 

[Madllama]

Cheers,

I will throw something up in the plant area tomorrow.

Fish tank size is ~ 7"x7"x14" would welcome any suggestions

 

[corygirl]

im new too but ive read about african dwarf frogs being suited to small tanks like that. if you arent totally set on having actual fish.

 

[Yazan]

A betta will be good. 3 Gallons thats small.

 

[mommyof2bettas]

a betta is actually said to live in 1 gallons, I don't find this very comfortable for the fish, so 2 and a half gallons is the minimum IMO. A betta, maybe a shrimp or two, and maybe a snail (they produce lots of waste though) would go good in that tank.

 

[Yazan]

I didn't know that.

 

[Madllama]

I might have a look at some of the betta's.
No really too interested in frogs or snails though.
I would like to get something a little more on the unusual side of things though.

 

[corygirl]

i like the betta and small shrimp idea, sounds unusual to me. let us know what you decide on

 

[OohFeeshy]

It really depends what you can get- pygmy sunfish, specifically http/filaman.ifm-geomar.de/Summary/Speci...ary.php?id=3364

are interesting, 'different' and thrive in a small species tank. Thereoretically any LFS should be able to get you some if you ask, they're one of those things that aren't exactly rare, just not in demand. A trio would work (1m, 2fm).

Equally, a group of microrasboras would work, but again, they aren't always available (although they have grown in popularity recently).