Can I Keep Fish In A 7 Litre Tank?

[george4593]

As the title says, i know i can keep shrimp but i was thinking of a betta, i have done my research but some people say betta's are fine in a half gallon tank and others say 3 gallon +
Thanks

 

[levahe]

7 litres is too small for any kind of fish and in my opinion too small for shrimp too. I have some shrimp in a 30cm cube and even that is borderline I think

 

[Khanna]

No, in my opinion five gallons is bare minimum for any fish, including a betta.

 

[Sophie]

Agreed with the above, five gallons minimum. You have to be able to provide adequate filtration and be able to heat the water so it's stable. I've found that in a lot of small volumes of water, the temperature fluctuates which stresses the fish a lot. Also the space to provide plantation for sleeping on/hiding is ideal as this also reduces stress.

 

[Mamashack]

The people who say that bettas can manage in ½L water are probably the ones who say they normally live in small mud puddles in Thailand anyway. Whilst they can just about survive in those conditions for very short periods during the dry season, they usually have whole paddy fields to swim about in the rest of the time. They need space to swim, heat, filtration and clean water like any other tropical fish. Mine is in a 30L tank with a few tank-mates and I also know some people who have them in even larger community tanks.
So the short answer to your question is no you can't keep a fish in a 7L tank.

 

[SmokedPaprika]

As above, really.
 
If you haven't already bought this 7 litre tank, I'd look at something a little bigger.  It won't cost you much more to buy, it'll be easier to maintain, kinder to your fish, and will still sit on a desktop or a bookshelf (my betta lives in a 22 litre cube on a sturdy side table next to my sofa).  You *can* do a betta in a 3 gal tank; personally I'd be more comfortable with 5 gal plus, like the other posters - they're often more active than you'd think, and they're very intelligent!  If you like colour you could also consider endlers or maybe guppies (not in the same tank as the betta though!) - there's an excellent pinned thread with plenty of nano tank recommendations.
 
If you have the tiny tank already and are set on keeping it, you could set it up as a living work of art, with nano plants etc.  I have a coworker who has a small planted tank on his desktop (no critters) and it's very effective.  It's too small for fish IMO; I've never kept shrimp or snails, so can't comment on inverts.

Good luck.

 

[TekFish]

+1 7 litres is too small
 
Tek oot.