New 3 Gallon Hexagon Tank For £20 Quid!

[chardonnay1000]

Hi

I have just bought a brand new hexagon tank, 3 gallon, with white gravel, bridge, plant and food all for 20 quid. It has a light in the hood and comes with pump. This is for my sons 11th birthday and he wants to put in some adf and some shrimps n maybe the little red crabs u can get. He like basically anything other than fish. Can anyone come up with any suggestions wot else might be nice in there for him? Thanks folks

Oops, i think i might have posted in the wrong section sorry

 

[chardonnay1000]

Could i add 3 cories to this mixture or is the tank too small? If this needs move to another section please do so, thanks x

 

[DarkEntity]

3 gallons hex is very little surface water area for stuff, id probably look at shrimp, but i dont know much about frogs, cory id say no, as they like groups of 5 or more preferably ad there isnt space for them in that tank.

 

[chardonnay1000]

ok, he wants an apple snail and some shrimp, which i think is ok, would khuli loaches be ok in this set up? also, wot else is there in the weird world of inverts??? i would like to surprise him with special something like ....i dunno, other than wot he was expecting, any suggestions? help ..cos im lost!!!

 

[nmonks]

Hello,

Three gallons isn't big enough for any fish, except maybe a single Siamese fighting fish. You probably have buckets that hold more water than 3 gallons. These teeny-tiny tanks are really a bit of a con, because although they are cheap they are also extremely difficult to set up as stable, long-lasting aquaria. Putting any fish into such a small tank is animal cruelty really, because there isn't any space for them to explore, set up a territory, or exercise.

At best, you could add a few small (less than 2.5 cm) shrimps with some plants. Don't waste any money on plants other than Java fern or Java moss -- the lights in that tiny tank will be so poor than other plants will simply die. Java moss and Java fern are adapted to shady environments and will tolerant quite low levels of light, certainly far less than any commonly traded aquarium plant.

Besides the lack of space, the filters in these things are very low tech and cannot maintain acceptable water quality for anything other than perhaps air-breathing fish such as Siamese fighting fish.

If you want a child to enjoy the fishkeeping hobby, there's really no substitute for a decent aquarium, at least 10 gallons, ideally 20 gallons. In such a tank you can keep a variety of small fish and expect them to live a relatively normal life. Anything smaller is -- to be honest -- good money after bad. Water quality will be poor, the fish will die easily, and plants will rot. All that teaches a child is that fishkeeping isn't fun... which is the wrong lesson to learn! There's also value to teaching a child about the balance of nature, respect for animals, and that good things take effort and patience.

Cheers, Neale

PS> If there's any chance you can take it back to store and swap for something else, that would be BY FAR the best use of your money. I wouldn't spend £5 on a hexagon tank containing 3 gallons of water. A 10 gallon glass aquarium should cost around £10-15 and an air pump and spong filter would set you back about £15. Put these together and you could have a coldwater aquarium and keep something like coldwater gobies (e.g. Rhinogobius spp.). Fun, easy to keep, and they stay small. Buy your own sand or gravel from the garden centre, and collect a few seashells from the beach. Forget about lights and plants. I've done this myself and it's a fun little project. Best of all, gobies spawn fairly readily, though raising the babies isn't easy.

 

[chardonnay1000]

Hello,

Three gallons isn't big enough for any fish, except maybe a single Siamese fighting fish. You probably have buckets that hold more water than 3 gallons. These teeny-tiny tanks are really a bit of a con, because although they are cheap they are also extremely difficult to set up as stable, long-lasting aquaria. Putting any fish into such a small tank is animal cruelty really, because there isn't any space for them to explore, set up a territory, or exercise.

At best, you could add a few small (less than 2.5 cm) shrimps with some plants. Don't waste any money on plants other than Java fern or Java moss -- the lights in that tiny tank will be so poor than other plants will simply die. Java moss and Java fern are adapted to shady environments and will tolerant quite low levels of light, certainly far less than any commonly traded aquarium plant.

Besides the lack of space, the filters in these things are very low tech and cannot maintain acceptable water quality for anything other than perhaps air-breathing fish such as Siamese fighting fish.

If you want a child to enjoy the fishkeeping hobby, there's really no substitute for a decent aquarium, at least 10 gallons, ideally 20 gallons. In such a tank you can keep a variety of small fish and expect them to live a relatively normal life. Anything smaller is -- to be honest -- good money after bad. Water quality will be poor, the fish will die easily, and plants will rot. All that teaches a child is that fishkeeping isn't fun... which is the wrong lesson to learn! There's also value to teaching a child about the balance of nature, respect for animals, and that good things take effort and patience.

Cheers, Neale

He isnt really after keeping fish in it tho i just thought some cories or khulis mite go but obviously wont, ,he really just wants unusual stuff like just shrimp n stuff. u can look out in about ten years he will be posting in the oddball section for sure , i have told him when he has his own house he can have whatever he wants!! bless him, he dosnt get it yet! i have an undergravel filter which i plan to put in it and i am going to buy him a few silk plants to go in there too. thanks for your replies



by the way neal, he is fasinated by your avatar and is always asking what is it? can you shed some light for me please

 

[nmonks]

Greetings to you and the wee beastie-keeper of the family!

With a very small tank like yours, the most fun I think you'll have is by collecting pond life and filling it up with that. Choose small shrimps, snails, aquatic insects and so on. Put the thing somewhere it will get sunlight for a few hours a day, and don't bother with the filter, just add an airstone. The combination of algae and air bubbles will keep the water "sweet", and the small bugs and beasts will do very well. Planarians, ostracodes and so on usually thrive, and are hugely entertaining to watch. Buy a Dorling Kindersley "Pond Life" book and have a go identifying as much as you can. I've taught GCSE and A-level biology, and recognising pond life of various kinds is part of the curriculum, so there's added value.

The avatar is a Vorlon called Kosh from a 1990s sci-fi show called Babylon 5. What you see in the avatar is only the "head" part of a costume he wears so he won't be recognised? Recognised by whom? Everyone!

Cheers, Neale

 

[chardonnay1000]

Ahh, i see, il show him the links tomorrow, i thought it was some kind of snake ok, i will try and talk him into the pond stuff, it aint gonna be easy...btw he has already picked his avatar for when he starts posting on here...the cheek!!!


he really wants a leopard gecko or a snake for his birthday but is happy to settle for a small tank. i really dont know how to care for them and it wouldnt be fair to get something so exotic.


thanks

 

[dizzied]

I think one apple snail and a few shrimp would be fine. Or try triops.

 

[chardonnay1000]

yeh i thought about triops, obviously hatching them in the plastic boat is rubbish and they all died. but its definatly do able in a proper tank..thanks