3 Gallon Tank Filtration

[Mrfisher7]

Hi everyone,

Very new to this - took my kid to a kids fish farm where you can catch random small fish and we were given a mix of fish to take home. Got a 3 gallon tank and internal filter which the pet store recommended. It has a flow rate of 200l/hour and I'm not sure if the fish like this given the size of tank. So instead I've used the spray bar and kept flow limited to the surface to aid surface agitation. Is this ok or should I just ditch the the filter for something more suitable for the tank size. We had 10 fish to begin with though are now left with 6 - probably due to tank size and the fish being in poor condition, according to the pet store. Attached pictures of setup. Help welcome - thanks in advance!

 

[Mrfisher7]

Oh and the store recommended the 3 gallon fish tank but after much reading, it's become clear this seems way too small for no of fish. The 6 left seem a bit happier now with the space, but I'm worried about the conditions still.

 

[Essjay]

The reason the fish are dying is most likely because the tank was not cycled before the fish were put in it.

Fish make ammonia as a waste product and in an uncycled tank it builds up in the water and harms the fish. Cycling is the process of growing bacteria which eat this ammonia. They turn it into nitrite which is also poisonous but cycling grows another type of bacteria which eats nitrite and turns it into nitrate.
Your tank won't have any of these bacteria yet, and it takes several weeks to grow enough of them. Until then you need to change over half the water every day, making sure you add a water conditioner to the new water to remove the chlorine or chloramine added to the water supply; and making sure the new water is the same temperature as the tank.
Ideally you need a tester for ammonia and nitrite and do a water change whenever either of them read above zero.


Yes, that filter is way too strong. 200 litres/hour is more suitable for a 10 to 15 gallon tank, I'm afraid.



One last thing - never ever believe anything a fish/pet store tells you. Most of the workers there haven't a clue and have only been trained in how to sell things. They have no idea how to care for fish.

 

[Endlersendlers]

Agree with essjay. Also, I use sponge filters in 3 gallons and only use that size tank temporarily for quarantines or growing out fry (babies). The catch is that sometimes the airline pops off the sponge filters so I find myself checking for bubbles from the filters wherever I walk past them. I was advised to use zip ties to secure the airline connections, just haven’t done it yet.

 

[Mrfisher7]

Thanks for the advice! I've been using a water conditioner when changing the water and the store recommended nitrifying/good bacteria to help with the ammonia levels and to speed up the cycling process (bacteria added in on day 2). Learning more about the importance of cycling and hands down will be more prepared if starting again with new fish. Until then, guess I'll have to step up the water changes to daily and will look for a sponge filter to replace the current internal one.