3 gallons tank

[wrs]

sooo, my dad said as a joke that he wanted 2 get a fish 4 his b-day, so i think im going 2 get him a 3 gallon tank, kinda as a joke, but it will be 4 my computer desk when we get 1, so i was wondering,

1. are there any kind of fish that would be good in there? i was thinking cold water fish like minnows.

2. whats a good US price, one of my LFS said $10.99, i think thats a bit much, but i dont know what it comes w/i think its just the tank.

3. if i put in water from my tank in there it woulnt need to cycle, right?

4. how big should a 3 gallon be? usuall length of it.

 

[pendragon]

Honest answers:

1.) Not really, no. Not enough space. You might get by with cramping minnow or something in there, but it wouldn't be good for them, IMHO. About the only thing you could keep semi-comfortably is a single betta, and by my measure that's on the small side even for that (can you put a filter on it? Probably not easily How about a heater?), but it would work. It would probably be okay for some ghost shrimp or an African Dwarf Frog, if that's your thing.

2.) Don't know. In my opinion, any price is too much for a 3-gallon tank. You really shouldn't keep anything in something that small.

3.) Wrong. If it's going to support life on an ongoing basis, it must cycle. Using water from an existing tank doesn't gain you anything in this regard.

4.) Tiny. No, really. Tiny.

Smaller than 10-gallon tanks are, IMHO, gimmicks manufactured just because somebody buys them. They are not really suitable for much of anything, although there are some instances in which a 5+ could suffice. I would encourage you not to waste your money on it. If you don't have room or the budget for a bigger tank, you probably shouldn't have one.

Just my two cents.

pendragon!

 

[White Whale]

-- 1 betta with 2 panda cories
or
-- 2/3 panda cories
or
-- 3 white cloud minnows
or
-- 4 one-banded pencilfish
or
-- 4 dwarf cories
or
-- 3/4 otos
or
-- 2/3 honey dwarf gouramis

 

[SConrad]

idk about the dwarf honey gourami's IttyBittyBetta, just because they need a little more than 3 gallons. im thinking you could definately go with a betta and some cory's...but maybe you should go for a little bit more of a tank... you can get a nice 5 gallon for cheap if you'd like...

Sconrad

 

[wrs]

i dont my parents room has room 4 a bigger tank. and i dont want it 2 be that much money either, it would need a top though because of my cats ( I honetly think theyre afraid of my fish though,lol)

3.) Wrong. If it's going to support life on an ongoing basis, it must cycle. Using water from an existing tank doesn't gain you anything in this regard.

if the water was cycled, y would it need 2 be cycled again?

and arent panda cories big? i have 1 and its pretty big, bigger then my platies. i think it minght be a mix though, because its pink, not orange, and theres this 1 thats pink that looks like a panda.

but thanks 4 the import, i really like the oto and gouramis sugestion.

 

[Cheese Specialist]

It's not the water that cycles, it's the filter!!! You need the bacteria to build up in the filter and gravel bed to make the water safe.

 

[wrs]

my mind when blank 4 a second, i rember i think it was u saying something about that when i said that i put my old tank water in my new 1, lol.

 

[Pointy_kitty]

3 gallons is not big enough for cories
they get 2-4" depending on the type you get
pygmy cories are all that could fit and i wouldn't even go for them

your best bet to keep everyone happy and don't require alot of space:

1 male betta
3 gallons is a wonderfully spacey home for such a fish
they add personality and colour to the tank

OR

2 african dwarf frogs
they are happy in pairs and stay small
as long as you have a tight lid they would be happy to be housed in such a tank

OR

3-5 ghost shrimp
they will live happily in a bowl let alone a 3 galllon tank,
make sure you have a tight lid aswell

 

[wrs]

i kinda wanted 2 make like a cool little undersee like forest w/little fish swimming around, im not into frogs or shrip though. would a female betta be ok?

also what kinda fish if i uped it to a 4 gallon tank? any live bearers? never done a really small tank before

 

[wrs]

how about dwarf puffers?

 

[jams.alaskan]

Go with the single betta, either make OR female - your choice. The minnows need more swimming space then that. You'd make a betta a happy guy and you could add a live plant or two to make it real interesting and more "alive".

ALASKA

Also, there is a pinned topic that explaines the cycle of a tank - it's worth reading and would clarify some of the information that you have recieved.

 

[cutechic]

IMO, dwarf puffers should be kept in pairs, with more than that being desired. So no, I don't think you should keep a dwarf puffer in a 3 gallon. The minumum tank for a pair of them owuld be 5 gallons, although even larger is prefered.

 

[wrs]

when i cycled my tanks, i always thought it was the water that needed 2 cycle, lol. ii think i will read that topic. i think ill be getting a betta for the tank.