Setting Up 3 Gallon Tank Again..need Alot Of Advice

[vandrez]

So after months I have decided to get my 3 gallon tank up and running again. I have the following 2 questions and need all the advice I can get to ensure I have a nice happy tank

Q1 Are the following options possible to house in a 3 gallon tank, and which would be the best option?
A) a pair of goldfish
B) a single pair of bettas with shrimps
C) a couple of guppies with shrimps
D) Maybe a pair of mollies/plattys with some shrimp?

Q2 Are there any other types of fish I can house in the tank besides those mentioned above?

All kinds of advice and suggestions on a 3 gallon tank ( this is the only tank size I can keep in my room) will be greatly appreciated

 

[SimoUK]

Cant answer all of your questions, but a fancy goldfish will need a 20 gallon tank, with an extra 10 gallons for every extra fish, for example, for two fancy goldfish you are ideally looking at a 30 gallon tank.

 

[vandrez]

A 20 gallon tank for a goldfish??? I had no idea! Why are they commonly kept in fishbowls then? Am pretty sure a regular fishbowl carries not more than 6 litres of water.

 

[waterdrop]

Yes, this is correct. 20G for the first fancy-tailed goldfish, with an added 10G for each additional fish. 30G for the first common goldfish (non-fancy tailed) and 10G for each additional one. In many ways these are really pond fish but there are people out there who like them enough to devote lots of tank space to them (they -are- rather relaxing looking across a room!)

~~waterdrop~~

 

[OldMan47]

A 3 gallon tank is not suitable for any goldfish with a minimum of 20 gallons for the first fish and at least 10 gallons or each subsequent fish. It is also not suitable for any of the other proposed stockings. Something to be aware of, for Betta splendens, the most common betta species, is that a tank, no matter how large, cannot ever be used to house a "pair" of bettas. I would not place a platy in less than 10 gallons and would not place a molly in less than 15 or 20 gallons. You can get away with guppies in a 10 gallon but not much less.
For a nice 3 gallon stocking, try looking for very small fish like Heterandria formosa or go with things like the tiny shrimp of the neocaradina species.

 

[Assaye]

So after months I have decided to get my 3 gallon tank up and running again. I have the following 2 questions and need all the advice I can get to ensure I have a nice happy tank

Q1 Are the following options possible to house in a 3 gallon tank, and which would be the best option?
A) a pair of goldfish
B) a single pair of bettas with shrimps
C) a couple of guppies with shrimps
D) Maybe a pair of mollies/plattys with some shrimp?

Q2 Are there any other types of fish I can house in the tank besides those mentioned above?

All kinds of advice and suggestions on a 3 gallon tank ( this is the only tank size I can keep in my room) will be greatly appreciated

Q1

A) Goldfish get massive. They are kept in bowls as you pointed out but this is because of generations (possibly centuries) of ignorance and misconceptions. Goldfish get big, really big, and keeping them in small tanks is nothing short of animal abuse. So no, goldfish will not be suitable unless you can give them 30 gallons or more. I have mine in 60 gallons which is more than absolutely necessary but with a potential to reach over 10 inches (over 18 inches in the case of commons) it's not really fair to skimp on the space.

B) A pair of bettas? Noooo. Quite aside from the fact the male betta splendens should be kept alone and that also includes females, 3 gallons wouldn't be big enough even if they were friendly enough to keep together. A single betta - maybe. Most people will be happy to see a single betta in a 3 gallon, although I'd give it more room if you can.

C) Some guppies and shrimp is much more like it. Don't keep mixed sex or female guppies as with a 3 gallon tank you have zero spare room for breeding (and females can come from the shop pregnant). I think a trio of males would be OK, with 5-10 small shrimp. Some might feel this was over stocked though.

D) Mollies will get far too big. I wouldn't recommend less than 15 gallons for a regular molly and 20 gallons for a sailfin. At 4 inches a molly will be very miserable in there. Platies are still not suitable, despite being smaller. 3 gallons is a very tiny tank and only suitable for very tiny fish, with a single betta being a possible exception to that (I still aim for 5 gallons per betta).

Q2

Not many. If it is a rectangular tank and of traditional 'tank' shape (i.e. longer than it is tall) you might be able to get away with a trio of sparkling gouramis or 6 chilli rasboras. Anything you pick has to be very tiny (well under an inch). Could maybe get three male endlers instead of guppies. I think they stay smaller. My personal preference for such a small tank is to keep it as a planted shrimp tank.

Q3 (a Q of my own)

How are you planning to cycle it? You are going to cycle, right?

 

[vandrez]

Thankyou all for the advice. To answer the last question I am planning on doing a fishless cycle by adding ammonia and wait up to get the level decreased over time,then do a water change and add my fish.

From the above suggestions I think am gonna keep a betta or probably a couple of guppies with some tiny shrimp. I was also wondering if only danios would be a good option to consider for a 3 gallon tank?

 

[Curiosity101]

From the above suggestions I think am gonna keep a betta or probably a couple of guppies with some tiny shrimp. I was also wondering if only danios would be a good option to consider for a 3 gallon tank?

Danios are super active and don't tend to do very well in tanks less than 2ft. In smaller tanks they just sorta wither away more often than not. I personally wouldn't have them in anything less than a 30" long tank.

If you want a fish similar to a guppy but slightly smaller so slightly more apt for a 3gal tank, look into endlers.

Endlers and shrimp may work ok, or galaxy rasboras and shrimp. Basically try to stick to fish of 3cm or below

 

[vandrez]

Oh alright so danios are crossed out. And what about neon tetras or cardinals? Those are tiny fish right?

 

[Curiosity101]

They're not 3cm or less no. 10gal min for the neons and 15gal min for the cardinals.

 

[BethK]

if you want other fish, buy a bigger tank

3 gals is barely big enough for most fish but if you have to,endlers and cherry/crystal shrimp would be your best bet.

I would strongly advise that, before you purchase any fish, you research your options

 

[vandrez]

Ok so am gonna go with the shrimps and endlers or maybe just a betta. Can I keep a betta together with shrimps?

 

[Curiosity101]

You can, but the betta may have a go at the shrimp and are 100% capable of eating them. It may be worth a try so long as you give the shrimp LOTS of cover for if they need to dash and hide.

If you're going to keep shrimp with a betta I'd definitely suggest amanos, as most bettas probably wont even attempt to tackel a fully grown amano shrimp.

 

[ZoddyZod]

so I'm guessing the silver dollars and angels that you kept in this tank previously are now dead?

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/323160-fish-dying-all-of-a-sudden/page__p__2683141&#entry2683141

 

[vandrez]

so I'm guessing the silver dollars and angels that you kept in this tank previously are now dead?

http/www.fishforums.net/index.php?/topic/323160-fish-dying-all-of-a-sudden/page__p__2683141&#entry2683141

Nope. I gave them away to a friend before I left on vacation. He still has them