What to put in 3 gallon tank?

732 Views 16 Replies 8 Participants Last post by Rosebud975, Jul 18, 2014

Rosebud975

Discussion Starter · Jul 17, 2014

My betta is soon upgrading to a 8 gallon! And that leaves his 3 gallon tank spare, after asking my mum for permission, I'm now aloud to have some more fish :-D so I'm looking for stocking it. I understand that a 3 gallon is a tiny tank but what fish/invertebrates could I successfully keep? I'm thinking of either getting another betta or turning it into a snail/shrimp tank. Could I do any others? Lol I'm new to tanks under 10 gallons

I've never dealt with a micro tank before (which didn't have a betta) any suggestions?

Thanks!

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BlueInkFish

· #2 · Jul 17, 2014

I'd suggest another betta pfft.. Another one won't hurt

Other than Bettas you can add some shrimp or snails

honestly I wouldn't put any community fish bc 3 gallons is way to small for them

mpooyan83

· #3 · Jul 17, 2014

You can either do another Betta, or turn it in to a shrimp tank. some driftwood or stone with Java/Xmas/ or any other type of moss and some other plants.

somehting like: http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?214281-3-gallon-red-cherry-shrimp-tank

http://www.redcherryshrimp.net/tank-journal/mabj-fluval-spec-iii-3-crs/

Rosebud975

Discussion Starter · #4 · Jul 17, 2014

Thanks guys! I would get another betta in a heart beat but I've just realised that the tanks are going to have to be next to each over. Would this matter too much? Also instead of a betta what about a Thai micro crab? What're their requirements? Thanks for the help!

mpooyan83

· #5 · Jul 17, 2014

How close to each other? if the are wall to wall, they may stress eachother out, but if there is 5-6 inches apart, it should be fine.

You could do Mexican Dwarf Crayfish as well. Not very familair with the Thai crabs, shouldn't be too different they Cherry shrimp or Crayfish

VivianKJean

· #6 · Jul 17, 2014

You can always slip a piece of paper or cardboard or a folder between the two tanks as well.

BlueInkFish

· #7 · Jul 17, 2014

Yeah. +1 ^ but if they are side to side you can slip a paper through the tanks so they wont be able to see each other. I'm not really familiar with invertebrates but I'm pretty sure someone will pop up and tell you about them

Rosebud975

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jul 17, 2014

Thanks guys!
I'm quite interested in an invertebrate tank but I do know that 3 gallons is absolutely tiny for most species :-D

TripleChrome

· #9 · Jul 17, 2014

You could get another betta, but you can also keep African Dwarf Frogs in a three gallon. I would only keep one in a tank, because there could be a more dominant frog than the other and eat all of the food. That has happened to mine before. But what I will say, do not put a male and female together, because they will breed and have at least 600 tadpoles. They don't like hard currents, as a hard current can blow them around, and they are sensitive to the currents. With a hard current blowing them around too much and they hit the sides of the tank, they can get killed, as they are so tiny and actually are fragile frogs. They have to say under water at all times, because if they don't, they can dry out and die. I would reccomend a whisper filter for them. But if you want to clean one once a week, you could use no filter, but they get really messy without a filter. They can have silk plants or plastic plants with rounded edges, just like for a betta. You can use gravel or sand for substrate.

ADF's could be an option for a three gallon tank. I just gave you a little bit of info for them, and what they can use in their tank.

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Rosebud975

Discussion Starter · #10 · Jul 17, 2014

Thanks tripleChrome! I've actually had ADFs in the past and I must admit they are stunning! But then again a 2nd betta is rather tempting, I'm new to bettas but do find them amazing

also my LFS has stocked some good-looking double tails... Lol, so many choices but I think I'll try A small invertebrate tank (although I can't decide how to stock it, so many cute critters!) Also sorry to go off subject a bit but what tankmates could go with my betta in the 8 gallon I've been thinking of pygmy cories but I've found a lot of conflicting information about their tank size requirement. Thanks everyone!

mpooyan83

· #11 · Jul 17, 2014

With Bettas, its different for every one of them. In my 11.5 gallon, I have a school of 6 white could minnows, 3 Oto's and a buncha Cherry shrimp, and my Betta is fine with it, doesn't rip any of them up. But other people on here cant keep shrimp with theirs because the betta tears them up. You can test it with some ghost shrimp, see if ur betta is cool with it, then go with cherries if he is. 3 Oto's would be ok for your tank as well i'd think. you could try a small school of minnows or tetras. it kinda just requires experimenting to see what ur betta is ok with.

TripleChrome

· #12 · Jul 17, 2014

There is a YouTube channel that I watch and in their betta tank, they have a mystery snail.

myexplodingcat

· #13 · Jul 17, 2014

You could keep a single male guppy in that 3 gallon pretty easily, although it'd be just a little cramped for him. A betta has more personality than guppies do, though, and would be more comfortable in a 3g...

An ADF and some shrimp and a snail would look cool, though.

You'd just have to keep the water really clean for those shrimp and not overstock it.

Rosebud975

Discussion Starter · #14 · Jul 17, 2014

Yeah I was thinking of a guppy but I figured it wouldn't be fair on the little guy... I think I've settled on a invertabrate tank and I'm seriously thinking about getting an ADF lol

ZZD

· #15 · Jul 18, 2014

I have a 3g and it was backed right up against my 10g for a while and my two bettas seemed to hang in the corners near each other, but never paid any attention to each other. If they do get cranky next to each other a piece of paper between the tanks or thick plants in those areas would break up their ability to see each other.

I have a betta in my 3g and a nerite. I'm moving every one up though and thinking of putting shrimp in mine since it will be well established by the time my 29g is ready for my betta and his crew from the 10g and Moo and nerite to the 10g. The biggest thing if you do go with shrimp is making sure the tank is well established. Shrimp are notoriously hard to keep unless the water is at very particular parameters.

mart

· #16 · Jul 18, 2014

Guppys like to be in groups.
A 3 gal is not big enough for even one guppy.

Rosebud975

Discussion Starter · #17 · Jul 18, 2014

Yes I know, I figured it wouldn't be fair on the fish. I'm not gonna get a guppy, even if I had a 10 gallon I wouldn't get one, it seems that the ones from petshops are so much weaker. But that could just be my LFS lol

I've decided I'm gonna get either an ADF and some shrimp or an ADF with a Thai micro crab and possibly a little bladder snail or something similar

anyone here own an invertabrate tank? I'm really interested in them! The only worry is my tank has no light so I might not use a lot of plants. I might avoid getting shrimp because of this.

As for the 8 gallon tank, I will experiment with tankmates, it'll be heavily planted and I'm quite interested in a group of ottos but I'm still contemplating about a pygmy cory, does anyone have experience with them? Is 8 gallons ok for a shoal of them? Once again thanks so much guys! :-D

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