Which fish can I put in my 4G tank?

[Rikki101]

Hi there,

Got some crumby advice from petstore and purchased a 4G tank with the hopes of putting 3 male guppies for my childrens' birthday - I didn't properly read up on the process, the tank wasn't cycled and the fish didn't even make it 12 hrs!! SHM. So now, 1 month later we are getting close to having a fishless cycled tank - the ammonia is dropping and the Nitrites are through the roof. I'm so excited to see this finally happening! I think my kids would really enjoying having 3 pretty little guppies but I've been told this isn't really the right sized tank for 3 guppies. Is this true? Is it really bad?!?! I have been thinking maybe we might just have to go with a single male Betta. Thoughts on colourful pretty fish for this set up? Thanks for your advice!

 

[ImACoolguy]

I think your best option here is a Betta. It is a bit small for guppies. In the world of aquariums a 4g tank is tiny.


Caleb

 

[brennae]

I concur. Male betta is your best bet. They can be quite colorful and interactive. The only other single fish would be a male killifish of some sort. They are colorful and have character but may be hard to find.

I breed guppies. They love to swim around and a 4G doesn't offer them enough space to be happy. Just for information there are people who keep small tanks called pico\nano tanks with tiny fish, myself included. They aren't easy to maintain, the fish are not cheap usually and if one thing goes wrong the whole tank can go south pretty quick.

Does your tank have a filter? For a betta you need a heater. They do best and are most healthy at 78 to 82 degrees.

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[FWFishTanks]

A lot of people keep guppies in small tanks, and I believe a trio of male guppies would do fine in there. You could also do a betta, a few endlers, or some sort of killifish

 

[TMRC Exotics]

It all depends on the footprint IMO. I have 3 guppies and an Otto in a 5.5 gallon but my tank has a 16 inch length by 9 inch width which offers lots of swimming room. Unless the tank is very tall (like a column) I think 3 guppies will work but it depends on the length x width.

 

[FWFishTanks]

A lot of people keep guppies in small tanks, and I believe a trio of male guppies would do fine in there. You could also do a betta, a few endlers, or some sort of killifish

Edit: I don't mean bettas guppies and endlers in one setup. Each of the stocks up there are separate

 

[PoppaRyno]

Shrimp are fun for kids as well. All kinds of colors of them out there too. Plus you could still add a few fish like CPDs.

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[Coyne]

A lot of people keep guppies in small tanks, and I believe a trio of male guppies would do fine in there. You could also do a betta, a few endlers, or some sort of killifish

Those people might be a bit more experienced with maintaining smaller tanks. Sounds like the OP is new to the hobby. Like Breanne mentioned, small tanks can crash pretty quickly when something's not right. I think a big reason new hobbyist get frustrated and give up is because they make the mistake of getting a small tank with the idea that it will be easier.

I've never kept guppies, but don't they reproduce pretty quickly? You might start out with three and have more than you bargained for after a few months. And getting only females may not be a foolproof solution. If they're anything like the mollies I've had in the past, they may already be pregnant when you bring them home.


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[TheresaM]

Male Endlers

Betta

Small group of chili rasboras, dwarf amber barbs, or similar

Pair of killifish