3 gal no reef fish tank

[Cantareadio]

Is this post okay here? I didn't find a nano fish tank category.

If so, I'm wondering about my poor 3 gal salt water tank. After a week or two of cycling with no fish it was fine.

I got three hermit crabs and a damsel fish. The damsel got some kind of flesh eating bacteria he died Friday but wasn't dead in the tank more than a few hours before I found him.
Last night I tested the levels and I have 1 ppm ammonia, .25 ppm nitrite and whatever is the next step up from 0 on the nitrate color chart (can't remember right now).

Any idea what happened and how I can fix? I'm guessing there's not enough bacteria?

 

[SwimsWithFish]

You probably bought a bad fish. IMO a 3 gallon is wayyyy to small to keep a fish. The only thing I can think of for that tank is a small goby. Any active fish will get stressed out and die.

 

[Cantareadio]

I'm totally not disagreeing with you...

But the LFS owner says green damsels tend to get a flesh eating bacteria and it wasn't anything I did. I have just put four green damsels in my 50 gal and one has the same thing

Why will a small tank stress out a fish?

 

[Greenturtle]

I'm totally not disagreeing with you...

But the LFS owner says green damsels tend to get a flesh eating bacteria and it wasn't anything I did. I have just put four green damsels in my 50 gal and one has the same thing

Why will a small tank stress out a fish?

They have almost no room to explore like they would in the ocean. You could get a clown goby, and I would recommend the Green Clown Goby. 1.75 inches maximum.

 

[Cantareadio]

Oh I see

Thanks

 

[BallinCrew10]

It'd be like you trying to live in a phone booth, it would be stressful haha. My lfs has a few of these small nanos setup. I would recommend just inverts and corals for a 3gallon tank.

 

[Cantareadio]

Thanks

I have three hermit crabs in there. What else would you suggest?
I don't think it has the right light. I just have one flourescent white light above it.

 

[redsea]

What about an Emerald Crab?

 

[Cantareadio]

Any non crustaceans that would work? I already have three...

An engineer goby would be cool.

What about a fire goby, they don't really swim around...

 

[redsea]

Unfortunately, a 3g would be too small for a fire goby. they are jumpers too, so they would probably try to jump out, if one was put in.

 

[Cantareadio]

Okay

I want them to be happy and healthy

 

[mdavidson]

An engineer goby can get a lil big. Round 6" if memory serves me correct. I second a blown gov't because they do stay small

 

[redsea]

By the way, sorry about the typo (auto-corrects fault) LOL.

 

[mdavidson]

Lol I caught mine too. Clown goby is what I meant.

 

[dreamerslegacy]

I have a 3 gallon the best thing to keep in your tank if you have to have fish is 1 little golby and it little shrimp friend that it is matched with it. They move around and dig new holes and are really fun to watch... other wise fish really dont work out to well, they will jump out when stressed or just die and its really sad. Good luck