3-Gallon Tank Advice - Please Help

[msu4two]

Hi, my 10 year-old daughter received a 3 gallon fish tank for Christmas. It has a filter, but no heater. We set it up according to the directions, and also added Stress Coat at the advice of people at the fish store. We bought a Telescopic Goldfish, and he died yesterday, after having him only 2 weeks.

My daughter is so upset that her fish died so quickly. She fed him 5 granules every other day, which they said to do when we bought the fish. Did we do something wrong, or could the fish have just been sick before we brought him home? He ended up having black on one of his sides and on his fins, and when they tested our ammonia levels, they were between a 2.2 and 2.4. We put good bacteria in the tank today (can't remember the name of the stuff), and need to check the ammonia levels again at the store in a few days.

Please help...part of me thinks this type of tank is much too small for anything, and perhaps the way to go is to give my daughter the money we spent on the tank in the first place, so she can pick out another present.

Thanks so much,

Robin

 

[Crepe]

Slow things down first.

First of all, no goldfish fancy or otherwise should be kept in anything less than 20 gallons. I've seen foot long black moor goldfish in my uncle's pond. They all get really big.

Secondly, you need to cycle your tank. We have a good article here:
http://www.aquariumadvice.com/forums/f15/fishless-cycling-for-dummies-103339.html

Basically you're trying to culture good bacteria in your tank. No amount of supplements will speed this process. There are supplements out there and I use them for my koi pond; but for a new tank, and a small one at that, your money and time will be saved if you just wait out the cycle.

If your daughter is adamant on keeping a living thing in that 3 gallon either try a betta although you'll need a heater and he won't be very happy in there or cherry shrimp. You can find them pretty easily and they will breed like mad. They are kind of cute also.

 

[msu4two]

Thanks for your help. A friend of mine mentioned Neon Tetras, around 5-6 of them. What do you think? If that's a fish you'd recommend, would a heater be needed?

Thanks.

 

[melosu58]

Moved to the FW general discussion forum. More will see it there.

 

[adeebm]

Neon tetras would be a bit cramped in there. If you upgrade to a 10 gallon tank, you will have many more options. If not, like Crepe said, you can keep a betta, or small shrimp. There are also some small rasboras and other fish that might work.

--Adeeb

 

[Tropical boy]

Everything that crepe said is good advice and you unfortunately have to live with the facts. Neon tetras are not a good idea as they are a schooling fish, you would need 5 -6 and to be honest even 1 would be stressed due to the fact that they like some open swimming space and would probably also live a short life. The minimum tank size I would use for these fish is a 10 gallon and they are tropical fish that beed warmer water which will require you to have a heater. To agree with crepe again the only fish for this tank is a betta, they are beautiful fish that come in a variety of colour and tail shapes. Alternatively you could get some shrimp they are not fish I know but you can only do so much with this size tank. I am afraid I cannot agree with adeebm, rasboras like tetra cannot live in a 3 gal tank. Sorry about the bad news and I hope your daughter is not to upset.

 

[adeebm]

There are a couple of species of rasboras and tetras which get to around .5in, which is probably as suitable as a betta in a 3 gal. If the tank is a 3 gal hex, then even a betta isn't a great choice due to lack of swimming space, but if it's a rectangle, then these fish should be okay. Pygmy cories might work also. This site has some small fish: Nano-Fish Still, a 10 gallon is the best option, even for a betta.

--Adeeb

 

[Jason7894561230]

First off lets get a heater and a filter, now the filter doest have to be that big just a little one that hooks onto the side of then tank, once you have these things then let the tank run for about 1-2 weeks getting the water tested for ammonia, this is a deadly substance in the water that will kill fish.

Once there is no ammonia in the tank then you can get a fish. Now a betta would be the best option because they are beautiful and i love them. But pygmy corydoras and Celestrial Pear Danios. Also rosboras can go in there. But the best option might be shrimp.

Now i know what your thinking how can Shrimp be interesting. Well i used to ahve a shrimp tank and loved it. Now the best shrimp are Red cherry Shrimp that are a beautiful red colour. A 3 gal tank can hold around 30 but they will breed and your daughter can watch for the little shrimp for eggs and then look for baby shrimp which i must admit is a lot of fun.