APPROPRIATE stocking ideas for the dreaded/taboo 3 gallon aquarium?

**Drew's_Fish_99** · 02-04-2014, 07:08 AM

The past few days, I've been able to think about nothing but a picture I saw of an all glass, square, 3 gallon aquarium, with a light natural substrate, a dark stone sticking up, a marimo moss ball, and a few other plants. I want to know what the other plants are so I'll probably post a pic if I can find it again. Anyway, I would want to add a few fish to the mix, I've looked in to it and I definitely would like to have some Cherry Shrimp in there, and something for the middle. I know people don't like Betta's in small spaces, so I thought of maybe a few guppies, or something that would do well in such a small tank. I know my options are very limited, but please don't suggest anything that would do just okay. I want something that will do decently well. I plan on putting it on the side table in the living room so can't do anything bigger. I really just want this to be a nice, clean, calm little aquarium. So I might even just do only 3 or 4 cherry shrimp if I can't come up with anything for the middle.Marimo Moss Ball.jpg
Does anyone know the taller plant on the left side is? I looks kinda like Peacock fern but greener. Really can't tell but love it nonetheless. I think the one next to the rock is anubias nana and don't really care about the one on the right side because I don't plan on putting it in there.

**Surfdog** · 02-04-2014, 09:43 AM

I think it's very cool having a desktop tank. Planted, you should be able to safely keep 3 or 4 neons in there with the shrimp you mentioned. As to your posts title, I don't understand? Absolutely nothing wrong if you properly cycle and then do the necessary water changes. Someone who is much more knowledgable than I has to identify those plants. Good Luck! Look forward to seeing it.

BTW. I've seen these set ups (Fluval I think) with built in filters and heaters so no big goofy filter hanging off the back. Just a cube so all you see is what you've seascaped. They also had the overhead LED in day and moonlight.

**mommy1** · 02-04-2014, 11:26 AM

Gotta disagree with you. Neons need a bigger group and a bigger space to swim. The only thing I would recommend in a 3 gallon is more shrimp. If you could find a similar style 5 gallon you could put a betta in it and it should still fit in the space you have available.
I think the plant on the right might be a wisteria but I am also not the most knowledgeable with plants.

**Triton** · 02-04-2014, 12:07 PM

I think you could go with shrimp and maybe a type of micro-fish such as a few male endlers or chili rasboras. As long as water quality is kept good you should be ok

I believe the plants are wisteria, anubius, moss ball and something I don't know.

Personally I think sand, a small piece of malaysian driftwood, and a few abunius nana would be perfect in that tank

**FrozenTundra** · 02-04-2014, 01:01 PM

at least he is not trying to stock that tank with a fancy goldfish and a BNP like my kids daycare provider tried to do.

**Cliff** · 02-04-2014, 01:05 PM

I would suggest a nice shrimp tank

That would be the only thing I would stock in a tank like that

**philthy** · 02-04-2014, 04:13 PM

I have a tank divided into three sections, each section is about 4.5 gallons, I'm keeping cherry shrimp and guppies in there, atleast 20 odd shrimp and 4 juvenile guppies per section, I would only keep 2 adults per section. I would only keep 4 adults if I could be bothered monitoring the tank properly, but I dont so I wont - I think 4 adults would be easy to keep on top of, especially guppies. In my experience you have to be very ignorant or unlucky to kill off guppies. Obviously keep more females than males - the females can be quite colourful, not just the males. I would only avoid the guppies if youre going to feel inclined to try and save any fry you may find, and dont have more space to raise them in.

Otherwise a betta would look nice aswell.

I'm probably going to ruffle a few feathers but I barely count the shrimp as having an impact on the tank, even at 3 gal I dont think they will add much at all to your bioload.

the plant on the left looks like a water sprite to me, or it could be wisteria, hard to tell from that small picture.

**mommy1** · 02-04-2014, 04:24 PM

No fish belongs in a 3 gallon tank. It just isn't enough swimming room. Even micro-fish and guppies need room to swim.

**eltylT** · 02-04-2014, 04:48 PM

If its still just a plan I wouldn't go with 3 I would up it to 5gals.

It wouldn't take up very much more space and you would have a greater variety of choices for inhabitants and ecological structures as your challenges .

but that's just me.

**philthy** · 02-04-2014, 04:55 PM

No fish belongs in an aquarium full stop.

I compare my guppy tanks to these "monster" tanks you see with arowanas and the likes. In comparison my guppys can swim, for example 5 or 6 times their body length in each direction, where as I see arowanas in tanks 4 or 5 times as long as the arowana, but only 2 or 3 times the arowana length, wide.

basically im saying the fish to water ratio in my guppy tanks seem to be a lot better than most tanks for big fish.