# 3 gallon desktop for work



## eddiefebuary (Mar 9, 2005)

I plan on setting up a 3 gallon desktop aquarium at work. I plan on stocking it with a single Cory Cat and a single Angelfish and possibly a chines algae eater. Anybody see a compatability or space problem? If so, give me a suggestion for a "centerpiece" fish for a 3 gallon, other than a Betta.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well, what I can suggest you is to place a betta only. The angel may not be able to live in such place! They need bigger tanks!
Luck


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Sometime 'simple' and 'single' cause troubles!


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2005)

wow....thats an extremely small tank for the angelfish and the chinese algae eater. you could even keep those in a 10 gallon. id suggest a betta. or 1 dwarf puffer, but they are harder to take care of because u have to feed them snails and frozen or live bloodworms or blackworms. they wont eat flakes. get a betta


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2005)

couldnt***


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## eddiefebuary (Mar 9, 2005)

Will the Betta attack the Cory Cat?


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## Guest (Mar 12, 2005)

dont get a cory cat either. just the betta


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## Mery (Mar 9, 2005)

I wouldn't put any fish in a 3 gallon "tank". :roll: It's difficult to keep water good, when the tank is so small, and fishes have not enough space to move around. Wouldn't you buy a bigger tank, it's so much easier to keep and make beautiful.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Just the betta... the betta will be fine in a 3 gallon tank with frequent water changes... No cories, no angels, just betta.


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## Mery (Mar 9, 2005)

I know I'm straight-laced, but still... 

The fish will be stressed with very frequent water changes, but if you don't change the water, it will die. That's the another problem of the small tank.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

What is the average temperature in your office? Will this tank have a heater?
You say you don't want a betta, and I can dig it; they don't DO anything.

How about a few White Clouds? They have color and are nicely active. They also won't mind if they get cold.

Ember tetras-- these guys are very tiny. They are orange and pink. I have some in an unheated tank that stays in the low 70's and they are doing very well. They must have very tiny food and don't eat much, which means they're cheap to feed and they don't make a big mess, which is important in a desktop tank at the office. They're also sooooo cute, which your coworkers would appreciate.

Killifish-- These guys are well-suited to a very small tank, and their appearance is nothing short of spectacular. Tough as nails and not too sensitive to small temperature variances, they're easy to keep and might even spawn right on your desk. They'd be a big hit in the office, bringing you a steady stream of ooohs and aahhs.

Neolebias sp.-- these tiny west african tetras are hard to find, but well worth the search. That goes double for Butterfly Barbs. a six-pack of either would be great in a 3 gallon tank.


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## eddiefebuary (Mar 9, 2005)

Thanks for the options OldSalt. I'll look into those.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Mery @ Sat Mar 12 said:


> I know I'm straight-laced, but still...
> 
> The fish will be stressed with very frequent water changes, but if you don't change the water, it will die. That's the another problem of the small tank.



I'm glad you brought this up, because a lot of people have the same misconception. The truth is, a big water change after a long time without any water changes can be harmful. A big water change after frequent too-small water changes can also be harmful. ( a 10% weekly water change actually changes considerably less than 10% of the water, and less and less old water is actually replaced each week )

However, regular LARGE water changes are not harmful at all, for they keep the water chemistry stable in the tank while keeping the pollutant level very low. In fact, frequent large volume changes are the very key to keeping and/or spawning many species. It doesn't cause stress; it relieves it.

Wanna keep/breed discus? Frequently make large volume water changes.
Wanna keep your goldfish or Betta happy? Make frequent large volume water changes.

The problem with water changing lies in the new water being too different from the old water. Making frequent changes prevents the tank water from drifting too far from the properties of the water used to make water changes.

Naturally, the new water should be allowed to aerate fully before use, and the temperature should be as close to that of the tank's water as possible. ( Unless you're trying to simulate the rain in order to spawn those species which spawn after the rain, in which case you'd make the new water 2 or 3 degrees cooler. Using distilled water is also handy for that, as it further simulates the rain by diluting the levels of dissolved solids in the tank. )


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## Mr Aquarium (Jan 18, 2005)

If you take care if this "w/c ect ect" and run a small filter with it, you should be able to pull it off just fine with up to 5 or so Guppys, smaller ones and maybe a couple nice ones.
I have a 2 1/2g cheese ball cantainer that had 6 guppys in it, gravle, n a small box filter,
they did just fine and even grew a little bit, 
I would not suguest white clouds myself, I have some in my 75g and they was tiny tiny when i got them and they are almost the size of my zebra danios, and I have seen over and inch, beside that isn;t really enough room to make them happy as they do love to swim, and should be in schools of at least 4 or more, IMO


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

The only problem with guppies, is you need to expect more if you get males and females


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

How about a blue Paradise gourami and a few ghost shrimp?


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## Pia (Mar 15, 2005)

What don't you like about Bettas? LOL .. Well, if you decide to get a betta, make sure you get a small one. I made the silly choice of buying a big betta, and whoopsie .. it died 2 weeks later of old age. ¬_¬


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

How about 1 applesnail for algae control and 2 African Dwarf Frogs?


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## Mobern (Mar 14, 2005)

No gourami. With only 3 gallons there's little space. Most schooling fish such as White Clouds, Killifish or Ember Tetras all need more room to swim about in their little group than just 3 gallons. 

I think you have 2 options. 
1) a single betta. They are beautiful, fun to watch and easy to care for. You could plant your tank with dwarf live plants and make it very beautiful
2) 2 African Dwarf Frogs and a Ghost Shrimp. This would be a critter tank but ADF's are very interesting creatures while ghost shrimp are fun to watch as they scurry aroudn cleaning up the tank. 

Please don't overcrowd your tank. You have plenty more options if you just update to a 10 gallon if you want a dwarf gourami, cories or schooling fish (you couldn't keep all of them together in a 10g though). If you want to stock a nice planted peaceful 3g tank choose a simple easy setup so you won't have to worry too much about overcrowding or the huge bio-load other fishes might dump on your tank.


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## Lexus (Jan 19, 2005)

Blue paradise only grow to be about 3" and are labrynth fish. They also can live at room temperature and prefer to be by themselves as they will fight with other males much like bettas. I see nothing wrong with one in a 3 G.


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## garfieldnfish (Jan 18, 2005)

I agree with Mobern. But I would be watchful with the ghost shrimp. They need hiding spaces for when they molt so they can hang out until their exoskeleton is hard again. I had 8 ghost shrimp in a 15 gal with 5 ADFs and one by one the ghost shrimp disappeared. Could be they died from natural causes but I rather doubt it since they did not last but a few weeks. I believe everytime one molted the frogs got them or my water values were not what they needed (my water is on the soft side) and they died. Either way I never found a body so the frogs must have ate them either alive or dead. Another option is an amano shrimp a little hardier and better at eating algae. And I don't believe the frogs would mess with one of those.


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## Mobern (Mar 14, 2005)

Blue Paradis Gouramis may be small but they have a large bio-load and a 3g tank can't handle that. 

I've never had problems with Ghost Shrimp but an amano shrimp would be fine just they are really good escape artists so be careful of that....

Snails have a pretty large bio-load so I wouldn't recommend one for a 3g unless you could fine one of those small snails that only get 1/2" in diameter... 

Keep us posted on your thoughts....


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## turtlehead (Jan 28, 2005)

dwarf gouramis are like bettas, they don't need much. Dwarf honey gouramis in particular.


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## Fishfirst (Jan 24, 2005)

Dwarf gouramis tend to be much happier and more active in a larger 10gal + tank... I wouldn't recomend it. I'd go with a betta or an ADF... or now that I just thought of it... a fire belly newt! I love my little guy, and he sure loves his fresh shrimp and fish!


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Since when are Killies and White Clouds schooling fish? Killies are combative and White Clouds generally hang out in very loose aggregations at best which could hardly be called schools.

Killies are routinely kept and bred in 2 gallon tanks; it's pretty much the standard, in fact, and I've yet to meet the Ember Tetra that wouldn't get it's tiny little fishy butt kicked by a Neon.

Maybe the white clouds weren't the best choice, but there's nothing wrong with the other two options. A pair of killies or a few Embers would do just fine.
Actually, do we even know the filtration or waterchange plans for this tank? The Blue Paradise was shot down due to the tank not being able to handle the bio-load, but is that even an issue in this case? 
( By the way, I've spawned paradises aplenty in things much much smaller than a 3 gallon desktop tank. )

You guys have spent the whole thread telling this guy to get a bigger tank or a fish he doesn't want. He can't PUT a 10 gallon tank on his desk. He doesn't LIKE Bettas. He came here looking for help with what he's got, so for crying out loud, let's give up on utopia and start looking for answers he can use.

Oh, and I have a funny feeling that the Boss's receptionist wouldn't find a Newt very cute at all...


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## turtlehead (Jan 28, 2005)

yes, thank you old salt for comfirming.


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## eddiefebuary (Mar 9, 2005)

You guys have spent the whole thread telling this guy to get a bigger tank or a fish he doesn't want. He can't PUT a 10 gallon tank on his desk. He doesn't LIKE Bettas. He came here looking for help with what he's got, so for crying out loud, let's give up on utopia and start looking for answers he can use.

Thanks OldSalt. I was thinking the same thing but didn't want to say it. I guess I'll stick with the Betta. I was trying to get away from it because I wanted a fish that swam around a little more. The filtration BTW is the Eclipse hood.


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## aquariumfishguy (Jan 18, 2005)

A 3 gallon is extremely limited in what you can successfully keep (ALIVE). The facts are there, if you do not like the answer, or the fish provided, maybe you should give up on having a small 'office tank' altogether.

Office tanks are usually a bad idea from the beginning, so you're asking for something that might not be possible.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

An Eclipse?

Does the Eclipse even COME in a 3 gallon size?
I think 5 gallon is the smallest, isn't it?

Well, be it 3 or 5, the Eclipse opens up a whole lot of new possibilities. Don't settle for a Betta now that you certainly don't need to, Eddie.


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## flynngriff (Jan 19, 2005)

Heh... I have an eclipse _two _gallon on my desk at work. You can get them for $25 or so on eBay!

I love their filtration system.


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## TheOldSalt (Jan 28, 2005)

Whoops. I guess I must have missed the advent of these new smaller sizes.
Still, a 3 gallon Eclipse tank has a lot more capability than a 3-gallon bowl.


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## Julie (Mar 17, 2005)

What about different shrimp species...If you did that they would be light on the bio-load.


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## osteoporoosi (Jan 27, 2005)

I wouldn't put any kind of fish, not even a betta. And tetras need a school, which wouldn't fit into your jar.
How about amano shrimps and an aplle snail?


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

I had white clouds regularly spawning in the 5gal desktop tank at my day job (office cubical)... after a year or so I got bored with them and have been using the tank as somewhat of a catch-all - sometimes I'll put in juvinile dwarf cichlids (leftover fry,etc), sometimes honey gouramis, sometimes killies, etc. (yes, I know I'm working with 5.5g not 3g)

Anyway - I think a trio of white clouds would be ok as long as the tank was cycled properly first. If you include a little bed of java moss and keep the weekly water changes up you may even find fry 
A small dwarf gourami or killies would also work (In My Opinion).

However - my usual small tank warning - they're *always* harder than a larger tank, the least little thing going wrong can spell disaster.


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## Thunderkiss (Mar 19, 2005)

Frogs eat fish, and the african dwarf frogs will certainly get large enough to eat white clouds. And they will still kill what they can't eat, so steer clear of the frogs, as they are also very inactive, more so than the betta.
Angels are a terrible idea, they want far more stability and cleanliness than is likely to be found in an average office tank, even if it is a marineland tank.

paradise gourami and white clouds come to mind as a decent mix.

Marineland currently makes 2,3,5 and 6 gallon tanks with the bio wheel filtration built in. Can't go wrong with marineland. As stated before, keep up on your water changes and you should be fine.


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## maxpayne_lhp (Jan 19, 2005)

Well, after sometime, I keep my idea, one betta... Well, for the situation only. I always want a big, well-planted tank... 
Luck


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