# Betta Buddies in 3 gallon tank?



## mrchrisgentry (Nov 16, 2015)

I have a 3 gallon tank with a heater and filter. I was wondering if there was some kind of buddies I could put in there with my betta. The entire 4 months I've had him he has lived in solitude and now that I keep getting bigger tanks I'm wondering if there was any kind of pal(s) I could get him?


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## SplashyBetta (Jul 28, 2014)

Not really anything that you could put in a 3 gallon...


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## kfryman (Nov 7, 2011)

FYI 3 gallons isn't much room for anything besides shrimp and bettas or snails. Bettas are perfectly fine by themselves and are in no need of pals they are solitary fish. Some are social in community tanks but you need a bigger tank upwards of around 10 gallons to house tankmates without getting horrible water parameters and unhappy fish.

If you get a bunch of moss on a little piece of cholla wood you may be able to house a few cherry shrimp. Bettas might make a quick snack out of them but if you get a decent population the betta will just keep their numbers in check. Shrimp would make a great snack as long as their not too big he might choke. Another alternative is a nerite snail.


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## mrchrisgentry (Nov 16, 2015)

So is his tank to small? Am I neglecting him? He has a leaf hamick and plants.Or are you just saying its small for him and any other fish?


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## LittleBettaFish (Oct 2, 2010)

You will find opinions vary greatly on what is an 'acceptable' minimum size for a betta tank. Some people will say nothing under 5 gallons, some people refuse to put a betta into anything smaller than a 10 gallon, and some people feel anything from 1 gallon upwards is adequate. It's all really down to personal preference. 

However, IMO, a 3 gallon tank is fully stocked with a single betta fish. Most 'betta compatible' species of fish, are active swimmers that are most comfortable living in groups. 

A mistake people often make when stocking their tanks, is only looking at the size of the fish. They think simply because a fish is small, it will be fine in a smaller tank, when this is often not the case.


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## Strawberry12 (Mar 6, 2015)

in my opinion 3 gallons is perfect for a single betta, but too small for any tankmates.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

As LBF said, because of their needs a three gallon is too small for most tank mates fish tankmates to have sufficient swimming room. I have Habrosus Cories in my 5.5 gallon tanks but they aren't real active and are bottom dwellers.

IMO, anything smaller than 8-10 gallons is ignoring the needs of anything except bottom dwellers. Even shrimp, IMO, shouldn't be kept in anything less than 8-10 for the same reason.

You could easily have an Assassin snail in a three gallon. They are small, clean the excess food and are quite pretty. They only require the occasional bladder or pond snail or frozen bloodworm to keep them happy and healthy.

Welcome to the Forum!!! :wave:


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