# 3 gallon tank question



## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

Hi 

I have a 3 gallon tank with a Betta Fish (ted) a gold mystery snail (garry) and 2 shrimp ( Blue and Jimmy) Do I have any more room for anything else like a cory catfish thanks!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

bettafishfan22 said:


> Hi
> 
> I have a 3 gallon tank with a Betta Fish (ted) a gold mystery snail (garry) and 2 shrimp ( Blue and Jimmy) Do I have any more room for anything else like a cory catfish thanks!


I don't want to be rude, but i am just going to go out a say it. NO, NO, NO!!!!!

*A 3 gallons can ONLY (IMO)comfortably house 1 betta and POSSIBLY the 2 shrimp(as long as it has a filter AND heater). I would suggest highly removing the snail and shrimp. Cory Catfish need a minimum of 20 gallons(they school, and can grow up to 4 inches!) and the pygmy cory cats need a minimum of 10 gallons. Cories also need sand substrate, becsue without it they will damage their babrles. They NEED and filter AND and heater.*


Sorry if i came off as rude, i just didn't want any creatures to suffer

Good luck, and we would love to see pics:-D!

BTW<i noticed you were new here. WELCOME fellow Betta lover!!! We all can't wait to see pictures of your betta and his/her tank! Kudos for you for getting a bigger tank for our betta, you just need to research a little more


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

Thank you the lady at petsmart said I had plenty of room to have a cory catfish instead of a snail but I think they sold me a dead one (its been almost 2 weeks and it hasnt moved any


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

bettafishfan22 said:


> Thank you the lady at petsmart said I had plenty of room to have a cory catfish instead of a snail but I think they sold me a dead one (its been almost 2 weeks and it hasnt moved any


Yep, Petsmart almost always (IMO) gives out false information. They (again IMO) are not trustworthy for info.

If the cory cat hasn't moved, remove it IMMEDIATELY otherwise it could pollute the water and cause lethal ammonia to rise.

BettaFishFan, may i ask how often you clean your tank and what you add to the water before putting it in the tank? Do you have a filter? A heater?

I would but the snail and shrimp in a fish bowl until you can rehome them. Your betta (IMO) will be happier without them. Bettas are solitary fish, which means they LIKE living by themselves, but will TOLERATE(dosent mean thy like them) other tank mates.


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

For a 3 gallon tank, i would take a gravel vacuum (aka water siphon-you can buy at petmsart or any other petstore) and vacuum the gravel 2 times a week. You want to remove 50% of the water TWICE a week. SO change let say 50% on Sunday, and the 50% on Thursday. Make sure to treat the tap water with water dechlorinator(removes harmful metals and chemicals from water and makes it safe for fish) BEFORE adding to the tank.

How often do you feed your fish?


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

I dont have a catfish it was the snail i was talking about. And i do have a filter by not heater, i did a lot of research ( Im a beginer at fish keeping) my dad ( who used to have many fish said I didnt need one


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

and I feed my fish at least 1 time daily and most days 2 times and once a week i do no feeding


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

bettafishfan22 said:


> I dont have a catfish it was the snail i was talking about. And i do have a filter by not heater, i did a lot of research ( Im a beginer at fish keeping) my dad ( who used to have many fish said I didnt need one


Then i would remove the snail and shrimp and put them in a fish bowl until you rehome them. 

I am going to have to go against your dad here. Betta fish ABSOLUTELY *NEED* heated water. Their water constantly has to be around 78-80 degrees no matter what. If bettas are kept in cool water for too long, they will become lethargic and can get diseases and will die.

I know this is a lot of information to take in, as a beginning fish hobbyist, but this information is essential. Keep doing like your doing and research on THIS site(the most knowledgeable site i know IMO) because it has the most correct information.

Glad to hear you are researching!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

bettafishfan22 said:


> and I feed my fish at least 1 time daily and most days 2 times and once a week i do no feeding


Sounds like a good feeding schedule. What type of food do you feed, and how much of it?

The best betta foods are:

NLS ( New Life Spectrum Betta Formula)

or

Hikari Betta Bio GOld

or to start:

Aqueon Betta Pellets

You should feed your betta (for optimum results) 2 pellets in the morning and 2 pellets at night and fast once a week like you are already doing.;-)


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

Yea, Im saving up for a bigger tank about 20-40 gallons I just wanted to get a little bit of experince


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

I use Aqueon betta food and I give about 2 pellets and once a week I give a blood worm or something down that line


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

bettafishfan22 said:


> Yea, Im saving up for a bigger tank about 20-40 gallons I just wanted to get a little bit of experince


Good for you! Just be sure to research everything fully and ask any questions you have BEFORE you buy. This site has many people who would love to help, and many people here are very trustworthy for information(knowledgable too!), especially OFL (old fish lady) and all the Moderators and Super Moderators.:-D


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

OKay i will do this, thanks for all the help!


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

bettafishfan22 said:


> Im using the aqueon food and a blood worm or something else once a week


I have Aqueon too!!!

It has high soy and wheat contents though, so i will be switching soon.

Don't forget, bloodworms are treats only! They are like basically chocolate to bettas:-D


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

RBF is right.

Sounds like a good set-up, but you're pretty crowded and you need a heater. I think of it like sharing a bedroom with a pet, if you have a small room you don't want a huge bird cage and a hamster too. Sort of like a betta in a small tank won't want a bunch of other things in there.

Though cories are awesome, not for a small tank. I'd wait and get a good pack of them for your larger tank.

My rule of thumb, for the betta's happiness, is one shrimp per 2.5 gallons or one snail per 5 gallons. So my ten gallon could have four shrimp, two snails, or two shrimp and a snail.

Happy fishkeeping to you and hope to see you around.


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## bettafishfan22 (Jul 20, 2012)

Well it turns out my snail was sold to me dead and I just did away with him  My shrimp was eating him!


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## lilyrazen (Oct 25, 2009)

Oh how sad (and rude of petsmart!). I guess that eliminates rehoming the little guy though. Sorry to hear that...


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## MyRainbowBettaFish (May 9, 2012)

sorry to hear about your snail! I would rehome the shrimp though


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