3.75 g tank

[PumaWard]

I was wondering if you could put a small schoal of neon tetras in a tank this size. It's dimensions are 7 1/16 X 12 X 10 1/4 (height X lengthX width) inches. So it's about 3.75 gallons. If not, are there any similiar shoaling fish I could add? I was also thinking of having a pair of kuhli loaches for the bottom. The more common the fish are the better :). Any opinions are welcome because I can't make up my mind :). Thanks everyone!

[Dtman]

Now take this as it is...Just an opinion from ...so I've been told...an elitest snob.:D
Personally I wouldnt subject anything to a tank this small. It would require at least 3 or 4 waterchanges per week, and I tend to have bouts of laziness where that wouldnt always happen. I also travel quite a bit, so I know that wouldnt happen.

[delmore]

Not a good idea. If Neons have good water conditions they can live for 8+ years. In a tank that size they'll run into trouble sooner or later.

[WolfPup522]

It's also not enough room for neons to school properly from what I understand. The only thing I would have the heart to put in there would be a betta.

[nvision]

actually, i think neons should be ok for a tank this size. wouldn't put the loaches in there, though. i'd say about 3 (three's company) neons should work pretty well, including if you maintain good water quality. a small sponge filter should work fine for the small bio-load, and live plants would help, too. for water change, just swap a few cups of water each day (i do this on my way to the restroom for my office tank).

i wouldn't think schooling would be that critical for neons since they don't normally do it unless they feel threatened. most of the time they just like hanging out by themselves at their favorite corner in the tank.

[tricksterpup]

One fish that would work is Heterandria Formosa (least killiefish) one of the smallest live bearer. The females are about an inch and the males are around a whopping 1/4 of an inch. These guys like to chase each other among the plants i have in the tank.
These are not common to the US (even though they are from florida) lfs but you can ask your local dealer and see if they can find you some. If not try your local fish club, I am sure that some Livebearer junkies have them in your area.
I have 2 colonies right now, one in a 5 gallon tank, i have atleast 10 in here and hardly see them. I have 7 in a 2.5 tank and they are doing fantastic.

Certain colonies will have a red dot on the dorsal. It just depends where yours are caught/ come from. My Colony have the red spot.
http://floridafisheries.com/images/fish-pic/het-for.jpg

jim

[ChilDawg]

Jim likes his Het. forms and those are about the only non-Betta creature that I would put in that tank! As mentioned, Neons are too large to have a sufficient school without having widely-fluctuating tank conditions. OrionGirl has a tank of similar proportions, though, which she has filled with Kuhlis, plants, and what else, OG?

[tricksterpup]

Thanks Childawg, I love my hets is a certain thing. I read about them in a FAMA about 5 years ago and wanted them ever since. I finally got my first colony of them this past spring from an online dealer. Ever since going to this site, I have been hooked on Native fish as pets.
These guys will readly breed for you in the tank, school and the males will chase each other around. These guys are used to being in slow moving waters so a small tank would do very well for them. I have been told some breeders have kept colonies in a 1 gallon jar sucessfully. And when I say they are tiny, I do mean tiny. Wild guppies are much larger than these guys and Neons are way larger than they are. I know they do not have the bright colors as Neons or Endlers, but they are pretty in their own right. Besides having the red spot varient, there are also a gold varient. Now these tend to be in a bigger demand than the normal strain.
Another big bonus for them, they do not need to have a heater in the tank. They will do fine at room temp, unlike neons.
As for feeding, I have fed them live brine shrimp, crushed flake (I mix a vegie based flake with a regular tropical mix), Live and dehydrated daphnia. They are not to picky on what they eat.
Now these are probably the only fish I would put into a school in a tank this size. These guys are very good for beginners, another fish I have heard that will breed in a tank this size is Elassoma okeefenokee the Pygmy sunfish. But these guys are more for the advanced aquarists, they require live foods and very clean water. I believe they get up to 1.75 inches big, not a very large fish. But very pretty, in spawning season, the male will be black with bright blue spots.
I believe that Native fish are in a back seat in the fish trade, with all the imported exotics. I guess, that is why, i am always harping about these guys, to pass the knowledge. And maybe get someone else into natives that are not larger sunfish or catfish.

jim

[tricksterpup]

Ok, here is a pict of a nice small fish, Elassoma evergladei the Everglades pygmy sunfish. These guys would do well in a tank that size. hmmm.. am i beating this native fish horse way to much?
ok, i will be quiet in the corner now.
jim


http://floridafisheries.com/images/fish-pic/ela-eve.jpg