How many Bettas in 3 Gallons?

I would have to repeat what everyone has said about the beta fishes needing a larger tank, but if you want somthing that would work in that type of tank then maybe a pair of killifishes instead would do the trick. They are more expensive than bettas but they are also much more colorful than a bettafish... But I haven't kept them personally so I don't have firsthand experience.
 
i did have a betta in a 3 gal his now in a 5 gal an he loves it an i wouldnt put shrimp in with a betta imo
 
I know everyone is saying to get a bigger tank etc, and I ordinarily agree wholeheartedly and am always trying to persuade people to go large. In the interest of not scaring the OP away, you can keep a betta in a 3G (but only one) but you need to make sure you keep up with WCs and try keep the environment as stable as possible. If you can, get a liquid test kit, make sure you have the highest quality food, and ensure you keep up with your WCs using a good conditioner (Prime is excellent). A filter and heater is a must, and they like having a few plants in there to hide behind/lie on.

A well kept betta in a 3G is a million times better than a 10G which is poorly looked after because it gets put somewhere awkward because there's no space etc. I upgraded my fry tank (for another type of fish) but had nowhere to put it except a corner in a spare room. I hardly ever went in there, and as a result the fry got a bit neglected in comparison to how they would have been treated if they'd been in the room where the rest of my fish are, and where I spend the majority of my time. I went back to using my smaller tank, and I feel that they are happier, in cleaner water, and I enjoy them more because I can see them.

If you have the space/money/inclination, you should definitely go for a larger tank, though.
 
i would only put one male betta for sure and even if you decide to do a female betta instead, i would still only do one. Members have done femal betta sorority tanks but those have been much larger than a 3 gallon. As for shrimps, i suppose you could do a few ghost shrimps but even at that i still think 3 gallons is a bit close quarters.

There is nothing wrong with a 3 gallon tank and if you do it right you can have a very pretty looking tank...as long as you do things tactfully.

If you are looking to do more with a tank then i would get something a bit larger. I personally am not a fan of these "kits" i personally like to mix and match my parts since i can't get everything i like and want in one grande all, get all package. If you are looking to do something with a male betta, a 10 gal with some plants, low-med light wouldnt be bad since they dont really need CO2 and with that you could add a variety of shrimp and even some other fish mates. Neons in a group of 6-10 wouldnt be half bad along with shrimp and a betta. There are some other fish you could add as well, i find tetras to be pretty docile and will school if there is a "threat" in the tank.

Corrieberry made a great point above, follow the suggestions given there. Above all, maintainence of the tank is a big big deal. Bettas can endure really crappy water but you know what, they shouldnt have to, there is no reason.

keep in mind, i found that my betta struggled alot with current within the tankand this seems to be a very common occurence especially since bettas are commonly found in very slow moving water sources in thailand such as rice pattys. I always had to keep my HOB filter on low so as not to bother him, i even had plants and rocks and a castle, he loved the castle, he always slept in it.
 
I have 1 betta, 2 otos, and lots of baby MTS in my 3 gallon marineland tank. He is quite happy with all his guppy grass, duckweed, and barrel shaped cave:)
 
Carla G said:
This is a seriously overstocked tank.
Click to expand...

I don't think you can accurately make that claim without knowing some details about the tanks filtration, owners upkeep schedule, etc...
 
SuBXeRo said:
i would only put one male betta for sure and even if you decide to do a female betta instead, i would still only do one. Members have done femal betta sorority tanks but those have been much larger than a 3 gallon. As for shrimps, i suppose you could do a few ghost shrimps but even at that i still think 3 gallons is a bit close quarters.

There is nothing wrong with a 3 gallon tank and if you do it right you can have a very pretty looking tank...as long as you do things tactfully.

If you are looking to do more with a tank then i would get something a bit larger. I personally am not a fan of these "kits" i personally like to mix and match my parts since i can't get everything i like and want in one grande all, get all package. If you are looking to do something with a male betta, a 10 gal with some plants, low-med light wouldnt be bad since they dont really need CO2 and with that you could add a variety of shrimp and even some other fish mates. Neons in a group of 6-10 wouldnt be half bad along with shrimp and a betta. There are some other fish you could add as well, i find tetras to be pretty docile and will school if there is a "threat" in the tank.

Corrieberry made a great point above, follow the suggestions given there. Above all, maintainence of the tank is a big big deal. Bettas can endure really crappy water but you know what, they shouldnt have to, there is no reason.

keep in mind, i found that my betta struggled alot with current within the tankand this seems to be a very common occurence especially since bettas are commonly found in very slow moving water sources in thailand such as rice pattys. I always had to keep my HOB filter on low so as not to bother him, i even had plants and rocks and a castle, he loved the castle, he always slept in it.
Click to expand...

very much agreed word for word!

i think of bettas as the pit bull of fish. they are all very different and some can be very nasty. you never know if they are going to go off the deep end once everyone grows up but usually only the nasty ones get nastier. females can be aggressive just as much as males. it's just less common. on the other hand a well cared for more docile individual can be housed with just about anything that won't attempt to eat it.

just be sure to make sure you are prepared in case the betta you get/have isn't too friendly.

the most important part after the (will he/she, won't he/she) aggression is figured out is care. taking careful not to overstock by whatever means necessary is a must. if this means a bigger tank and better filtration get it. if you can't afford the upgrades or it won't fit where you want it then limit yourself on what goes in there. a 3 gallon CAN house 1 betta IMO. that being said i like to overstock in the opinions of some others i think.

their own space is important! my girl loves to be out and about from time to time. she also loves to tuck into a cozy corner and not be bothered for long periods. she doesn't bother anyone and noone bothers her. but yet she tucks away so often and sometimes for so long i wouldn't dream of putting her in a tank she couldn't explore and rest solitary and confined from everyone else. she hasn't/doesn't really stake a claim or defend anywhere in particular just likes to hide out where noone else is. she'll even get lazy and lean on my filter intake sponge and rest there for hours. many of my friends have been freaked by this and alerted me frantically saying one of my fish were dead.

if you get a decent tank and a docile female betta your options are pretty open if you go with fish that are small/docile enough. in my 50 gallon i have a female. she is in there with i think 9 other species. if you click on my tanks you'll see what they are. they all get along great. no hostility, no scrapping, just mail guppies going *** from lack of females. :shakehead: that's another thing. it is said that male bettas don't get along with anything their related to, any anabantids or anything with large finnage as it assumes it's mating competition. i have not tested that thoroughly but i don't want to either.
 
I wouldnt recomend to put a betta with a shrimp because he will probably start nipping on him. I have my betta with zebra danios, glo fish and 1 apple snail and hes doing fine.
 
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