Fish for 3 year old boy

Lucretia said:
i dont know if they would all work in that size tank but how about 2 female
siamese fighters (diff colours to standout) and a bristlenose pl*co with a small piece of driftwood. the bristle nose doesnt get to big and does a good job of cleaning things as he goes also rather cheap i might add and once it gets a bit bigger just add him to your tank as they get on well with most fish
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I wouldn't add a bristlenose - they get 5" long which isn't large for a pleco, but it's WAY too large for a small tank. My 3" Ancistrus claro is also quite territorial and active; I can't imagine him living happily in a small tank. I don't think it's really wise to use anything larger than an oto for algae control in a 3g.
 
Harlock said:
I dislike two male bettas in a small setup. I know their level of aggression is not like other species, but males will chase and tussle from time to time. Of course, usually no real harm comes of this, but I've only seen it in 10-29 gallon tanks, no idea of the tighter confines of a 3 would lead to worse fighting or not.
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I think you might have meant female bettas together Harlock...and your right about thier temperment. Though you can keep them together in a larger tank with lots of plants and hidy holes...even then they will still tear at each other's fins from time to time. I have 4 in a 10 gallon..they do get along fine for bettas, but thier fins almost always have some minor tears from aggression. They need to be able to get away from each other if need be.
 
Again, though...white clouds are schooling fish; there is not room for a school of fish in that tank.

There are a lot of threads on what fits into a small tank on AC. It is very limited. Betta, single dwarf honey gourami, maybe mosquito fish, *maybe* a couple microrasboras, shrimp, dwarf frogs, guppies (single sex)...schooling fish really are not generally suited for small tanks.

And the pleco, as mentioned, is just way too territorial and large for such a tank.

Not only are bettas some of the most beautiful, cheap, and readily available fish out there, they are fairly undemanding (no excuse not to take care of them properly, though) and have some of the most "person"ality of fish out there. They will recognize their owner and beg for food.
 
Emg said:
I think you might have meant female bettas together Harlock...and your right about thier temperment. Though you can keep them together in a larger tank with lots of plants and hidy holes...even then they will still tear at each other's fins from time to time. I have 4 in a 10 gallon..they do get along fine for bettas, but thier fins almost always have some minor tears from aggression. They need to be able to get away from each other if need be.
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Actually I meant male guppies. Man, I know I shouldn't post before 9 am... :rolleyes: Corrected the post.
 
Emg said:
I don't know if I would recommend long finned danios. They are very active and may get frustrated in a smaller tank without the room to zip around the way they like to do...they NEVER stop !!

Betta, definitly..they seem to be the perfect fish for smaller tanks. They do sell a jr heater at walmart for smaller tanks....costs about 6$ Make sure you have a thermometer in there to keep an eye on the temps...those smaller heaters don't have regulators on them...you'd have to watch it the first few days to see where the temp settles before you get any fish to put in it.

Oh, no tiger barbs in with bettas...if you do get a betta, 2 small corys "OR" a couple of otocinlus will do well with him.....or....some african dwarf frogs, bet your son would like that. Only trouble is feeding the little guys. The betta most likely would snap up their food. I have to hand feed mine to keep the fish from eating it all.
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No, I ment the tigar barbs only, not with betas. Tigar Barbs are fin nippers.
 
Guess I'll throw in my two cents. A betta would of course work, perhaps with a couple of snails or shrimp. Two male guppies might work out ok, but that would depend on the individual fish. My girlfriend kept two in a 2.5 gallon with no problems (despite me telling her it wouldn't work). They are much happier now that they're in a 10 gallon though, and a betta now occupies the small tank.

I wouldn't try a honey gourami personally, same with an oto. I just can't picture a honey gourami in such a small tank. A pygmy/sparkling gourami perhaps. Otos can be kept alone, but are happier in groups. The problem with an oto would be not much algae to graze on in such a small tank, and constant feeding of veggies and wafers would require even more frequent cleaning/maintenance.

A single betta or guppy is the best bet IMO, with the possible addition of snails or shrimp.
 
really we dont have enough water for a betta, 5 gallons is recommended for a betta so stick with justy one betta or you run into overocking problems.


I do not use a heater on a beta tank, it stays at 76% naturally so i leave it. weekly water change. 50% Use paper towels to skim the protein that is on top of the water.

A betta will live happy in a 3 gallon, add some java moss to the bottom and they love to play in it. but warning, java moss clogs everything it touches.
 
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