# new 3 gallon glo fish tank



## penguinlover (Jan 12, 2014)

hi my husband bought me a 3 gallon glo fish tank for christmas. it has been set up for a week now. so today we went to a pet store but they werent very helpful and didnt have any glo fish. so i bought 3 penguin fish and 2 glass catfish. later on i went to a better pet store where they gave me better help. but also adviced me that my fish would probably die. i was just wondering how many glo fish can live in a 3 gallon tank and any other advice would be helpful.


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

Unfortunately, and I hate to say this since it was a lovely thought for a gift...but three gallon tanks can't really support much of anything. With plants and a small heater it might be able to support some cherry shrimp....MAYBE a betta, but they really do like having a 5 gallon, or a divided one(five gallons can cycle right, these smaller "Tanks" cannot really cycle, filter or heat properly and are a big risk of killing your fish).

Take those fish back immediately. For one, the glass catfish(or ghost glass fish, or ghost cat...) needs 30+ gallons and a group of five or more, they get four inches long and are social. 
The Penguin fish, or Penguin Tetras(I LOVE THOSE) get about three inches long and need a great deal more space(30-40 gallons, these are a MINIMUM size requirement for the fish, bigger is actually much better for them). If you want these kinds of fish, these two types together especially, you will want a forty+ gallon tank, long not tall, with 6-8 tetras and at least four or five of the catfish. All tetras must be kept in groups of five or more as a minimum, they can get very stressed and even aggressive or depressed without a proper group. 


Glowfish are actually Skirt tetras and Zebra Danios(the smaller stripey ones being the danios and the big wide-bodied ones are actually tetras) who have been tampered with to glow and be odd colors. They can't be in tanks smaller than 20 gallons, long not tall, and need groups of five. 

That said, the REASON they sell those tiny tanks, is to make a profit. Sure, some of them look gorgeous and are costly...but they're really just fancy bowls no good for anything but keeping maybe a few plants, snails...not the best for fish, and shrimp is also pushing it a bit, but set up right with a lot of work and experience, some have pulled off smaller tanks with shrimp. Anything under five gallons shouldn't really have fish, five gallons can only hold a single betta and maybe a few cherry shrimp or snails...Sometimes Endlers Guppies can fit in there in a small group of four or so.


The other thing is: You want to research the nitrogen cycle. A week is not long enough to cycle a tank...not that a tank that small can cycle, since it really can't....if it's not fully cycled, it will poison your fish slowly and either destroy their immune systems or flat out kill them. It takes 4-8+ weeks if done properly, you can't just set it up and let it run without doing anything for that time, you have to add in an ammonia source to start it in the first place, test the water, do often water changes, and test away until it's stable. 

If I were you, I'd take it back, tell them there's a problem or something....get a larger tank, 20 gallons if you want glofish or any small schooling fish, 10 for guppies, five gallons for a single male betta. 

Research, research! Learn about tank care, and about the fish care. Don't ask for petshop advice...SOME are good, but unless you know better you wont be able to tell, except in common sense...they're often out to profit and will give you bad info so your fish will survive for a few weeks(past the refund stage) and you either buy more fish or meds, they get your money. That's how most work.


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hello and warm welcome.:-D
most pet stores will sell you anything..because at the end of the day
they want your money..sad as that may sound.
get the biggest tank you can afford.
have you any friends that keep fish ?
if you do,ask them for a donation of filter media for your filter,it will have you
up and running before anything else,and will benefit you greatly.
good luck..you are in good hands,you'll be able to enjoy fish keeping,it's
not as big and scary as you may think in the beginning.


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## penguinlover (Jan 12, 2014)

Thank you for the advice today is day two and the fish seem ok. My husband n dad have kept fish tanks n they r helping me out. Next week we r getting a 9 gallon tank. I have anotherquestion do they like the glo fish light or should I not use it?
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

If you want glofish you need a 20 gallon tank, anything smaller and it will not be a happy or pretty tank. 

As for the light...they don't seem to mind it, the blacklight is pretty dull and easy to get on with, but the problem is a lot of fish actually can't see with it and need another light...I'd suggest an alternate light for at least part of the day. I'm not sure how common problems are with it though. I've never used them with fish myself.


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## penguinlover (Jan 12, 2014)

Sorry I meant 39 gallon tank. Another question do the glass cat fish eat the same because when I feed the fish they didn't eat.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Sylverclaws (Jul 16, 2012)

Ah I see, that's much better indeed! =)

Glass cats are omnivorous, but enjoy a high-meat diet over one that has more plant-matter in it. Flakes are very iffy, they will rarely take them. What you want is live or frozen foods(not freeze-dried foods, yuck and have a high risk of causing issues like bloat, blockages and prolapses, some can be fatal). Many petshops have freezers in the back and you can get food for them, your other fish will enjoy this stuff as well. Emerald Entree is a good omnivorous diet, but it does have more plants than anything in it so you'll need some meats for other days too. I'd suggest Glassworms and Brine Shrimp(I don't recommend bloodworms in any form to anyone, they are ok as a treat maybe once or twice a month, but also risk causing problems like bloat and constipation). They may also enjoy daphnia, but it's small and messy.

They also prefer a fairly densely planted tank...Even if you get them the proper food and a proper sized tank, they may not eat without a proper group.

Right now, you also have them in an uncycled tiny tank. I would actually suggest you take back -al- the fish and get a refund, get your bigger tank....cycle it fully, and I mean fully or you will have some sick and/or dead fish(they may look fine, but they wont later. Being in an uncycled tank will damage or fully destroy their immune systems...now that they started the nitrogen cycle, if you didn't before getting them with an ammonia source, it'll take a couple more days before it starts really hitting them, and then you'll notice as the toxins make them lethargic and slow, having trouble getting air).


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## sandybottom (Nov 29, 2012)

cycle your 3 gallon too. there is no reason that you can not keep some cherry shrimp in it.


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