Many aquarists love to keep neon tetras because these fish have attractive red and blue colors that light up a room. These ornamental fish are suitable for homes, healthcare facilities and even offices. A three gallon tank is a convenient option for compact spaces and this article will let you know how many fish can be comfortably kept in that type of aquarium.
Neon tetras are freshwater fish that belong to the characin family. These small pets are full of energy and they’re relaxing to watch. If you have a small café, a three gallon tank can be used to create a beautiful habitat for your tetras, along with carefully selected plants that help to control your nitrate levels.
How Many Neon Tetras In A 3 Gallon Tank? — Consider the Nitrogen-Processing Demand
A 3 gallon tank like this that you select for your fish will be their home for while and several things will take place in that habitat. The nitrate cycle or nitrogen cycle is one of the factors that will determine how many fish can be kept in your tank. In this cycle, waste materials are broken down into ammonia, then nitrites and eventually nitrates. All of these compounds can be toxic to your fish.
Your beautiful tetras may not always eat all of the food that you give them and this will slowly degrade, resulting in the formation of toxic compounds. Your fish will also produce waste and this will also be broken down to produce compounds which can be harmful to your tetras.
If your pets are in a tank that is too small, the concentration of nitrates in their water will rise quickly. However, when they are in a larger tank with more water per fish, the nitrates in the tank will be less concentrated, so they will be less likely to be negatively affected. If several tetras are crammed into a small space, they will produce a lot of waste in that space and the nitrate levels can also rise.
To control nitrate levels in your tank, it is important to have enough room for your fish. Your tank should give them enough room to be unaffected by uneaten food that is decomposing. If leaves from your aquatic plants fall off and are breaking down, these also should not immediately affect your fish.
Freely Monitor Your Pets
If a fish is injured, you should be able to notice, since they shouldn’t be so tightly crammed in the space that you’re unable to check on them with a glance. Tetras like to swim around in a big tank like this and if they’re not able to do so freely, they will be unhappy. With enough space, you can also observe whether one of your fish is feeling ill or not swimming as energetically as they should.
Distinctive Swimming Patterns
A three gallon tank can only hold a small number of fish and you should not try to force more than the recommended number in that space. Tetras are shoaling fish and they like to be able to move up, down or in the middle of the tank, without feeling restricted.
Even if you only have a few fish, they will tend to swim together. While doing so, they should not be bumping into the sides of the tank or have to be watching out for lots of objects in the tank. They like to swim in distinctive patterns. if a fish breaks the pattern or bumps into another one, it could cause a fight.
Young Fish Need Space
If you get your pets when they are relatively young and you select your tank at that time, it’s important to calculate for the size that they will be when they reach their full length. Adult tetras can be up to two inches long, although most reach up to 1.5 inches. Although tetras are not aggressive by nature, it’s always best to avoid some of the problems that can arise as the males get older and reach sexual maturity, by giving them enough room.
During mating, your males will display more aggressive behavior as they try to gain attention from the female fish that they are attracted to. If you have a large school of fish but a relatively small aquarium, that can trigger aggressive behavior. You may also notice that one of the fish has a tendency to be more aggressive around feeding time. If your tank provides them with enough space, all of your growing fish will have enough room to feed freely.
Rule of Thumb for Adequate Room
The general rule is that you’ll need a gallon of water for every inch of fish. This means that if you have two adult tetras that are only an inch long each, you’ll need two gallons of water. Most tetras are not just an inch long, so you’ll require more than two gallons for your two adult fish. If you have a three gallon tank, you won’t be able to hold more than three moderately-sized neon tetras in your tank.
Three is the maximum that you can hold in a tank of this size. In an ideal situation, if each of your fish is about an inch long, you’ll actually keep just two in tank of this size. That’s because you’ll need to consider the space that is utilized by your aquatic plants, which help to maintain the environment Bio filters play a critical role in your small tank, so you’ll need to have them.
If you have driftwood or other objects in the tank, these will also need to included in your planning. If you do not do that, the nitrate levels in your tank could rise and your fish could get sick. If you have young fish, they are particularly susceptible to nitrate levels and can even have difficulties with growth as a result.
The three gallon tank can only comfortably hold two fish if each of them is about an inch long. If you’ve obtained neon tetras that have been eating heartily and growing well, chances are that they could be around two inches long. You will require two gallons of water for two inches of fish. That means only one large, two inch neon tera can hold in a three gallon tank, along with plants and decorative objects.
This is not the ideal situation, since neon tetras are schooling fish and likely to swim with other tetras. If a tetra has to be alone for a long time, it can be stressed and become depressed. It may eventually die. If you must put a neon tetra in a tank by itself, it should be a temporary situation, such as when you’re adjusting the nitrate levels in a larger tank.
Otherwise, ensure that the fish are small enough to comfortably hold in the small tank. If you’re using a three gallon tank, it is better to provide that room for one-inch neon tetras. They will have enough space to swim.
Choosing Tetras for Your Three Gallon Tank
Since you can only keep two tetras in a three gallon tank, you’ll want to ensure that they can get along. To achieve that goal, it is best to pair a female and male fish. Two male fish may fight and you don’t want to spend your time treating unnecessary injuries. A female and male will usually get along within the compact space.
You will need to do water changes every week to keep the environment ideal. If you lapse with this, you may end up with a tank that is unhealthy because it has a high level of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates in it. This can cause your fish to get sick. or even cause problems with their reproductive health.
You will need to change at least 25% of the water each week. Some aquarists who keep a pair of tetras that are a total of about three inches of fish, will change between 30% and 40% of the water in their three gallon tank. This keeps the tank free of ammonia, so your tetras can stay healthy.
Since you will not have a lot of room in the tank, you will not be likely to be able to add a lot of decorative items, such as gravel or driftwood. Stick to the essentials, such as a filter which helps to maintain the ideal habitat for your pets. A small aquatic plant helps to pull ammonia and nitrates from the water and looks beautiful when your colorful neon tetras are swimming in and out among the leaves.
Conclusion
A three gallon tank can comfortably hold one or two neon tetras. A small tank like this is ideal for a small living room, office or café. While such a small number of fish is not ideal, it is better to have two neon tetras in a tank than have one live in the tank on its own. A more spacious option is ideal for the schooling needs of neon tetras but a three gallon tank may be more suitable for the living or commercial space that you have.
