3 gallon stocking

S

spec33

Member
Would this be a good stocking plan for a 3 gallon?
2 blue legged hermits
1 scarlet
1 strombus conch
1 peppermint shrimp.
then some mind of fish. I was considering a yellowtail damsel. I'm going away from clown gobies because ive heard they are hard to feed. Any other fish suggestions?
 
3 gallons is way too small for any Damsel. Or really any free swimming fish. Perching fish that only swim for food & to change location, like a clown goby (not prawn gobies) are the best choice, and they're hardy & easy to keep.

Not familiar with that conch but the tank is probably too small for it.
 
yeah the only reason I was considering a damsel is because of all the picotopes ive seen with them. And the conch was sold to me a nano conch. would a neon goby work?
 
I cant even imagine the skimmer, etc system it would take to maintain life support on a 3 gallon with even one fish...
 
no fish is possible

If you want something cool that moves around, try a mini carpet nem and a couple of sexy shrimp.
 
+1^ no fish should be subjected to a 3 gallon tank, even if you could. Sexy shrimp would be a good choice though for a bit of movement. Otherwise, If you have the room I'd recommend at least getting one of the standard 29gallon tanks. The cost to run one vs a 3gallon wouldn't be a lot different, other than initially putting some rock in, but would give you much more possibilities if you want fish, and more room for an aquascape.
 
Ive seen several pico tanks with very tiny gobies that have lasted several years. Theyre all over the internet. you dont really need a skimmer if you can chane 50% of the water
everyweek right?
 
Skimmer's also do provide aeration for the tank. I've had issues where I turned my skimmer off and my fish became very lethargic a couple hours later, even had a fish loss from the incident, so now I always keep it running no matter what. You may be able to get away with good surface agitation with only a tiny goby, but I'm not sure. I'd imagine a lot of the guys running nano/pico tanks go skimmerless due to lack of space for equipment and work around it somehow.

Even if a tiny goby could live in a 3 gallon tank, I don't think they should. A small tank, short term, can be fine for many fish, but long term can cause issues. For instance look at the fish at your LFS. you don't see every tang they have for sale in a 180+ gallon tank, yet that's really what most of them require long term to do well. A tiny goby may last a little while without showing stress signs, but it doesn't mean they are doing well.

A side note, I was told by my LFS that many of the tiny gobbies eat only live food. this is a dealbreaker for some people but not all.
 
I think the stocking list is going to be-
3 hermits
1 peppermint shrimp
1 emerald or pompom crab.
possibly a type of snail
then various soft corals
I dont think I have enough light for the nem
 
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