How many fish do YOU think would fit in this tank. There is no right/wrong answer, this is opinion only.?

Question

I know what I'd put in here... I'm interested in what YOU think you'd do with this tank.
I have a very small pet shop, about 1,000 sq. ft. About 30% is dog supplies & food. About 30% is aquarium supplies & 832 gallons of freshwater fish, about 20% cat supplies & food. The remaining 200 sq. ft. is for birds, small mammals & reptile supplies & food.
We are setting up some displays of "very small" low budget aquariums. This particular one will go for only $29.99. What would you expect to see in it?

AQUA+PLUS DECO-AQUARIUM KIT
Complete aquarium kit - just add water and the fish!
Decorative cover with large, easy-opening lid. Includes pump and filter.
Kit Contains:
* 3.5 gallon aquarium w/ cover.
* UL pump.
* Filter and Cartridge.
* Decorative gravel.
* 2 Aquarium plants.
* Fish Food.
* Double-Sided Background.
http://www.pennplax.com/Images/AQUAscans/Tank%20Kits/NWK11DecoAqKit.jpg
http://www.pennplax.com/Images/AQUAscans/Tank%20Kits/NWK11DecoAqKitBOM.jpg

Thank you for your time!

Answer 1

First and most obviously not the goldfish mentioned on the materials included with the tank!

Considering the filter that is included, I would stock the tank fairly lightly.

If killifish are available through your supplier I would use them. Orange Australe, Blue Panchax or Golden Wonders would be perfect. Brightly colored and small. Many killifish breeders sell these species to shops for a good wholesale price so if these appeal to you check out the American Killifish Association website. Also try to stock in some pygmy cory catfish, those are a good size for a smaller tank. A pair or trio of the killifish plus 2-3 pygmy corys would be very colorful and active.

If you want to stick with more bread and butter species that are always commonly available I would go to small tetras such as neons or glowlights. 5-6 of either should work well. In this same line of thought, 2-3 male guppies would work well.

Another nice choice for both you and your customer would be endlers livebearers. They are very often found in feeder fish vats at wholesale outlets so cost to you would be very low. They develop great color and you can easily pick the males out of your feeder fish and sell male only assortments for these small tanks. 4-5 should do well in the tank.

All of those should work for even the beginning hobbyist assuming they give decent care to the water changes.

For a more advanced customer you could carry or suggest Croaking gourami (1 pair) or sparkling gourami (1 pair) for the tank. 2 Pygmy corys would also fit in the tank with either of these species.

Of course there is also the ever popular male betta with 2 pygmy corys.

If pygmy corys aren't available to you for a good resale price, you can substitute ghost shrimp for the corys in the suggestions above.

MM

Answer 2

I like the idea of
a betta and 1 or 2 African Dwarf Frogs, or 2 ghost shrimp. Serpae Tetra are colorful and do well as a pair.
Male guppies are very pretty and do well as long as they don't try to add a female.
Neon tetras would be lovely.
Cory Cats stay small enough.
If they want someting unusual maybe a golden mystery/apple snail and a couple shrimp.

I have a hex 5 gallon tank and have 4 ADF frogs and recently added a female pearl, she was getting picked on in the bigger tanks. She seems to be doing well and I think she will stay there a while. I also know that she will out grow the 5 gallon and when she does I'll add her to the 75 gallon tank.

I do hope you'll let us know how it goes for you.
Good luck!

Answer 3

If you're looking for something a little different and planning to carry live plants, african dwarf frogs, or any types of small freshwater shrimp, I think such a small tank would be a good place to showcase them. For example, I'd love to see a tank set up with Red Cherry Shrimp, a few easy care plants, and a couple of large snail types... and as an added bonus, you might even get the shrimp to breed.

If you're only going to carry fish, I, personally, would avoid putting any type of schooling fish in that small a tank for the sake of the fish, so maybe a betta or a pair of pygmy gouramis.

Answer 4

Remember that the number of fish a tank will hold is more closely related to the surface area of the water than to the volume of water in the tank. One popular rule of thumb is to put no more than one inch of fish per square inch of surface area of the tank. Because "tall" tanks, such as hexagonal tanks or bowls, have such a low surface area to volume ratio, they will hold less fish per gallon. However, if you are trying to decide between a tall tank or a shorter tank with the same surface area, always choose the larger. The reason for this is that an aquarium with a larger volume will be more stable in terms of temperature, water chemistry, and water quality, because whatever pollutants, chemicals, or heat will be "diluted" and will have a lesser effect on the fish. When buying a glass tank make sure that the edges are not sharp. If the edges are not smooth they tend to cut when you work with the tank.


so, if you have a 3.5 gallon tank, it can accomodate a maximum of 3.5 inches of fish. the larger the fish (up to a maximum of 3.5 inches) the fewer the number of fish. the smaller the fish, the more which can be accomodated. hope this is helpful

Answer 5

That sounds OK for a betta, and nothing else:) (still a little small for my bettas, I give them at least five gallon tanks. I personally would not sell an item that could be used to torture or kill fish)

PS, I looked at the pictures, and I wouldnt buy it either -- it's expensive for one thing, for a little plastic tank like that. And I would never sell anything that suggested by the cover that goldfish could go inside. Dumb people may actually put goldfish in the thing!

Answer 6

It looks pretty cheesy. I guess if that fits your business and customers, that's fine. Most people I know wouldn't even consider such a thing.
We are looking for a small tank. For little more than twice your price, we can get a tank significantly more attractive and 3x larger.
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/Product/Prod_Display.cfm?pcatid=3865&N=2004+62760
For my household budget, $75 is no big deal. Of course we are solidly in the middle class. Perhaps you deal with poor people and $30 is more their budget.
I'd put a single common 25¢ gold fish in it, because that's all the person who would consider a tank like this would consider.

Answer 7

Well if you sell it with goldfish they will only survive about 1-2 years, because your not meant to keep them in small bowls they need 250 litres each, there pond fish

Answer 8

As I know, it's ok to keep 1 fish at 4 litre.

Answer 9

I kind of have to agree with reckless. If this is something you know your customers will buy, go for it. Since it is a display tank, are you planning to sell the fish inside the tank? This can go one way or another. Keeping goldfish in this tank will automatically give people the idea it is good to keep these fish in this type of tank. But if you are housing goldfish for sale out of the tank, then it isn't a display tank.

Tinfoils or barbs would also be a really cool addition or perhaps snake fish with mollies or barbs. Since you didn't mention a heater you will be limited to coldwater fish only.

Barbs - Several readily available species of Barbs are tolerant of temperatures into the mid sixties, or even lower. All are easy to care for, and are suitable for a community aquarium. They include: the Gold Barb (Barbus schuberti), the Green Barb (Barbus semifasciolatus), the Rosy Barb (Barbus conchonius), and the Two Spot Barb (Barbus ticto).
Bloodfin Tetra - Both the standard Bloodfin (Aphyocharax anisitsi), and the False Bloodfin (Aphyocharax dentatus) tolerate temperatures as low as the mid sixties.
Bloodfins are offered in many pet shops, are easy to care for, and are quite hardy. They are active top dwellers and are best kept in schools.
Buenos Aires Tetra (Hemigrammus caudovittatus) - Easily found for sale, they will tolerate temperatures into the mid sixties. Standard varieties, as well as albino variants can be found. Like the Bloodfins, they are undemanding and easy to care for. They are suitable for a community tank, but will eat live plants voraciously.
Croaking Tetra (Coelurichthys microlepis) - Not often found for sale, they are an attractive fish that is worth shopping around for. Like other coldwater tetras, they are easy to care for and are suitable for community tanks.
Guppy (Poecilia reticulata) - As readily available as any fish, there are many attractive variations of this popular fish.
Hillstream Loaches - Although they are not often seen in pet shops, some species can be found for sale from time to time. Not all of them prefer cool temperatures, but most will tolerate temps that fall into the mid to upper sixties.
Native Fish - A variety of North American native fish are now being sold in the aquarium trade. Virtually all of them tolerate cool water. Availability varies from state to state, as do laws regarding which species may be legally kept in home aquariums. Keep in mind that some will become too large to keep in a standard aquarium.
Pearl Danio (Brachydanio albolineatus) - Like the zebra danio, this fish is very hardy and easy to care for. It will tolerate temperatures into the mid 60's without difficulty, and is easy to find. They are larger than zebras, but need not be kept in schools.
Weather Loach (Misgurnus angullicaudatus) - Readily available, this loach is one of the easiest to care for. Couple that with the fact that it will tolerate temperatures into the fifties, and it makes an excellent candidate for a coldwater tank.
Wimple (Myxocyprinus asiaticus) - Also known as the Freshwater Batfish. Not commonly found, it is an unusual fish that is worth tracking down if you like to have something unique. It will tolerate temps into the mid sixties.
White Cloud Mountain Minnow (Tanichtys albonubes) - One of the easiest fish to care for, a new gold colored variant has become very popular. They do best in cooler temperatures, although very low temps will lessen their attractive coloration.
Zebra Danio (Brachydanio rerio) - Outside of goldfish and the guppy, the zebra is the most readily available of all coldwater fish. They tolerate temps that fall into the mid sixties, and are very easy to care for. Long finned species are available, as well as a popular leopard spotted variety.

As long as you remind people the tank is not suitable for goldies, I don't see a problem with goldies if small.

I realize you are crammed for space and perhaps you would want to find room for a real display tank.

Are you planning on running UV's on your other tanks? i would watch then about selling fish from an UV Filtered tank. That is unless you are pulling water from the filtered tanks.

Answer 10

1 betta
or 2 platty
something along that line