Who doesn’t want to have guppies in their aquarium, right? They are also known as rainbow fish because of their beautiful color.
That being said, you must be wondering how many guppies you can have in a 3-Gallon tank. Let’s find the answers to all your queries about guppies in a 3-Gallon tank.
How many guppies can you have in a 3-Gallon tank?
You can have two to three guppies in a 3-gallon tank. However, they cannot maintain their natural behavior and movement in such a small tank. This is because guppies are extremely active fish. So, a 3 gallons tank will be quite small for them to move around naturally.
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You can keep up to two guppies in a 3-gallon fish tank. However, keeping the water perimeter stable will be very tough in a tank of this size. The fish also won’t be able to move normally as they are remarkably active.
The habitat of guppies can be different according to their age and gender. So let’s find out how many male and female guppies you can keep in a 3-gallon water tank.
Male guppies:
Male guppies are only 1.2 to 2.4 inches long. So, three male guppies can fit in a three gallons tank. However, if you keep three male guppies in a 3-gallon tank, they will try to impose power and dominance among themselves.
You will notice a lot of territorial behaviors and bullying when you will keep male guppies together in a tank.
Male guppies are relatively more active. So, they can’t swim in their normal way in such a confined space. In addition to that, since the male guppies are territorial, setting a perimeter will be remarkably hard in the 3-gallon tank.
Female guppies:
Female guppies are comparatively larger than male guppies. So, you should keep only two female guppies in a 3-gallon tank to prevent the tank from being too congested.
However, a three-gallon tank is fairly small for a female guppy to move around freely.
Age of the guppies:
In general, baby guppies are extremely small in size. So, you can keep four to five baby guppies in a three-gallon tank. Then again, mature guppies become quite large compared to the offspring.
So, you can keep a maximum of three guppies in a three-gallon tank if you want them to swim and move around comfortably.
Can I keep guppies in a 3 gallon tank?
You can keep guppies in a 3-gallon tank. However, there are various pros and cons to keeping guppies in a tank of three-gallon size.
Let’s find out all the pros and cons of keeping guppies in a 3-gallon tank.
Pros:
Low maintenance:
If you keep guppies in a 3-gallon tank, you won’t have to maintain the tank too often. You won’t also have to fill up a lot of water as the water holding capacity of a three-gallon tank is pretty low.
Perfect for small spaces:
If you live in a tiny apartment or there is a shortage of space in your house, then keeping guppies in a 3-gallon tank will be perfect.
A 3-gallon tank doesn’t consume a lot of space and will also enhance the aesthetics of your house when you keep guppies.
Beautification:
Guppies are extremely beautiful fish. When you place them in a three-gallon tank, their color will appear more bright and eye-catching. So, keeping guppies in a three-gallon tank will make your house more beautiful.
Cons:
Aggression:
If you keep multiple guppies in a 3-gallon tank, they can develop various behavioral issues. The issues include anxiety, tension, and aggression.
Aggression towards its tank mates is the most common problem. They will become violent against their tank mates when you keep them together in such a confined space.
This usually happens when a guppy is scared and tries to release its stress by attacking other fish.
Guppies normally have peaceful temperaments. However, once they become aggressive, it is almost impossible to make them be friendly again.
Lifespan reduces:
Living in a small tank will not only make your guppies aggressive, but it will also reduce their lifespan. Their lifespan can get reduced for multiple reasons.
Firstly, if guppies live in a confined space, their internal organs will eventually fail. As a result, their lifespan shortens significantly.
Then again, guppies in small tanks are more easily agitated and stressed. This added anxiety puts a tremendous amount of strain on the heart, causing it to exhaustion.
Reduced growth:
The growth of the guppies halts when they live in a 3-gallon tank for a long time. Their internal organs will not have enough room to grow and develop normally, leading to organ failure and premature demise.
Can fancy guppies live in a 3-gallon tank?
Yes, fancy guppies can live in a 3-gallon tank. You can keep up to three fancy guppies live in a three-gallon tank. However, fancy guppies won’t be able to move freely in a three-gallon tank.
Their lifespan will get reduced, and they might become quite aggressive if you keep them in a 3-gallon tank for a long time.
In addition to that, the main attraction of fancy guppies is the amazing color of their body. Their color will start to fade if you keep them in a small tank for a long period of time.
Can I keep 3 or 4 guppies in a 3-gallon tank?
Up to four guppies will fit in a 3-gallon tank as they are usually 2.4 inches long. However, you shouldn’t keep four guppies together in a 3-gallon water tank.
You shouldn’t keep more than three guppies together in a small aquarium. This is due to the fact that guppies are extremely active fishes; they swim around quite aggressively around the tank.
If you keep four guppies in a tank, they will fight in between them to show dominance. Their lifespan and growth rate will also decrease.
How many gallons of water does a guppy need?
There is a particular water requirement for guppies. A guppy needs one gallon of water for every one inch.
Guppies can grow up to 2.5 inches in length. So, a guppy needs up to 2.5 gallons of water.
If you don’t keep it in a tank according to its particular water requirement, it won’t be able to move naturally. It will feel trapped if you keep it in a tank with a lower amount of water compared to its body.
Let’s find out how many guppies you can keep per gallon of water.
Guppies per gallon of water:
You will need one gallon of water for one inch of guppies. Usually, guppies grow up to 2 inches. So, you will need two gallons of water per guppy.
Some guppies can grow up to 2.5 inches. In such a case, you will need 10 gallons of water for three guppies.
Can you keep just one guppy in a 3-gallon tank?
It will be best if you keep just one guppy in a 3-gallon tank. Guppies are very active. For living normally and swimming independently, a guppie needs 2 to 2.5 gallons of water.
If you keep multiple guppies in a 3-gallon tank, they will get stressed out, and they will also stop growing. In addition to that, they will become very aggressive towards their tank mates.
They might also attack other guppies in the tank if you keep them together in a small tank for a long time.
As a result, when you keep a guppy in a 3-gallon tank, it will live its normal life without any additional stress. It will grow properly, there will be no effect on its lifespan, and its body will glow.
How many guppies in a 3-gallon tank with betta?
You shouldn’t keep more than two guppies in a 3-gallon tank with a betta. Betta is quite aggressive and territorial. The guppies are also territorial fish and can get aggressive if kept with other fishes.
So if you keep more than two guppies along with betta, they might fight among themselves, and their lifespan can also get reduced due to excessive stress.
Final Thoughts
You can keep up to three guppies in a tank of 3-gallons size. However, if you keep multiple guppies in the 3-gallon tank for a long time, their behavior can change, and they can get aggressive. So, it will be best if you keep only one guppy in a 3-gallon tank.