3 gallon tank- betta and others?

Question
Hi Karen-
I just transferred my Betta Ike into a small but very nice three gallon tank. He has sand and a real plant. It's lit but not heated and has a bio-wheel filtration system. I live in San Francisco and the average inside temperature in my house hovers around 70 degrees. I'm now realizing, after reading some other posts, that I may need a heater. Is that right?
My real question, however, is about starting a small community aquarium. I know 3 gallons is little, and Ike is a male Betta, but are there any other fish I can add that would be good tankmates for Ike? I love Gouramis and would love to have a pair. I would also like to have brightly colored, tropical fish. Maybe a South Asia theme?
How many fish can be supported in a 3 gallon tank? Will Ike kill his tankmates? Are there any special tricks to help them all get along?

Answer
Dear Rebecca,
Bettas do much better with warmer water temperatures of about 78-80F as you probably know. A small heater would be good. It can be very hard to get a properly sized heater for such a small aquarium. But you could try the "Mini heater" which is available at "drsfosterandsmith.com"
Just go to the drsfosterandsmith website and type in their search box "Mini Heater" and you will be taken right there.

A heater is also a good idea if you want to try to keep any other critters or fish with your current betta. Some non-fish critters you might want to consider are- Dwarf Frogs, Ghost shrimp and other shrimp species, or Mystery snails..However, mystery snails should not be kept long term in a small aquarium as in my experience in a few years they grow much too large and need a larger aquarium to do well.

As long as our 3gal aquarium has no ammonia or nitrites present in the water (easily tested for with a test kit)) you could try a small group of quiet and easy-going fish like Harlequin Rasboras or Neon tetras. You should ideally keep them in a group of 5-6. We are pushing things here with space and all but as long as you regularly test your aquarium water and be sure to do at least twice weekly water changes. You should do very well.

One thing that may be a problem here is Ike himself. Every betta responds differently to a situation and it is possible yours may not accept new fish in his aquarium. While other bettas never take a second glance at new fish. Some bettas are very aggressive towards newly added fish. But I have found this typically happens if the betta has been alone in the aquarium too long for him to then consider this is "His tank and his tank only"

The Gouramis are one of my favorite groups of fish. They all are very beautiful and generally docile fish. But I'm afraid they may not get along with your betta. Either the gourami may decide to chase the betta or your betta may think that the colorful gouramis are a rival in their territory. This is especially risky in such a small aquarium. Now even if you had a well-heated and well-established 10gallon aquarium. You may be able to have a pair of gouramis and Ike together with a small shoal of rasboras or quiet tetras.

A southeast-asian theme is very appropriate for bettas. But with this small size a tank, the choices are limited. Harlequin Rasboras are a southeast asian species that would be appropriate for an Asian theme.

If you would be interested in creating a natural aquascaping. I highly recommend the book-
~Aquarium Designs inspired by nature~
 -By peter hiscock-
This book gives you great ideas and tells you what species are appropriate for the theme you are interested in as well as how to do the aquascaping too.

I really hope this helps!

If you have anymore concerns, feel free to write.

Best wishes,
Karen~