I gave my small tank to my nephew and need some advice to offer him as far as his fish options. I know about Bettas and feel fine about recommending them.
If he wants more than one fish, then I'm not sure what to tell him. If he wants a pair or a group of 3 very small fish then would he start with just one for the cycling? How would only one of a group of 3 do alone? What about glofish?
Could you offer me a couple of scenarios for me to suggest to him?

If you have a betta you could put a couple cherry shrimp and maybe a snail or two but that's about it and there is a chance the betta will eat the shrimp and or snails.

Another scenario some cherry shrimp and snail tank or a couple albino dwarf frogs and some shrimp.?

Another scenario maybe a dwarf puffer alone maybe a snail or two.

Really with a 3g you don't have many options.

For a beginner tank you are probably better off with a single betta and some easy to care for plants. You could get a pair of female bettas as well but you may have a hard time finding them. You could ask your LFS about them. Does the tank have a filter, heater or light?

Yes, the tank has a heater, filter and a LED lights.

Three white cloud mountain minnows or three or four ember tetras instead of the betta as another option. The minnows average an inch and a half, and the tetras a little under an inch. White clouds are also very hardy and are inexpensive, and will actually do quite well at room temperature. All in all, IMO they rate as one of the top beginner fish available. The ember tetras are a little more pricey. I purchased 7 three months ago, and they are doing great. They are in a 10 gallon tank and the tank still seems bare with the seven of 'em in it.

WYite

I was going to recommend the white clouds but I was hesitant cause of how strong of swimmers they are for their size. Good to know someone was thinking along the same lines.

Is it the Tetra square tank by any chance? The one with the power filter?

I got that one from some product testing program thing a while back. Right now it has some sort of water onion growing in it and 5 white clouds. They definitely prefer room temp or even colder water.

MC: They are fast/strong swimmers. It's why those 5 didn't end up as baby turtle food from last summer, that being said, they seem perfectly content in the tank they're in. Then again, if I were a fish I'd take a smaller tank over one with something that could eat me in it.

The tank I'm giving my nephew is a bow front. I also gave him a better filter than what came with it for that size tank and a heater. He should be set. a 3 gallon is a good place to start for him. Who know's, his interest can grow!
thanks so much for all of your responses!

http://www.freshwatermadness.com/t966-species-profile-neolamprologus-multifasciatus-many-banded-shell-dweller

Thanks Grumpa!! I guess you were recommending the many banded shell dweller for my nephew's tank. Little did you know that you were helping me out. MyLFS sold me 2 badis badis (so they labeled them). I've had another thread out there about badis badis asking people to help me better understand their behavior. Everyone said that theirs didn't look like mine and that they were not aggressive at all.

Because they were beating the honey gourami out of food in my 8 gallon and because somebody had to go into my 29 gallon (my nitrites were too high becuase of too many fish) I moved the so called badis badis to the 29. they made their little depressions in the gravel in little rock "caves" I had set up for hiding places. They were doing ok until I added 5 neon tetras a week later. They immediately went after the neons. So I caught them again and put them back in the 8 gallon after catching the honey gourami and putting them in the 29.

Then I get the link you sent. I don't have badis badis!! I have 2 multies!! That's ok I just wish I had known. It would have saved me and them a lot of stress. I would have never put them in a community tank.

Now they are in the 8 gallon biocube with a hillstream loach and a bamboo shrimp. These two guys can go into the 29 when the 29 it a little more mature. Or in your opinion could the loach stay with the multies?

I'm think about changing the substrate to sand for the multies and adding shells instead of the rock "caves" I made. How many multies do you think I can have in the 8 gallon biocube? What kind of sand, if I do change?

Thanks again!

I,m not sure on the sand I do not use it. But I have had up to 30 shellies in a 10 gallon with no problem just make sure you have lots of shells. Loaches can be aggressive I would not put him in with the shellies!

This thread has taken on a new twist since Grumpa sent me the link to the multies.
I have my two multies, or shellies in an 8 gallon now. I can't take the bamboo shrimp and hillstreams loach out until the tank into which they are going is fully cycled (I'm hoping in another week) the nitrites are hanging at around .25 in the new tank. I'm doing Microbacter7 daily and a little Prime.

I did put a few shells in the 8 gallon for the shellies, since after Grumpa's article he sent me and I discovered they were shell dwellers. I'm not changing out the substrate to sand until I move out the loach and the shrimp. They do love those shells; they've each chosen one to guard. If the loach gets close to one of the shells they bump him. I haven't seen him be aggressive at all. And of course the bamboo shrimp is afraid of the shellies

Shellies in my 180!!!

Thanks Grumpa; if it weren't for you I'd still be asking for help to understand why my badis badis (shellies or multies) were acting like all the profiles said.

I notice yours are in with different fish. What are they with?

leptsoma, regani, spathodus and julidochromis marlieri, buescheri, compressiceps, calvus, brichardi, frontosa, buffalo heads,and Tinnati but it is a big tank

So grumpa, once I get the hillstream loach and bamboo shrimp out, I'm going to wait several months in the hopes that by then I'll know if I have a pair or same sex. As a newbie to all of this, I really don't think I can handle a lot of breeding right now.

Later if decide to add different pair, would you say brevis or occelatus?