Plants for bettas?

[7buddies]

Hi. I have 4 betta fish, 2 males and 2 females. The females share a 2.5 gallon tank with a divider and so do the males. I have a regular whisper filter for the males and I have a horrible undergravel filter for the females which I am planning on replacing. I want to put live plants in their tanks. Well , atleast I THINK I want to. Are there really any benefits for having a plant in their tank? If so, what plants should I put in there and why? Please no flaming about how I have my bettas in too-small of tanks. They were each $37 and that's alot of money for a 15 year old with no job, lol Thanks for any help.

[mat92]

Hey

i know how it feels to be broke... being 15 and jobless as well lol.

2.5 gallons isnt the BEST size for a betta tank, but they'll certainly survive in there until you can afford to get them a new tank.

Whats more important is that their water is kept at a nice warm, constant temperature. Your bettas (in your pic) look nice and healthy anyway.

Live plants are great to add to your tank, they look great, and help to absorb waste in the water (helps the filter!)

Something that doesnt require much light would be a good idea. Back in my bettas fishbowl days i got him an anubias (i think thats what theyre called) they look like this: http://www.grandaquatic.com/Products/Plants/GA-051.jpg

Mine came in a little pot and looked great. They can also grow partially outside the water, which is great because you dont have to worry about trimming them. They are a bit on the expensive side (usually around $10 from an LFS) but it's been a great plant in my experience and grew fairly quickly.

But yeah i really would recommend some plants for your fishies =) Your bettas will love having somewhere to hide and play with, and it helps keep you water clean. I'm not too sure about underground filters though, so you'll have to ask someone else =)

The small whisper filter should be good. Just make sure that you change some of the water every week or so...

Hope i helped!

Mat

[Rod]

There are a number of plants that go well with bettas

Duckweed,water sprite,java moss,java fern,hortwort and Guppy grass

I also have a Lucky bamboo plant(often sold in a group bent in a sipral shape)in each betta tank

base of the plant in water and leaves above the water line.

Plants help remove toxins from the water and floating plants offer support for bubblenests.

Where are you located?

[jusdeb]

I have a lace fern that has gone berserk in one of my betta tanks , it canopies at water level and nearly touches each side of the 25 litre tank , I really want to chop it but my Pink boy loooves his tree and is always lounging around in the branches.

And as a bonus Ive been finding these little plantlets complete with roots when I do my WCs.

Oh my son is 15 and earns between $200 and $300 a week as a burger flipper at maccas as well as school....give you any ideas on solving your money problems LOL.

[Jess]

Any live plant that is not too sharp, rough or harsh is fine. Some plants can rip and tear their fins. They do love the duck weed, which is around in ponds etc. Can't buy from some shops as it is illegal in some states.

I like little potted Crypts :D

[7buddies]

Thanks so much guys!

Mat- Yeah, I have a thermometer in each of their tanks so I can gage the temperature and act accordingly. =) And I cnahge 1/4 of their water every weekend.

Rod- I am located in North Carolina, USA. I know that this is an Australian fish foum but it looked the most welcoming to me so that's why I joined. =) And thanks for that list of plants.

jusdeb- Thanks! But in the US, you hae to be 16 to flip burgers. =)

Do you guys think that it would be better for be to plant the lans right in the gravel or in a small pot like in jusdeb's photo. And I think I may buy some bamboo from the pet store for my bettas next time I go. =)

[jusdeb]

Totally up to you if you plant in substrate or pot them.In my betta tanks Ive planted into substrate , in my community tank I do both and use driftwood to anchor anubias but in my fry tanks I pot them only because I need to thoroughly clean the gravel and I would be disturbing the roots of the plants too much plus I like to have some Portable for moving between tanks.

[Callatya]

Flaming for small tank size? bah! I'd smack anyone that tried. More water volume is better as always but providing you can balance it, 2.5G is fine. You are probably going to want to throw in a 50-100% change every now and again too as if you only do 1/4 a week you'll find that you'll get a slow build-up of organic and inorganic compounds that are just never removed and that'll eventually build up to high levels that can cause problems.

Unless you have lighting (do you? what wattage?), you are going to want something out of the low light range, and depending on how you do your changes you'll need something that is either potted or rooted to a rock or some wood so you don't upset the roots. My top choices would be:

anubias (expensive though)

java fern

wisteria (maybe floated?)

salvinia (I think this is legal over your side of the world)

lucky bamboo (only roots in)

Pots or floating are good for plants with fine roots as they can get a bit damaged in small tanks. Pots also allow you to use whatever substrate you need, so you could add a handful of something like that shultz plant soil or some clay kitty litter with your root tabs in there, or even just a more appropriate gravel size for the roots to grow through :)

[7buddies]

Well I think it sounds like a floating plant or bamboo would be the easiest to care for.

Callatya- Yeah! About every 6 months I do a full water change and put my bettas in little bowls while I'm cleaning the tank etc. (speaking of which , I have to do that soon!) And yes, I have a 15 watt tubular bulb in the hood of each of my tanks. I don't turn it on vey often but it is there. =) Do Java fern and salvinia have to be rooted int the gravel or can they be rooted into a rock or driftwood? Thanks so much, you don't know how much you guys are helping me out. =)

[jusdeb]

Java fern needs to be attached to a rock or driftwood as it doesnt like going straight into the gravel and I dont know about the other. this is another good way of having the plants portable for good clean outs of the tank

[Anasfire]

2.5g is about 9L if I've done my conversion right (have a conversion program on my computer) and if you ask me that's plenty of water for a betta. Mine are in 2.5L Barracks and love it so 9L would be heaven for them, they wouldn't know what to do with all the extra space. Lots of people like to go on about how it's cruel to keep bettas in small amounts of water but personally I beleive if you are willing to keep their water quality decent you can keep them in any amount 500ml+ I've kept fry in plastic drinking tumblers and know of breeders who use them to grow fry to maturity with no ill effects. It's all about keeping their water clean and obviously you wouldn't want your beloved pet to live in a cup so that's why we give them lavish homes compared to what they were probably bred and raised in. Good Luck on the plant hunt !

[7buddies]

Thank you so much guys.

I think I'll look into the Java Fern because it attatches to driftwood.