finley Posted October 7, 2008 Report Share Posted October 7, 2008 Apart from actually planting rice(?!), what are some good ways to re-create the look and feel of an actual rice paddy for our little Bettas? What are the best... - substrates? - plants? - tank mates? :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted October 8, 2008 Report Share Posted October 8, 2008 hmm, maybe that sacred bamboo? :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy_dragonfly Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 You need an aweful large shallow tank. Fine dark gravel/sand sustrate maybe some of that lucky bamboo, but I'd be more inclined to buy pond plants from the local garden centre. Tank mates would be snails but not much else. Maybe a stray guppy but definately not if you intend on breeding the bettas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted October 12, 2008 Report Share Posted October 12, 2008 In a tank or not so much? Do you want a tank to be aquascaped in that stepped rice paddy look or do you want a pond style arrangement? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finley Posted October 13, 2008 Author Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 It's going to be a regular tank. I just want them to have an underwater view that resembles their underwater view in nature - or better . So it's not so much about terracing - which is the view that we have of rice fields from above the water - but more about how things would look if you were snorkelling(?!) in a rice field! Mind you, rice paddies aren't really Bettas' natural habitat - just something man-made that they have adapted to. So come to think of it, what does their real natural habitat look like? Fin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 I believe they are swampy, low flow areas of streams, that sort of thing. There are pictures around from collecting trips that show shallow areas of water full of short reeds and grass. So maybe some sort of mud/dirt look substrate, grass/reed-like plants (val? though not ideal, looks too discussy) around2 or 3 sides, some thin twisted driftwood pieces and possibly some dried leaf litter? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 I dunno. I can't imagine a betta biotope looking particularly pretty. Val isn't really going to make anyone think rice paddy, I don't think. To get the effect I think you'd need to actually grow rice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callatya Posted October 13, 2008 Report Share Posted October 13, 2008 Could you get away with those stick-like pond plants? You really need the plants to break the top of the water. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzy_dragonfly Posted October 14, 2008 Report Share Posted October 14, 2008 Too many obstacles could damage a long finned bettas tail, as most of us have experienced as some point they are very delicate and easily torn on sticks, rocks and plastic plants. Keep in mind bettas are pretty much domesticated. The fish itself looks nothing like it's wild ancestors and are most likely just as content in a small planted aquarium as a rice paddly look alike bioscape. Even plakats are more showy than a wild spendens. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
axoloto Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 Rice is very easy to grow, one can find instructions on the net using google. but I cant see any benefits for our delicate bettas. Most instructions require the use of mud, and i think it is probably the same for reeds. Maybe some sort of artificial lookalike would be more appropriate to achieve the results you want. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted October 15, 2008 Report Share Posted October 15, 2008 Rice is easy to grow? Hmm... might have to look into that. My mother is always asking me to keep something edible in my tanks. She wants me to swap the bettas for barramundi. But rice growing in the betta tanks could be the happy compromise. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lambo Posted October 19, 2008 Report Share Posted October 19, 2008 Wouldn't a rice paddy be full of algae? Rice is easy to grow? Hmm... might have to look into that. My mother is always asking me to keep something edible in my tanks. She wants me to swap the bettas for barramundi. But rice growing in the betta tanks could be the happy compromise. Water sprite is edible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
malicious_muz Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 found a nice site for natural betta habitats in the wild http://www.plakatthai.com/bettahabitat.html hope this helps if your still adding to the tank :applaud: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finley Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Thanks! Right, so dense strappy weed with very little water it is then! Cool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuckie Posted March 12, 2009 Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 Maybe a tank packed with lots and lots of val? My angels and kribs live in such tanks. It's awesome to see the angels weaving through the plants And val is so easy, you start with a couple of bunches and given the right conditions it will overrun the whole tank! I am always pulling clumps out. Let me know if you need any. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyarlla Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hmmm, a close up... http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_8KkXrFp2bZM/SCgU.../s400/rice1.jpg I wonder if growing wheat would be similar? Youd have to grow it tall first out of the water but its so easy and fast to grow... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter16 Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 I wonder if growing wheat would be similar? I threw some wheat seeds in my coldwater tank, and within a couple of days thay had germinated with leaves and lots of roots developing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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