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I have the most beautiful chocolate betta and he seems quite content in his 2 gallon tank... for the most part. He has NO plant, I forgot to get one when i purchased him, but not i think i might want to put a live plant in with him instead a plastic one I have never used live plants in my fish tanks before so i don't know much abotu them. Could someone give me some ideas on the type of plant to use, and what it woudl take to take care of it if it woudl change anything for me or not Thanks

hornwort is good, doesn't need anything(well at least mines dont get anything fancy), anabuis nana is a good one also. or java moss. but a good plant, if u can find it is frontilais. kinda hard to find but good.

I'd advise against hornwort in a betta tank. It might sound odd but hornwort will often consume too much of the excess waste and you'll likely end up with a form of algae called cynobacteria. It's very difficuld to get rid of too!

Also, bettas sure like to hang out on plants. For that reason the plants with larger leaves, like Java fern or any of the Anubias will go well in the tank. Both Java fern and Anubias like to be tied onto a piece of driftwood or a large rock. Java fern will usually die if you try and plant it in the gravel. They also both require little light to survive. Check what plants your LFS (local fish store) has available research what the lighting requriements are.

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REALLY?
"Indeed."
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A friend of mine told me to get a banana plant, what does everyone think of that?

Heh... Babel, you better talk to my java ferns, then. They LIKE to root themselves into the gravel. I remember I just dropped my java fern in the tank when I got it ... always intended to tie it to something, but forgot. It attached itself to the gravel, and dove its root right on down. I've had this happen several times with different java ferns. I've found the best way to keep them (they never seem to want to attach to things for me) is to bury the roots (not the rhizome) for a week or two, then just pick them up with the gravel attached and set them on TOP of the substrate. It will grow right on into the gravel. *shrugs*

I'd think this would be a good plant for a betta tank, especially if you're doing 100% water changes.

I grew hornwort in my betta tanks for a while... found it doesn't like me or something. It would grow GREAT in a few tanks, and die off in others that were identical.

As for banana plants, they like a lot of light, and can get really big. I had one that was gorgeous... underwater leaves were a good 4" or so across, and the lily pads were 2-3" inches across. I was SO peeved when it died after I rearranged the tank. It can really get to be a large plant under the right circumstances. Since that plant died, I've tried another banana plant without success.

~Meow. Thus spoke the cat.~

Are there any other suggestions out there about plants and also I was thinking is there anything else that would go in there with him, maybe a snail or a ghost shrimp are they hard to keep or not? I have never had a ghost shrimp before...

hmm I agre with all above plants suggestions except the banana lily, as it can get quite big for a 2G. You can try a nano aquascape, if you can get good enough light on the tank, one of those twisted compact flursescent bulbs from wal-mart should do the trick, then you can grow glosso, and get some anubias nana petite to grow on some driftwood. some crypts for midground, and mayb baby tears or rotala indica for a background. :88).

as for ghost shrimp, the betta will probably try to eat the poor little guy. but the only way to find out is to try it and see. ghost shrimp aren't very expensive.

Thanks I have a 15 watt bulb all ready on the tank it keps the tank very bright and quite warm becausey lil guy is QUITE active! Do you think this woudl be enough for those plants and maybe a ghost shrimp?
And what is a Nano Aquascape I am just a beginner when it comes to live plants

Last edited by dvmchrissy at 15-Oct-2005 14:19

well, I have my betta in a ten gal tank, and a nice sprig of hornwort floating on top. Zed never really bothers it but I was thinking of getting a plant in the tank. Since I'll be moving soon, I guess it'll have to wait.

You can add an Anubias Plant in your Betta tank & you can attach it with some fishing line to a rock or a piece of Driftwood.


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Thanks I think I will look into an anubias I got myself into trouble today though I went to a LFS today and had an itch I jsut HAD to scratch andI ended up buying a 25 gallon set-up and a 10 gallon tank and paid less than 40 buck for it all! I am excited! I can't wait to set them up but I won't forget about my lil betta man he's way too awesome!!! I will let you guys know how the anubias looks when I get it!

They LIKE to root themselves into the gravel. I remember I just dropped my java fern in the tank when I got it ... always intended to tie it to something, but forgot. It attached itself to the grave

That's entirely different than planting it. To plant it you burry the rhyzome. To let it root itself into the gravel the way you describe is a differnt. That is how java fern grows. The rhyzome settles somewhere and the runners manage to root the plant.

^_^[hr width='90%']"in any case, chocolate is hardly a rare comodity." said Chaos. "There are planets covered in the stuff"
REALLY?
"Indeed."
IT MIGHT BE BEST, said Death, IF NEWS LIKE THAT DID NOT GET ABOUT. ~ Theif of Time [link=Terry Pratchett]http://www.terrypratchettbooks.com/" style="COLOR: #EB4288[/link]