Do you want to add plants to your betta fish tank or pond? Do you know the best plants for betta fish?
Allow me to explain the beneficial effects of each plant on your betta fish.
This article will help you make the right plant choices for your bettas
Best Plants for Betta Fish
- Java Fern
- Java Moss
- Hornwort
- Duckweed
- Hygrophila
- Water Wisteria
- Anacharis
- Water Sprite
- Amazon Sword
- Christmas Moss
Are Live Plants Good for Betta Fish?
Yes. Live plants are good for betta fish as they provide several benefits. It is a good option to have live plants in your betta tank as they can be of great benefit to your bettas and other aquatic animals.
Here are some of the benefits of having plants in your betta tank:
1. Natural environment
One way of providing a natural environment for your betta fish is by adding live plants. You can depict betta’s wild habitat in captivity with the right choice of live plants.
Also, It will give your betta fish the feeling of the home right within the walls of its tank.
When adding the plants, you should add plants that usually grow in betta’s wild habitat. You can also add structures in the tank to give a completely natural environment. Your fish will feel safe and healthy.
2. Hiding spaces
Another benefit of live plants for your betta fish is to provide hiding spaces for them. During hot fights or chase, smaller bettas can use the plants for covert and hide from the bigger ones.
Baby bettas can also use the plants as cover from other fish in the tank.
3. Entertainment
Live plants can also be a form of entertainment for your betta fish. You will see your betta playing with the live plants and catching fun. They can also play hide-and-seek amid the live plants.
4. Oxygenation
One of the benefits of live plants to betta fish is the tank’s oxygenation. Live plants help keep the water in the tank full of oxygen. It also helps eliminate carbon dioxide from the tank.
Live plants have several other benefits like reducing algae problems, removing ammonia, harboring beneficial bacteria, etc.
10 Best Live Plants for Betta fish
You have to go for the best plants for your betta fish if you do not want any complications. With the right choice of plants, you will be able to maintain your fish’s good health.
Here is a list of the best live plants for your betta fish.
1. Java Fern
Java ferns are one of the best choices of plants for betta fish. They are very easy to grow and will pose no problems or complications during growth. Java ferns will also grow well in low-light conditions.
You have to be cautious when planting java ferns as you must not bury their rhizomes. The best way you can grow them is to attach them to a tank structure—structures like rocks, driftwood, etc.
To reproduce, java ferns produce tiny babies by their mature leaves. You can pluck off the small java ferns and attach them to a structure in the tank to grow. They will grow and mature into adult java ferns under the right conditions.
Java ferns are slow growers. It is good news as it will save you the stress of repeated trimming of leaves. Java ferns are one of the best plants to add to your betta tank.
2. Java Moss
Java mosses are among the most popular freshwater plants for aquariums or ponds. Java mosses are one of the perfect plants for your betta fish tank. They are hardy plant species and are very easy to care for in captivity.
Java mosses are also very appealing to the sight, causing them to be a source of beautification for your tank. They do not require intense lighting conditions before they grow and mature. You also do not need to root the plant into the substrate, making it popular among betta fish owners.
Java mosses can create an untidy and dense growth in the tank, causing regular maintenance. Your mosses will also give your betta fish places to explore in the tank. Other mosses will make a good plant for your betta fish.
3. Hornwort
Hornwort is a popular plant for betta fish tanks. It is easy to care for and has a hardy characteristic. You can either plant them by rooting them in substrate or float at the surface of the tank.
Hornworts provide good cover for your betta fish, saving them from attack from other fish. They will grow in low light and setup, making them survive a wide range of lighting conditions. They also grow fast and will require regular trimming and maintenance.
You have to be cautious when trimming your hornwort as delicate as to handle. Hornworts are good at removing nitrate and toxins from the tank. Hornwort is a good choice of plants for your betta fish, but you will need to provide extra maintenance.
4. Duckweed
Duckweed will make a good plant, as well as they can make a bad one for your betta fish. Some aquarists love to have them, while others do not like them because of their ‘overdo’ behavior. Duckweed tends to grow fast, filling and covering the tank’s surface.
Duckweed will give your tank a natural swampy look and are also good at sucking up nutrients in the tank. They can be challenging to get rid of when they get established in the tank. They can cover the surface of your tank, helping betta and other top-dweller fish feel less exposed.
When they cover the tank, they reduce the amount of light that gets to the tank’s bottom. It can cause other plants at the bottom of the tank to experience distorted growth. It is very easy to control but needs regular maintenance to keep it in shape.
It can also survive in low to high lighting conditions. Duckweed is hardy and does not require much attention for its growth. Just single duckweed can reproduce into many within weeks.
5. Hygrophila
Hygrophila is also a common live plant for betta fish. They have broad leaves that provide a resting place for bettas and other fish. They are a good choice of plant for your betta fish.
Hygrophila can grow fast, outgrowing your small tank in little time. They also grow tall and can reach a height of 28″. They require moderate to high light conditions, and they will be fine.
They can also tolerate low light conditions, but you might not like their appearance. They will shed off their lower leaves and develop a stringy appearance. This look might not be very appealing, so you should provide them with moderate to high light conditions.
Hygrophila will also beautify the tank and give it a good appearance. It also helps create more room for your betta to enjoy itself. Hygrophilous is also very easy to care for and will give you little or no problem grooming them.
Hygrophila is quite hardy and will tolerate a wide range of conditions. Although adverse conditions can tell on their appearance, they will adapt and push through the phase. They are a good choice of live plant for your betta tank.
6. Water Wisteria
Water wisteria is a common aquarium plant. However, they have a unique appearance that will help beautify your betta tank. Their leaf pattern also gives them a distinctive look and adds beauty to your tank.
They can thrive in low to moderate light conditions. They are very much easy to care for and do not require extra attention. You can either grow them as a single plant or trim them to form a carpet for the bottom of your tank.
The plant can also change its leaves to suit its environment. They grow to about a foot tall, so using them in a small aquarium might not be the best practice. If you use a small tank, you will need to perform regular trimming.
Water wisteria is quite hardy and will survive several conditions. They will make a good choice of plant for your betta fish.
7. Anacharis
Anacharis has become one of the most popular plants used in aquariums. It is a fast-growing live plant with bright green leaves. It is a good choice of live plant for your betta tank.
Anacharis does a great job in curbing algae growth and filtering toxins from your fish tank. They will help soak up nutrients and provide shade, making it a good choice for your betta. You can either plant Anacharis and root it in the substrate or allow it to float.
They are very much easy to care for and require moderate to high lighting conditions. They serve as food for some fish and other aquatic creatures. They also grow fast with lush growth and soft leaves.
8. Water Sprite
Water sprites are aquatic ferns that will make a great plant for your betta fish. Most aquarists like the water sprites because of how bettas hang around the leaves. They are quite hardy and can tolerate low to high light.
They tend to grow quickly, making them an excellent nutrient sponge and a disturbance source. You can either plant the water sprites or let them float freely at the surface. Also, they are very easy to care for and have an attractive appearance.
Water sprites can make a great cover for your betta fish. They can even encourage your bettas to build bubble nests. Water sprites will make a good plant for your betta tank.
9. Amazon Sword
The amazon sword is one of betta’s favorites due to its broad leaves. The amazon leaves can grow large and tall, depending on the species. They can grow as tall as 3 feet, making them unsuitable for small tanks.
You have to root your amazon plant in the substrate and not allow it to float. They are easy to care for and require some care requirements to thrive. They also need high lighting to enable their growth.
Amazon swords need nutrients to thrive, so you will have to get quality substrate to grow them. Amazon swords are one of the best choices of live plants for your betta fish.
10. Christmas Moss
Christmas mosses are similar to java mosses. They are also quite hardy but do not grow as fast as java mosses. In addition to this, they are very much easy to care for, requiring moderate light conditions.
They can tolerate a wide range of lighting conditions due to their hardy property, but the best is moderate lighting. They will also tolerate warm water in the tank. Christmas moss is a good live plant for your betta fish.
Frequently Asked Questions:
1. What is the Best Live Plant to Put in a Betta Tank?
Java fern is one of the best live plants you can put in your betta tank. It survives well in water, and it is best anchored to a structure in the tank. Java fern will make a good live plant for your betta fish.
2. Do Bettas Like Fake Plants?
Betta fish might not really like fake plants as it can injure them. This injury is common when you use plastic plants that can easily tear their delicate fins. If you use fake plants for your betta tank, make sure you use silk and not plastic.
3. Is Any Plant Poisonous to Betta Fish?
Bettas do not eat plants, so it might be difficult for a plant to be poisonous to them. However, If you add plants that contain toxic chemicals to the tank, it will most likely not affect your betta fish.
4. Are Moss Balls Good for Bettas?
Moss balls are good for bettas. They help:
- retain good tank bacteria
- reduce nitrate levels
- emit oxygen for your fish
They will also thrive in the same water conditions as bettas.
5. Is Java Fern Good for Betta?
Yes. Because they can swim between the leaves of java ferns and because they offer cover, betta fish adore them.
In the aquarium of your betta fish, java fern does best when it is fastened to a piece of driftwood.
This living plant thrives in medium to low illumination conditions and may survive in stagnant water.
Final Thought
Do Betta Fish Like Plants? Yes.
Many fish, including bettas, may safely consume plants. Your betta’s surroundings can benefit from real and artificial plants by offering them new areas to explore, hang out in, and hide out in.
Keep only aquarium-specific plants in your tanks.
The harmful plants can cause your betta fish problems, which is why you have to make sure you choose a safe plant for your fish.
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