BigJoe

Now i have always liked bamboo for looking... but i have seen at the last 3 fish stores i have been to (granted i count petco and petsmart) had bamboo in afull water environment... now from my experence bamboo might be ok for a partial water/land tank for say crabs and frogs but wouldn't it die in a full water condition.. if not what would it take to grow it... i would love to put a bamboo wall across the back and then maybe re aquascape everything to an asian theme with a fake banzai and dragon sculpture and maybe a budha... maybe i ll wait till i can get another tank... but i would like to know if it is really possible...

tkfury

I believe I read on plantgeek.com that Lucky Bamboo is not an aquatic plant but you should beable to keep it in an aquarium as long as the leaves are kept out of the water.

If I'm abl to pick up a 20g long like I want to, I want to basically do the same. My betta girls love their asian decorations but I'd like to do something a little more "alive" for them. From the pictures I've seen of tanks that grow lucky bamboo, the leaves help create a little canopy over the tank - the tanks don't use lids or lights so there is the possibility of jumpers though.

BigJoe

i am thinking i might do a little 10g with bamboo but i'm thinking about some smaller yet more active fish than bettas.. don't get me wrong i like the way bettas look but i ve never seen one active... also i d be tempted to get 2 males separated then forget why i had the separation... just to see the fight... and i believe that is techniccally animal cruelty which in TN is highly illegal... not that anyone would know but i'm not into that... i ll hunt game animals and eat them and fish for game fish and eat them but intentionally killing "pets" is just wrong in my opinion... i think this may be a wierd way of looking at it...

on to more direct stuff... yeah i saw this bubble breathing dragon that comes in 3 different styles... i think that a small budha and a fake bonzai and it will be my best creation yet... granted it'll only be my second aquarium... i guess i need to choose a fish... is there a small active asian fish?

Butterfly

Totally submerged Bamboo is not an aquatic(plantgeek.net was correct). But if you leave the leaves sticking out of the top of the tank it will do real well. The leaves are what die and rot(and pollute your tank) when under water while the rest will grow roots at all the nodes under water. I have kept it in a ten gallon before for long periods of time this way.
Carol

sirdarksol

Butterfly's right. Lucky bamboo can handle being in pretty deep water. The important thing is that it has space for the leaves to grow out of the water. Trim any that grow submerged. I have kept lucky bamboo in water for quite awhile, and just added some to a tank a couple of months ago.

tkfury

I suppose its personal opinion but I've found bettas to be highly active. Granted, they are slow swimmers by nature but when given a nice heated, filter tank large enough to swim freely - they're just beautiful to watch. But then again, bettas arn't for anyone.

I believe I know what you mean. Some of my relatives hunt and while they do enjoy it, its not just for sport, everything has a use and saddly central NY and western PA have a shockingly high deer population. I don't liek the idea of hunting and could never partake in in but thats because I'm a squishmish person who can't even get up enough nerve to kill a spider that's been stalking me Putting any fish together to see a fight in my book is animal cruelty. You're aware of that fact and aware of what you might be tempted to go so thats a good thing - perhaps bettas just arn't for you ^_~

There are plenty of other opinions. I might suggest looking into a school of zebra danios. Their natural distribution would lead me to believe they would work nicely with your theme. They are very active and while most sites say they are top dwellers, I find mine all over the place. What size is the tank?

sirdarksol

Unfortunately, the really active fish are likely not going to be terribly happy in a 10g tank, as they are usually schooling fish and like to have a bit more room to swim. You could try a few glassfish or danios, but they might not be as active if they don't have swimming room.

HatchetHaven

Probably because most people keep them in appalling, uncycled tanks/vases... All Bettas kept in fully cycled and large enough tanks are active as... Zebra danios! My old Betta Malachai was (Was...) living proof of that. A Betta should be a really active little cutie in a 10G.

Pygmy gourami is a nice little Asian delight. A school of cherry barbs would be cool as well. What about this: 1 male cherry barb, 3 female cherry barbs and 2 pygmy gouramis. And just to put the cherry on the cake (If that's how the saying goes?) 3 amano shrimp. Here is a nice layout idea: Lucky bamboo forest on the left, with an asian temple ornament on the right. On left and right of the asian temple is a small field of Dwarf hairgrass, and behing the temple, is a few Vallisneras. In front of the temple are some small pebbles. Substrate: 66.66% natural sand, 33.33% natural gravel. Sound good?

BigJoe

that accually sounds awesome... i doubt i can afford all of that right now... i have a few major expenses coming up... i was going to get me a 55g and maybe doing something like that... however i would have to add some air decorations... maybe dueling air spitting dragons...and (since every chinese resteraunt i see has them) a air powered waterwheel... i like the cherry barb idea... but i might change or add tiger barbs to it... whenever it may be that i get it... it's good to dream... btw if anyone is in or near west TN that needs to get rid of a tank (any size)... you know who to msg first .... just in case you got the answer wrong... it's me!!!