How Much Plants For A Betta Tank?

hI I’ve recently got a betta, he seems happy enough in the tank I have for him I was going to buy a live plant when I bought him but the pet shop guy said that they need quite a bare tank (not sure how accurate that is....!) at the moment I have a bridge with a plastic planted rock thing behind it for a bit of a hiding place and I have a tiny java fern sprout from another tank- I was planning on getting java moss or amazon sword and then if it got too much having both plants I’d add it to my bigger tank. The size of the tank is 5 gallons/19 litres, even with a big plant there will be lots of swimming space I’m sure. Do I get him another plant like I was going to? Or wait until the java fern grows a bit more but I’m not sure how fast they grow...
Thanks and this is my first betta by the way

 

Add some bushy/stem plants! Hornwort, cabomba, baby tears, ambulia etc. are all good options

 

I saw the java fern planted? If so, remove it. Burying the rhizome will kill it in about 2 weeks.

So you have any super glue?

 

Tell that pet store guy he's an imbecile. Bettas love plants and will always do best with live plants in the tank. Taller plants or floating ones are probably the best there is for bettas. They like to rest among the plants near the surface, even more so for long finned males.

 

Try a floating clump of hornwort.

It is really good for bettas to rest in and explore.

I had some in my sorority and my female bettas loved it!

 

My betta had artificial plants in his tank, but seemed to like a lot of foliage to play with and swim through.

 

Bettas need heavily planted tanks, with plenty of places to hide, they don’t like the openness. I recommend live plants, driftwood, or other oraments and rocks to decorate your tank with. You can mix artificial and real plants together if you need to, just try to close up the open areas of the back and sides.

 

Thanks everyone! Even before I saw your replies I thought the pet shop guy was an idiot and went and got a plant! Amazon sword it’s not as bushy as it sounds like I should have but (especially thanks to

I saw the java fern planted? If so, remove it. Burying the rhizome will kill it in about 2 weeks.

So you have any super glue?

because I didn’t realise that haha) hopefully the java fern will grow a bit and be another plant for him! I should really have got the betta from that shop as it is better however I kept going I think I went about 3 times (plus today and looked just to see!) and they only had red or white and red kind of Bettas no blue ones which I wanted... I have put the java fern onto the bridge it’s kind of wedged in so it is staying put, if it dies it’s not the end of the world it’s just a loose bit from another tank.
Thanks for all your help!

Just as an aside I do have a lid to the tank but the holes for the wires are on the opposite side that I have to have the wires on and it vibrates a bit with the filter- are Bettas known for jumping?

 

My 3.5 gallon Betta tank started out with 3 artificial plants. After it cycled and I had nitrates present I started adding real ones. They had to be low light plants that required no supplements or CO2 injection. The first one was a Marimo Moss ball. The second one was an Anubias Nana glued to a small rock. It is doing great. The third was a Java Fern Windelov that is also thriving. Then I tried Hornwort but it all fell apart so I dumped it. Then I got some Water Wisteria and only one stem is left and I can't keep it down no matter what I do. My Mystery and Nerite snails keep eating the bottom of the stem and making it float to the surface. I'm about to give up on it. The latest, and last one, is 3 stems of narrow leaf Anacharis that is growing like a weed. I have already had to cut it back so now it's 4 stems threaded through the holes of a large button that has some gravel glued to the bottom. It's at the back of the tank behind a rock decoration so you can't see the button. They are sprouting roots but haven't anchored yet.

The 3 artificials are still in as well so the tank looks well planted and my Betta loves swimming through and under the leaves and stems. They do not need an open tank.

Tank2

• Dch48
• Jun 29, 2018

 

My Bettas LOVES the plants, the tallest grass like ones are their favorites and they hide in them. As for pet store employees, they are hit or miss, I always ask them how many fish they’ve had , how long , and their school background, which sounds crazy but you want to make sure you’re getting good info !

 

I mistakenly planted a java fern in the substrate and it started turning black in 3-4 weeks.

Got good advice on here and tied it to a bridge just like yours. 8 months later it’s 10” tall, has spread and have removed some to start new plants.

But I do add ferts regularly.

Basically, yours is salvageable.

 

I mistakenly planted a java fern in the substrate and it started turning black in 3-4 weeks.

Got good advice on here and tied it to a bridge just like yours. 8 months later it’s 10” tall, has spread and have removed some to start new plants.

But I do add ferts regularly.

Basically, yours is salvageable.

Does the fern then attach itself to the bridge then? I’d rather it attach to something else so it’s not all in one corner and it’s next to the other plant... I’ll try and find something for it to attach to...

 

My betta currently has a Buce deep blue, a dwarf sword and an Anubias. I’m gonna add Water Wisteria and a Crypt WendiI soon. I may add Italian Vals. He has a bridge and barrels for decorations.

 

Not to jack the betta conversation to a java fern conversation but i’v used black sewing thread to tied to rocks, driftwood and the bridge.

Some use superglue I believe but don’t want that in my tanks.

The roots need water circulation but in a few months the roots will attach so you can remove the thread although I never did.

 

My betta currently has a Buce deep blue, a dwarf sword and an Anubias. I’m gonna add Water Wisteria and a Crypt WendiI soon. I may add Italian Vals. He has a bridge and barrels for decorations.

That's going to be one happy betta fish!

 

Not to jack the betta conversation to a java fern conversation but i’v used black sewing thread to tied to rocks, driftwood and the bridge.

Some use superglue I believe but don’t want that in my tanks.

The roots need water circulation but in a few months the roots will attach so you can remove the thread although I never did.

I was hesitant about superglue myself but it is perfectly safe. My Anubias Nana and Java Fern Windelov are both superglued to rocks and are both doing well. I have not had success with stem plants and superglue though. It seems to kill the stem where it contacts whatever you are using as a weight and then the snails come along and eat through it. Threading the stems through the holes of a button works pretty good though. Just bury the button and it's done. (unless a Mystery snail decides to bulldoze things in his hunt for food). My hands are not steady enough to tie threads. I've tried and it takes at least 30 minutes to tie something and then after about 3 days in the tank, it comes loose.

 

That's going to be one happy betta fish!

That’s the plan. A happy betta

 

Also are Bettas okay to eat tropical flakes mixed with bloodworms?

 

Also are Bettas okay to eat tropical flakes mixed with bloodworms?

Asolutely. One of my foods is crumbled TetraMin flakes with crumbled freeze dried bloodworm added. I also feed frozen bloodworms occasionally. My Betta gets a varied diet. The flakes mentioned, Omega One flakes (also crumbled), HikarI Betta Bio-Gold pellets, and my favorite, Fluval Bug Bites tropical formula.

 

Okay and yet another different question sorry! I have 6 Amano shrimp in my coldwater tank with some rescued goldfish (they will be leaving for a pond as soon as they are big enough) as I bought the amanos to keep the tank cleaner however then I got snails and they work much better. The amanos are pretty happy and active and the goldies don’t bother them much but do you think they would prefer to be in the tank with the betta? especially as it will be warmer in the winter! Will they be okay with the betta? In the pet shop they had an Amano in each of the betta tanks... If they would be okay to move I assume they would not be okay with the sudden temperature change? How would I sort this? Thanks!

 

It depends on the betta is snails and shrimp and fish can live with them. You can try it out. Some are fine and others see it as a live buffet.

 

It depends on the betta is snails and shrimp and fish can live with them. You can try it out. Some are fine and others see it as a live buffet.

He spits out any food bigger than his mouth and he is small and the shrimp are way bigger than his mouth so I don’t see how he could feasibly eat them? Plus they’re fast! I put a mirror in to see how aggressive he was he flared and swam right next to it and up to it but didn’t dart into it or swim really fast up to it... so maybe not a super aggressive guy? I don’t know what counts as very aggressive in bettas

 

He spits out any food bigger than his mouth and he is small and the shrimp are way bigger than his mouth so I don’t see how he could feasibly eat them? Plus they’re fast! I put a mirror in to see how aggressive he was he flared and swam right next to it and up to it but didn’t dart into it or swim really fast up to it... so maybe not a super aggressive guy? I don’t know what counts as very aggressive in bettas

Try it out and keep an eye on things to make sure he’s ok with another living being in his tank. Just be ready to do a shrimp rescue just in case. Give shrimp plenty of hidey spots.

 

Try it out and keep an eye on things to make sure he’s ok with another living being in his tank. Just be ready to do a shrimp rescue just in case. Give shrimp plenty of hidey spots.

To be honest if they’ve survived with the quite big goldfish they’ll probably be fine with a tiny betta

 

To be honest if they’ve survived with the quite big goldfish they’ll probably be fine with a tiny betta

Perhaps. And your betta doesn’t sound like his super aggressive.

 

Short answer, “Yes.”

The shrimp will be way better in a betta tank than a mgoldie tank.

 

Okay and yet another different question sorry! I have 6 Amano shrimp in my coldwater tank with some rescued goldfish (they will be leaving for a pond as soon as they are big enough) as I bought the amanos to keep the tank cleaner however then I got snails and they work much better. The amanos are pretty happy and active and the goldies don’t bother them much but do you think they would prefer to be in the tank with the betta? especially as it will be warmer in the winter! Will they be okay with the betta? In the pet shop they had an Amano in each of the betta tanks... If they would be okay to move I assume they would not be okay with the sudden temperature change? How would I sort this? Thanks!

The answer is it depends. Some Bettas are prolific shrimp killers. Amanos are larger, so they might leave them alone, but sometimes its hard to say until you put them together. My betta shares his 8 gallon with 5 Darwin Algae Shrimp (Australia's equivalent to Amano I guess) which are transparent, and it doesn't bother them at all, even the smaller ones. But the chases the Cherry shrimps around whenever he sees one.

 

Don't take advice from pet shop employees...have gotten nothing but bad advice from them over the years about pets..thankfully I never listen. I just do my own research or take advice from people with more experience. I went in to buy betta fish and was set on a 10 gallon and was told by the employee that the tank was too big, I told her I'm set on it and she said I think it's too big and went to ask another employee...even after confirmation it was ok she still about 4x over tried to get me to buy betta bowls or betta bowl kits. Then the other employee told me bettas can't have filters...also they said bettas need gravel, sand was bad for bettas. Moral of the story...petstore employees have absolutely no education on animal care or welfare, ignore them politely. They are trained to just come up with advice even when they do not know.