Live plants for Betta fish tank

Live plants in my betta fish aquarium?

Did you know that growing live plants in a betta fish tank is beneficial for many reasons? When you add aquatic plants to your aquarium they can be both aesthetically pleasing and functional – plus your betta fish will love it!

Natural aquatic plants don’t have to be hard work or difficult to maintain, you should have live plants in your aquarium because they have so many benefits to both your lovely betta fish and its environment, including…

• Live plants help keep water conditions optimal. They do this by acting as a natural filter against many harmful chemicals (harmful to tropical fish) that build up in the tank. Chemicals include, carbon dioxide, sulphur substances and nitrogenous wastes.
• Live plants convert these harmful chemicals into oxygen! Oxygenising the water – allowing your betta fish to breathe in the water.
• Betta fishes’ natural environment is in heavily planted rice paddies. Your betta fish will love the fact that there are live plants to hide in and swim around! 🙂
• Live plants create shade, something betta fish enjoy, but also, something that helps reduce the growth of algae in your tank.
• Fake and ornamental plants can have quite sharp / rough edges, this does not go well with a betta fish’s delicate flowing fins! Fake plants can cause damage and injuries, like paper cuts. If you do opt for a fake plant, feel the softness of the leaves and opt for a silk based plant.

Where should I buy live plants for my betta aquarium?

Just like your betta fish you should buy your live plants from a reputable dealer. The best aquarium dealers will offer good, sound advice and deliver great personal customer service.

You should buy live plants from dealers that offer healthy plants, if you start seeing yellow or rotting sections of plants within the store’s aquarium, start to think twice! All the plants in the store’s aquarium should be a healthy green with sturdy leaves and stems.

The live aquatic plants can be bought in a few forms – cuttings, rooted clumps or in their own plastic pot.

Live Plant Top Tip: Look out for small snails on the live plants you buy. These little creatures can help you by eating algae, but be careful, they also can multiply to huge proportions and before you know it they will be eating away at your carefully planted aquarium! (They have plagued many a tank.)

Some aquascaping general tips…

• The tallest plants should be at the back of the tank, and as you work your way towards the front the plants should be shorter.
• Tall and bushy plants can be used to hide equipment.
• For a natural looking habitat, try to only use two or three different plant species.
• It is often easier to plant these plants once the tank is already partially filled with water.

So, should you have live plants in your aquarium? It is highly recommended and I bet your loving betta fish friend thinks you should have live plants in your aquarium too!!

Please share with the betta fish loving community the names of the live plants your aquarium houses, and any experiences you have! Thank you for taking the time to read this!