# want to have a few live plants in my tank



## miscanon (Jul 6, 2013)

I'm starting a new betta tank soon and I was hoping to add some live plants. I already have a moss ball (because they're kind of adorable), and was thinking of java fern and anubia. The tank I'm planning to get is the Mini Bow 2.5 gal. 

I was wondering what you all thought of this, and if there's anything in particular I would need to care for these plants. Thanks!


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

Java fern and anubias are good plants. I don't have personal experience with java fern, but I believe it can't be planted in the substrate, so you will have to tie it to a rock or driftwood or a decoration. I have some anubias nana and it's a nice plant. You can plant it in the substrate, but don't bury the rhizome (the part that the leaves come out of).
If you want floating plants, my favorite is green myrio (AKA "frill plant" at Petsmart). It sheds a lot if your temp is too high, though. 
Back to non-floating plants, Amazon sword is also nice.
I really like red ludwigia, too, but it will outgrow your tank if you don't keep it trimmed.


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## bettaman12 (Sep 8, 2012)

Anacharis is also a good plant along with hornwort. Bettas really like Cabomba too.


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## miscanon (Jul 6, 2013)

Thanks guys! I'll be sure to check out those plants too and see if I like of them more. 

I'm kind of like really new at aquarium plants, so sorry if this is a particularly stupid question, but substrate refers to the gravel layer at the bottom of the tank, right? If so, do I need to use sand or some type of soil, or is gravel okay? Are there any supplements that the plants would need?


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## OrangeAugust (Jul 23, 2012)

It's not a stupid question.
Yes, substrate is gravel/sand/soil that is at the bottom of the tank.
I have used gravel, sand, and soil with a sand cap in different tanks. I find sand is waayyy easier to plant in because the plants will stay put even before they have many roots. In gravel it's really hard to keep plants from floating up out of it. 
I don't use any fertilizers in my tanks. My heavily planted tank is the one that's soil-based. It has organic fertilizers in the soil so I don't need to add any ferts. My other tank is not heavily planted- it has 4 plants (2 on each side of the divider. And the plants grow slowly, and that's fine with me. But some people use root tabs, which I'm guessing are tablets you put down by the roots of the plant, and some people use liquid fertilizer in the water (or both, depending on what plants they have). But like I said, I don't use any extra fertilizers in my tanks.


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## miscanon (Jul 6, 2013)

I was thinking of using a fine gravel that's more naturally colored, but I'll think about using sand, too...

I don't need (or want...) the plants to grow terribly fast, so no fertilizer, then. Will the plants survive just in the gravel?


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## Agility4fun (Nov 16, 2012)

I really like cryptocorne.


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## RobertTheFish (Jun 6, 2011)

miscanon said:


> ...and I was hoping to add some live plants. I already have a moss ball...


Careful. Plants are addictive. There's never just "a few".


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## miscanon (Jul 6, 2013)

RobertTheFish said:


> Careful. Plants are addictive. There's never just "a few".


Ah ha ha, I know! I've been making mini terrariums in old jam jars and such, and I just want to keep making them, even though we're running out of room! xD


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## Sebastian1444 (Jul 19, 2013)

Bamboo is good, my fish has that and not only does it look good in his tank with blue rocks, he really likes it and stays by it most of the time. He likes to go under the roots sometimes and just sit there for a little.


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

Sebastian1444 said:


> Bamboo is good, my fish has that and not only does it look good in his tank with blue rocks, he really likes it and stays by it most of the time. He likes to go under the roots sometimes and just sit there for a little.


Is your bamboo entirely submerged? It will eventually rot underwater if it is entirely submerged, and it seems it still may rot even if it's not.


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## miscanon (Jul 6, 2013)

I've read that as long as the leaves are above water, lucky bamboo does fine in tanks.


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## RobertTheFish (Jun 6, 2011)

*Plants*

I promise I will not put any more plants in this tank (for at least the next 30 days). Just finished today.


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## miscanon (Jul 6, 2013)

That's beautiful! I'm so jealous...


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## Sebastian1444 (Jul 19, 2013)

My bamboo leaves have been above water and it's still alive. It was tricky though because I had to put a top on the tank and squeeze the leaves through a hole every time I cleaned it.


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## Lucubration (Jul 7, 2013)

Yup, as long as the leafy parts are out of the water and it has the right kind of light, it'll grow just fine. I switched to an in-tank submersible filter and stuck the bamboo leaves out of the filter 'notch' in the hood.


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## NeptunesMom (May 4, 2012)

RobertTheFish said:


> I promise I will not put any more plants in this tank (for at least the next 30 days). Just finished today.


That looks like mondo grass. That is not aquatic and will rot under water. I put it into my tank, and had nothing but problems until I did more research. It really messed up my water quality.


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## kenouboom (Jul 22, 2013)

I have proper lighting in all my tanks for plants... I use gravel... Some plants live no problem while others dont do so good what kind of additives could I use to help?


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## RobertTheFish (Jun 6, 2011)

New mod for the ferns in the back.
Still need to add gravel to the top tray.


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## Juditko (Dec 28, 2012)

Someone mentioned Cabomba. It's very pretty. Does it shed a lot?


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