# Floating plants safe for Betta fins?



## Morgyn (Mar 7, 2014)

Are there any live floating plants that have ZERO chance of hurting Betta fins please?

Dwarf Water Lettuce? Amazon Frogbit? Pennywort? I read several sites that Anubias tore fins on Betta who swam in often. Hornwort tore his fins, already tried it.

Recently transferred Dexter to a 10 gallon from a 5.5 (Thursday 4/17/14). Before that had donated back almost all ghost shrimp since witnessing them attack his fins three times. Also put a sponge on filter intake, out take on lowest setting, baffled out take with a water bottle (he loved to play under it - getting pushed down almost to substrate). Pin holes and tears in his fins began healing immediately after making those two changes. However he was still getting pushed down under out take so I purchased hornwort to float and catch the current. All was great I thought until he started wiggling into the tightest clumps and between the wall and plant. UGH, noticed a tear yesterday and out it went, for now in a vase of water. Want to solve this issue so he can fully heal and not just hurt his fins in a different way.

May be starting a snail tank in the 5.5 gallon or try to sell to friend who is considering getting a Betta. Moved up to a 10 gallon after realizing couldn't have many plants + limited on choice of.


10 gallon tank
Transferred from a fully cycled 5.5 gal tank Thursday 4/17. Ammonia, Nitrite and Nitrates all at zero- last test was Sunday will test again today/Saturday 4/19 or tomorrow.
One ghost shrimp
AquaClear Power Filter 20- sponge over intake, on lowest setting, baffled w/water bottle and for now java moss arranged under to catch remaining current
Heater
Thermometer
Two clumps Java Moss
Two Aponogaton Undulatus
Two Crypt Wendtii (with a third starting from runner recently- yay!!)
Two medium and two small new Java Fern plants
One Cichlid cave
One "Sunken Branch" ceramic decoration (sanded down couple parts that felt rough before putting in tank a couple weeks ago)
SeaChem Prime water conditioner
Gravel substrate, LED lights


Any help or direction will be appreciated. Thanks!


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

I don't know of any floaters that would damage fins...


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## Morgyn (Mar 7, 2014)

Thanks MattsBetta!

Yeah, I was told Hornwort would be fine, at the LFS and online. It definitely isn't fine, at least for this Betta. Thinking of Dwarf Water Lettuce. May go with more Java Moss for now (easy to get around here). One independent store may have DWL. Have seen at the chain store I rescued him from but hesitate getting it there. Their plants didn't look in the best of shape.


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

I don't believe I've ever heard of any live plants that would harm fins...I've never felt any sort of sharp or jagged edges on any sort of aquarium plants, so I'd agree with Matt that you're safe with any floaters, and I'd go on to say with any live plants.  

One word of possible caution though about the dwarf water lettuce, I think even the dwarf lettuce gets pretty big, and could be a bit difficult to be able to put any sort of cover/canopy on the tank with it in.  

Myrio is softer/gentler than hornwort but is a very similar plant...can also float
water wisteria and water sprite can float
cardamine is very fine and delicate, and can float
salvinia/red root/water flower is a great floater and produces some roots that hang down into the water
baby tears can float (it's actually the only way I can get this stuff to live...)
Brazilian Pennywort (warning though, this stuff is BIG, and can look somewhat "stemmy")

If you want to order, I've had great success and awesome value from www.tricker.com and www.plantedaquariumscentral.com.  Tricker has lower shipping but a more limited selection, but make sure you check out their "floater" section as well as their "aquarium section, many of their plants can go either pond or aquarium.


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## Morgyn (Mar 7, 2014)

Thanks Blue Fish! I've seen some of the plants you mentioned at the independent store in the neighborhood and will pick up today. Thanks for the links too.

Yeah, if I didn't see him wiggle his way through a tight spot/clump of Hornwort and wall and emerge with a long tear in the middle of the anal fin, I would have doubted the plant caused it. No more since removed. It did feel a little rough when I rinsed and inspected before adding to tank, but not enough that I thought it would have harmed him (especially when it came so highly recommended). Maybe it was just a one in a million chance or just his personality? 

Feeling thankful for the great resources this site offers.


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## Morgyn (Mar 7, 2014)

Got Water Sprite and letting it float. Also two Banana Plants. Thanks again to both of you for the help!


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## Betta Nut (Dec 3, 2013)

I love banana plants! Mine's got humongous in the 3 months or so I've had it. They do like to keep having a leaf die and putting out a fresh one. If you see one browning, pinch off the stem near the banana part. At least this is what mine did. Eventually they send out about a 2 foot stem that has a lilly pad. I thought it'd stop at the surface, but it ended up trailing all over the top. Crazy.


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

The tank looks good and he looks like a happy boy!

I had no idea that banana plants grew like that...I'll have to give those a try! I recently purchased two dwarf lilies...and I have to wonder, what do the full-sized ones look like, lol! The leaves are fairly small, but the stems are tall enough to go all the way from bottom to top in my 40b.  Next time I'm at Petco I'll have to pick up some banana plants.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

> One word of possible caution though about the dwarf water lettuce, I think even the dwarf lettuce gets pretty big, and could be a bit difficult to be able to put any sort of cover/canopy on the tank with it in.


Water lettuce is the one that gets really big, it's he one that goes in ponds. Dwarf water lettuce stays, well, dwarf- it's one of my favorite floaters, and stays relatively small and flat.


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## Dragon41214 (Apr 14, 2014)

I purchased some Annachris that is currently floating in my aquarium to attempt to cut down on the reflection in the tank. I love it! Dragon doesn't play with it as much as he spends time fighting with his reflection or swimming through his Anubias plants but aesthetically it is cool because the long strands move around the aquarium. I have had it for 24 hours and it is already growing roots I imagine it will require lots of grooming to ensure it doesn't take over his aquarium. (I have it in my 6g Fluval Edge)


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## Blue Fish (Jun 11, 2012)

MattsBettas said:


> Water lettuce is the one that gets really big, it's he one that goes in ponds. Dwarf water lettuce stays, well, dwarf- it's one of my favorite floaters, and stays relatively small and flat.


Oh, thanks for the correction and information!!


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## Morgyn (Mar 7, 2014)

Thanks Betta Nut! Agree Banana Plant is soooo cool, well all the plants are! Thanks Blue Fish, doing my best to give him a good happy home. Thanks MattsBettas and Dragon41214. 

You all rock and I bow in your general direction. Thanks!


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