# 2.5 gallon plants?



## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

I want to plant my betta's tank, but i'm not sure what i could sustain in a gravel floored tank 

Any suggustions would be VERY much appreciated! :yourock:


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## Huyeuy (Mar 10, 2016)

I have a marimo moss ball but they are $10. Silk plants work probably just as fine as a real plant idk what the difference is


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

Thanks, do you just have the moss ball on the gravel or on soil or other substrate?

And does your Betta like it? 

Thanks for the reply so fast


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## hellobird (Nov 11, 2015)

Anubias and java fern can be attached to decor or left floating, so they don't need any special substrate, they also don't require much care so they are good for beginners.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

Thank you for the reply hellobird, can Java ferns'and anubias' roots be buried in gravel? And what other plants will thrive in a newbie's tank:lol:


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Huyeuy said:


> Silk plants work probably just as fine as a real plant idk what the difference is


Live plants, when given proper lighting to grow (not all lights allow plants to photosynthesize) absorb ammonia/nitrates and improve water quality. They also release oxygen in the water as a by product of photosynthesis. Silk plants do nothing for ammonai/nitrates they're are just decorations.
That said speed of plant growth and overall plant mass (densely planted vs lightly planted) effect how much impact the plants have on ammonia/nitrate. marimo for example grows extremely slow at 5mm a year tops. A tank FULL of them (no room for betta) won't make a dent in ammonia/nitrates. On teh other hand faster growing floaters like duckweed, salvinia minima, frogbit, and commonly floated stems like wisteria, water sprite, anacharis, and hornwort all grow fast and will absorb ammonia/nitrate quickly. Slower growing anubias, crypts, mosses, and java fern help with ammonia/nitrates but depending on tank size/fauna (fish/snails/shrimp), and amount of these plants they don't eat it up as fast as the fast growers.

edit:



Firework246 said:


> Thank you for the reply hellobird, can Java ferns'and anubias' roots be buried in gravel? And what other plants will thrive in a newbie's tank:lol:


If only roots are buried and* not the rhizome* (horizontal thick bamboo like part that roots and stem grow from), that is fine. The rhizome should be kept fully exposed to the water column.
Mosses (tie to rock/driftwood/decor) and crypts (can be planted in substrate-note they tend to melt but will grow back in a few weeks) as well as water sprite and wisteria are some easy beginner plants.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

Thanks that REALLY helped, is the rhizome easy too spot? ( sorry I know you described it but I'm hopeless with plant terminology) or will it be not so obvious


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## Brandi1225 (Mar 15, 2016)

Moss balls are really cute and easy to care for. Petco has pretty good deals on them. You can get 3 medium balls in the plant section for around $10. Not sure how much the giant one sells for.

Just wanted to add: I keep my moss balls on the gravel. Both of my bettas lay on them.


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## ThatFishThough (Jan 15, 2016)

See the thick part all the leaves are attached to? Rhimozome.

(This is on Java Fern.)


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

ohhhhhhh thanks ThatFishThough!!!!!! So, how would you plant it do the rhizome is still exposed?

I know, im kind of annoying with the questions but, i just LOVE my little Firework soo much i want his tank to be perfect!!!


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## Aqua Aurora (Oct 4, 2013)

Firework246 said:


> Thanks that REALLY helped, is the rhizome easy too spot? ( sorry I know you described it but I'm hopeless with plant terminology) or will it be not so obvious


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Aqua Aurora's picture also shows how to plant the roots and leave the rhizome above the gravel. You can also tie them to wood or rocks that sit on top of the gravel, float about, or you can attach them to suction cups near the surface to give a nice resting spot.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

Thank you SOOOOO much i will be looking around for the java fern at some specialty fish stores and i will post a pic of Firework and his new planted tank as soon as i can :]:lol:


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## Sadist (Jan 1, 2015)

Awesome! I can't wait to see him and his plants!


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## BettaBeau (May 14, 2014)

Here's another example of what you can do with plants. I have primarily rhizome plants as well, anubias, java fern, and bolbitis, snd they are either floating, superglued to my driftwood, or stuck down with suction cups (I have no gravel or substrate of any kind). The large bolbitis in the back is just placed in the back, it is so large that it doesn't float anywhere. A number of my mid sized java ferns are just free floating in there.

I also have surface floating plants, frogbit and salvinia minima, with some duckweed as well.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

:shock:
When i saw your tank BettaBeau, my heart nearly stopped! Your tank is soooo beautiful, not to mention your betta! Your betta's colors are sooo pretty!


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## Davo (Feb 21, 2016)

Firework246 said:


> I want to plant my betta's tank, but i'm not sure what i could sustain in a gravel floored tank
> 
> Any suggustions would be VERY much appreciated! :yourock:


To an extent it depends on what your goal is.

Do you want plants for appearance?

Is it to keep nitrates down?

What kind of lighting do you have?

I wanted my 2.5 gallon to have low nitrates because they rise quickly in such a small tank, and because my tap water already has nitrates around 20 ppm.

The other goal was ease of maintenance, I initially tried anarchis (without a light-d'oh!) and it quickly started dying. It was making a mess.

But even with no lighting anubias, lucky bamboo and a marimo ball did great. 

After I got a light (12 watt swivel desk lamp) I tried anarchis again and its doing ok (nitrates holding steady), and now I have frogbit in there and its growing like crazy. I having no gravel because its very easy to clean the tank.

And with frogbit, I can just pull off a few dead leaves every week without having to reach into the tank. Or if Im doing a water change they are easy to pluck out.

My betta loves the plants, he sleeps in them, blows bubble nests in them, etc.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

I want them for the betta, and looks but mostly for the benefit of the fish, do you have to have a filter in a 2.5 if you have plants?


And i just got the first plant! a marimo moss ball from Big Al's and do big als sell real marimos or fake


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## Davo (Feb 21, 2016)

Firework246 said:


> I want them for the betta, and looks but mostly for the benefit of the fish, do you have to have a filter in a 2.5 if you have plants?
> 
> 
> And i just got the first plant! a marimo moss ball from Big Al's and do big als sell real marimos or fake


I don't have a filter in my tank. 

Im not familiar with Big Al's but if you can post a link to it I might be able to help.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

http://www.bigalscanada.com/

that is a link to big als and i will post a picture of the moss ball in a little bit


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

this might be the pic (i have never posted a picture before)


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## Davo (Feb 21, 2016)

Yup thats a real one.


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

yay, because i wanted a real moss ball,my betta would like it more, and is it normal for moss balls to have grooves and indents in it?


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## Davo (Feb 21, 2016)

Firework246 said:


> yay, because i wanted a real moss ball,my betta would like it more, and is it normal for moss balls to have grooves and indents in it?


Its probably just been sitting like that on a tray for a while. When you get it just roll it in your hands a few times are you are good to go. Most of them aren't perfectly round. 

Also give it a good squeeze in your tank so the inside fills with water, if you don't it will float for a while before it sinks, and it could end up anywhere in your tank.


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## ShelbysFish (Sep 5, 2013)

Been reading through this forum and I also have a 2.5 gallon tank and am looking for plants with benefits, so forgive me if this has already been answered (couldn't find it) but which ones can be planted in gravel/rocks?


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## Firework246 (Jan 3, 2016)

ShelbysFish if you look on the first page, there will be some answers to your questions:-D:-D:-D this forum is really helpful i had the same questions before i posted this thread:lol:


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