# What plants are bad for Bettas?



## Saphira101

Hi guys. 
I am planning to get some more plants from petco/petsmart after Christmas, and I was wondering what kind of plants that I should NOT get? I have heard that peace lillies are bad for bettas, is this true? I just wanted to make sure that I don't get anything that would harm my Bettas.

Thank you, ~Saphira


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## 1SunnyFish

Hi!

I have also read peace lilies are not a good idea to fully submerge in betta tanks because they are not actual aquatic plants. I have some anubias which have done really well since I bought them a month ago....pretty low maintenance and very green and pretty =) Also, java moss and java fern are suppose to be good plants for betas as well. As a side note, maybe consider getting a floating log for your betta, too....mine loves his! It provides them with a "nook" to hide, sleep, and play. Good luck!


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## Saphira101

are there any other plants that might harm Bettas besides peace lillies?


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## homegrown terror

it all really depends how you use them. anything "semi-aquatic" must be planted so that most or all of the leaves are outside of the water (draceneas, lilies, and pothos fall in this category) but can still be a nice addition to your tank. if you try to plant them fully suberged, they will die and rot over time, which will poison your water. other than that, i don't think i've every heard of any plants being patently "bad" for bettas.


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## ChoclateBetta

Dieing plants.


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## Saphira101

okay, thanks!


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## ChoclateBetta

Plants in the lid or filters are great.


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## Saphira101

what do you mean "in the lid"?


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## homegrown terror

Saphira101 said:


> what do you mean "in the lid"?


i think he meant planting them in the tank, but letting the leaves grow out of the water till they come out through the lid. as for plants in the filter, their primary purpose (besides being a beautiful alternative to potted indoor plants) is to improve your water quality by soaking up ammonia and other elements that are toxic to fish, but food to plants.


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## Saphira101

ooohhhhhhhh.


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## LittleBettaFish

Anything non-aquatic that is kept submerged for long periods of time is potentially dangerous to your fish. Because such plants can't survive being submersed forever, when they die, they can breakdown and cause issues with water quality. 

Terrestrial plants that are grown with only the roots in the tank such as pothos, peace lilies and draceneas are best at removing nitrates from your aquarium. Actual aquarium plants prefer to uptake ammonia over nitrate and so can be useful in tanks that may not be cycled or where there are issues with water quality. 

Just do your research before you go out and purchase. Anything that looks like it should be in a pot is probably going to be a terrestrial plant. I don't think a lot of true aquatic plants are variegated either, so if any of the plants you find look like that I would probably pass on them. 

Also be aware that some aquatic plants can be grown emersed or submersed and the appearance of them in these forms can be dramatically different. Plants that are grown emersed (common ones are swords and crypts) will usually melt and die back initially when introduced into a tank. However, once they have acclimatised themselves to the change in conditions they will resume growing. Terrestrial plants cannot acclimatise to life underwater and so they will just continue to die off.


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## homegrown terror

have i been misinformed, or will plant roots also absorb heavy metals, if there are any, from your water and make it safer in that way as well?


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## ChoclateBetta

I have heard that too. I have an entire thread on the benefit on Semi-Aquatic plants. Also they even help keep the keeper healthy. Pothos are known for the very large amount of Nitrates they can remove. Anuibus and Java Fern/Moss grow on land in the wild.


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## LittleBettaFish

I believe duckweed and azolla are able to absorb large amounts of heavy metals from the water without doing harm to the plant itself.

Not too sure on other plants though. I would guess that it would vary from species to species. 

Duckweed is great though. I have a tank that sits in full afternoon sun for several hours a day (it is on our outside deck) with some tadpoles in it. I threw in some aquasoil for nutrients, and the duckweed has exploded with growth. The roots on each plant are at least an inch and a half long.


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## ChoclateBetta

Duckweed is used to treat sewage water.


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## Saphira101

are amazon swords semi-aquatic?


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