There are a variety of live plants that make great additions to betta tanks. Most can be found at most pet stores and require minimal care and upkeep.
Hornwort is one of the best live plants, as its rapid growth provides hiding spaces for betta fish and other species. At the same time, it also acts as an excellent filter, absorbing ammonia and nitrates to filter your environment.
Vallisneria
This aquatic plant is an ideal addition to your Betta tank as its spread-out leaves and stems provide plenty of enrichment, rooted into the substrate or floating near the surface. Embedded or floating near the surface, it thrives equally well! With so many natural hiding spaces for fish to explore or hide behind, this aquatic plant is ideal for creating passageways from one side of your tank to another – not forgetting those lovely dangling roots to give Betta plenty to play on! Its easy care requirements don’t necessitate this choice, making it an excellent addition to any tank environment!
This tropical plant makes an excellent addition to betta tanks. This fast-growing species grows up to about 50 cm long with bright green linear leaves featuring three to five parallel green or reddish veins and strong water currents; enduring shallow sandy water environments well; frequently found in lakes, ponds, rivers, and bays with varied salinities.
Vallisneria requires moderate to high light conditions for optimal growth but tolerates lower light conditions. While tolerant of most water conditions, Vallisneria thrives best in well-filtered water containing medium to high levels of nutrients – well-filtered filtered is ideal. Unfortunately, it can become susceptible to low iron levels, causing it to turn yellow, wilting, and withering quickly; to prevent this, you can add an iron supplement and provide it in its soil via fertilizers or grow substrate.
Hygrophila
Hygrophila (Corymbosa Hygrophila) is an easy and tolerant aquatic plant native to South America that makes an attractive addition to any aquarium. Perfect for beginners or advanced aquarists looking to take their setup one step further. As an emergent tall plant, it creates an elegant backdrop while adding excellent green coloration. With thin and wispy leaves that complement Betta fish movements beautifully, roots don’t need to stay submerged all the time; regular pruning of stems should ensure they remain below the water’s surface.
Amazon Frogbit (Loxophyllum triangulare) is an ideal low-maintenance aquatic plant to add to your Betta fish’s tank, featuring long roots dangling down into the water to form an intricate labyrinth of hiding places for your Betta and its tankmates to explore. Furthermore, Frogbit helps absorb excess nutrients out of the tank water as well as absorb and remove them itself!
Java moss (Cyrtocoryne wendtii) is one of the most versatile plants for betta tanks, as it can be planted both rooted into the substrate or left floating near its surface. Java moss adds natural texture and depth to any aquarium, creating lush scenes or serving as a protective coverage against gravel erosion. Although it does not need much light for growth, regular trimming should still be conducted to avoid overcrowding the tank and potentially suffocating your betta fish!
Java Moss
Java Moss (Aponogeton Ulvaeus) is an aquarium favorite among hobbyists, as it’s one of the easiest aquatic ferns to care for and maintain. Suitable for low light environments without soil or gravel requirements – as betta fish love eating it – Java Moss helps keep tanks cleaner by filtering nutrients out of the water by extracting vital minerals from it.
Aquascapers will find this material extremely flexible, as it can be used to aquascape their aquarium in various ways. Use it to create a moss wall, cover an entire tank bottom, or drape it over driftwood or cholla wood – you could even sandwich moss between two pieces of plastic mesh to form a carpet of growing moss!
Aquarists sometimes like to use Java moss in their tank to create the appearance of a lily pad, providing hiding places for their Betta fish while still allowing them to access the surface water for eating and breathing. Furthermore, it looks great draped over branches or placed as a shallow layer on the floor of their aquarium.
Putting Java Moss in your betta tank requires some preparation. Wearing cleaning gloves and gathering two buckets (one containing plain tap water and the other with de-chlorinator added), dip 2-inch pieces of the moss in bleach solution for 90 seconds before placing them into the de-chlorinator bucket.
It must also be scorched before adding moss to a tank; otherwise, it may float. Use rocks or some other form of decor to weigh it down as it spreads and grows. Only remove small pieces at a time when trimming, as too much trimming could harm future growth.
Anubias
Anubias plants are popular aquarium plants among betta fish because they provide hiding spaces and add visual contrast. Furthermore, Anubias are easy to care for and tolerate a range of water parameters without needing constant adjustments – generally safe for betta fish, though occasionally nibbling may occur on leaves; unlike many plants, however, they don’t promote algae growth like many other varieties do making Anubias the perfect choice for beginners or those seeking low maintenance plants.
Anubias plants grow as rhizomes that can be planted directly into the substrate or attached to hardscape items. They thrive in freshwater and saltwater aquarium environments and require very little light for proper growth; shaded areas should be chosen when placing anubias plants to avoid algae blooms.
Anubias, like java moss, are easy to install onto various substrates and aquascape materials. Propagation through division allows for greater diversity within your tank ecosystem. Even though anubias require little maintenance, regular water changes must still occur to keep their roots undisturbed during water changes to prevent disturbing their roots or rhizome structure.
Considerations should also be given when selecting anubias for your betta tank’s anubias for their nutritional requirements. While anubias do not need much fertilizers, they require a substrate rich with essential minerals to thrive and survive.
As with other aquarium plants, anubias can become vulnerable to algae growth. Algae can disrupt photosynthesis processes and cause the plant’s vitality to decline rapidly, so proper lighting, water parameters, nutrient levels, and an algae inhibitor should all be maintained to keep anubias healthy and reduce the chances of excessive algae growth in your tank.
Water Sprite
Water Sprite plants are easy to plant or leave floating, creating a stunning surface cover for any betta tank. Overgrowing, they quickly absorb waste from fish while helping keep the water clean. Plus, their limited light exposure depletes nutrients, which causes blooms. Shy fish often hide under this foliage, while more active ones may zip around its leaves in play.
These plants can also be easily propagated using cuttings of the plant itself. With aquascaping scissors, clip off sections of the plant and plant or leave float as a floating ornamental. They’ll develop adventitious roots over time and grow as separate organisms – an economical and quick way to add new plants to your tank! This is also an economical way of adding more aquatic plants without breaking the bank!
When shopping for Water Sprites, look for ones with vibrant green foliage and long roots. Short or brown roots could indicate infection or environmental issues, so select plants accordingly.
Water Sprite can be placed in the foreground or background of your betta tank and is suitable for many other aquatic plants, such as Java Fern and Hornwort. Furthermore, this plant works well with numerous fish species, including bettas, guppies, killifish, and more subdued and peaceful varieties like Mollies and Platies. Water Sprite will also work well when housed alongside different cichlids and tetras.
