I don't know as that any of them would hurt the fish but you do know that these are not true aquatic plants and that they won't survive long term? Is there a reason you are looking at them instead of aquatic plants?

Lisa

I just thought that the betta would like some kind of greenery to add to its home. I didnt have any aquatic plants and so wasnt sure if any that I have would work and i do not know when I will be able to get to a store that carries aquarium items and so I thought I would ask as it never hurts to ask. I do not want to do anything to harm the fish. It is my son's first fish and am trying to learn all I can so that I can help him to learn the best way to care for it.

Meesh

I'm pretty sure they won't hurt the fish. You see a lot of terrestrial plants sold as aquatics that I'm sure disapoint a lot of people when they die in a few weeks or months and leave the immpression that live plants are hard to grow. As long as you are not expecting them to live long term them I bet it would be pretty.

Lisa

Lisa

Thanks Lisa,

I went and added a couple of cuttings of pothos to the bowl. It is one of the bigger fish bowls. I know that I might have to change them out occassionally which is fine. I just thought that the fish should have a little greenery to be able to hide near the leaves or play/swim around the leaves etc. So I will see how the fish does with the pothos. I made sure that the fish has plenty of surface area to come up for air as I know that the bettas need that. I also added a teracotta small pot for it to go into if it wants to or not.

Thanks again Lisa for your help, and I will look into the true aquatic plants when I can get to the store that sells em.

Meesh

If the whole plant is being immersed then it will eventually die and rot defeating a functional purpose of plants in the aquarium. The rotting roots and leaves will cause tons of unwanted ammonia. Some terrestrial plants are "ok" if only the roots are in the water. In a bowl, since it is so small, you have to be extra careful of dissolved organics. With barely enough water for the fish if something goes wrong with the plant and the little room for error because of volume the water can become toxic. Another concern is to leave room at the surface so the Betta can access for air, they breath dirrectly from the air, not like most fish that get oxygen from the water column through the gills. Also any pesticides from the nursery or shop will toxify the water. If you have your heart set on non-aquatic plants, it can be done. Do your reasearch and find suitable plants, some are toxic to fish even if healthy and unobstructive. If it where me I wouldn't bother. Get at least a 3 gallon aquarium and aquatic plants or filtration and cycle. Use the bowl for candy.

okies,

I went ahead and took out the 2 cuttings since I definately dont want it to harm the fish. I will do more reading up before adding any plants to it. I wasnt trying to stir up any hard feelings or anything, had a question and knew that a stupid question is one not asked. Just want the fish to have a nice home.

Anyway, if i have any more questions, I will ask.

Meesh

Be careful with cuttings that you use from regular potted plants. Make sure that none have been sprayed with any sort of insecticide or fertilizer. Especially be careful of garden center plants. These usually are sprayed with insecticides and fertilizers so they look their best for people to buy. Sometimes some are sprayed lightly with wax to make the leaves shiny.

Philodendrons root in water - so essentially they can be placed in water, but not the whole plant - only the bottom stem. So some plants can be grown in water, but not fully immersed. Pothos, I thought, were a type of philodendron? Again, can be rooted in water, but you don't want to fully immerse leaves and all. Spider plants, too can be rooted in water. Just don't let it sit below water. Leaves will definitely start to rot (thinner leaves than the philo or pothos). You may have seen "lucky bamboo" used with bettas. In fact, this is not bamboo but a type of dracaena. Also can be rooted in water. None of these plants are aquatic plants though. But there are plenty of regular plants that can be propogated in water, but eventually need to be grown in soil to do really well (they need the nutrients obtained from soil).

It's really much easier to just buy a silk type of plant for your betta. It'll make the bowl look pretty and give your betta a place to hide or swim in and around.

My wife has a nice philodendron growing out of her betta jar (roots only in the water). Plant and fish are doing really well, and it looks very nice. The leaves/branches of the plant support it at just the right level in the water.

I also threw a little christmas moss into the jar, and that looks good, too.

No hard feelings here, sorry if it sounded that way. IME it seems bettas really like plants, especially live ones. A small rock with a Java Fern or Java moss on it wood benefit. Those are the least demanding aquatic plants and not really expensive. Should cost under $3 per plant. The rock you can get from the backyard, just make sure it isn't a pH buffer. Depending where you are in Texas, I heard the water comes out in chunks. If no locals carry them then I can give you a link to someone that sells them at a fair price, and great quality.

Kaelanne:

I have to agree with woeisme's post; non pure aquatic plants end up in disaster, for the reasons sited above, plus the ones you mention are just too big... here is a link for the plants mentioned which are the choices I made... I have a two gallon bowl, a small charcoal/zeolite filter (put on small air supply so as not to agitate the water too much) some green hedges (I think Ludwigia - which are bog plants and need higher light then anubias, but are pleasing and readily available so I just replace then as they wear down, and trim all parts that start to yellow) The Annubias nani is perfect, one is attached to a small rock and the other floats. I rescued two bettas from the local petco (rescued from their dismal betta bowls) they love the plants and are highly active, one even plays in the air bubles from the filter cartridge.. he/she curls up in the floating leaves of the small nani. research on their native habitats shows they come alive with plants, and the smaller space is only in 'survival mode' so hence the larger bowl. Eventualy both will go into much large but planted spaces. They even come to the front of the bowl when I am at the computer. The temperature flucuates slowly over night/day within normal range (as happens in nature) and both are extremely delightful when a little effort is made to make their environments better. Best Sherry

Ps. Again just make sure they have pleanty of space to come to the surface, roots in water do serve the purpose of cleaning up waste, just keep balanced and unlike the betta vases with plants that suggest not to feed (yikes) they need meaty diets, I feed worms so on, every other day or so, small enough to take without choking....

Anubias nana

http://www.aquabotanic.com/abstore/index.html

Forgot to add. Having done much research, and with lousy NYC water, I let the water 'age' at least overnight more often a day or two and many problems have disappeared. ie I use cold not hot filtered (from shower filter, brown without it) as hot water helps to leach out heavy metals from pipes. I then dechlorinate but this would happen any way without per aging but not sure if chlorimines (sp??) are used so add chemical... then use a power filter with charcoal, zeolite AND a filter pad that removes heavy metals so on.... I adjust the ph (as it flucuates within days from the tap) with coral or peat slowly and naturally and temp but since room is heated tanks/bowls are pretty much the same temp... most important that I read from older book was that the winter cold water holds more oxygen and those bubbles that collect under water when added freshly to tank/bowl can also collect (outgassing from water) within the gills of betta's and other fish causing burns (yes oxygen burns unless diluted) so this ages has many benefits and many of my disease problems have just stopped.... yeah!

I have a very very small spider plant that is rooting in a small glass of water. can I put it in mt 20 gallon tank?

I have never been able to keep spider plants alive in a aquarium for no more than a couple of months at most. I have had pathos in an aquarium for up to four years. I don't know why the pathos thrive for awhile and then sort of go listless and then start to die.