Aunt B on a Budget: The Fish Condominium (A Betta Bowl With Planter)
Photo provided by Flickr
The key to growing plants is how much light they will receive. If you get a double fluorescent bulb for your 5 gallon tank, you should be able to grow medium to low-light requiring plants.
Anubias (dwarf varieties) Cryptocorynes (short varieties like 'wendtii') Valisneria spirilis, Java Fern and Java moss are all small low light plants. Stem plants like Hornwort, Anacharis and Wisteria will all grow, too, but may grow so fast you might need to keep only the growing tip and discard the older part of the plant.
In my experience, Amazon Swords are pretty tall growing plant that need lots of light. The one exception (or possibly just the only one I've succeeded with) is the Ozelot Sword which has leaves that are mottled red and green when young. It also stays rather short, for a sword plant, so it would fit in a five gallon tank. The other plants I've enjoyed working with are the "betta Bulbs" that are sold as tiny dried tuber in plastic packaging. These are members of the apogeneton family. Different varieties are included in the mix and some of these become very long-lived and beautiful plants.
If your local Petco has a good aquatic section. you should be able to find great plants there. Just make sure the plants you buy are truly aquatic plants. My Petco stores stock many plants that can take very wet conditions but fail if completely submerged. Liriope, Spathiphyllum, Dracaena sanderiana (lucky bamboo) and Pothos/Philodendron are some of these.
Remember that your petco will special order for you if there's a specific type of plant you want but don't find in stock.
(Photo above is my 30 gallon tank. Fish include Yo-Yo Loaches, Harlequin and Espei Rasboras and one Red Tail Black Shark. Plants include Hygrophila 'Temple' (on either end), Wisteria (ferny plant in the center left), Cryptocorynes (center and foreground) and Dwarf Anubias (foreground right). Lighting is double bulb fluorescent in a room with a southern exposure and lots of natural light .)
Best of Luck
Randy
Photo provided by Flickr Betta fish have a that allows them to breathe oxygen through atmospheric air as well as through the water. In their natural habitat, Bettas’ ability to breathe air allows them to swim in shallow water between many kinds of water plants, and rise to the surface to feed on larvae and plankton.
Photo provided by Flickr
Photo provided by Flickr
Photo provided by Flickr
When introducing your Betta into a fish tank bowl, create an environment similar to his natural habitat. This setup will not only look beautiful, but it will also keep your Betta happy and healthy. Add appropriate plants and into the Betta’s tank that resemble his native waters. The photos plant is another safe plant for your Betta. This plant is usually found in terrariums and fish aquariums and is ideal for indoor setups because it does not require much light. The water sprites and java fern plants are also other acceptable plants you can use in your Betta's recreated habitat. Natural: One of the more common ornamental objects used in Betta fish tanks is natural water plants. There are many varieties from which to choose with some types more suitable for this species than others. If you decide to purchase natural plants, go to a reputable fish dealer who will know which are the best for your Betta.There are several different good reasons why you should put some live plants in your betta tank. First and foremost, some live plants just look really nice and they definitely add to the serenity of your fish tank. An aquarium is a really cool thing to have and betta fish even more so, but you can’t have just fish in there. Your betta fish tank needs some plants to liven it up, make it look pretty, and give your betta fish some entertainment too. So, what are the best live plants for betta fish? Let’s get to it and talk about what we feel are the best 7 options for your betta tank.The java fern is a great plant for your betta tank, mainly because it does well in virtually the same water parameters as the betta fish. It requires about the same amount of lighting, the same water temperature, pH level, and other similar parameters too. These things are actually very easy to grow as well. You can actually pluck out some leaves off of the main plant, let them float around in the water, and chances are high that it will sprout into a very new plant on its own.