# betta fish and bamboo plant?



## patches2593 (Apr 18, 2012)

i have a Betta fish in a big circular vase on a small stand on my coffee table. it has rocks on the bottom. can i get a bamboo plant to put in it? only one stick of bamboo btw. is it better to have the bamboo loving with the Betta? 

please give pros and cons and experiences with bamboo in a vase with a Betta fish.


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## degrassi (Apr 18, 2012)

Adding bamboo is fine. Its good at helping keep the water cleaner as it will use the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as fertilizer. Just don't think that means you shouldn't still be doing a water change every few days. 

Another good plant for this is pothos(philodendron). I have some growing out the back of my aquarium since its such a good nitrate remover.


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## LaylaLop (Apr 18, 2012)

Bettas also usually do better in 3-5 gallons than just a vase. Water temperature/quality can fluctuate a lot in a smaller water volume and kill them. They are tolerant of bad water, but only to a certain extent and are happier with clean water. Java moss can also be good with bettas.


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## Nancy McClelland (Apr 18, 2012)

:yeahthat: Just love Bettas.


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## TinksMama (Apr 18, 2012)

Bettas do better in a bigger tank than just a fish bowl. I used to have one and loved him.  Here's some info about the betta and bamboo thing. http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=42709


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## patches2593 (Apr 19, 2012)

*LaylaLop wrote: *


> Bettas also usually do better in 3-5 gallons than just a vase. Water temperature/quality can fluctuate a lot in a smaller water volume and kill them. They are tolerant of bad water, but only to a certain extent and are happier with clean water. Java moss can also be good with bettas.


ya but also in the wild, Betta's live and flop around in puddles!!!!! most people just have them in tiny fish bowls where you can't even fit extra Betta things like a plant in there cuz its too small! my Betta is in a big bowl that's probably meant for a gold fish!!!!! i think its big enough for a Betta. :expressionless


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## Watermelons (Apr 19, 2012)

*patches2593 wrote: *


> *LaylaLop wrote: *
> 
> 
> > Bettas also usually do better in 3-5 gallons than just a vase. Water temperature/quality can fluctuate a lot in a smaller water volume and kill them. They are tolerant of bad water, but only to a certain extent and are happier with clean water. Java moss can also be good with bettas.
> ...



This is not true. Most bettas come from creeks and streams and dont live in just "puddles". While it is true if water evaporates and they get stranded in a small area they will survive... These fish should not be kept in anything under 3 gallons (Go larger if you can afford it), they are active fish and need room to swim. And goldfish shouldn't be kept in anything less then 10 gallons so a "goldfish bowl" still doesn't apply for a betta since even a goldfish shouldn't live in a bowl.
http://freshaquarium.about.com/cs/anabantids2/p/betta.htm
http://nippyfish.net/2011/10/23/the-native-betta-habitat-separating-fact-from-fiction/

Have a read of these articles especially the 2nd one.


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## patches2593 (Apr 19, 2012)

what i meant by goldfish tank, it is a 3 gallon tank btw


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## luvthempigs (Apr 20, 2012)

*degrassi wrote: *


> Adding bamboo is fine. Its good at helping keep the water cleaner as it will use the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as fertilizer. Just don't think that means you shouldn't still be doing a water change every few days.
> 
> Another good plant for this is pothos(philodendron). I have some growing out the back of my aquarium since its such a good nitrate remover.



Valerie, Do you put the pothos in a HOB filter? Or is it just stuck in the back open part of the hood? Do you let it root right in the tank or start it in a vase? I have heard of other people doing this in there fish tanks and would like to give it a try myself. 

I hate the whole betta fish in a vase debate (for several reasons) :expressionlessWhile not ideal for the fish they can and do survive with proper care (and sometimes even without, bettas are very resilient)It happens to be the way that I firstgot started in fish keeping. If it werent for my gift of a betta vase I would have missed out on many years of enjoyment in fish keeping. It started with one betta in a vase about ten years ago. I now have several tanks ranging from 2 1/2 gallons to 55 gallons. Don't think I will ever be without a fish tank or two or three.....:biggrin2:


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## MiniLopHop (Apr 20, 2012)

I have a beta in my 30 gal tank with some neons, guppies, snails, and shrimp. Mr Mooney is very active and likes to swim with the other fish. I also have a heavily planted tank to keep the water quality very good because the shrimp demand it. 

I love the pathos idea. I think I will take a cutting and add some green to the outside of the tank too!


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## degrassi (Apr 20, 2012)

*luvthempigs wrote: *


> *degrassi wrote: *
> 
> 
> > Adding bamboo is fine. Its good at helping keep the water cleaner as it will use the ammonia, nitrite and nitrate as fertilizer. Just don't think that means you shouldn't still be doing a water change every few days.
> ...


I've done it all ways. I've rooted it in a vase/glass before adding it to the tank and I've stuck pieces i've just cut off in the tank to root. I've also stuck the plants in the HOB and also had them growing out the back of the hood(roots in the tank). They all work fine, just depends on what you like. Having the plants grow out of the filter is good if you don't like the look of roots hanging into your tank but I kind of like the way my tank looks with the roots inside. I have a 5g betta/shrimp tank I setup in my mom's classroom. I have the pothos growing out the back and the roots are all inside the tank. Looks great and the betta and shrimp have something to swim around without the hassle of growing aquatic plants. 

Its also a good way to get the added benefit of plants in tanks you can't really add plants to(large cichlids, africans, etc). Great for goldfish tanks that need nitrate removal.


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## KieraKittie (Apr 25, 2012)

Okay, wow, I never thought to having pothos grow out of my tank.. Im so doing this!! 

I started out with a Betta, I kept him in a 2 gallon tank with a small underwater filter, some hiding spots, a plant or two and he lived a good 5 years.. So I got a second one, he too lived a good 5 years.. After that Iv moved to a 10 gal, to a 20 and now to a 37. I love my fishtank hobby. I have a community tank with neons, and other such harmless fish hehe


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## Sweetie (May 4, 2012)

*Watermelons wrote: *


> *patches2593 wrote: *
> 
> 
> > *LaylaLop wrote: *
> ...



A goldfish needs about a 55 gallon or bigger. They get about a foot long or bigger. So a ten gallon tank is not big enough for a goldfish.

Also the minimum size for a betta is a one gallon tank, filtered and heated and you can buy heaters for a one gallon tank.


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## Oxy Rabbit (Jun 1, 2012)

I agree about the betta in the plant bowl, not a good idea. Before that there was the fad of platform shoes with a goldfish tank as part of the soles (okay I'm dating myself.)
There is a difference between the Wild and the "domestic" betta. The Wild tends to be hardier because it is the survivor of all of it siblings. The other problems are as stated the tolerance for tempature variation is low. When placing it in a mixed fish enviroment such as an aquarium care must be given as to it's tankmates. Those long fins are very tempting for certain fish and as it is related to the gourami if those are in the tank the tend to challange other and 95% of the time the Betta loses.

One of the nicest setups for the betta was a vivarium made to look like the crosssection of a stream with banks, plants and a adapted back of tank filter making a waterfall.


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