How to Choose Plants for a Betta Fish

Give your betta plants to hide in.

Betta fish are popular and supremely recognizable for the large fins and bright, unique colorations of the males. These fish are generally kept on their own in small-scale fish tanks. Adding plants to those tanks adds both beauty and a source of oxygen, and seeks to recreate the betta's natural habitat.

Things You'll Need

• Fish tank
• Water
• Substrate
• Plants

Instructions

1. Set up your betta tank before you introduce the betta. Since they live on their own and are relatively clean fish, bettas don't normally require filtration in their tanks. Set up a betta tank with a substrate like gravel or rocks, and choose plants that are appropriate for the betta and your preferences.

2. Provide many plants for the betta to hide in. Because bettas live among plants in nature, providing them in an aquarium will make the fish more comfortable. Choose plastic plants if you want to keep the water cleaner longer. Plastic plants will last longer and can be readily cleaned with a cloth and water.

3. Choose live plants or a more natural look, and to oxygenate the water. Some live plants are poisonous to bettas, so use caution. Chinese evergreen, philodendrons, photos plants, water sprites, java ferns and peace water lilies are all good plants for bettas.

4. Bury the roots of your plants in the substrate, fill the tank with clean water and introduce your betta to its new environment.

Tips & Warnings

• Betta fish can breathe in air as well as water for short periods of time, and can often be see at the surface of the water taking a breath.

• Change betta water once a month, or when it becomes cloudy.

• Bettas will fight and kill other bettas. Males of the species should never be kept together.

References

• BettaFish.com
• Aquatic Community: Betta Fish
• Betta Fish Center: Plants for Your Betta Fish