Finding the best plants for betta fish is easy once you understand their behaviors and what they like to do in your tank. Betta fish plants are designed to enhance the experience of your betta fish.
The betta fish or Siamese fighting fish is a colorful treat to watch. It likes to swim alone and does not fall in the category of schooling fish. This explains why they are kept alone in fish tanks. For the fish to feel at home in the tank, it should find some dark planted corners where they can hide.
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What Plants To Place Inside The Betta Fish Tank?
When you are looking to add some plants to your betta fish while decorating your betta fish tank, you have two choices; you can either buy some live plants or go for artificial plants.
With live plants, you will have to spend some time regularly to monitor their growth and ensure that they do not overgrow the tank much like a houseplant.
When buying fake plants, check them thoroughly to make sure they do not have any sharp edges that could harm the fish. Before placing the fake plants in the tank, clean them thoroughly with hot water. We do not recommend using fabric plants, as they come with a wire that could hurt the fish.
Best Natural Plants For Betta Fish Tank
If you like your natural plants to offer a hiding place to your betta fish, you may choose from any of the following options.
Amazon Sword
Its broad leaves make the Amazon sword plant a favorite plant species of betta fish. You cannot simply plant the Amazon sword in the substrate and leave it unattended. Things don’t work that way as the plant has specific care requirements that have to be followed if you want them to grow well.
It can grow up to 3 feet tall. For tanks of 5 gallon volume or lesser, the plant is not the right choice. If you want the Amazon sword to adorn your fish tank, see if your fish tank has a volume not less than 10 gallons.
To stay properly anchored, the plant’s roots must be a few inches down the substrate. As the Amazon sword has a high nutrient requirement, the aquarium substrate you choose has to be of high quality.
Anubias nan
Anubias nan has broad leaves that make it perfect for betta fish tanks because betas love to seek shelter on plant leaves to conserve their energy. The plants are small and it is quite easy to maintain them. They are suitable for all types of tanks starting from the ones that are as small as 2 gallons.
You do not need to worry much if Anubias Nan will get the nutrients for its healthy growth because the plant does not need much fertilizer for its growth. You may plant it on the substrate or simply attach it to rocks or driftwood.
Anubias Nan grows at a quite slow pace that might seem like a drawback. However, a slower pace of growth is good because it makes aquarium maintenance easier than it would be with fast-growing plants.
Java Fern
Java ferns are perfect for betta fish tanks as they are quite easy to grow and do not need much light for their healthy growth. You need to be extra careful when planting java fern because if you bury its rhizome, it will not grow. You may attach the fern with a rubber band to rocks or some other anchoring points.
Java fern is not an aggressive grower. That means you do not have to put in much time and effort in trimming them frequently. The plant reproduces by producing small baby ferns on its leaves. You can pluck the baby ferns off the leaves and attach them to some anchoring points in the tank.
Water Sprite
Water sprite is a great choice for your betta fish tank as the betta loves to swim around and hide in its dense leaf growth. The plant can survive in low light environments but for its optimal growth, you need to set up a high light environment in the fish tank. The plants draw a lot of nutrients and grow aggressively, sometimes making aquarium maintenance difficult.
Water sprite can be planted in the substrate or can be allowed to float freely on the water surface. It grows very quickly but is also quite easy to trim. Cut at the stem base and get rid of the leaves without leaving them to rot in the tank.
Marimo Moss Balls
If you want a unique plant in your betta fish tank, you can always go for Marimo Moss balls. The spherical balls are a kind of algae found in the lake beds. The slow water currents in the lake transform the algae into attractive spherical balls.
Marimo moss balls grow well in cooler environments. It can survive at temperatures below 75 degrees. Moss balls require good quality water with no pollutants. Bettas love the Marimo moss balls; they roll around the moss ball as if it were a toy. As mentioned before, Marimo moss balls acquire their characteristic shape due to the slow water currents. Hence, in smaller aquariums that lack current, the moss balls may flatten out over time.
Java Moss
Java moss is a popular aquarium plant for many reasons. Its visual appeal is quite up to the mark and maintaining it is easy. If you are looking for plants to adorn your betta fish tank, java moss is one of the best choices you can make.
Java moss does not require any specific light setting for its survival and healthy growth. It also need not be planted in a substrate. You can attach it to rock, driftwood, or can even let it float freely on the water surface.
As it tends to grow at a quick pace, java moss requires regular maintenance or it would grow to cover every part of the fish tank.
Anacharis
Anacharis is a popular choice in aquarium plants because of many reasons. The plant has the natural ability to filter out toxins from water and check the growth of algae by absorbing the nutrients in the water.
Anacharis can either be planted in the tank bottom or can be left to float in the water. The lush plant cover form “forests” that betta plants see as great hiding spots.
