Plants
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As I said in my previous entry I’d get into more detail about what happened to my first Betta. It was the evil cute banana plant. Yes, that sounds funny but its true. Originally when I purchased my first fish I didn’t notice his gill. When I got him home I noticed one of his gills was torn so that it opened more than it should. However he was such a happy healthy fish, so I kept him and he didn’t seem to have issues.However he was a very messy fish. The water would be crystal clear but the bottom of his tank was horrible. He had so much waste, and nothing helped. After speaking with my mother in law I decided to get a loch. For those who don’t know, they are a small worm like creature that reside in the gravel and eat waste and fish food. They help keep the gravel cleaner in between cleanings.
So I went into the pet store and asked for a loch. The salesperson told me they were out, after debating me about the fact the 2 can co-exist. Now my mother in law used to breed fish, including Betta’s, and had loch’s, so she’d know if they could co-exist first hand. He told me to get a plant and that would help. I was skeptical and looking back should have listened to myself and walked away. However I didn’t and so he sold me on the cute little banana plant. I brought it home all excited. The first seemed to like it and it was going well. Until….
2 weeks after putting it in the tank I noticed what looked to be fibers floating in the water. The fish seemed to be doing ok, so I didn’t think much about it. But as the week went on it got worse. I tried cleaning out the tank and that made it worse. I took out the plant and from there it only got worse. I noticed the fish wasn’t looking so good. That morning I looked in at him and he wouldn’t eat. On my way home I purchased some things from the pet store and was going to take him out the water until it cleared. However when I got home he was already dead.
After I mourned and had his fish funeral I cleaned the tank and started over. However now the plant resides in a separate container. I was mad at it but its so cute! So the moral of my tale is this, if you have a small tank a real plant may not be the best route. And yes Loach’s can co-exist with betta’s.
March 3rd, 2008 at 6:45 pm
YES! Thank you! I needed to hear that this happened to someone else! It wasn’t a banana plant but a cute little maroon one - in a rather small tank - but I wanted the best for my little friend and instead I’m almost positive that it was the plant that did him in - I was devistated! Next time I will definately look further into the plants, I just presumed it would be good for him to have a live plant rather than a fake one.
March 3rd, 2008 at 9:29 pm
So glad I could help. It seems to be the cute ones huh? From my research I’ve found that unless its a bigger tank real plants shouldn’t be used. They disturb the water habitat too much. They should be happy with a fake plant unless it cuts their tail.
April 18th, 2008 at 3:49 am
I was just looking around at betta information and came across this site. After reading this entry, I’ve become a little worried. My betta’s tank is pretty small (2.5 gallon), and I have live plants in there. They’re those plants that start as bulbs and are guaranteed to grow in 30 days or less. I put them in when I first set up the tank (I’ve had my fish for about a month now). But you recommend not to put live plants in with a betta if it’s a small tank.
I had tried a silk plant as well, but he didn’t seem to care for it; he rarely went near it. Should I be worried about the live plants? Because I, like Jamie above, presumed it would be better to be around live plants than fake ones. However, my fish is currently healthy and happy, so as far as I can tell, the plants aren’t having a negative effect… Then again, these plants aren’t “cute” (they’re just average), haha, so maybe it’s only the cute plants? I don’t know… let me know what you think! Thanks!
April 18th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
My only suggestion then is to keep a strict watch over the tank and do frequent water changes. Be on the watch for the water to have fibers and or change colors. If you start to see that don’t be afraid to move fish until you clear up the problem.