Plants

[AnakBettaMoon]

Hi all! Ive been reading the forums all day and decided i love this site! Had tried a couple others but they didn't seem very active or on topic.
Name's Crystal, long time fish enthusiast - owner - lover - hopefully soon to be breeder.

But ive a question. Ive a 2 gallon bowl/vase at work that we have our mascot, Rod, A pretty CT betta, and a white snail. I had a beautiful purple water hyacinth in the top that Rod loved to sit in the root system and build bubble nests. I added the snail to help control bacteria since it is not a filtered system. I also have another live plant int eh center of the bowl for Rod to rest on. You can kinda see the snail near the top just under the plant in the picture... {not sure why its rotating the picture its straight for me}
Now my problem is the hyacinth died, it shriveled up and turned into a big squishy sponge with in 4 days of putting the snail in. I asked around the pet store and the pond store, making sure that snail wouldn't harm the plant in any way and everyone assured me it wouldn't.
Im wondering, by putting in the snail did it eat up the 'fertilizer' the plant was loving from the fish, or did it just plain turn vampire on it.
I really want to replace it, Rod hasn't been making quite as many bubble nests or swimming his laps like he used to. Should i get some liquid fertilizer this time to put in with the new plant? A food stone for the snail to suck on? or just go for a fake plant to float on top.

 

[ReMz]

oh no....

that is not a proper home for a betta. they are surface breathers and need surface area. you should be making 100% water changes in that at least twice a week to maintain water quality. scrap a plant on top. and give that fish some room. i'm not keen on the vase, let alone all those roots taking up the surface of the vase.

Also, snails are messy and really should not be kept in such a small, unfiltered system. They need algae to feed on as well.

I'm not sure why the plant died... others may be able to offer some better insight on that. The snail probably made a snack out of the plant cuz he had nothing to eat.

But my suggestion if you are interested in keeping plants with your betta is to buy a respectable 5 gallon tank with a filter, heater, etc. Then you can aquascape to your hearts content and keep all sorts of beautiful, live plants.

On another note. Welcome. Researching these forums will be your best resource for info.

 

[AnakBettaMoon]

oh no....
But my suggestion if you are interested in keeping plants with your betta is to buy a respectable 5 gallon tank with a filter, heater, etc. Then you can aquascape to your hearts content and keep all sorts of beautiful, live plants.

On another note. Welcome. Researching these forums will be your best resource for info.

I made sure i bought a small root system it only took up about half the top of the surface made sure he had plenty of room around the top, ive had this set up years before with a betta that lived for about 5 years or so in a smaller bowl with less surface room, the snail is the only new thing for me. I know everyone hates smaller bowls and areas for them and usually i do too, but here at work its limited space and this was the largest i could get approved from my boss though it was his idea int eh first place I do have a 6 gallon that is empty just sitting at home with a filter system, heater and light, but he complained it was just too big.

 

[ReMz]

well. they can live for a while in these systems but they just don't flourish. A betta really shouldn't be treated differently than any other fish simply because they can breath air. It really is a curse for these guys.

I personally think it is more fun to give these inquisitive fish some swimming room and watch them poke around. U couldn't even pull off a cheap/small 2.5 gallon with a whisper filter? Or a small hex style tank? I understand that you may not be able to offer a better home, but you have to consider that if you are going to be keeping him.

If you must keep this setup, maybe put a small bamboo plant on the surface and keep the roots trimmed.

I'd lose the snail tho. They make a lot of waste. I couldn't even stand the mess my mystery snail made in a filtered 5 gal I do believe they will sometimes eat plants... but maybe someone else can verify this.

 

[Netty]

I agree with ReMz on this......it really is unsuitable for a betta. Although it's a 2 gal.......with the gravel and the plants the little guy probably has less than a gal to swim around in and really does need more surface to get his air from.

We have juvies in UK 1gal containers which is more than the US gal and we have to do water changes every day as the amonia starts to show very quickly and that's without any snails!!

If space is a problem at work there are lots of smaller tanks that you could get which would be more suitable

 

[AnakBettaMoon]

I agree with ReMz on this......it really is unsuitable for a betta. Although it's a 2 gal.......with the gravel and the plants the little guy probably has less than a gal to swim around in and really does need more surface to get his air from.

We have juvies in UK 1gal containers which is more than the US gal and we have to do water changes every day as the amonia starts to show very quickly and that's without any snails!!

If space is a problem at work there are lots of smaller tanks that you could get which would be more suitable

Wanted to thank you for all your negative feed back, showed the posts to my boss and he let me get a larger tank with a filter. So i ran out and bought it after work went back and set it up so its already cycling getting ready to make it habitable for Rod and Pearl. Its a nice hexagon 7 gallon. Now i get to go out and get a bubble stone and little statue to put in it!

Question about the snail. Could i put wafers you would use for bottom feeders in there to help feed it and keep it off my plants?

 

[ReMz]

lol. when i read "Wanted to thank you for all your negative feed back".... i was expecting you to ignore what was said and be angry about it. .

Sounds like you have a pretty understanding boss!

You might want to keep the bubble stone out, but i've read about some ppl's bettas loving em. It just is not needed and creates turbulence in the water. Might be a fun toy for your betta tho. Who knows.

If that tank is fairly tall, buy some soft, fake plants that reach close to the surface. Bettas will hang out on the leaves of these plants at the surface quite a bit.

Keep in mind that you may want to cut down on the current. refer to this recent thread for that:
http/www.fishforums.net/content/Bettas/2...er-Too-Strong-/

and dont forget a small heater!

I take it as you know how to properly cycle a tank? (i still say that bettas don't NEED a cycled tank, but it's not a bad idea)

Answer to question. My snail hogged all the Hikari algae wafers i plopped in my tank. Definitely feed wafers (but break them up a bit and dont feed a whole wafer at a time for just a snail)

 

[AnakBettaMoon]

lol. when i read "Wanted to thank you for all your negative feed back".... i was expecting you to ignore what was said and be angry about it. .
You might want to keep the bubble stone out, but i've read about some ppl's bettas loving em. It just is not needed and creates turbulence in the water. Might be a fun toy for your betta tho. Who knows.
Keep in mind that you may want to cut down on the current. refer to this recent thread for that:
<a href="http/www.fishforums.net/content/Bettas/2...er-Too-Strong-/" target="_blank">http/www.fishforums.net/content/Bettas/2...er-Too-Strong-/</a>
and dont forget a small heater!
I take it as you know how to properly cycle a tank? (i still say that bettas don't NEED a cycled tank, but it's not a bad idea)
Answer to question. My snail hogged all the Hikari algae wafers i plopped in my tank. Definitely feed wafers (but break them up a bit and dont feed a whole wafer at a time for just a snail)

I was just going to get one of those tiny little ones for starters to see if her even likes it and to reduce the current from it i was going to stick it under a little statue of some sort. The filter is really soft its a bubble filter? dosent blow bubbles, uses bubble to put up the water...and it just kinda trickles back into the tank barely moving the water surface, does have a small heater taht attaches tot he side. I was going to let it filter out for 2 days before i put him int eh new tank. i dont really want to leave him in the vase for too long. he isnt cramping up or dragging, but i dont want him to start either.
I did pick up some smart start and an extra bag of rocks. Going to try to find some water lettuce for the top it has a nice big opening its about a foot across both ways and the filter is really small only takes up about 3 inches so i do have room for a floating plant, plus Rod was so so so much ahppier when it was at the top, he is barely blowing bubble at all right now.
Is there anything else i should add tot eh water? any ammonium additive? im going to add in some liquid fertilizer for the plants this time too, i was told they wont hurt the fish.... is that right? or should i skip? im holding out till i get someone else's advice

OH! and that is rod <<< over tot eh left my picture is Rod, he is pretty aggressive really likes to show his fins. I would like to get a small pair of fish to put in with him in a week or two... any suggestions for some one who seems as agressive as he does.. he flares up at the camera even...

 

[Amunet]

YAY! That's awesome that you got to get a larger tank
Although those vase are attractive, they're definitely not suitable for any fish.

As for other fish you could put with him. I really wouldn't right now. The last thing you want to do is to add in more to an uncycled tank.
Letting a tank sit for 2 days does absolutely nothing to help cycle a tank.
You can read up on fishless cycling here
http/www.fishforums.net/content/New-to-t...shless-Cycling/

Since you want to get him out of that vase asap though, then you're going to have alot of work cut out for you. You're going to need to get yourself a liquid test kit. Something that will test for ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, pH.
pH you really don't have to worry about too much. Test it a few times, and just make sure it stays at a consistant reading. And make sure it stays above a 6.0 reading.

Ammonia and eventually nitrites are going to be the main things you're going to want to keep an eye on while the tank cycles. You're going to have to do water changes asap if either of those readings goes above a 0.25 reading to help your betta & snail.
Hopefully your betta will come out of it unharmed, but it's always risky to have a fish-in cycle.

Other things you'll need, water conditioner if you don't have some already. A water dechlorinator, that gets rid of chlorine, chloramine(sp?), and heavy metals.

An aquatic liquid plant fert will not harm fish (Seachem Flourish brand is a popular choice)... just make sure to use the recommended dose or less depending on how many plants there are.

Some easy aquatic plants you can get.....
Amazon sword (there are other sword plants as well but this one is the most common). Very pretty, and an overall very easy plant to take care of.
Hornwort. Looks great, and grows like a weed. It's a floating plant, but you can put the bottom end of it in to the gravel. Absolutely fantastic EASY plant.
Water Wisteria. Also easy and looks great.

Looks like your tank might be getting some sunlight? If so... I'd get some cabomba as well. It's a little messy, but bettas seem to love it and once again.. it's a great looking plant.

 

[liz2]

Leave the snail in the vase Well done for getting a new home for the betta!

 

[AnakBettaMoon]

Thank you for the reply.. and i wouldn't like to leave the snail in the vase.. i actually found him outside ont eh desk this morning, thankfully his trap door was shut so i just plopped him back in and in about a 1/2 hour he came out and went about his business

I am very limited in my plant selection.. all i have around me for aquarium stores is walmart - petsmart and a pond store. id have to drive about an hour to get to my favorite aquarium place. Im really considering it because i trust their selection and their plants.

I wasn't planning on putting any new fish in for a few weeks because i do want my tank to stabilize first. I dont think the tank switch during a cycling will be too hard. My boss just dumped the rocks straight in from the bag stuck the plant in the middle filled it from the tap and then poured the betta straight in. He has been in the vase for about a month now and was happy up until the hyacinth died.

 

[ReMz]

I wasn't planning on putting any new fish in for a few weeks because i do want my tank to stabilize first. I dont think the tank switch during a cycling will be too hard. My boss just dumped the rocks straight in from the bag stuck the plant in the middle filled it from the tap and then poured the betta straight in. He has been in the vase for about a month now and was happy up until the hyacinth died.

 

[AnakBettaMoon]

I know.. but hes all healthy and vibrant never had a down time.. very happy

 

[Amunet]

Just go to Petsmart and pick up some plants. Hopefully their plant tanks aren't too infested with pond snails. And do some research before going so you won't pick up nonaquatic plants (like the grassy looking stuff that has white stripes.... they sell it all the time and it's NOT aquatic)
We recently got some water wisteria, hornwort and a nice sword plant from our Petsmart and all of the plants have been doing amazing. Minimum snails (I've only seen a teeny tiny one... so far).



And really.. all I can advise you on is to just keep up with those water changes. You'd be surpried how quickly ammonia will build up and how quickly it can kill if the fish has prolonged exposure.

 

[AnakBettaMoon]

Just go to Petsmart and pick up some plants. Hopefully their plant tanks aren't too infested with pond snails. And do some research before going so you won't pick up nonaquatic plants (like the grassy looking stuff that has white stripes.... they sell it all the time and it's NOT aquatic)
We recently got some water wisteria, hornwort and a nice sword plant from our Petsmart and all of the plants have been doing amazing. Minimum snails (I've only seen a teeny tiny one... so far).



And really.. all I can advise you on is to just keep up with those water changes. You'd be surpried how quickly ammonia will build up and how quickly it can kill if the fish has prolonged exposure.

I am actually deciding to keep him int he vase and let the tank cycle out for a couple weeks, i cant buy a test kit or anything besides Jungle Start Right with Allantoin that removes chlorine and chloramine, till pay day... so he is just getting that with water changes inte h vase for now...esp after i saw how cloudy the water int eh tank is staying. Ive a filter on it thats for up to 10Gal its a really soft current and a heater and some rocks so far. Once pay day rolls round im going to pick up a test kit, liquid fertalizer and a couple plants, get everythng situated int eh tank and then wait till it all clears up.

My question is..should i have the light on during this to promote growth or just leave it to the sunlight for now till everything is ready for moving day.