Beginner plants?

[fishwish34]

I'm looking to try live plants in a 5 gallon betta tank. I already have a ton of regular gravel, so I'd like to use that, and I planning on just using whatever lighting the tank comes with. I wouldn't be adding CO2 or fertilizer stuff, unless it's absolutely necessary. My questions are:
What are some easy/hardy plants that are good for this kind of set up?
Would a banana plant work? (They look so cool *BOUNCINGS)

What kind of regular maintenance do live plants need? I know they need some trimming, but how do you know when to trim?

Do plants need to be acclimated like fish do, or can I just plop them in?

Anything else I should know?

I'm really just looking for some nice sturdy plants to start out with, since I'm not great with non-aquatic plants (I think I overwatered them, though, so aquatic plants don't really have that problem). I'll do more research beyond this site, but I wanted a place to start.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[Newman]

what kind of lighting do you have in the tank?
stem plants like hornwort and hygros are a beginner's friend. so are java ferns, moss, and anubias for most people.
you know when to trim when the plant is obviously getting too tall and cramped for the tank. different plants require different trimming. but you can just use your common sense to figure that out.

 

[arcab4]

anubias should be a great choice i think. almost virtually indestructible. haha.

 

[lauraf]

+1 to the plant suggestions above. Yes, you can just plop the plants in, but give them a good once-over to make sure they don't carry little snails or eggs. Trim any damaged or dying leaves - they won't repair themselves. Banana plants would work, but they can be fussy. If you do rhizome plants like anubias, be sure not to bury the rhizome fully in the gravel - keep it partially exposed.

 

[fishwish34]

Thank you for the suggestions! I checked the lighting and I think it is a 25 watt incandescent bulb. So would that be 5 watts/gallon then? It doesn't look that bright--it's more of a yellow light than the 15 watt fluorescent on my 20 gallon.

 

[Orion]

You wont have much luck with that light. The cheapest upgrade would be to get a screw in power compact bulb that will fit. It will be much better for the plants, and nicer to look at in general. They typically dont have the yellowish tint.

 

[Fishman1995]

Id upgrade to a better light. Not that expensive to do so. Then id look for some Aponogeton bulbs in your local walmart maybe? They are doing EXCELLENT for me in my 5.5 gallon. I also having luck with Corkscrews, Anacharis, and Amazon Swords. il upload pics of my tank if ya want.

 

[Sageofstupidity]

A lot of people go asian theme with Betta tanks so I will make a suggestion. I recently got a Marimo moss ball, first one for me and they are really cool. They are basically balls of algae that roll around, sink and rise at will and offer some options with decorating, plus they can fit in any size tank and can be cut to form multiple balls. Since they are algae they eat what algae needs to survive and cuts down on algae growth as well as oxygenating the water and don't really require any special lighting or fertilizer. They will actually use a water current to rise to the surface to collect more light if they are not receiving enough. Hornwort is good but seems a bit much for a small betta tank, I assume you want to be able to see your fish. Anacharis is another good choice, like hornwort but it can be safely rooted in the gravel. I recently bought all 3 of these plants at once for my 3 tanks so my experience with them is low, I am citing other peoples experience.

I read someone suggested Anubias, I have heard those are really good as well. Java fern or java moss are good choices as well.

Also note the growth pattern of the original 3 plants, Anacharis grows pretty much linear, Hornwort spreads in many directions and moss balls grow slowly (they can live over 100 years) but they will split themselves into 2 or more balls when they are ready giving you more options to work with if you want a moss carpet or to cover a cave etc in moss.

Anarcharis and Hornwort usually run 2.49 per bunch and you would only need one, Marimo was a little more at 7.99 per ball but it will likely out-live any plant and will make more moss balls on it's own for you if you have other thanks.

I hope any of this info helps, I'd ask second opinions but I have heart Hornwort and Anarcharis will absorb all 3 stages of the ammonia cycle, so much so that hornwort will grow so fast it will starve due to lack of fish waste in a few months.

 

[GraphicGr8s]

Years ago with a planted 10 gallon guppy tank I had anacharis and combomba growing up out of the water with that little 25 watt incandescent bulb. Right plant. Right light.

 

[fishwish34]

Thanks for all the great information! I think I probably will change the lightbulb, mostly because it seems to get pretty warm and I don't want it causing the tank temperature to swing. It's great to know that that lightbulb WILL work, though. Petco sells this lightbulb: Zoo Med Ultra Sun Daylight Compact Fluorescent Bulb at PETCO Is that a good choice or is something else better?
I really like the moss balls! I also want plants that will block some of the sides of the tank though, because my betta spends a ton of time doing battle with his reflection. Not that it's bad for him to do that, but I don't want him too stressed out.
Fishman, what exactly is the corkscrew plant you mentioned? Is it corkscrew vallisneria?