Betta fish thrive in environments with plants. It refreshes the look of the tank and gives the fish somewhere to hide, play, and relax.
Decorating your betta fish tank to resemble a natural ecosystem will help the fish to be happy and healthy.
Betta fish have a lung-like labyrinth organ that allows them to receive air from the surface or the water. Plants help to restore the oxygen levels in the tank and give fresh oxygen to your fish.
Whether you choose natural or plastic plants, finding the right ones are important in helping your fish live a long and happy life.
Some of the safest plants you can choose for your betta fish are non-toxic and easy to take care of. One safe plant is the java fern. This survives best when anchored to a piece of driftwood.
Another type of live plant your fish will love is the anacharis. This plant is great for beginning pet owners because it is easy to take care of. It also removes ammonia from the water and adds oxygen.
Marimo balls are probably the easiest live plants you could pick for your fish. These are not technically a plant and are actually algae. Marimo moss balls can live for years and require no special care.
Marimo balls look great, and have all the benefits of other plants with the added benefit of having a long life and are hardy in many different tanks.
These look great and pair well with many other plants, and the interesting circular shape is fun, beautiful as well as functional.
Your fish will love rubbing up against it or rest in the soft algae, and it will provide necessary nutrients to the water.
2. Live Aquarium Plants in Tissue Culture Cup Anubias
These plants are cultivated to be fresh and live. They are beautiful, fresh, green, and nontoxic. Your betta fish will love.
Your aquarium will look beautiful and it adds decoration and interest to the fish tank. Anubias plants are nontoxic and hardy.
Easy to take care of, adding Anubias to your tank is simple and easy to do and can help your fish live a more healthy life.
It grows in a variety of environments and prefers freshwater tanks with low light environments. The leaves are heavy and thick so they provide quality coverage for your betta fish to enjoy.
3. Green Pro Java Fern
Java Ferns have long leaves that your fish will love to swim in. These plants are low maintenance that does not require fertilizer. They thrive in many different environments, especially freshwater environments with low light.
Java Ferns don’t require soil or gravel and can be fully or partially submerged. These are good to incorporate to help create a realistic ecosystem for your betta fish, with different layers for them to swim in and explore.
You can easily create a new plant by dividing the roots and fill your tank with a simple and attractive plant that is durable and beautiful.
4. Dwarf Hairgrass Live Aquarium Plants
Dwarf Hairgrass is an easy to maintain plant that is soft and verdant. It grows midrange and it is a great addition to create a realistic ecosystem for your fish to swim in. This type of plant is ideal to place around stone ornaments or on a piece of driftwood.
The best temperature for the dwarf hair grass is 70-83° F and it grows best in medium light levels. It’s known as a carpeting plant and provides a lush foreground for your fish to enjoy. It needs a substrate that is rich in nutrients in order to survive.
5. Java Moss Live Freshwater Aquarium Plants
This nutrient-rich moss helps add oxygen to the tank. It is a viable groundcover and creates a layered aquarium with living plants on every level. This resembles the natural environment of the betta fish closely and helps to let them lead happy and healthy lives.
A freshwater plant, it does well in medium temperatures and has no roots. It covers the bottom of the tank and can grow with little to no maintenance.
It prefers lots of nitrates and stagnates water because of its delicate structure. The leftover food and fish droppings are the perfect fertilizer for this plant.
The 5 Best Fake Plants For Your Betta Fish Tanks
There are a few reasons you might want to add fake plants to your aquarium. They will last forever and can be a way to save time and resources on beautifying your aquarium.
Fake plants will also give your aquarium a custom look with bright colors or resemble exotic plants.
This eye-catching aquarium plant is ideal for displaying, and it resembles rare pink orchids. The bright pink floral bouquet is great for your fish to play in. It even includes roots to secure to the bottom of the tank and look like a real flower.
The vibrant green and pink colors add visual interest to your aquascape and it is easy to keep clean as well. This complete flower fills out the tank with gorgeous color.
7. SunGrow Beautiful Plastic Aquarium Plant
The SunGrow fern has large shiny leaves that look like real plants and will help to encourage a healthy and happy life for your betta fish.
You can use it in any kind of tank, temperature, or lighting situation and it will last for a long time. The betta fish can play hide and seek in the leaves, and the leaves are flexible and move for a lifelike effect. The plant will always look fresh and bright without any need to add fertilizers or other nutrients.
Fill your fish’s environment with beautiful green plants. This plastic aquarium plant has about 20 leaves and resembles a natural plant. It gives the fish a place to hide and enjoy some privacy.
8. CNZ Aquarium Fish Tank Green Lifelike Underwater Plastic Plant
This plastic plant is available in two sizes to fit any tank. The leaves are multi-colored to give visual interest to your tank. This plastic plant has roots as well, so the whole thing looks very real.
For a bigger tank, the large size will fill the tank and flow in the water. You won’t have to worry about your fish having somewhere to hide and play because it will give plenty of green foliage for the fish to hide and swim around in.
This plant resembles a natural plant without having to moderate the CO2 levels, nutrition, or taking care of the plant.
9. Betta Plant Amazon Sword
This plant stands up by itself and is a wonderful addition to any plant or aquarium. The thick leaves look lifelike and help to fill out the tank
The weighted rock base helps the plastic plant to stand secure in your tank. Your betta fish will love playing with the plant and hiding in the leaves.
The colors on this plant will stay for a long time and does not require special care like how a natural plant would need. The leaves are colored to look realistic and have natural variations that can help the plastic plant blend in with other plants or create a natural-looking environment for your plant.
10. Marina Ecoscaper Hydrocotyle Silk Plant
This silk plant is of a natural material that will always look bright and healthy in the tank. The colors of the plant are natural and translucent. Another benefit of the plant is it’s made to flow in the water like a real plant.
Your plant will look beautiful in your tank and give your fish a beautiful place to hide and play. Adding this fills out the mid-range of your tank and look real without needing to add nutrients or monitor the levels of CO2 in the tank.
Live Plants or Fake Plants for Aquarium: Which Is Better?
It depends on you. Live plants have a few benefits. The living plants provide a natural ecosystem that can be replicated with artificial plants but not replicated. The natural fibers, gasses, and nutrients help to nourish and nurture the fish. The natural beauty of plants is vibrant and adds a rich and vibrant environment for your fish to play and hide in.
Plastic plants also look good. They are simple to install and require no maintenance other than cleaning once in a while. Plastic plants can serve as a place for your fish to hide and play and are a good alternative to plants that might be too expensive or not feasible to maintain.
A balance of both in your tank would probably yield the best results, so you have a rich ecosystem and a suitable environment for a betta fish to live. In nature, betta fish have plenty of room to swim and different plants for them to explore so a variety is what is best for the betta and to help them have a long and happy life.
Conclusion
This list compiled of different live and plastic plants for your fish can be the first step in assembling a tank that your fish will love for years to come.
Picking a good variety of plants according to your tank size, skill level, and commitment is the best way to get great results in your fish tank. Plants are essential for a fish to be comfortable.
This article was extremely helpful for everyone who is dealing with bettas, beginners and others like myself – who may have 5 different betta’s and want to switch up tank design from plastic and just a could live plants to a full blown aquatic garden hahaha. Thank you for this helpful article!
As a newbie in the wonderful world of Betta fish, this article was very helpful. I’d much rather have live plants or a marimo ball than artificial. Thank you
Betta fish thrive in environments with plants. It refreshes the look of the tank and gives the fish somewhere to hide, play, and relax.
I’m learning alot. So much more I want to learn. Thank you so much for sharing your articles and videos
This article was extremely helpful for everyone who is dealing with bettas, beginners and others like myself – who may have 5 different betta’s and want to switch up tank design from plastic and just a could live plants to a full blown aquatic garden hahaha. Thank you for this helpful article!
Any experienced betta owner knows plastic plants are a no no with their delicate fins!
As a newbie in the wonderful world of Betta fish, this article was very helpful. I’d much rather have live plants or a marimo ball than artificial. Thank you