# planted 5 gallon betta tank



## Kolts_momma (Jan 7, 2016)

HI.
I am relatively new to this and just looking for some advice. 

I received the Betta, tank, plants and everything else as a Christmas gift for my office.
I love it but now I am really trying to make sure I am taking care of all of the Betta's and plants needs.
Hoping someone cant help me identify the plants? I believe the plants on both the far corners are Java ferns? They don't look like any pictures that I have googled but that is what I have been told. Also, I think the plant in the middle is an amazon sword.. or some type of sword?

Also I want to get some type of moss or other ground cover. I have read a few different ways to do it but if anyone has any advice I would appreciate it. The Fluval Chi II is five gallons and has 17 led lights at 7600K. Would that be low or high watts for the 5 gallons?

Thanks in advance.
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## vreugy (May 1, 2013)

The plants you call Java are just that.....I think. Looks like mine and it was given to me as Java. Java does not like it's roots rhizome planted. It should be tied or glued to something until it establishes itself. Mine started out tied to a lava rock. Now it has attached itself. Word of caution here. I used poly sewing thread to attach it. After a time, the thread came loose and "hooked" my female albino pleco. If I hadn't freed her when I did, she wouldn't have made it. I have since removed all thread and used a clean rubber band. If you do use thread, make sure it is 100% cotton. It will eventually rot. Also, I am not sure what the plant in the middle is, but it is planted to deep. Just the base should be under the gravel, not any of the leaf stem. You have a very pretty tank. Good luck with it.


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Ground cover is hard to maintain because most of the things we think of as "ground cover" are very small plants like dwarf baby tears, dwarf hair grass, etc., that give off the look of a "lawn". These plants are small and, therefore, require very specific conditions as far as fertilization and, most importantly, light. Most are high-light, and are at the bottom of the tank where the least amount of light intensity is present.

I don't think the factory-installed stock lighting of your Fluval Chi II will be sufficient to support most of the common stuff for ground cover, but you could try and propagate some marimo moss. Buy a ball of it and cut it up, then stick tufts of the green moss throughout the substrate (might have to partially bury them to get them to stay).

Another option would be to boost your lighting. For a 5 gallon, I bet you could get away with a desk lamp near the tank, on a timer of course, with a daylight-spectrum bulb, either a powerful compact fluorescent bulb, or a more plant-specific bulb that you can buy at places like PetsMart. Word of advice here - if you boost your lighting you'll have to provide some additional fertilization to your tank, but thankfully since your tank is so small you can get away with basic liquid fertilizer. I would suggest SeaChem Flourish Excel (for carbon dioxide) and Flourish Comprehensive (for the other stuff). Ground cover, unless it is moss, has a complex root system and is a root-propagator (new plants spring up from the existing root system of other plants), and therefore requires root tablet fertilization as well. I used to use Jungle Brand root tabs from PetCo, but PetsMart also sells Flourish root tabs, which while bigger have a longer lifespan.

Hope this helps!


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## Summer (Oct 3, 2011)

You can skip thread/ fishing line etc for the java and just superglue it to wood or rock.


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## Kolts_momma (Jan 7, 2016)

Thanks everyone I really appreciate the advice! 
Water change on monday so I will definitely be making those changes.


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