I am curious as to why you would want to grow plants in water instead of soil? Do you have a hydroponics set up?

Although I have not tried all the plants your source lists as those that grow in water, my experience is the handful I have tried root easily in water, live for awhile, sometimes a long time, then rapidly deteriorate.

quote:

---

Because it looks nice!

---

What more reason do you need!

Well golly Lynne, Do you have a digital camera? We need to see a pic of the water vase GARDEN you've got going! (Especially the "healthy ones" with the Betas.)

You're right, Spider plants do fit into that category... I just haven't done that in a while. (Maybe we can get Cricket hooked on water plants!)

* * * *

COOL. I'm so excited. I HAVE to do this. I have a spider plant that sprouted babies not long ago, I think I'll take one, stick it in a jar with water and get a fish!! I'm SO happy I rad this. Fish and plants...why didn't I think of that? FUN FUN

* * * *

Amber

Here are some lucky bamboo in more turquoise vases -
I just can't get enough of plants or turquoise!
This is on a baker's rack in the kitchen:


and... a hanging rooting jar on a door in the kitchen with spider plant
and turquoise glass beads in the jar, of course :


* * * *


Lynne's knitting journal
"I'm spayed, declawed, and housebound - how's YOUR day going???"

Amber, Spider plants & Pothos are OK plants for Betas, but please take a close look back at Lynn's photo & notice the water level in her vase, & do yours the same way. Betas go to the top of their container & BREATHE AIR, so if the vase is too full of water your poor little guy will be swimming upside-down in no time! (Plant roots take in oxygen and put out carbon dioxide, so if you have a plant & a fish in the same jar, remember that there has to be enough air space for them to share!)

Because the roots will collect algae when the water gets stale (which isn't good for the fish), it doesn't hurt either 1 to change the water often. Be sure to wash the roots off under the tap when you do, & if/when any of the roots start getting brown, snip them off.

There's a stupid rumor out that says Betas can live off the plant's roots, but DON'T believe that! Betas are carnivorous...they like blood worms & mosquito larvae & they DON'T eat any parts of plants! You don't HAVE TO feed them those things, unless you want to, cuz the Beta food that you'll buy when you get your fish, has what they need... Just follow the directions & don't under or over feed them!

Also, I've heard that you shouldn't put 2 Betas together in the same container, cuz they're fighting fish by nature & the males will fight each other to the death. (I guess that 2 females are compatible, but I couldn't begin to tell you how to tell the boys from the girls, being that fish don't have legs, if you get my drift!)

Some plants can be toxic to fish, so if you get into the fish/plant vase thing, always check to see what other people use in their Beta containers. Don't panic if you "Google" for a Beta-safe plant list someday & find a lot of attitude about how it's cruel to put a fish in with a bunch of roots, & testimony about how people's Betas died when a plant was put in their water. (I know too many people who have done these plant/fish/aquatic frog combinations for years, with success, so if those idiots are losing fish, it's my bet that they aren't feeding them right or they have their vases too full!) Listen only to the people who have managed healthy Beta/plant vases. I think the losers just hang out online & start rumors instead of researching & networking for info on the proper care of their plants & fish!

I think you'll really enjoy having a Beta/plant vase! (You can buy 1 of those vases in the craft section for about $3.00, & they come with a plastic tray thingy to put the stems thru, so the plant leaves don't get into the water.)

I know this has gotten WAY off the "plants that live in water" topic (guess we could call it a side bar!) but I think you would do well to PM with Lynne & pick her brain about how she manages her Beta/plant vase... or better yet, start a new thread in The Critter Corner about it, for other people who might like to know!

BTW Lynne, thanx for the awesome photos! I'm glad my batteries were dead so I couldn't post a photo of my Pothos vase, cuz after seeing yours I think mine is SICK! ha ha!

Some of your containers have inspired me, so I'm going to:

quote:

---

Originally posted by cinta:
"idea borrow"

---

some of these myself! (Time to go shopping!)

Hey, doesn't that root jar fall off when you open & shut the door? (Hmmm... doesn't look like it, I guess!)

* * * *

Well, I am definately glad you posted all that! Bunch of help. Now that I'm thinking about it, I think I will use a pothos myself, I think cos it's more of a vine, it wouldn't fill the vase as much and leave more breathing room for my fish, Maybe the spiderplant would take up too much room being leafer? I'm not sure but I def. don't want to kill the bata. (I had batas as a kid, and yes, they will kill each other...) But I have a ton of pothos that I could easily take a few peices off of.

quote:

---

I think you'll really enjoy having a Beta/plant vase! (You can buy 1 of those vases in the craft section for about $3.00, & they come with a plastic tray thingy to put the stems thru, so the plant leaves don't get into the water.)

---

(First time trying to quote...hope it works) Can I get these vases at any store...and what do they look like? I don't think I've seen one.
Thanks again for all the information. (I've printed it all to take home for reference) I really excited to get this thing going.

* * * *

Amber

I found a link on how to make a beta vase.
web page

* * * *

Amber

Amber - all the crafting stores sell these vases.
I usually get mine at A.C.Moore, just because it's convenient and I can use my weekly coupon for it, if it's not on sale - I find the coupon makes it cheaper than when it IS on sale.

* * * *


Lynne's knitting journal
"I'm spayed, declawed, and housebound - how's YOUR day going???"

Aha! This is something I haven't done except when trying to root something, but y'all are right, they are pretty. I've got this vase... Just plain tap water? Any fertilizer at any time?

* * * *


may God bless the WHOLE world!

if you want to make a betta vase, make sure you research the proper care of bettas first. remember, its a living animal, and while i know we're focused on the plants here, i have owned bettas for about 15 years and i've heard of some horrible stories regarding those vases.

make sure the vase holds at LEAST a gallon of water. i have one that holds a gallon and a half. do not fill it up with rocks or glass pebbles, about an inch in the bottom is plenty.

it should go in a warm area, as bettas are TROPICAL fish and like it warm. they are also CARNIVORES and need to be fed on a daily basis. they love frozen brine shrimp, freeze-dried blood worms, and many will eat betta pellets. feed them a small amount, about 5-8 pellets, or a chunk of frozen brine shrimp the size of a half of a pea. feed them once a day, 6 days per week. do not feed on the 7th day, as it gives their digestive systems a chance to clear out.

the water has to be completely changed at least once a week. set out a large bowl or pot (cooking pot) and fill it with tap water. add a water dechlorinator and let it sit open overnight to come to room temp and let the chlorine evaporate.

the next day, fill a small bowl with the old dirty water, scoop the betta out with a net, and put him in the temporary "holding" bowl. pour the old dirty water out of the vase and scrub it well with a clean wash cloth. swish the gravel around and rinse the whole thing several times. refill with the new water, and add the betta back.

the reason this must be done is that if you don't clean the water completely once a week, the bowl will start to go through a cycle. the ammonia from the fish waste and uneaten food will start to accumulate and will cause the fish undue stress. though bettas can and often do survive this, its VERY hard on them and they LOOK very sick, they lose their color, they get thin, refuse food, and just act sick and pathetic.

all of this also applies to African Dwarf Frogs. ADF's are social, and you should have more than one, but they need about a gallon and a half PER FROG, so while they do prefer still water thats heavily planted, a small vase is not a good home for them. try a 5 gallon fish tank with lots of plants.

other than that, the feeding and cleaning is the same for ADF's.

please keep this in mind before you put one of these vases together. its not just a plant, there's a live animal in there too that needs its own care.

hi!
nice catch on the carniverous and oxygen!

i actually found this site because i originally was/am a bit of a fish fanatic ...and so, here's some ignorant two cents:

-lots of these plants will root in water, but not last longer than a year?
-some of these plants will survive floating but not provide anything beneficial for a fish?
-from the fish perspective, the golden pothos is nearly the best plant, as it will eat the nitrate result of the ammonia cycle (not to say it will consume all of it, but!) and will thrive well in aquarium/fish water provided only the roots are in the water, whereas a plant such as the bamboo, etc,..are eventually looking for substrate to last more than two years (or at least to not "pollute" the water for fish?)

sorry to ramble, i know the longevity isnt important to many....thanks for the great site..im off to look around...

WOW! Thanks, Elsie!
My mistake!
I know about Chloramine, but totally forgot about it when I posted before! It's not used in the water system here, so it's not something I even think about, when doing water changes in our fish tank! (I should have put more thought into what I was writing, as I am aware of the vast reaches this Forum has!) I shudder to think that Margaret's (or anyone's) fish could have died before she (they) even got the chance to enjoy it, because of what I said! My apology to Sorathien as well, for the implied contradiction to her post!

Chloramine is a combination of Chlorine and Ammonia, which is more stable than Chlorine, by itself, is & that's why some areas are using it in their water systems now. It's my understanding that it is highly toxic to fish because ammonia, even in low levels, is toxic to them. It takes a week or more to dissipate when exposed to air, which is longer than most of us want a pan of water sitting around (collecting dust) so we can put it in our Beta vase!

I would suggest that Margaret call her local water company & ask if Chloramine is used to purify the water in their treatment plant, & if so, ask how the public is to be informed if/when the ratio is to be increased. (It might not hurt to ask about the PPM level too, if she'll need to use a neutralizer for her fish.)

I understand that there are several "dechlorinators" on the market, but not all of them are formulated expressly for fish tanks. (Some only "dechlorinate", while others break down chloramine & bind up the ammonia, which is the action needed for aquatic creatures.) By all means, if a "dechlorinator" is needed, a person should consult an aquarium shop, to make sure they're buying & using the right one!

If Chloramine is not present in a water system, DECHLORINATING the old fashioned way, by leaving water in an open container overnight, has been done for decades & is still acceptable as far as I know... works for me, anyway! (Aerators in fish tanks accomplish this task without any additional treatment, if Chlorine alone, is present in the water.)

>-))))'> ... >-))))'> .PERSONAL OPINION.>-))))'> ...>-))))'>

I don't believe that the average person knows the difference between Chloramine & Chlorine, nor about the impact of either, on aquatic life. The term "dechlorinator" is a gross misnomer, in that it implies that Chlorine is the target of removal... which it's not! I think that the Public should be more educated about Chloramine, & that its neutralizer should carry the more accurate label of "dechloraminator", because the 2 terms ARE vitally different! In our highly technical society we've come up with short-cut names to make communication more convenient, but in this case, speaking accurately (& technically) about something as important as water treatments, should take a higher priority in the Marketplace!
........ >-))))'> .......... >-))))'> ......... >-))))'> ........... >-))))'>.........

(Gosh, I can't believe that starting this thread... about PLANTS THAT LIVE IN WATER, has led to this!) It's been interesting! Thanks, everybody!

* * * *

Well, THAT would sure simplify things if you just want a Beta vase & don't have to worry about a whole fish tank!!! Thanks, Loz! I hadn't thought about using bottled water! We can use our water right out of the tap, here.

* * * *

bettas do need to be given a fast one day a week. in the wild, they certainly wouldnt have someone dropping yummy blood worms or pellets around for them. they have to HUNT, and not every hunt is sucessfull. all PREDATORY animals digestive systems are designed to deal with days, sometimes even weeks with no food and not shut down.

herbavores on the other hand, and most omnivores, are designed to have a constant supply of food running through their digestive tracts. they are designed to deal with ingesting a high volume of food thats high in fiber and relatively low in nutrients, while carnivores are the opposite.