Bettas & Anacharis Plants

The Betta

• Betta splendens, better known as Siamese fighting fish or just betta, are native inhabitants of the warm, tropical waters of southeast Asia where they swim through rice paddies and swampy areas seeking their ration of meat and places they can easily hide from prey. Bettas are carnivores but they don't eat much so in the tank they need to be fed lightly. There are numerous commercial foods for bettas that provide their needed protein.

The Anacharis

• Anacharis helps fight algae in the tank. A characteristic of the plant is its fast growth rate which enables it to help in controlling the growth of algae by consuming most of the nutrients that the plants feed on. Another appealing factor is that it will live in a variety of environments, growing easily as well as long and lush. Anacharis, and all aquarium plants, ingest carbon dioxide, eating up nitrates and phosphates while doing so. This makes them good water cleaners, but they must be pruned to constrain their spreading.

Bettas and Anacharis

• Bettas and anacharis are a likely match in a well-kept aquarium because the plants provide oxygen to the fish and, because the bettas are carnivores, they will not try to eat the plants. Algae-eating fish on the other hand, could prove dangerous to the plant.

Hiding Places

• Another virtue of the betta and anacharis pairing is the cover the plants provide for the fish. Bettas are keenly aware of being prey so they tend to seek water with lots of hiding places, especially from softer kinds of plants, which anacharis is with its long, flowing leaves. One-half to three-quarters of the tank should have some type of soft cover. This offers the fish more available hiding places when they need it and allows them come out more often with confidence that they can retreat to safety.