Plant for a tank with no light...

Calmwaters

Is there a plant that would grow in a tank with just light from the room lights? I ask because I went to see about a job reading water meters and the boss lady had a betta on her desk. Well me being me after I talked for her awhile I mentioned that I noticed her betta was sick and she said he had been looking funny for a while but she did not know what was wrong with him. So I went on to explain to her that he has fin rot and she asked how she could cure him and I offered to take her some meds on Friday when I start training. I would of just told her to do daily water changes for a while but he looks bad enough that I don't think that will do it. But I also told her if she liked I would try to bring a plant for his container as well and she said that would be great. The container he is in is a very large vase that looks to hold at least a gallon of water but it has no light other than the office light so is there any plant that you guys think may grow in that light? I have pennywort, anachris, cambodia, and wisteria if you guys think any of those would work that I could trim in other tanks.

kitten_penang

IMO she should do a 100% water change and wash the bowl and deco with boiling warm water. fill with new water add anti chlorine and put an aerator in there for the night. add the betta in there the next day and keep the water as clean as possible.if it fails she will need a better filter and medications for the poor fellow

Calmwaters

I am seriously thinking about asking her to let me borrow him for a couple of weeks so I can get him better. I just think it will be hard or impossiable to fix him with the set up she has theres no heater or filter or anything. Then when I take him back offer her an extra tank with a heater that I have and tell her I will give it to her as long as she promises to keep up the water changes. I feel so bad for the little guy I could not even sleep last night for thinking about him. = (

redchigh

Does she have a window? Diffused sunlight can be enough for the plants.

Byron

She should not even have the betta. Talk about animal cruelty. There is a piece in the "Q&A freshwater" in December's TFH from someone intending to have bowls with a betta and flowers on each table at his wedding. As the answer points out, betta are not suitable for unheated and unaerated bowls. How can we teach these people?

To your initial question, any standard plant would likely last a bit and then disintegrate. Java Moss growing on a bit of wood might work. I once experiemented with Java Fern in an amphibian tank that had no artificial light during the day, and it did not do well at all.

Perhaps (hopefully) you can retrieve the betta to "heal" it, and then never give it back for any reason you can think of.

Byron.

SinCrisis

Byron i think thats called stealing...

Well i know that java moss on wood will work since i left a piece of driftwood with moss in a bucket in my dorm room over winter break 2 years back and came back in 3 weeks to find that it actually grew. No lights were on and it was next to my bed where it wouldn't get any sunlight.

However, vases are no place for a betta. I had a friend who insisted on keeping a betta in a vase and i took it from him several times over a few years whenever it got sick, it got to go into my extra betta tank with heater and filter.

However a plant option is devils ivy(i think) it can grow with roots in just water. Its not a fix all solution and the lady will have to do water changes still but itll soak up some of the nitrates and ammonia that builds up.

Another you can try is the marimo ball.

As for heating the tank, hydor sells these tiny heaters that you just drap into your tank and it auto heats ur tank ~5 degrees warmer than room temprature, its not much but its better than what the betta has to deal with right now...

redchigh

Hmm. What temperature is the room?

I'm only asking because I've known people who keep their thermostat set to 70-73, and that might be warm enough for a betta.
Marimo balls do need light... Java moss or anubias MIGHT work, but the best bet would be to put it in a windowsill.

Calmwaters

Byron- I agree with you 100% which is why I was going to offer her my extra tank and heater. I am hopeing that when I explain to her that basically its her fault hes sick in a nice way since she is my boss maybe she will relize that he would be better off with me. ; ) Of course I would offer to pay her for him.

Redchigh- There is a window but from what I can tell it would get very little light from it. Also it was very warm in there yesterday but I am betting when they go home they turn the heat down which will cause fluctuations in the water temp which would stress the fish even more and make him more likely to get fin rot or other disease.

SinCrisis- I am hopeing that I can either bring him and keep him with her permission or maybe offer to buy him from her. I just can't leave the poor fish in the living conditions hes in now. I know his water is not being changed on a regular bases which is one of the things that cause the fin rot and its getting cold here and while they keep the heat on while they are there I am sure they turn it down when they go home.

kitten_penang

just take the poor thing home and heal it and give her the tank and filter coz your so nice and add a little advice while your returning the fish and giving her the new tank.coz if you don't return it and say it died she would most probably get another one and this time she might not tell you if that a ones sick and the poor fellow might die.

Calmwaters

Kitten thats exactly why I would not just take him and keep him with out telling her why he is sick. Good thing is she does not seem to be to attached to him so I am hopeing that she will relize a fish is more responsability and work then she can do and she will let me have him if not I will at least educate her in the way he should be taken care of.