okay so i have a beautiful betta in a 2 gallon tank, and im thinking it would be nice to give him some real plant life, but i have a few questions. so, i have checked local availability against my expertise in growing any type of plant (i.e., none) and i think my best bet (that i also really like the look of) is the anubias nana. (i was originally thinking java moss but its not available anywhere close enough) but i dont know if i can even grow a plant in my setup, so i was hoping for a couple helpful pointers on what i can improve to make this possible, if it is. so ill tell you what i can about my tank:
*the lighting in the tank is LED, i have no idea how many watts or anything but i have been told it doesnt matter anyway because LED wont grow plants. but, i also have the light to my room about a foot away from my tank, and it is a CFL, and i believe it is 15 watts. (if it would help, i might be able to move it a little closer to the tank, its a lamp.)
*because my tank is set up in a little alcove and my room is very dark to begin with, the tank gets little to pretty much no natural lighting.
*i have gravel as substrate, and i was worried that the gravel might not be right for growing that type of plant. also, will it affect the plant at all if the gravel is colored?
*im not sure exactly how important it is, but i am on a pretty limited budget. but i figure, its only one plant so it couldnt cost TOO much right? (funnily enough, thats the same thing i thought about my betta, and nearly 100$ later... lol) so i guess im wondering how much this plant might cost. (i know the actual plant is only a few bucks, but i dont know what else i would need for it. no point in getting a plant if i cant keep it alive, right?)
*i dont know if this is important either, but i have only had my tank/fish for about 5 days now. my tank is not cycled (had never even heard of it til about 3 days ago) and i was wondering if it would be ok to introduce a plant right now, or if it would be better to wait.
*last thing i can think about that might be important... ok i know this is bad but i dont have a test kit :/ i had never even known it was important until i had already bought my betta (and spent most of my money). so i have no idea what my nitrite, nitrate, pH etc levels are. i plan to buy a test kit asap but until then ill just have to wing it i guess. (at least i did know enough to get an ammonia neutralizer and water treatment. and a thermometer. )
anyway, i know i dont have a lot of important info, but if you could just go on what i do have, do you think there is any way i could have a live plant? any opinions are most welcome and if ive overlooked anything helpful,
*the lighting in the tank is LED, i have no idea how many watts or anything but i have been told it doesnt matter anyway because LED wont grow plants. but, i also have the light to my room about a foot away from my tank, and it is a CFL, and i believe it is 15 watts. (if it would help, i might be able to move it a little closer to the tank, its a lamp.)
*because my tank is set up in a little alcove and my room is very dark to begin with, the tank gets little to pretty much no natural lighting.
*i have gravel as substrate, and i was worried that the gravel might not be right for growing that type of plant. also, will it affect the plant at all if the gravel is colored?
*im not sure exactly how important it is, but i am on a pretty limited budget. but i figure, its only one plant so it couldnt cost TOO much right? (funnily enough, thats the same thing i thought about my betta, and nearly 100$ later... lol) so i guess im wondering how much this plant might cost. (i know the actual plant is only a few bucks, but i dont know what else i would need for it. no point in getting a plant if i cant keep it alive, right?)
*i dont know if this is important either, but i have only had my tank/fish for about 5 days now. my tank is not cycled (had never even heard of it til about 3 days ago) and i was wondering if it would be ok to introduce a plant right now, or if it would be better to wait.
*last thing i can think about that might be important... ok i know this is bad but i dont have a test kit :/ i had never even known it was important until i had already bought my betta (and spent most of my money). so i have no idea what my nitrite, nitrate, pH etc levels are. i plan to buy a test kit asap but until then ill just have to wing it i guess. (at least i did know enough to get an ammonia neutralizer and water treatment. and a thermometer. )
anyway, i know i dont have a lot of important info, but if you could just go on what i do have, do you think there is any way i could have a live plant? any opinions are most welcome and if ive overlooked anything helpful,