Can a Java Fern live in a Betta Bowl (no flaming please)

Skittyfish

Skittyfish

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My sister is now the proud owner of a Betta. I could only talk her into a really large goldfish bowl, maybe a gallon and a half. I really tried to get her to get a five gallon tank, but she just wouldn't.
Anyway, I have several java ferns, would one live in the bowl without any circulation other than what little is provided by the betta?
Is this a good idea or bad idea?

I also stressed the fact that she would have to change the water at a minimum of twice a week, preferably every other day.
 
I would think that trying to get her to do water changes every other day or twice a week is going to get her frustrated with the hobby and make her end up doing less maintenance (just an opinion). I think she could get by with changing most of the water once a week (75% to 90%). Also, with a bowl, tell her that there is less surface area interacting with the air. Keep the water a couple inches below the surface to increase the amount of surface area.

Java moss will work ok if she can get a decent bit of ambient light to get into the bowl. The lack of surface movement may even help (no loss of CO2).
 
About 6 to 8 weeks ago I removed a piece of driftwood from my tank that had java moss growing on it . I put it in a bucket down the basement, intending to give it away. Well, as it happens I forgot about it and the other day when I came across it, the darn stuff was still alive and doing quite well.

Mind you, the tops were sticking out of the water and they are living off the driftwood. Obviously though, light doesn't seem to be a issue for them.

Ya want some? ;)

And I agree, a nice 5 gallon is usually easy to come by. In fact, I've got a couple of those down the basement ya can have too.

Shirley
 
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I tried to get her a bigger tank, but she said they take up too much room, and she wants nothing to plug in, and yes I told her she wouldn't need to plug it in.

The reason I stressed water changes is because she's a sucker and everytime the fish looks at her she's gonna want to feed it. I told her to give it one little flake a day. She says she's giving it one in the morning and one at night. ( I told her if she gives it more that it will die! That seemed to have convinced her not to)


Her husband doesn't want the fish in there at all, so she's starting out small.

I'll give her a fern as I have several growing on rocks.

Maybe she'll become addicted too.
 
I appologize K_S_W_I_S_S. I have a bad habit of mixing up java moss with java fern.

It's java fern that I have growing in the basement..... (and in every tank for that matter), not java moss.

Actually I'm looking for java moss too. Our local lfs won't take any special orders unless they get about 150 of them.

Shirley
(Going back to lurking now) :confused:
 
From Sumpin'fishy:
Also, with a bowl, tell her that there is less surface area interacting with the air. Keep the water a couple inches below the surface to increase the amount of surface area.
Click to expand...
Most excellent observation :)
 
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