Just like us fish like to have areas where they can swim around and nibble at, but plant life in the aquarium plays a much greater part in the aquatic environment.

Toxins in the water created by rotting food and fish excrement pollute and starve the water of vital oxygen. Remembering that the fish breathe water through their gills we know that it is vital to keep oxygen levels up in the tank. Aquatic plants will help the process and uses the phosphate created in the nitrogen cycle to help them grow.

So what is the nitrogen cycle? Just like on land the leaves, plant life and animal droppings rot and mulch down into a fertiliser. Plant roots take the fertiliser and use it as a feed. In the aquarium rotting foods, and fish waste falls to the bottom of the tank and turns into a fertiliser for the aquatic plants. In turn they produce oxygen through photosynthesis just as the trees and flowers do above water. More oxygen means that the fish can breathe healthy clean and safe water.

Aquatic plants also play an important part in the breeding process of fish. Some species lay their eggs beneath the leaves away from other predatory fish swimming around the plants to ward off fish from nearing them until the eggs hatch, the leafy plants then offer a good food source for the young fry and indeed many adult fish enjoy nibbling on the fresh leaves as much as we enjoy our garden vegetables..

Not only are aquatic plants important to the tank environment but offer an exciting landscape for you and your fish. Imagine walking through the countryside and seeing no trees, no flowers and plant life, pretty grim thought yes? In the same respect the underwater garden offers you the chance to create dramatic and stunning plant effects that will give you hours of watching pleasure as you see your fish happily swimming and enjoying the garden you have given them.

Different plants have different visual effects, look around your aquatic centre and ask for advice as some plants are hardier than others and therefore easier to look after. You will also need to ensure you have a good substrate for the roots to grow and a plant food, this usually comes in liquid form and can be added at intervals to ensure your plants get what they need to survive life in the tank.

The plants come in all shapes and sizes, various colours can brighten a drab looking aquarium, this not only creates great effect for you and any visitors to your home, but also gives the fish a greater enjoyment. When you plant your garden, use your imagination, create an effect you will truly be happy with, and if you need an extra hand there are hundreds of ideas to choose from in websites and books readily available on the net, library?s and in your local aquatic centre.

Cerianwen is a keen aquarist with many years of personal experience of tropical and cold water fish keeping. This article has been submitted in affiliation with http://www.PetLovers.Com/ which is a site for Pet Forums.

When you attach the Java moss to rock, wood or any other type of aquarium decoration you can for instance use fishing wire. Be careful not to use materials that can pollute the water, e.g. cupper wire. The Java moss will instantly start growing small roots (so called rhizoids) and try to attach it self to the surface. After a while, the fishing wire is no longer needed since the plant will be secured by the rhizoids.

Java moss is a very fast growing plant, and when you have purchased one plant you can easily use it to create new plants for other parts of the aquarium. Java moss can be propagated by simply splitting the plant and moving one of the parts to another place. The Java moss will often propagate itself in the aquarium since small pieces will fall of the main plant and drift around in the water until they find a new place where they can attach themselves. The Java moss will also form red-brown sporocarps.

Java moss will endure a wide range of different water conditions and temperatures. It is native to warm waters and the preferred temperature range is therefore 64?-86? F (18?-30? C). It will also appreciate a pH between 5.8 and 8.0 but can sometimes adapt to more acidic conditions. Unlike many other tropical plants, Java moss does not require strong light and it will actually do best in low or medium strong light. Algae can be a problem for the Java moss since excessive algae growth on the leaves can harm and even kill the plant.

Allen Jesson writes for several sites including two sites that specialize in salt water and fresh water aquariums and the aquarium site and Seapets, a leading source for aquariums and fish tanks.

1. Reproduction tank equipment: volume of 15-20 liters, a heater, a thermometer and air pomp connected to an air rock which will spread small bubbles. You need small bubbles because the fry are very sensitive to water movements and you don’t want them to suffer.

2. The aquarium water must have a temperature of 28-29 C, a higher temperature will hurry the eggs hatching and the fry won’t be fully developed. Keep the temperature constant using the heater and check it with the thermometer to make sure it is at the right level.

3. The water depth mustn’t excel 10-15 cm because the Betta eggs are denser than water and they fall down from the nest. The male picks them up in its mouth and brings them back in the bubble nest, but a water column over 15 cm will tire it after few repetitions.

4. Cover the reproduction aquarium with a lid in order to keep the same temperature for the air inside the aquarium. The fry develop their labyrinth after about 30 days and they are very sensitive to temperature changes. The lid also protects against air flow which could ruin the bubble nest.

5. Select a compatible pair of Bettas. At first attempts you’ll only want to get some fry and you won’t be interested in colors/fins, but after some successful spawns you’ll be more pretentious. So you’ll chose same colored Bettas or even more, you’ll look for developing some nice fins (double tails, crown tails, half moons, etc) but this is another discussion…

6. Introduce the male in the evening and only next morning introduce the female, considering that the male has already built the bubble nest. During the night keep the female in a jar near the aquarium and assure some light in order to make eye contact between the male and female; this will stimulate the bubble nest building.

7. The next day, after introducing the female, the Betta male will brutally chase her. That’s why you have to put some plants in the corners of the aquarium in order to assure hiding places for the female. Also make sure you add some floating plants in order to help the bubble nest building.

8. After the first successful egg evacuation, the male (sometimes the female too) will take them (in the mouth) from the bottom of the aquarium and bring up in the bubble nest. You don’t have to panic because this is a natural thing, so don’t take the fish out thinking they eat their eggs

9. A good pair of Bettas can spawn up to 400-500 eggs, after which the female has to be taken out from the aquarium because the male will brutalize her in order to protect the nest. Put the female, for a few hours, in a jar with water where you added some metilen blue in order to prevent eventually infections caused by the wounds.

10. After about 48 hours the fry will hatch and the Betta male will assure they stay together in the bubble nest. After another 2-3 days the fry will swim free. Now it’s time to take out the male and start feeding them with Paramecium and/or Artemia salina (Baby Brine Shrimp).

This is it 10 tips for a successful Betta splendens reproduction. You can find advanced information on specialized websites, books, etc, but following this article should familiarize you with the Betta splendens reproduction needs.

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