Grow Avocado in Betta Aquarium

Grow Avocado in Betta Fish Tank:

Ever heard of growing avocado plant in an aquarium? In today's article, i will talk about almost everything you need to know about how to grow an avocado in a betta tank. There are a few ways to grow Avocado as a house plant or ornamental plant in a fish tank. But this comprehensive guide will discuss starting from a seed also known as pit. Avocado plant will eventually get bigger and will need to be planted in soil outdoor.

Grow Avocado in Betta Aquarium

Origin:

Avocado is a tree that originates from south central Mexico. The tree was first discovered between 7000 to 5000 B.C. Evidence say that avocados were cultivated as early as 500 BC in Mexico.

Avocado is classified as a member of Lauraceae family. The fruit grown up on Avocado tree looks like a big berry that has just one big seed. This tree grows in tropical & Mediterranean climates.

The fruit is very tasty, & have high nutrition.

Benefits of Avocado:

Avocado is a fruit that needs warm weather for growth. They can offer health advantages & can save you from a number of diseases including cancer.

Have a look at all of the advantages of avocado below:

• Save from cancer
• Helps in digesting food
• Provides vitamins & minerals
• Have high nutrient
• Beneficial for heart
• Better for eyes
• Decrease chances of depression
• Save from chronic illnesses

Benefits of growing avocado in aquarium:

Benefits of growing Avocado in Aquarium

• Aquarium containing avocado looks very beautiful & livelier than before.
• Fish loves plants & they can find shelter in their roots.
• Fish can lay eggs on the roots and fries can use it as a hiding spot.
• Avocado acts as a natural biological filter that purifies water. They can treat fish waste as fertilizer. Also they change ammonia into nitrite & nitrite into nitrates which is less toxic & can be removed with regular water changes.
• Avocado can keep your aquarium clean by reducing algae growth.

Avocado Care:

• Aquatic plants require 8 – 12 hours lighting. Hobbyists use hood light to help plants grow properly.
• Plants need light that depends on the size of tank.
• Make sure you do not overload your tank with plants.
• Fish waste acts as natural fertilizer for plants.
• Avocado can grow well in 15 to 27-degree Celsius temperature. Avocados are best for moderate climate & do not grow well in temperatures of 38 degrees Celsius or over.
• Trim your tree to shape it & control its size. Do not overly trim this tree when it is growing fruit. Dead branches can be removed at any time.
• Avocado will grow to make a tree. It will be taller than your aquarium height so we suggest removing hood so that it can grow tall & spread its branches.

Grow Avocado in Betta Aquarium:

My main goal is to grow Avocado as a house plant in an aquarium which will help with water filtration. Once it grows big then i will move it outside or give it to someone else who wants to keep it. The odds that avocado tree will bear fruit are very small. Below steps would help in having more success in growing avocado plant from pit in an aquarium. 

Step 1:

For growing avocado in aquarium, check out the video below:

How to grow Avocado in Aquarium

Grow Avocado from Seed

Starting with avocado seed is very easy. Remove the pit from avocado carefully without slicing or cutting it too much. Wash the avocado pit in tap water to remove any left over fruit and remove the skin when it is moist. Keeping it in warm water for a few minutes will make it lot easier to remove the skin.

Step 2:

Take 3 toothpicks & insert them inside the seed

Locate the narrow and wide end of the avocado pit. Roots will grow from the broader end of the avocado pit and stem will sprout from the slightly pointier end. Take 3 toothpicks and insert them inside the seed so that the broad end is facing down and the narrow end is facing up. Doing it the other way around will lead to unsuccessful result.

Step 3:

Suspend Avocado in Water

Half fill a glass or plastic cup with water, a transparent cup would be ideal so germination can be monitored. Suspend the seed in a way that only bottom half is submerged in water or the water only comes up to just below the toothpicks. I left the glass in the windowsill with regular supply of sunlight. Since it is winter in Melbourne right now, house is kept warm almost the entire time. 

Step 4:

The waiting game starts now, but it is important to maintain the water level through out the entire process as it evaporates. I did a complete water change once a week or when it started to get cloudy and never have had any issue of algae, mold, bacterial or fungus growth that could have killed my plans. 

Root sprouting from Avocado Seed

It is easy to monitor the seed germination through a transparent glass. Crack appeared after 5 weeks and it took another week for the root to sprout. Based on my observation, crack in the skin started to get wider after a week of root sprouting. Stem sprouted after another week but the growth rate of avocado plant was really fast after the initial germination phase. 

Not all seeds will sprout even if the above process is followed from start till the end. My suggestions would be to wait till 8 weeks at max and if the avocado pit doesn't sprout then start with a new seed. Or starting with 2-3 seeds and keeping the one that sprout would avoid the waiting time.

I have read numerous articles about Avocado plant in an aquarium and it is believed that avocado is harmful for the fish, however, the lethal dose is not known. According to wikipedia, Persin is an insecticide generated by the avocado plant and "Toxic to horses, cattle, goats, and birds. Avocado leaves, fruit, seeds and bark may contain a toxic principle known as persin. The Guatemalan variety, a common one found in stores, appears to be the most problematic. Other varieties of avocado can have different degrees of toxic potential." 

However, there are aquarium hobbyist who believes that avocados are not poisonous and in fact they can be given to fish for constipation and bloating which is same as giving them a shelled pea. There are also hobbyist who gives avocado to their goldfish and koi fish and never had any issue with the health of the pet fish. I am growing avocado plant from pit in my betta aquarium and have shared my experience with you. Please keep visiting the website for further updates.