Picture this: a plant that needs no light but indirect sunlight, no substrate or fluorite layers, doesn't get bothered by snails or goldfish, no need for added fertilizer, can be submerged completley or partially and is basically a leave-and-forget plant...

Lucky Bamboo

Fantail and I have some proof of its wonderfulness!

Case 1: Too many nitrates in tank resulting in blury water?
Solution: Put a bamboo in there. I did and 3 days later my white water turned crystal clear!

Case 2: Want live plants but don't have enough light, substrate, goldfish and snails eat plants, and no CO2 injector?
Solution: Lucky Bamboo! This plant won't be bothered by anything, it can live in tap water for all it cares. Plus, the light it needs is light from a window (ie. indirect sunlight)

Case 3: Thinking of how to decorate your tank?
Solution: Use lucky bamboo! It is so versatile, being able to be fully submerged or just the roots submerged! YOu can create you own bamboo forest underwater with all the different sizes of bamboo available (5inches-20 inches). Some can be 100% submerged other only 50% so that the top half is hovering over the tank hood...endless possibilities! The great thing is the size you buy them at is the size they stay, only thing they do is continuously grow leaves, meaning no more pruning!!!

Case 4: Have a betta that you want to give a nice broad leafed plant for it too sleep on?
Solution: Put a small stem of bamboo in the tank and let the leaves fluorish to create comfortable "beds" for your bettas!

Case 5: Have a smelly tank?
Solution: Personally, after getting some bamboo in my tank there has been no more of a fishy smell or rotting veggie smell. A smell that has been so often in my tank over the years. I'm not sure but maybe Bamboo is one of thsoe odour absorbing plants like other house plants.

Case 6: Want to liven your tank?
Solution: Bamboo it...It's so easy its unimaginable not everyone's doing it.. lol!

If you have any question on bamboo ask either Fantail or me. As you can see we love bamboo because of its many uses!

PS: Koko, if you don't mind I think it would be a good idea to pin this just because any new plant owners seeking out what kind of plant to get should have this choice of plant available to them as well as experienced planters:D

Ramy

It is a very nice plant ( I have some) but will drown after awhile of being completely submerged. Best to keep it out of the water partially...there are some very tall ones that would work for that purpose

They will drown after being submerged? How long does that take? My bamboo has been submerged for a week and shows signs of new growth and no rot. Are you sure about them dying underwater, my ideas of bamboo are based strictly on experience:D

I, too, have seen and heard that bamboo rots if the leaves are submerged. Might take some time, but bamboo is not an aquatic plant.

You know its not bamboo right? its a type of lily -Dracaena Sanderiana. It grows under the canopy of warm rain forests and hence is most effected by light levels ( turns yellow if its in too much direct light), and likes its feet in water but to not be completely submerged. Eventually like any non aquatic plant it will rot, but being moisture loving will last longer completely submerged than other plants.

Had to go look it up, cos bamboo is highly toxic, and I worried about it

3 years of experiece tells me that it doesn't rot what so ever. "babies" grow out of the stem, is in water and doesn't rot.

Wow, must be more adapted to aquatic living than I expected I stand corrected!

Lots of info online about it needing rich nutrients, but ideally from water rather than "soil"... tis prolly some of the healthiest "lucky bamboo" around then?

wher can you get "luck bamboo"?

Dracaena sanderiana AkA Lucky Bamboo is a hydroponic plant. Which means its roots can be in water but not the plant part of it. it will rot over time. and once it starts to rot it is very toxic. you having one for three years growing in a tank is very unusual, but its not something that everyone will want to try. i for one wont be taking the risk.

lucky bamboo isn't the toxic one:O the real bamboo is

Mine has been growing now for a week underwater... seems fine iwth new growth and i havent noticed any rotting or withering ie yellowing, missing leaves, limpness.... i guess it can be aquatic if ters are right.... the tank is CO2 a plenty with my betta and filter... and theres nitrates everywhere for it to love lol.... and as fantail said the baby plant of his lives underwater and is fine... maybe they just dont suggest grow it underwater because it won't recieve proper nutrition... i guess that's not the case in an aquarium

you can buy lucky bamboo anywhere!!! plant shops or stores that sell boquets of flowers lol

and supermarkets.

ok, since its been opened again i just wanted to say that i have heard of other people on another forum using it and it killed the fish (bettas) after a few weeks. of course you could say that it could have been anything, but the down turn came after adding the lucky bamboo.
i have been thinking about it and i have to say that yes plants do take up nutrients through the roots (especially land based plants that need most of their food from the soil, whereas aquatic plants do nearly all the feeding through the leaves), but they also dump stuff out and if the plant isnt really aquatic then you cant say that what the plant leeches out wont poison the water. maybe if you only use one piece in a very big tank then you may get away with it, but it seems the smaller the tank the higher the risk.

just my two cents worth.

I have stalks of bamboo in with my bettas. However, the leaves are not submerged, so the plant does not rot. They've been living like this for about 6-7 months now.

Yeah, that would be about the only way I would recommend growing a lucky bamboo - leaves out of the water, and the ones that are in the water and turn even the slightest hind of yellow = remove them.
I have a lucky bamboo for my betta tank since about 2 weeks now, and I too have the roots and partial stem in the water, everything else is outside. Now, the plant will grow bigger (I think it was Fantail's picture with the amazingly neat growing bamboo out of a tank), and then of course it can be put into deeper water accordingly. But still, leaves OUT....

Will lucky bamboo really make u lucky?

If you believe it!
ranchugirl, the picture is not up. Sorry, having server problems.

And o yes, i disagree. I've had all the stalks in a goldfish bowl for 2 years, and it actually did good to the water condidtions, now, it is diluted by a tank. But still, it makes the water better.

Too bad about the server problems, Yin - I love that picture with the bamboo!

Yeah, i'll try to get them back up.