Aquarium Botanicals for Beginners

Aquarium Botanicals for Beginners is a small selection of carefully selected aquarium botanicals we know you will love and have a successful first experience using in your botanical method aquariums or bioactive enclosures. These aquatic botanicals break down slowly, provide medium levels of tannins, and help to begin building your aquatic ecosystem. As always, we recommend adding all botanical materials slowly to the aquarium, utilizing 2-3 prepared leaves or seed pods per 5 gallons, once per week, until the desired look is achieved.

21 products

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A flat lay of brown and green leaf litter and brown and red seed pods for blackwater aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

2025 PRIDE PACK | A Variety Pack Fundraiser for The Trevor Project
$28.00
$28.00
A group of three brown clamshell shaped sterculia pods for blackwater biotope aquariums and bioactive enclosures at Betta Botanicals.

Style: 3c Jungle Pods

Jungle Pods | Sterculia Foetida
from $6.00
from $6.00
A beginner friendly mix of dried aquarium botanicals which contain a mix of durability and tint producing properties for botanical method, blackwater, and biotope aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

#TanninBae Beginner Botanical Variety Pack
$17.00
$17.00
A clear glass jar of red/brown tinted aquarium tannins from tea bags of Betta Tea by Betta Botanicals.

Color: MAROON - 32c Re-Tinting Tea Bags

Betta Tea™ | Natural Blackwater Tannin Replenishment
$24.00
$24.00
Alder cones in our 50g pack clustered on twig branches, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Size: Alder Cones (25g)

Alder Cones | Alnus rubra
from $8.00
from $8.00
Pile of brown, tan, and amber colored aquarium leaves and seed pods from the Betta Botanicals Variety Pack.

Betta Botanicals® Variety Pack
$24.00
$24.00
Pile of brown and tan texas live oak leaf litter for blackwater aquariums and bioactive enclosures for dart frogs by Betta Botanicals.

Style: 12oz Bag

Texas Live Oak Leaf Litter | Quercus fusiformis
from $8.00
from $8.00
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Pile of Oak Twigs by Betta Botanicals, for betta fish tanks, blackwater aquariums, botanical style aquariums.

Size: 20c Shingles Live Oak Twigs

Shingle Live Oak Twigs | Quercus imbricaria
from $8.00
from $8.00
brown fern frond leaf litter by Betta Botanicals, aquarium botanicals for blackwater and biotope aquariums.

Fern Fronds
$8.00
$8.00
Pile of brown, tan, and amber shingles live oak leaf litter and twigs for aquariums and terrariums by Betta Botanicals.

Style: 12oz Shingles Live Oak

Shingles Live Oak Leaf Litter | Quercus imbricaria
from $7.00
from $7.00
Pile of long, brown, and black mahogany seed pods for aquariums and terrariums by Betta Botanicals.

Mahogany Pod Sections
$8.00
$8.00
Pile of tan, amber, and brown dried magnolia leaf litter for aquariums and terrariums by Betta Botanicals.

Southern Magnolia Leaf Litter
$10.00
$10.00
Catappa tree bark and Indian Almond Tree Bark for blackwater botanical method aquariums by Betta Botanicals, Aquarium Botanicals.

Style: Bark Sticks

Indian Almond Tree & Catappa Tree Bark
$13.00
$13.00
Pile of brown and fibrous coconut husk pieces for aquariums by Betta Botanicals.

Coconut Husks
$7.00
$7.00
Honeysuckle twigs from Betta Botanicals with their light brown and grey color with delicate branching network for blackwater betta fish aquariums.

Bush Honeysuckle Twigs
$8.00
$8.00
Areca Palm Fronds are brown with thin leaf blades, perfect for blackwater botanical method aquariums by Betta Botanicals, Aquarium Botanicals.

Areca Palm Fronds | Dypsis lutescens
$7.00
$7.00
A pile of brown rhapis excelsa palm fronds for bioactive enclosures and blackwater aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Excelsa Palm Fronds | Rhapis excelsa
$6.00
$6.00
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A pile of brown willow oak leaves for aquariums and vivariums at Betta Botanicals.

Style: 12oz Bag

Willow Live Oak Leaf Litter | Quercus phellos
from $8.00
from $8.00
An assortment of hardscape, aquarium and terrarium botanicals, water conditioners for planted blackwater, biotope, and botanical method aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

20 Gallon Ecosystem Kit
$175.00
$175.00
Ecosystem aquarium kit by Betta Botanicals, for botanical style aquariums, betta fish tanks, betta biotopes.

10 Gallon Ecosystem Kit
$115.00
$115.00
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A pile of brown and tan fishtail palm stems with rough outer texture against a white background for blackwater aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Fishtail Palm Stems | Caryota mitis
$10.00
$10.00

We recommend

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Kielmeyera lathrophyton seed pods displayed in varied sizes and natural textures, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium and vivarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Kielmeyera Pod | Kielmeyera lathrophyton | Release Date 7/1
$10.00
$10.00
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SOLD OUT
Cariniana savu trumpet pods arranged in a circular cluster, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Savu Trumpet Pods | Cariniana sp. 'Savu' | Releasing 7/1
$21.00
$21.00
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SOLD OUT
Euphorbia antiquorum seed pods in varying shades of tannin brown, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Antiquorum Pods | Euphorbia Antiquorum Linn | Releasing 7/1
$9.50
$9.50
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SOLD OUT
Three textured Pente de Onca seed pods showing interior and exterior views, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Pente de Onca Pods | Bignoniaceae haplolophium | Releasing 7/1
$9.00
$9.00
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A flat lay of brown and green leaf litter and brown and red seed pods for blackwater aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

2025 PRIDE PACK | A Variety Pack Fundraiser for The Trevor Project
$28.00
$28.00
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A group of three green and red pitcher plants in terracotta pots against a black background at Betta Botanicals.

Sarracenia Carnivorous Bog Plants
$15.00
$15.00
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A group of six hard shelled bornean ironwood tree seed pods with light brown exteriors and dark brown interiors for the blackwater botanical method aquarium at Betta Botanicals.

Ulin Pods | Eusideroxylon zwageri
$22.00
$22.00
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A red mangrove propagule with lime green leaves rooted in a dark aquarium substrate at Betta Botanicals.

Red Mangrove Propagule | Rhyzophora mangle
$10.00
$10.00
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Stems of Rotala Rotundifolia with lime green circular leaves planted into a dark substrate for blackwater aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Rotala Rotundifolia Green
$6.99
$6.99
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A rooted clump of green and brown guppy grass with long slender leaves on its stem in a natural black substrate of an aquarium at Betta Botanicals.

Guppy Grass | Najas guadalupensis
$18.00
$18.00
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A group of three fibrous and branching Ceylon date palm flower stalks for blackwater biotope aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Style: 1c Ceylon Date Palm Stalk

Ceylon Date Palm Stalk | Phoenix pusilla
from $15.00
from $15.00
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A pile of brown and tan fishtail palm stems with rough outer texture against a white background for blackwater aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Fishtail Palm Stems | Caryota mitis
$10.00
$10.00
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Kiriwel Bark | Ichnocarpus frutescens

Kiriwel Bark | Ichnocarpus frutescens
$13.00
$13.00
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A pile of green morus alba mulberry leaf litter for use in shrimp, snail, and pleco aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Mulberry Leaves | Morus alba
$12.00
$12.00
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A pile of brown, dried Tamarind indica leaves, ideal for botanical method aquariums and bioactive enclosures at Betta Botanicals.

Tamarind Leaf Litter | Tamarindus indica
$10.00
$10.00
SOLD OUT
Nettle Leaves for Shrimp by Betta Botanicals with a Cherry Shrimp Colony eating the bright green leaves.

Nettle Leaves | Urtica dioica
$12.00
$12.00
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A selection of WYSIWYG Manzanita wood pieces for aquascaping blackwater, biotope and botanical method aquariums at Betta Botanicals.

Select'Starwood' Manzanita: #2 'Starwood' Manzanita

Starwood Manzanita | WYSIWYG Pieces
from $30.00
from $30.00
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Exotic manzanita wood for aquascaping in blackwater aquariums and bioactive vivariums at Betta Botanicals.

Manzanita Piece: #2 Exotic Manzanita

Exotic Manzanita | WYSIWYG Pieces
from $28.00
from $28.00
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Branching manzanita driftwood for planted blackwater aquariums and bioactive enclosures at Betta Botanicals.

Manzanita Piece: #1 Branching Manzanita

Branching Manzanita | WYSIWYG Pieces
from $28.00
from $28.00
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SOLD OUT
Trio of large, textured Para Para seed pods with dark brown exteriors and split seams, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Para Para Pods | Jacaranda copaia | Releasing 7/1
$11.50
$11.50
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SOLD OUT
Terentang Leaves in mixed sizes and natural brown color tones, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Terentang Leaves | Campnosperma sp. | Releasing 7/1
$15.00
$15.00
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SOLD OUT
Swamp Grass in loose golden strands, photographed on a white background for blackwater aquarium use at Betta Botanicals.

Swamp Grass | Carex sp. | Releasing 7/1
$10.00
$10.00

Build Your Ecosystem

Aquarium botanicals have varying levels of durability, which is predictive of the leafs waxy coating and the seed pods woody composition. All types are equally important to the botanical aquarium as they build different layers of the ecosystem.