Plant eating betta and something white growing on a rock...

[bettabeauty]

So, now, one of my bettas appears to be eating small bits of one of the plants on his side of of the tank. He also seems to eat algae... is this normal/okay?

Second issue... I bought some rocks from the pet store and cleaned them off as best i could, but one of them now appears to be growing something white that looks a bit like cotton on it. What is this? I have one snail on that side of the tank. Could that be eggs or mold... or what?

[sandystar]

White and fuzzy sounds like mold to me. I don't know anything about snails and their offspring though.
What kind of rock is it? Polished rocks are easier to clean then non. And depending on the rock, some are actually more porous then others and will be much harder to clean. But for an aquarium I wouldn't suggest putting anything but pet store gravel, sand and polished rocks. Although some polished rocks are porous as well. Quartz and other crystals would be fine too, just make sure they aren't sharp.
I <3 rocks a lot. :)
Your betta eating algae isn't bad for it according to the books I have read, but they do say that their diet should be primarily meat-based.

[Jynx]

yeah just give him the right food yourself and if he feels like nibbling plant food in his environment don't worry about it. maybe he likes how it tastes or he needs fiber. my Lulu often bites off bits of plants and plays like she's chasing them in the current. i don't worry about her eating them.