It can take me up to an hour to select a betta for my little finned family so you really do not want to know how long it takes me to put together a neat little home for him/her. Yes – we can safely say more than an hour.
I have been asked on several occasions what types of things can and cannot go in a betta bowl and how do you know what they like.
Some of the basics to have in a betta bowl are:
rock/gravel
A hiding spot
plant
Pretty basic stuff. Of course, you can let your creativity shine with the decor of your tanks. I have one tank set up as a small, Asian town and another like a shipwreck with broken pottery and grass-like reeds.
Gravel is important in keeping the glare down from the bottom of the tank. Honestly, the bottom of the tank acts like a mirror, reflecting overhead lights or tank lights. Gravel or some sort of bottom cover is good in keeping the light from affecting the living area of the fish.
A betta does rest. A betta does not have eyelids. See the reason for a hiding spot? I use fake drift wood made of plastic that is hollow, pottery look alikes that I found at the local fish store and other items to provide a hiding spot for a good nights rest for my bettas. This is important. Bettas hail from Thailand and the waters they live in are dense with vegetation. The sunlight is definitely blocked giving them a nice semi-dark environment.
Plants are nice because the betta is designed for high vegetation living. The plant makes it more like home to them. The only trick with the plant is that if you are using a fake plant (which we highly suggest to prevent water toxin levels from building up) be sure to buy something that will not snag a pair of panty hose. Sounds silly but the betta’s fins are very delicate and tear easily. If the plant cannot tear panty hose, then the betta is practically protected from tears in his fins. I use primarily silk plants and have yet to have a betta with a torn fin.
Anything else you add to the tank you will want to make sure it is “tank safe.” Tank safe means that the material it is made of will not pollute the water and don’t forget to take glues and sealants into consideration. The best way to guarantee the item is tank safe is to buy it at a fish store.
Not only should you be safe with your betta – be creative!
If you have a great tank idea, send it our way!
We want to be able to post a tank idea a week (with credit to you) to give new betta owners and idea of what they can do and also, give the lily vase people other ideas of how to set up a betta without torturing him/her.