Tank Decorating Ideas

[KrystaK]

Casper will be moving back into his 5 gallon tank tomorrow. It's the only tank I can fit into the living room, it's not as big as I would like but Casper will like to be where the action is (Thinking about it, I think he's an urban fish - he's fine with a bachelor pad, so long as it's downtown ) - yeah I'm weird, I'm very attached to my Betta.

ANYWAYS! (I get carried away)
I want to decorate it in an interesting (For both of us) sort of way. I want it to be very interactive for him, and pretty to look at for me.

I'm planning on doing a white sand bottom (Because that's the only color sand I have)
I was thinking sort of a zen thing - I know it's over done, but i think it looks very peaceful. But Im having trouble thinking of a way to do it to make it interactive for Casper. Those Buddha statues aren't very entertaining for him.

Does anyone have any ideas?

 

[lisa2701]

I'm completely new to bettas and when I say new I mean I haven't even got mines yet. He's bought but not recieved yet anyways, I've been reading and someone suggested a ping pong ball in their tank for them to play with, obviously some live plants and someone I seen (I think on here) had a bubble curtain and their betta would play in it for ages. Sorry I'm not overly creative, but I am also looking into what to add to the tank to be more betta friendly and this is what I've come up with so far

Oh and I've read your other tread regarding why your moving Casper and I think he'll love being in the 5g in the midst of the action. He sounds a real character. Hope my boy has as much character as him

 

[SwimmerWithFish]

I've had similar problems decorating my 10 gallon for Spike. Next time I get some sports gear I'm going to pick up some ping pong balls for him. At the pet supplier all the decorations were either completely non-reactive or had sharp edges. I know Bettas have particularly delicate fins, but why market sharp decorations for any fish? Seems like it's asking for harm. I also saw a Betta mirror- but that seems like it would be very stressful. I currently have a couple live plants and a betta log but my plants are dying due to some issues with my light. I would really like a large castle or structure for him to hide in but the ones I saw were a) expensive (the one I liked was $80) and b) too big for a 10 gallon tank.

 

[pablothebetta]

What about a cave or two for him and plenty of plants? Some cover for when he wants it and things for him to explore. Bettas often like to rest on things, so some broad leaved plants might be nice for him.

 

[KrystaK]

Casper does love to explore, I was at the pet store and I saw a very nice bridge ornament that had a bunch of different little holes for him to explore - but it was too big, but it gave me an idea.

I went to the home improvement store and bought some limestone looking tile and I also found some limestone rocks in the garden centre and I;m going to see what sort of cave-structure I can come up with for him
I've known for a while that he loves Hornwart, he can swim around and through it and have a grand old time so I'll have to get more of that And I have 1 Amazon sword plant that's an okay size for a 5 gal so I'll add that.

Im not sure a ping pong ball would be his favorite toy, but its worth a try

 

[pablothebetta]

Just a thought, might the limestone affect the water?

 

[KrystaK]

I've had limestone in tanks before, and though it does alter the chemical balance in the water slightly it doesn't seem to harm the fish in any way. (It raises the pH a little)

 

[jasonh_000]

I've had limestone in tanks before, and though it does alter the chemical balance in the water slightly it doesn't seem to harm the fish in any way. (It raises the pH a little)

it should raise the PH a LOT!

 

[KrystaK]

Depends on the amount being used
Anyways as it turns out my 5 gal has been sort of cracked beyond repair by my dad and his rummaging around in the basement

 

[babystarz]

I would suggest some floating plants he can hang out in, my bettas just love to wrap themselves in plants near/on the surface to hang out and sleep Some of my bettas also like to play with their marimo moss balls, and those definitely have a "zen garden" kind of appearance.