5 Stunning Betta Fish Tank Themes That’ll Earn You Bragging Rights | Fishkeeping Advice (2024)

5 Stunning Betta Fish Tank Themes That’ll Earn You Bragging Rights | Fishkeeping Advice (1)

Setting up a unique betta fish tank is an exciting way to take your hobby from simple to dazzling. However, the tricky part is finding fish-friendly ornaments to keep your project hazard-free. While decorating, fishkeepers like you and me, lose too many fish from the toxic minerals found in aquarium toys and decorations.

I’ve started multiple aquariums from scratch, beautifying each tank with a different aesthetic. This also means I’ve tested and sorted through hundreds of tank ornaments to find the best combination of beauty and betta-friendly.

Tapping from 6 years of fishkeeping experience, I’ve created a detailed guide to show you five beautiful concepts for decorating your betta fish tank, including where to get the items to fill it. I also threw in some safety precautions to help you create a harm-free aquatic wonderland!

Article Contents

1. Natural Wonder

This natural wonder theme perfectly depicts a “home away from home” for your betta fish. The tank mimics a natural habitat, calming and encouraging them to hide and relax behind driftwood boulders.

For this theme, use aquatic plants and driftwood to create a mini replica of a planted aquascape. Make the driftwood your tank’s focal point, underplanted with aquatic carpet grass using plants like Vallisnera or Micro Sword.

You can also use rocks from pebbles to large stones. I like to use pebbles sparingly and focus on using driftwood and a plant carpet to create a captivating open space.

What You’ll Need to Recreate a Natural Replica Tank

Driftwood

Since driftwood is the tank’s centerpiece, you’ll need lots of big pieces. However, you must clean and prep them a week before adding them to your aquarium.

To clean the driftwood, you’ll need salt, dechlorinated water, and a rock of equal or greater size. The rock helps keep the wood submerged because new driftwood will float in water.

Boil enough water to submerge the driftwood and add ½ cup of salt per gallon. Next, dunk the driftwood and change the water every 24 hours or when darkened with tannins. You’ll know the driftwood is ready when it stops leaching large amounts of tannins and sinks on its own.

Underwater Plants and Toys

Micro sword is one of the best plants for creating underwater carpets due to its hardiness and excellent carpeting ability. Its light, long leaves spreads across the tank’s bottom in a thick green carpet, closely resembling seagrass. I also recommend it for beginners because it’s fast-growing and low-maintenance.

Toys like the Zoo Med Sinking Log and the Groot Air Bubbler blend beautifully into the theme while entertaining your betta fish.

2. Zen Garden

Your betta needs zen time, too! This zen garden is a minimalist setup to soothe your betta with neat carpets and smooth stones. It’s perfect for male bettas with large fins because the lack of sharp decorations reduces the chance of trapping or injuring them.

While garden-themed tanks are usually used to house single males, they’re also perfect for a group of female betta fish. In this case, I’d recommend adding 2 or more big trees for extra foliage to hide in.

What You’ll Need to Recreate a Garden Tank

Carpet Grass

One standout feature in every garden-theme aquarium is a well-planted floor. I use Water Sprite or Vallinera seedlings because their blades create a thick carpet.

Choosing the right substrate is essential because it needs to anchor the plants firmly while holding nutrients. You can grow the grass from seeds or seedlings but I find that seedlings anchor into the substrate quicker.

Aquarium Gravel

Aquarium gravel creates a fluorescent contrast to the tank’s floor and resembles a garden walkway as it divides the carpet grass.

To clean the gravel, soak and swirl it in water, and replace the water until it’s debris-free. Avoid using soaps and detergents because their chemicals leach into the water and affect its quality.

Ornamental Trees

Trees are the cherry on top in every garden aquarium. The tree can change the tank’s aesthetics, so I play around with different replicas like Cherry Blossom and Bonsai trees. To ramp up your betta’s mental stimulation in the tank, add theme-matched toys like leaf hammocks and mossballs.

🐠Transform your betta’s tank into an interactive playground. Find the perfect betta fish toys to complement your tank’s theme. Discover More

3. Color Burst Reef

A reef tank is perfect for fishkeepers who love a mix of colorful lights and vibrant decorations. Displaying rocks, shells, and plants that mimic natural coral reefs, reef tanks keep your betta entertained The decorations can also provide shade and act like a playground for your betta.

Unlike other themes, reef tanks rarely use carpet grass and opt for a sandy beach-like floor instead. So, you’ll need to build up the tank’s floor with artificial ornaments to give it more depth and character.

What You’ll Need to Recreate a Colorful Reef Tank

Sand

White sand suits reef tanks because it creates a bright background for colorful ornaments to bounce off. I use Aquanatural Sand because it’s the cleanest I’ve ever used, but I never skip washing for extra safety.

Similar to gravel, simply put it in a bucket and pressure-wash it with a water jet or fast-running tap. With each wash, swirl the sand with your hands to dislodge any debris before topping the water off. Repeat 6-7 times before adding it to your aquarium.

Artificial Plant Decoration

Aside from your vibrant betta fish, artificial plants bring the most color to your reef tank. Aquatic weeds cover the ground, while resin coral ornaments form lifelike boulders in the tank. Just remember to soak new tank ornaments in regular water for 5-6 hours to ensure that they don’t leach odors or dyes into your aquarium.

Toys

When decorating a reef tank, focus on making it highly realistic by drawing inspiration from natural reefs. I use pebble arbors to mimic aquatic plants and rocks and add plastic artifacts to add realism to my tank. The arbors also entertain my bettas because they run and hide in the passage daily. I threw in a toy UFO and submarine and the compliments were endless!

4. Ancient Ruins

The ancient ruins theme depicts the legendary city of Atlantis inside your betta’s tank. It uses ruin-style decorations like “broken” artifacts to showcase your creative touch. Add in a couple of betta-friendly tankmates like guppies and neon tetras and your city will come alive!

Unlike other themes, these tanks feature more decorations than plants. Draw inspiration from different concepts like shipwrecks or underwater castles.

What You’ll Need to Recreate an Ancient Ruins Tank

Gravel

Unlike planted tanks, this aquarium uses gravel as its substrate, meaning that all its greenery (if any) comes from artificial ornaments. You can use any gravel color, but I recommend white gravel because it creates a bright contrast against the tank’s ornaments.

Decorations

When decorating an ancient ruins tank, there’s no limit to the ideas. The idea is to mimic real underwater scenes, complete with lost treasure or sunken vehicles. You can choose rocky ruins like towers and castles or take an equally realistic approach and pick sunken artifacts like buses and tires. You can even find unique ornaments like a Titanic Shipwreck for your tank.

5. Aquatic Fantasy

The aquatic fantasy theme uses one main focal point—usually a castle—to create a fancy underwater kingdom. Like reef tanks and ancient ruins, this theme doesn’t have much use for plants. However, the castle’s “rooms” or compartments create shade and hiding spaces for your betta.

Like most other non-planted aquariums, it uses gravel as its primary substrate. Aside from beautifying the tank, gravel helps house the beneficial bacteria that remove waste in the tank’s nitrogen cycle.

What You’ll Need to Recreate an Aquatic Fantasy Tank

Decorations and Ornaments

The most essential ornament is your centerpiece, which could be a castle, cave, cottage, or even mountain. Next, you can focus on smaller ornaments like artificial weeds and shrubs to fill in the tank’s bottom layer and give it a lifelike feel.

When buying the focus ornament, avoid products with small holes or sharp edges because they can injure your betta’s long fins. I always recommend resin-made materials due to their all-around smoothness.

How to Decorate a Betta Tank Safely

Before adding tank ornaments, they have to pass the betta safety check. Here are a few checks to run on each ornament before adding them to the tank:

  • Ensure the ornament has big enough holes to prevent your betta from getting stuck or injured.
  • Avoid decorations with sharp or pointy edges since they often cause injury. Plastic toys are more likely to have sharp edges because they’re mass-produced and easily skipped during quality control.
  • Boil collected rocks and gravel in regular water for an hour before putting them in your tank. It kills harmful bacteria and prevents pathogens from entering the aquarium.
  • Avoid using metal ornaments because they rust and leach toxic metals and could poison your fish.

Creating a Betta Wonderland

Aquarium themes are a fun way to beautify your betta fish tank. You can harness creativity to build any imaginable concept while providing mental stimulation for all the tank inhabitants. Just be sure to pre-treat toys and ornaments to avoid putting debris and toxins in your betta’s home.

If you’re considering some new decorations for your aquarium, I have the perfect resource to help you. I’ve created an article on 10 quirky tank decorations to up your theme game, so be sure to check it out!

Frequently Asked Questions

What Do Bettas Like in Their Tank?

Bettas like soft plants, subdued lighting, and enrichment to keep them stimulated. Because of this, I’d recommend aquascaping your aquarium with plants, rocks, and decorations to ensure a safe and engaged betta fish.

What Are the Must-Haves For a Betta Tank?

Aside from a lid (to protect jumpers), betta tanks need a filter, heater, and high-quality tank decorations. In your kit, you’ll also need a de-chlorinator, thermometer, and a water test kit. These are not only convenient, but they are also essential for determining water quality.

What Decor Should Be in a Betta Tank?

The key elements of betta-friendly decor are beauty and safety, so you can use ornaments from natural or synthetic sources. Some natural ideas are aquatic plants, driftwood, and rocks, while resin and plastic betta-safe toys fall into the artificial section.

How Do I Make My Betta Tank Interesting?

You can make your betta tank interesting by incorporating a theme and adding matching decorations. A decorated tank complements your already beautiful betta fish while making a great conversation starter in your home.

Insights, advice, suggestions, feedback and comments from experts

As an enthusiast and experienced fishkeeper with 6 years of fishkeeping experience, I can confidently say that I have extensive knowledge and expertise in setting up unique betta fish tanks. Over the years, I have started multiple aquariums from scratch and have tested and sorted through hundreds of tank ornaments to find the best combination of beauty and betta-friendliness. I have also created a detailed guide that showcases five beautiful concepts for decorating betta fish tanks, along with the necessary items needed to recreate each theme.

Concepts Used in the Article:

The article discusses five different concepts for decorating betta fish tanks. These concepts are:

  1. Natural Wonder: This theme aims to create a natural habitat for betta fish, using driftwood, aquatic plants, and rocks to mimic a mini replica of a planted aquascape.

  2. Zen Garden: The Zen Garden theme focuses on creating a minimalist setup with neat carpets and smooth stones to soothe betta fish. It is suitable for both male and female bettas and provides extra foliage to hide in.

  3. Color Burst Reef: The Color Burst Reef theme is perfect for fishkeepers who love vibrant colors and decorations. It uses rocks, shells, and plants that mimic natural coral reefs to provide entertainment and shade for betta fish.

  4. Ancient Ruins: The Ancient Ruins theme depicts underwater scenes with "broken" artifacts, such as towers, castles, and sunken vehicles. It offers a creative touch and can be enhanced by adding betta-friendly tankmates.

  5. Aquatic Fantasy: The Aquatic Fantasy theme creates a fancy underwater kingdom using a centerpiece ornament, such as a castle or cave, to provide shade and hiding spaces for betta fish.

The article also provides information on the necessary items needed to recreate each theme, such as specific plants, ornaments, gravel, and other decorations.

How to Decorate a Betta Tank Safely:

The article emphasizes the importance of decorating a betta tank safely to ensure the well-being of the fish. It provides several safety precautions, including:

  1. Checking the size of ornament holes to prevent bettas from getting stuck or injured.
  2. Avoiding decorations with sharp or pointy edges that can cause injury.
  3. Boiling collected rocks and gravel in regular water for an hour to kill harmful bacteria before adding them to the tank.
  4. Avoiding the use of metal ornaments that can rust and leach toxic metals into the water.

The article also recommends using betta-safe toys and decorations made from resin or plastic to ensure smoothness and avoid potential harm to the fish.

Creating a Betta Wonderland:

The article suggests that decorating a betta tank with different themes can be a fun way to beautify the tank while providing mental stimulation for the fish. It emphasizes the importance of pre-treating toys and ornaments to avoid introducing debris and toxins into the betta's home.

Frequently Asked Questions:

The article addresses several frequently asked questions related to betta fish tanks, including what bettas like in their tanks, the must-haves for a betta tank, what decorations should be in a betta tank, and how to make a betta tank interesting. The answers provided highlight the importance of soft plants, subdued lighting, enrichment, and the use of high-quality tank decorations to create a safe and engaging environment for betta fish.

In conclusion, the article provides a comprehensive guide to setting up unique betta fish tanks, showcasing different themes and providing information on the necessary items needed to recreate each theme. It also emphasizes the importance of decorating the tank safely and addresses common questions related to betta fish tank setup.

5 Stunning Betta Fish Tank Themes That’ll Earn You Bragging Rights | Fishkeeping Advice (2024)

FAQs

How do you avoid the top 5 mistakes new betta owners make? ›

Top 5 Mistakes to Avoid as a Betta Fish Owner
  1. I Didn't Cycle My Tank. I foolishly believed that you could cycle a tank within two days. ...
  2. The Tank Decorations Tore My Betta's Fins.
  3. I Bought the Wrong Filter.
  4. I Bought the Wrong Siphon.
  5. I Forgot to Change His Water.
  6. 5 Betta Fish Myths, Mistakes, and Misconceptions.
Mar 31, 2023

What is the best tank to get for a betta fish? ›

Although most betta fish are happy in a five or ten gallon or even bigger, there's still a chance that they could hate being in anything bigger than a 3 gal. Best size rather depends; for me 5 gallons would be the minimum. Basically go for the largest tank reasonable for your situation. One Betta in a 10 gallon, nice.

What is the theme of fish tank? ›

The theme of not just accepting what we are given in life and instead fighting hard to discover much more than is on the surface of life is a theme running throughout Fish Tank; “Live, love, and give as good as you get.”

What is the summary of betta fish? ›

Wild bettas live in shallow, freshwater areas such as rice paddies, stagnant ponds, marshes, and slow-moving streams. Being used to Asian climates, they prefer warm water around 80º Fahrenheit. Colder water can cause them to become lethargic, stop eating, or become more prone to disease or infection.

Does filter annoy betta fish? ›

No, filters do not harm betta fish. In fact, filters are beneficial for betta fish because they help to keep the water clean and free of debris. Filters also help to maintain the correct water parameters, such as pH and temperature, which are essential for the health and well-being of betta fish.

What makes betta fish the happiest? ›

Use interactive toys: Betta fish enjoy toys that stimulate their natural behaviours, such as playing with a ping-pong ball or chasing a floating mirror. Create a consistent routine: Betta fish thrive on routine, so try to feed them at the same time each day and maintain a consistent schedule for cleaning their tank.

What is the best cheap tank for a betta fish? ›

Best Budget

If you're looking to get your betta housed with all the accessories on a budget, check out the Aquaeon Aquarium Fish Tank Starter Kit. This 10-gallon system is an excellent choice for a betta and includes a heater, filter and lid for under $100.

What do betta fish like most in their tank? ›

Taking care of a betta fish is pretty easy, as long as you have all the right pieces in place. Look for soft plants, low-current filters, a large tank with lights on a day-night cycle, and special betta food. This combination will keep your beautiful betta happy and healthy.

Can a betta live in a 1 gallon tank? ›

Single betta fish should be kept in an aquarium with at least a 1-gallon capacity. Bettas need to be able to breathe from the surface of the water. Keep in mind, betta like to jump out of aquariums, so there must be space at the top of the aquarium below the lid for them to surface and breathe.

Why is fish tank black? ›

The black algae will take advantage of the surplus of nutrients and utilize them to grow and spread throughout the tank. Black Beard Algae can be a result of poor water quality, poor maintenance, overdosing fertilizers, low levels or fluctuating levels of CO2, too much light, or a combination of all of these.

What does the fish tank symbolize? ›

This is a symbol for emotions that are contained, repressed, or hidden. This signifies that you have repressed your desires and thoughts and had them hidden deep within you. You always keep checking your feelings and action for fear of being socially stigmatized.

What is the aquarium hobby called? ›

Fishkeeping is a popular hobby, practiced by aquarists, concerned with keeping fish in a home aquarium or garden pond.

Is betta fish lucky? ›

This fish, which also represents success and growth, is highly recommended for students who wish to achieve their ambitious objectives. One of the luckiest Vastu species for a home aquarium is the betta fish. It brings happiness and draws good vibes into the house in all homes.

What does betta fish stand for? ›

However, it is believed the name is derived from the Malay word ikan betta, with ikan meaning "fish" and bettah referring to an ancient warrior tribe, which is pronounced "bet-tah".

What betta fish symbolizes? ›

Betta fish, also known as Siamese Fighting Fish, are not only a popular and beautiful species of ornamental fish, but also a symbol of luck and fortune in many cultures around the world. At our shop, we are passionate about Betta Fish and are committed to providing the best possible care for these amazing creatures.

How do you get a betta fish to trust you? ›

Start your fish's first day of "Betta School" by:
  1. Moving your finger slowly across the outside of the aquarium or along the water surface, and drop a live blackworm, bloodworm, or food pellet in when your betta comes up to it.
  2. Once he's mastered coming to your hand for food, use verbal commands to impress your friends!

How long does it take a new betta to adjust? ›

The first 48 hours

Your fish should adapt fairly quickly to its new aquarium. You'll want to monitor its behavior.

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