Betta Fish Tank Ideas

19 Cool Betta Fish Tank Ideas That Will Inspire You

by

Betta fish need more than a small bowl and some gravel to be happy. While many pet stores sell them in small containers or vases, Bettas need at least 2.5 gallons to really thrive.

The beauty of a Betta fish tank is that you can design and decorate them to be unique and to match your personality.

Spend a little time creating an awesome-looking tank and you’ll have something that will make your fish happy and provide you with hours of enjoyment.

Further Reading: Check out our HUGE list of the 12 Best Betta Fish Tanks that look great and give you a great start on caring for your Betta.

Contents

Equipment List For A Betta Tank Setup

Before we get into it make sure you have all the equipment you need to set up the ideal tank conditions for your Betta Fish.

Here are 19 Cool Betta Fish Tank Ideas That Will Inspire You!

1) Whimsical Forest Paradise

Jolteon is quite the lucky fish. This awesome Betta tank idea projects the vibe of a fantasy world occupied by nymphs and leprechauns.

Black gravel gives the substrate the look of a forest floor, and a vegetative backdrop and several live plants add a lush feeling to this tank.

Finally, the interesting little huts and rock caves give your Betta fish many places to hide and explore. The natural greenery and many crevices create a Betta paradise and this is a tank that you can be proud to show off.

2) Clear Rocks and Color-Changing LEDs

Give your Betta tank a fun makeover with this colorful tank idea. Color-changing LEDs project a high-class party atmosphere while multi-colored clear rocks at the bottom shimmer in the reflected light.

A few tastefully placed plants give your Betta that hint of natural habitat that he needs. This attractive and flashy tank will give any room a touch of class.

3) Japanese Shrine


This calm and peaceful tank setup mimics the serenity of a Japanese shrine and harkens to the Betta’s Asian origins. Dark gravel substrate gives the impression of a forest floor and larger white rocks add striking contrast.

The light use of plants gives the tank a clean, minimalist look, and the shrine and bridge decorations enhance the Japanese styling.

4) Floating Plant Biotope

This interesting Betta tank is inspired by the rice paddies that the original Betta fish called home. The tank itself is only filled halfway with water, but there is still plenty of room for your fish to swim around and play.

The wide, shallow shape, as well as the small island of floating greenery, creates the environment found in a rice paddy or stream and adds fascinating visual appeal to this setup.

5) Grassy Field


This well-designed tank is both visually striking and pastoral in feeling. The green carpet of live plants that lines the bottom is an intense splash of color and creates a wonderful grassy bed.

The rock decorations jutting out from the center provide bold contrast and the gradual slope of the substrate gives this tank a dynamic feeling.

Pair this with a colorful Betta fish and you’ll have a tank that you won’t want to stop looking at.

6) Tropical Island Living

This tank uses two distinct zones to recreate the feel of a jungle-side beach vacation.

The darker substrate under the jungle section replicates the look of a forest floor, while contrasting light-colored sand forms a relaxing beach. An interesting variety of brightly-colored vegetation creates a unique jungle environment, and the tank light at the top adds a sunny feeling to the whole scene.

Your Betta fish will definitely enjoy his time in this island paradise.

7) Log Cabin

This tank features a hollow log decoration that not only has visual appeal but also gives your Betta a place to lounge and rest.

Purple, green and blue plants add a colorful, natural feel and will make your Betta feel at home. This is a unique tank idea that any Betta will enjoy.

8) Vegetation Variety


Vegetation is the main feature in this beautiful tank.

Bettas love swimming around and exploring soft cover like live plants, and your Betta will love a green environment like this. Even though all the plants are green, this tank features several different kinds of plants for interesting variety.

A dark substrate underneath adds to the jungle feel.

9) Tri-Color Divided Tank

Do you have a divided tank? Then consider adding variety by creating different environments.

This stunning tank uses different color pebbles and plants to make a contrasting visual environment for each section. Tank decorations in three different styles give Bettas a place to explore and add to the impression that we are looking at three different planets side-by-side.

10) Multi-colored Plants


This awesome tank projects neon colors and has an almost alien, futuristic feel.

The multi-colored plants are so bright they are almost luminescent. Black and white pebbles and a grayscale tank decoration contrast heavily with the fluorescent plants and really make the colors pop.

No matter if your Betta is dull or flashy, the contrasts in this tank will make him look right at home.

11) Buddha Ruins

This tank projects the peacefulness of the Buddha and the eeriness of ancient ruins like Angkor Wat.

A Buddha head decoration seems to grow out of the plants surrounding it and provides an interesting focal point. A thicket of vegetation adds to the scene and provides your Betta with many hiding places.

The best part about this tank design is that you can let your plants get overgrown a bit and they’ll make the scene even better. Any Betta will love a peaceful sanctuary like this.

12) Gothic Graveyard


For the darker personalities among us, this tank brings to mind a supernatural gothic graveyard.

Translucent animal decorations and white rocks form headstones arising out of the contrasting black substrate. An ornate gate and a human skull decoration enhance the graveyard atmosphere.

A live plant and a rock add a splash of color and help create a natural environment for your Betta fish.

13) Colorful Jungle


This scene uses color in a very striking manner and brings to mind a jungle settlement, a video game or even the Flintstones.

The brightly colored pebbles and the multi-color plants play off of each other and brighten the scene, while a pineapple hut decoration adds a touch of fun and gives your Betta somewhere to hide. This tank is sure to liven up any room.

14) Planter Pot Paradise


Planter pots are one of the easiest and cheapest ways to add great-looking decorations to your Betta tank. For just a few cents each, planter pots add interesting forms to your tank’s landscape and give your Betta places to hide and explore.

Include a forest of live plants and this tank will make your Betta feel right at home.

15) Bamboo Buddha Forest


This serene tank creatively uses pieces of bamboo with live plants at the top to create the effect of an underwater bamboo forest.

A meditating Buddha tank decoration right in the center draws the eye and adds to the sense of symmetry. Light-colored gravel brightens the tank and a few more live plants create a more natural environment. Your Betta is sure to feel peaceful in a tank like this.

Watch: Bamboo Jungle Betta Tank

16) Zen Rock Garden


This interesting tank incorporates the stylized forms of zen rock gardens to create a unique Betta fish aquarium idea.

Instead of the typical gravel or sand substrate, this tank uses large rocks of different types and sizes. A geometric tank decoration in the center enhances the zen feel and gives your Betta a place to perch.

17) Yellow Submarine


This dream-like tank makes cluttered look good. There’s a lot going on here, and the tank is packed with plants and decorations that work well together and give Bettas plenty of places to swim around.

Your Betta will enjoy exploring this Octopus’s Garden from inside the Yellow Submarine tank decoration.

18) Betta Tank Table

If you want your Betta tank to truly be a part of the room, there are no better options than this attractive Betta fish tank table.

Glass sides and a glass tabletop give you views into the tank from all around. Clean landscaping and live plants make you want to look at this tank. And it’s so large that your Betta and even some choice tankmates will be able to spread out.

19) Super Mario Betta Tank


This just may be the most creative tank of the bunch. This tank uses painted lego bricks and PVC piping to recreate a scene from the iconic Super Mario Brothers video game.

While it’s definitely more complex to set up than most other tanks, this would be a fun DIY project and a great conversation piece.

You can even take the concept of creating scenes out of painted lego bricks and design a tank around something completely different.

Watch: Super Mario Bros Fish Tank

Final Thoughts On Betta Tanks

All cool Betta tanks have a few things in common. They are all big enough for your Betta to be happy, they all have some sort of substrate, and they all have decorations, structures, and plants for your Betta to hide in and explore.

But you can combine these elements in many different ways to come up with a stunning tank design.

These 19 attractive Betta fish tank ideas should get your creative juices flowing so that you can design your ideal Betta tank.

Whether you try to recreate one of the tanks on this list or come up with your own unique idea, there are endless possibilities for your Betta’s home.

FAQ

What do Bettas like in their tank?

There are a few must-haves for your Bettas tank;

  1. Warm water
  2. Filter
  3. Live plants
  4. Caves and hiding places

There are many other things that your Betta will enjoy having in their tank, but those are the must-haves, in my opinion.

What should you not put in a betta fish tank?

There are lots of things you shouldn’t put in your Bettas tank, but here are a few you need to avoid.

  1. Anything with sharp edges. Plastic plants, rocks, and ornaments can sometimes have edges that will tear your Bettas fins.
  2. Fish that are brightly colored and have long flowing fins.
  3. More than one male Betta.

What size tank should you get for a betta fish?

The best size tank for a Betta fish would be at least 10 gallons in size. However, it is not uncommon to find perfectly healthy Betta fish in a 5 gallon tank. That said, I would avoid anything smaller than 5 gallons.

One major element of an attractive Betta fish tank is the use of live plants. This helpful infographic shows you how to create an awesome “carpet” effect with your tank plantings:

Complete Guide To Planted Tank Carpet

Courtesy of: The Aquarium Guide

Making extensive use of live plants in your tank takes an additional level of care and planning. But the results are often worth it and will help you create an attractive home for your Betta.

Follow Me
Latest posts by Jack Dempsey (see all)