Betta riparium ideas

[Bubble]

I'm playing around with the idea of getting a new tank for a betta, I'd like it to be a paludarium or riparium, with emergent plants and at least 20 litres (five gallons) of water.

My ideas so far are some dwarf papyrus at the back and/or some driftwood poking out of the water with a vine of some kind, with its roots going into the water, but I have no experience with a planted tank.
It would be really cool of I could make it a blackwater tank or have some miniature waterlilies, but I'm getting a bit ahead of myself.

Does anyone have any suggestions for tanks, plants, designs or anything like that?

 

[Sputnik]

Personally, the upkeep needed for most paludariums scare me off, but there is no denying that they are stunning!
MD fishtanks does a lovely one, but it looks like a lot of cost and maintenance ti me...

 

[Bubble]

Wow that's gorgeous!
I love how they place the wood so it looks like roots! and the waterfall!
I'd like most of my plants to be emergent so I don't have to figure out co2, which I'm hoping will reduce the cost and maintenance.
I'm thinking of some nardoo or something that would still look interesting underwater though.

It seems pretty brave to have a lidless fish tank in the same house as a cat, mine would definitely try to drink from it...

 

[Sputnik]

Lol! My cats are too lazy to bother, but the lids keep cat hair from getting into the tanks and clogging the filters!

 

[magentatooth]

I've seen some nice pictures of devil ivy coming out the water, it also can then dangle down the outside if you like! I'm planning to try it

 

[Bubble]

I did manage to get myself some devil's ivy recently, I'm just worried that the large leaves will make the tank look too small...

 

[Bubble]

I have a bit more of an idea for what I'm going to do now.

In the back corner I'd like to make a sort of planter that looks like part of a ruin to keep some papyrus and/or water spinach contained.
There are some really amazing ruins in Cambodia, some are right in the middle of bettas' wild range. I'm not sure if I should go for a proper biotope of just vaguely remake what I've seen on google earth.

I feel like this might open a can of worms, but does anyone have any substrate suggestions? I'm thinking of mixing sand with a bit of aquascaping soil, but I have no experience here.