Betta toys

I used to have hoops for my betta to swim through in order to get his fish treats. 3 different colored hoops and each color meant a specific type of treat. He went through the green one the most which was live tubifex worms

 

Bettas are highly intelligent fish and can easily get bored! The more interesting things for them to explore in their environment, the less stressed they'll be

You can start with the betta's environment (lots of plants, hiding spots, etc) and then add toys if you think he'd like it. Putting the tank in a place where s/he can watch household activities is also a good idea. They pay attention to what goes on outside their tank!

One of my favourite DIY projects is a piece of coco fibre planter basket liner that I sewed into a cylinder, soaked in hot water (to remove excess tannins) and then sewed plants of a tiny Anubias variety onto it. Java fern or moss would work, too. It's still floating after several months but it could easily be weighted down with a rock or two inside the tunnel

 

I think he would love some extra things to play with. He's spent about 30 minutes diving around his lily pad this evening.

Here's what his tank looks like right now. With all the plants and such, I'm a bit limited on space. Open to suggestions, and DIY is always fun Does he need more things to swim through?

 

Honestly? That looks really good! Feel free to add anything you like. I've even put things on the outside of the tank for my fish to look at

 

He's just still really hyper, so I'm thinking maybe he doesn't have enough to keep him occupied...

 

How long has he been in there?

 

Couple weeks at this point, and the floating plants were just added yesterday.

 

Hmm, and he still hasn't settled? Parameters are all OK? Not too much excitement around his tank?

 

Well, he seemed like he was starting to, then I added the new plants and moved stuff around. Numbers are 0, 0, 20. Not too much excitement around his tank. Honestly, less than I would like.

 

Ah, maybe he's still upset with the changes

 

Maybe. I don't really know. Still trying to get to know his personality. Is there an average for how long it takes them to adjust to changes? From what I've read, I thought they would be into new things and exploring when things change, so I'm confused that he wouldn't be.

Just trying to figure out what I can do to make him stress less, and if toys will do it, all the better. He'll sometimes swim through the plants, but not all that often.

Of course, when it's food time, he's right at the front of the tank ready to eat looking to see where my fingers are to find the food.

 

There's an average, but there are always outliers He might just be a more sensitive guy!

 

Might be the case. I just hope I'm not doing anything to stress him out and giving him a good home Do you happen to have pics of your betta tanks running around somewhere? I'd love to see what you have set up for yours, since I know bettas are kinda your thing.

 

Hang on, I'll see if I can find some. I think most of them have been save on my PC but I'll see what's on my phone...

 

Hm, far more heavily planted than mine. Hopefully my wisteria will start growing soon. He is working intently on his bubble nest, so that's at least a sign he's somewhat happy right?

They look great. I'd love to see more whenever it's convenient for you to post them

 

OK Lights are out now but here's a pic I took earlier of one end of my 20 long sorority:

 

Wow! Your tanks are looking great!

I'm curious about the DIY toys though.... I don't want to put just any old plastic into the aquarium to make hoops or tunnels - what did you make your hoops out of qchris87?

And so far (a couple of days) my Betta has completely ignored his ping pong ball so I just took it out. Do you think it would take him a couple of weeks to get used to it - like the plants? Or could the problem be that it was white, not coloured, and didn't look interesting enough?

 

PVC and aquarium safe paint

 

So, I've come to the conclusion that I just end up with very needy pets. I think I have mostly resolved the spastic swimming bit, and all it took was moving the tank... lol

 

TBH ping pong balls have never been a hit with any fish ive tried them with. The one Betta who showed any reaction was absolutely terrified, but his ball was different; psychedelic swirls of colour rather than plain ol' white

 

I like to have entertaining things in my fish tanks too, so I'm curious about other people's ideas too. I keep my betta in a 10 gallon, which was having algae problems because my lights are a bit strong. After failing to keep some floating plants from melting, I tried a new solution, which accidentally ended up being a source of entertainment for by betta! I took 3 fake lily pads and strung them on a piece of fishing line at the water surface, keeping the line in place with suction cups on the glass. It created a good amount of shade in the tank, taking care of my algae problem like I intended. I can shuffle the lily pads back and forth on the line to change where the light shines (so the rest of my plants get their light), which I think my betta finds interesting. Every day I change their position and he investigates the bottoms of the lily pads, then begins patrolling his tank with new interest, taking in the changed appearance of things. It's a small but significant change and I think it keeps him on his toes... uh, fins? Lol.

I also consider my ghost shrimp and amano shrimp to be "toys" lol. He doesn't attack them but he will stare them down and he seems to take interest in their doings. He watches them a lot.

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My 3 year old daughter put a fish bobber in her betta tank. Her grandfather (my father) told her it was for catching fish...and she decided guppy (her beta) needed it in his tank.

Image for reference in case you don't know what a fish bobber is

Anyways, guppy loves it. I've caught him moving it around his tank a few times.

 

I love that she named him guppy. I may need to try a ball at some point.

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Oh yes...I'm sure he loves his name

 

The ball may happen at some point. It seems for now, Rekka's favorite toy is the heater...? I guess whatever works.

 

Rekka's favorite toy is the heater...?

Hahaha, yes! Despite having an actual cave, jungly plants, and a crazy piece of driftwood, my betta likes to hide.... between the heater and the filter.... Picky little things aren't they?

I love the floating lily pad idea - where did you get them cooneyms?

 

I found mine in the sad betta section at Petco, actually. They have a cute flower on the top and are sold individually for about $5 a piece. They're not as cheap as you can find online, I saw a pack of them on Amazon (without flowers) for much cheaper.

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Here's what they look like! There's little plastic loops on the bottom of the lily pads (the ones from Petco come with it, along with the suction cups and fishing line I used to keep them in place)

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Oh how awesome!

I have a tank with a built in lid though (I'm cheap and afraid of jumping bettas). If I ever get one of my dream tanks (the "invisible" looking ones) then I know what I'm putting on top of it! I had imagined something more like the little plastic betta hammocks with the suction cup - not as pretty!

 

My lid isn't built in but it does rest on top (solid black plastic with a minI hinge door for feeding)- I lifted the lid for the picture, so I can't see the flowers all the time ordinarily, which is unfortunate. But they do the trick and I was too impatient to order something less ornate online haha

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I found mine in the sad betta section at Petco, actually. They have a cute flower on the top and are sold individually for about $5 a piece. They're not as cheap as you can find online, I saw a pack of them on Amazon (without flowers) for much cheaper.

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Here's what they look like! There's little plastic loops on the bottom of the lily pads (the ones from Petco come with it, along with the suction cups and fishing line I used to keep them in place)

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Question, it looks like you have yours above the water? I just pulled the one out that I had in there because it looked like it was starting to mold (the petals on the flowers, not the green part). It was getting little brown spots all over it, and didn't look like algae.

 

Yes, mine are above the water with just the bottom of the lily pads touchimg the surface like a real lily pad would. I guess mold might be possible- the foam they're made of is really porus. Mine don't have any on the bottom, but I did notice that the green of pad has transferred onto the bottoms of the flowers. The dye doesn't appear to be bleeding into the water so I'm not worried about it, but I do keep an eye on it.

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Hello, Fishlore,
I am currently in college so I don't have a lot of time to interact with my betta boy. I was whondering if anyone had any sugjestions for toys for him to "play" with while I am at school or studeing. I already have a mirror that I give him for a few minutes at least once a day, a hammock, plants, cave, and a floating log. I just want to make sure that there isn't anything else that I could do for him to keep him happy while he is alone.
Thanks

 

Marimo moss balls. Super hardy plants and they love them

 

The betta's fine alone, just make sure the tank is filled with plants

 

I know a some people have put ping pong balls(rinse it off with just water first) in and let their betta push it around and others have put up comic strips or photos for their bettas to look at, although you’ll have to change it every now and then for something new. Changing up the tank occasionally can also give him/her some new areas to explore.

 

Thanks so much guys

 

I would raise live food, they love to chase it.

 

I have had positive experiences with introducing mollies into my betta tanks but this isn't a normal occurrence! My females have slight spawning behavior with them, wrapping their fins around the molly, brushing up against them, dancing every now and then. Its actually pretty unusual and adorable! As far as toys go, I used a couple soft plastic ice cubes I got from the dollar store awhile back. They float at a perfect level that keeps her interested when they pass by. Also she loves her corner air-stone I have in their for the molly. She swims against the current a lot!