Best Hideout for Betta Fish (Different Caves & Necessity!)

As a beginner fish keeper, you need to learn how to decorate a tank.

Suppose you are thinking about why people use the best hideout for betta fish. The answer is, People, use hideouts in their tanks to decorate the aquarium and provide a healthy environment.

In this article, you’ll learn about different hideouts and their usage.

Table Of Contents

Why Do People Use the Best Hideout for Betta Fish?

You’re maybe conscious about the best hideout for betta fish. A hideout is a place where betta fish take rest, take shelter if the fish are scared, and control their aggression. It enhances the natural beauty of the tank and protects the fish from any disaster. Make sure to avoid hideouts with sharp edges.

Always choose the hideouts according to the tank size.

Make a Hiding Place at Home for Betta Fish: 7 Steps Guide

The hiding place is essential and fun for betta fish. You can create an organic hiding spot instead of buying it.

You can easily make a beautiful harmless organic hiding spot at your home. You can use terracotta pots, coconut shells, driftwood, old crockery, and rocks.

What you’ll need–

Coconut shell
A bowl
Water
Sandpaper
Cooking pot
Boiling
Salt

How to make it–

Choose a coconut shell.

You need to pick some coconut shells to make an organic hiding spot. Then, put the coconut shells in a bowl to soak in the water.

Make sure to soak the coconut thoroughly in the water. After one or two days, the coconut shells will fully absorb the water.

Make the shell smooth.

After drying out, the coconut shells make the surface of the shell smooth by using sandpaper.

The surface will look smooth after sanding it. Then try to smooth the edges of the shell to remove the sharp edge; otherwise, the fish will be hurt by sharp edges, and they will feel stress.

Boil in the water

Put a cooking pot on the stove to boil the water. Put the smooth shells in the cooking pot to boil.

Make sure to put a tablespoon salt in the water to disinfect the shell. Boil it for 1 hour until the water gets dark brown. The dark brown color of water refers to the tannins of the shell.

It will make the tank dark brown if you don’t boil it. So, boiling is necessary to have crystal clear water.

Put in the tank

After making the shell cool, you can give it a regular size and put it in any empty place in the tank.

After putting in the water, change the 30% water weekly twice to remove the tannins.

Check the video to understand the making process properly –

Why Does Your Betta Need Hideouts?

Betta is a tropical fish belonging to stagnant warm water full of rocks and caves.

A hideout can provide your betta a secure and safe environment where it can hide in any stressful situation.

Betta is an aggressive and low-maintenance prey fish that can easily get stressed. A betta can feel stressed for many reasons, such as unstable water parameters, toxic tankmates, and inadequate feeding.

If they feel scared, they can take shelter in any cave to rest or protect their lives from prominent predators.

Which Hideouts Your Betta Fish Can Use?

Hideouts provide betta fish hiding places. As a hideout, you can incorporate logs, rocks, plants, and driftwoods.

Bettas are aggressive species, they can end up in a fight, and hiding places can control the fights and aggressions as betta needs spaces to escape from other fish.

You can use the following hideouts as hiding places–

Betta Log

Logs are artificial hideouts but look very interesting and realistic.

You can put a log on the substrate of the tank so that the betta can explore and swim in a different place.

You can use a floating log in the tank. It won’t lay on the substrate, but it will float around, and the fish will love to explore it and rest in it.

Centerpiece

You can put a centerpiece in the center of the tank. It looks more prominent and natural.

You can attach some moss to the rhizome of the centerpiece. Make sure to use non-toxic glue lightly and gently. Otherwise, too much super glue can kill the plants.

Driftwood

Driftwood can be used as a decoration in your tank. It is easy to use in small tanks, and you can also break it apart.

Driftwood will give you a natural planted vibe as it doesn’t release any tannins. It is easy to use. Comfortable as well as provide cool little places.

It has lots of hiding places and helps to feel secure with your betta fish. You can quickly go to buy driftwood as it is advisable.

There are two types of driftwood, artificial and natural. Artificial driftwood is better as it doesn’t release any tannins but the natural one releases.

Moss

Moss is an essential hideout for betta fish. You can use moss in various ways in your tank.

You can attach it to the surface of any decorations. You can lay it on driftwood, coconut shell, or on the substrate level of the tank. You can spread it all over the tank.

Moss gives a supernatural vibe, looks attractive, and has a lot of hiding places.

Polyresin cave

Polyresin cave is a traditional hideout that can be safely used in a bigger tank.

Pineapple house

Betta fish will be fond of pineapple house if you put it in your tank.

You can easily clean it as it is safe and durable for betta fish. It has a lot of hiding spots inside it. It can be used as a decoration in your tank. The pineapple house gives a colorful and lively vibe.

Bone white ceramic

You can put white bone ceramic in your tank. It is a non-toxic skull, doesn’t spread dirt in the water, and is safe for your bettas. It does not have any sharp surfaces and edges.

Your betta can take shelter and nap in the white bone ceramic. It is a beautiful and betta-friendly hideout. The bone gives a very natural vibe.

Hideaway pipes

You can choose hideaway pipes and add in the tank water. It will give a unique look.

Attach some moss to the pipes and make it more natural.

Bettas can take a rest for a while in the pipes. They also can hide from the aggression of other bettas.

Where Do Your Betta Fish Like to Hide?

Different betta like different places. Some bettas like caves, some like logs. It varies from betta to betta.

Especially betta like the tranquil location where they can feel safe and secure. They take shelter on different surfaces to hide from other fish and rest.

Bettas are diurnal and prey fish. Diurnal species sleep at night and awake in the daytime. Therefore, they need a calm and secure environment to hide.

How to Clean and Prepare Your Hideouts?

Before putting any hideouts in the tank, you need to wash them. Scrub the decorations with a toothbrush or sponge in the warm tap water, including logs, caves, and other hideouts. Make sure to remove all the dust and chemicals.

After drying out, put it in the tank if there is no oily stuff.

What Will You Look for Before Buying Any Hideouts?

You need to consider some prominent aspects before buying any hideouts.

Style

If you become picky before buying the hideouts, it will increase the beauty of your tank and will add an extra natural layer.

You need to choose the logs or caves according to your need. The size should be appropriate.

If you have a big tank, choose the larger one; if you have a tiny tank, select the small one.

The choice depends on you as you will decorate the tank with it. Therefore, it’s better to choose an aesthetic one.

Safety

You need to be very careful before putting any cave in the tank. First, make sure they don’t have any sharp edges. These sharp edges can harm the fish as the fish enters the caves.

These sharp edges can cause many bacterial diseases, including fin rot which may kill the betta fish. This sharp edge can nip the fins as bettas are explorers.

Make sure to buy the smooth caves or smooth them with sandpaper before putting them in the tank.

Always try to avoid the painted hideouts as they can be faded after putting in the tank and can spread the color chemicals and make the water dirty.

Make sure to check the hideout effectively. It should be durable and easy to maintain.

What Does Fin Rot Prefer?

Fin Rot is a bacterial infection that often occurs in the fish’s tail, fin, and body. Fin Rot disease develops in a fish if its fin or tail is torn, if the water condition is poor, and has a bacterial and parasitic infection.

You can recover it if you change the water frequently and use aquarium salt or medication so that fin rot will recover fast. Fin Rot is terrible for old bettas.

If you don’t recover it, the betta may die from fin rot, so early recovery is needed.

How Can You Decorate Your Tank?

You can decorate your betta tank to give them a happy and long life. You can decide to put plans and hideouts in your tank to decorate it nicely and naturally.

The plants will help keep the water healthier for bettas and give a serene atmosphere.

You can add Brazilian pennywort, java fern, anubias, leaf ludwigia, giant amelia, and pine leaf to your tank to enhance its beauty of the tank.

You can also use artificial plants which are soft, not sharp, and good for bettas.

Conclusion

If you’re still unclear about the best hideout for betta fish, different caves, and its necessity! Then in this article, you can know it–

A hideout is a place where betta fish take rest, take shelter if the fish are scared, and control their aggression.
It enhances the natural beauty of the tank and protects the fish from any disaster.
Make sure to avoid hideouts with sharp edges.

Now you know which hideouts can be used in the betta tank and how to use it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do Your Betta Fish Like Hideouts?

Yes, betta fish likes hideouts. They prefer to live alone. But if they live with other bettas, they may fight. That time betta needs hiding places to save them from other bettas.

Betta also uses hideouts to explore and take shelter in it.

What Kind of Decor Do Betta Fish Like?

Betta always prefers colorful and decorated tanks to live. You can add different plants, hideouts, and balls to the tank to enhance its beauty of the tank.

These decorations will stimulate the betta fish and help to boost its health.

Make sure that any decoration stuff is not harmful to your betta fish.

Do Your Bettas Like Leaf Hammocks?

Yes, betta likes hammocks, and they prefer them like a magnet. Bettas love to spend and enjoy their time on the surface of the hammocks.

Are Mirrors Good for Your Bettas?

You can add mirrors in the betta tank. They will love it. But if you use it excessively, it can develop stress within betta as they see their reflection. So, you need to be aware of it.

How Do You Keep My Betta From Getting Bored?

At first, you need to put your betta in a big tank so they can get enough space to explore.

You can add some live plants to the tank to make the tank look more natural.

Put floating logs, set the tank beside a TV, add some friendly tankmates, and give a balanced diet so that the betta won’t get bored quickly.

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