Lily Vase Series

8. Betta Vase for Betta
By: Crystal, Healthy Betta

Now that you have read the entire lily vase article series and want to help make a home for your betta, I am prepared to tell you about a lily vase setup that is great for betta. Only I guess I cannot say it's a lily vase setup - it's a vase setup.

First, concentrate on the vase/container. Walmart has some nice 1 gallon round goldfish bowls for around 3 dollars. These would work great. If you are more willing to spend money or search for it, a large glass vase works fantastic and there are some very unique shapes. I have DOS in a 2.5 gallon glass vase I got from dumpster diving (odd hobby, I know!). Make sure you wash any container you get with hot water. If you have a dishwasher with a heat dry setting, use it. Don't put soap in though - just wash it in hot water.

Now the container is set. For the bottom you can use any aquarium rock or glass pellets. Again, make sure you rinse them with hot water before using them.
As for water, always use conditioned tap water. Age the water appropriately. When filling your container, make sure to leave at least one inch at the top. Bettas can jump!

Now, in order to prevent the whole rotting root issue, use a nice silk plant. Buy one that will not stick out of the water at the top. Before you purchase it, do the pantyhose test. If the edges of ANYTHING you put in the water can snag a pair of pantyhose, don't buy it! This applies to plants and any decorations you might use. Silk plants are soft and will not snag pantyhose, therefore they will not tear the bettas fins.

Bettas do like to hide away. If you have room in your container, buy a small hidey hole. There are even plastic rock setups with silk plants attached that you can purchase for under 10 dollars.

The actual setup is complete beyond the fish and food. Over all, you can spend just under 25 US dollars to set up a betta in a safe and healthy container. Below, find a table that totals the average items needed for your betta (prices rounded up).

Something that adds a nice touch to any setup and also helps prevent the betta from jumping is to buy a floating lily flower. It is silk and can be found in many colors. It adds a nice topper to the tank but allows the surface area around the floating decoration to be free for the betta to breathe.

They cost around 2 dollars for a small one and can be found at your local fish store and in many cases, a local pet store. This is not a necessity and is not listed above but I guarantee you'll get more compliments on that one decoration than anything else. I do!

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