White openwork floating hide at the surface of a planted aquarium with a red betta resting inside it, driftwood, plants and small red shrimp below

Betta Fish Tank Setup: Hides and a Resting Spot at the Top

5 min read Updated October 4, 2026 By Kahaus · printed in Poland

In short

Bettas like to rest just below the surface, so give them a spot up there: a broad leaf, floating plants or a floating betta hammock.
Hides and dense planting lower down give the fish, and any shrimp, places to retreat. Every edge should be smooth enough not to snag long fins.
Water values, heater and filter: ask your aquarium shop or a vet who treats fish. This guide covers the layout only.

A good betta fish tank setup is less about gadgets and more about places: somewhere to rest near the top, somewhere to hide lower down, and nothing that tears long fins. A betta hammock is one easy way to add that first place, and it is the reason we print one.

We print our aquarium hide ourselves in Poland. This guide mixes general aquarium know-how with what we can honestly say about our own piece. For water values, temperature and filtration we give no numbers: your aquarium shop or a vet who treats fish will set them for your tank.

How a betta uses its tank

Bettas are labyrinth fish: besides breathing through their gills, they take gulps of air at the surface. That is one reason many of them like to rest near the top, often on a leaf close to the waterline. So leave part of the surface open and give the fish a resting place near it.

Long fins are the other half of the story. They make bettas prefer gentle flow, and they tear easily on rough edges. A simple check for anything that goes into the tank: pull a nylon stocking over it. If it snags, it can snag a fin too.

A betta hammock at the surface: our floating hide

Our Betta Hammock & Shrimp Cave is a floating hide that rests near the surface. Its top works as a hammock-style resting spot for the betta, and the underside forms a cave, a hiding place for shrimp and other small tank mates.

White openwork dome-shaped floating hide in the water beside a goldfish, with the four colour options shown below — Our floating hide, 10 cm across, here in white. It also comes in black, gold and sakura pink. See the product →

The facts, straight from the product page: it is 3D printed from PETG filament, measures 53 × 100 × 100 mm and weighs 24 g, so it suits nano tanks as well as larger freshwater setups. It comes in black, gold, sakura pink and white, and each piece is printed individually once your order comes in.

We do not promise that every betta will adopt it. Some move in on day one, others keep preferring a leaf. Rinse it in plain water without soap, as you would any new decoration, put it where your fish likes to hang out and give it a few days. Unsure about a material in your setup? Ask your aquarium shop.

Hides and resting spots compared

A hammock is one option, not the whole setup. Here are the main places a betta can rest or hide.

Place	What it gives the betta	What to check
Floating hammock or hide	A resting spot right under the surface	Calm spot, open surface next to it
Broad-leaved plant near the top	A natural "leaf hammock"	The leaf should reach close to the waterline
Floating plants	Shade and cover at the top	Do not let them cover the whole surface
Cave or hide on the bottom	A place to get out of sight	A smooth entrance, no sharp edges
Driftwood and dense planting	Visual barriers and places to explore	Do the stocking test on rough wood

Betta and shrimp in one tank: a shrimp hide

Many keepers put shrimp in with a betta, and it can work, but it depends on the individual fish. Some bettas ignore shrimp, others hunt them. That is why shrimp need places to retreat: dense plants, moss, wood and hides where a betta cannot easily follow.

The underside of our floating hide is designed as a shrimp cave and a hiding place for small tank mates. It does not replace dense planting; it adds one more refuge. Whether the species suit your tank is a question for your aquarium shop, which can see your setup.

Around the tank: shelf and cabinet

The cabinet under a tank fills up fast: a food tin, a net, a test kit. An oval fluted tray, 19.7 × 12.3 cm, gives them one fixed spot. For a houseplant beside the tank, our plant pot with saucer has a drainage hole and a twist-lock saucer, 10.7 cm high.

Beige ribbed plant pot with saucer, with the available colours shown below — Plant pot with saucer, 10.7 cm high. See the product →

Beige oval fluted tray on a light oak console in a bright hallway — Oval fluted tray, 19.7 × 12.3 cm. See the product →

Fans of water creatures may like our flexi axolotl, a 25 cm articulated figure printed in one piece. More shelf ideas are in our guide to housewarming gifts and decor and in the home decor collection.

Articulated axolotl figure in red, yellow and green colour-shift silk, one held in a hand — Flexi axolotl, 25 cm: for the shelf, not for the tank. See the product →

The tray, the plant pot and the axolotl figure are printed from PLA and are decorations for the room, not for the aquarium, so keep them out of the water. The axolotl figure is not suitable for children under 14.

Setting up the resting zone step by step

Pick the resting area: usually a calm corner away from the filter outlet.
Rinse any new decoration in plain water, without soap or detergent.
Add the hammock or floating hide and leave open surface around it.
Plant densely lower down and add a cave or wood for hiding.
Watch for a few days. If a fin shows a tear, check every edge in the tank again.

See our practical home range, including the floating betta hide

Questions about betta hammocks

Do bettas really use a hammock?

Many bettas like to rest near the surface, and a hammock gives them a spot there. Not every fish takes to it, so place it where yours likes to stay and give it time.