Wondering how to find the best fish toys to keep your fish happy?
Betta fish are classified as naturally active types of fish, since they’re known to constantly keep swimming and interacting with the environment around them. But as you can imagine, keeping them alone inside of an aquarium don’t exactly describe the best type of tank conditions for them. They tend to get bored and don’t swim around, which can lead to unhealthy habits due to laziness.
Because of that, you’ll want to consider purchasing some toys for your Betta fish, since this can help to increase their activity. By having certain toys around them in their tank, they’ll be further motivated to move around and remain active, happy, and in good health. But it can be difficult to decide which toys would be best for your specific Betta fish, since most people aren’t aware that fish can interact and benefit from having toys in their tank.
Because of that, I’ve created this complete guide for you that contains some information that you may find helpful while you’re browsing the market for Betta fish toys. Not only that, but I’ve also listed and reviewed five of the best betta fish toys that I’ve found successful in keeping my own Betta fish active and interactive.
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Advantages of Having Fish Toys for Bettas
Improves health of betta fish with toys
Since having toys is able to increase the interaction and level of activity that your fish engage in, they can improve the condition of health that your fish have. Having lazy fish that simply don’t swim around or interact with others around them can be dangerously problematic, since they’re susceptible to gaining weight and can develop various different healthy issues because of it. Having toys will encourage them to remain active throughout the day, thus increasing their health condition.
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Increases happiness
Contrary to the popular belief, fish have the ability to have fun and enjoy certain things. Even though they don’t necessary show a smile on their face while doing do, Betta fish are able to enjoy and have fun while playing with toys that they have in their tank. This is important especially if you have only one Betta fish secluded inside of the tank alone, since it can make them feel less lonely.
Training possibilities by using toys for betta fish
Betta fish are actually classified as one of the smarter species of fish, so having toys installed in their tank can help them increase their tameness. You may even have the ability to start training them. For instance, they may react to certain things that you can do, and then you can reward them for acting in certain ways. This gives you the ability to create a closer bond with your fish, which can also decrease their loneliness and make them happier overall.
Features to Consider Before Purchasing Toys for your Betta Fish
Safety
One of the most important factors that you should consider before purchasing any toys for your Betta fish is how safe the toy is to place in the tank. You don’t want any toys that have sharp edges, since this increases the possibility of them getting cut and developing an injury that may become serious as a result. Not only that, but you’ll also want to avoid toys that have holes a certain size, since this increases their chances of getting stuck trying to swim through the hole or gap in the toy.
Furthermore, make sure there aren’t any small parts of the toys that have the chance of disconnecting with the toy and dispersing into the water, since this creates the possibility of your fish swallowing it and suffocating or choking.
Installation of betta fish toys
You should also consider how easy the toys are to install inside of the aquarium, since you don’t want a toy that’s difficult to install. You’ll probably clean your aquarium once every few weeks, so having to remove and install a toy that’s difficult to do so would be irritating and frustrating to have. Because of that, you’ll want a toy that can simply be put into your tank without requiring any extra measures.
Size
It’s also important that you consider how large or small your specific Betta toys are, since you won’t want to overcrowd your tank with toys. Having too many decorations, plants, or toys in your aquarium can stress your Betta fish out, and that can even lead to sickness or death. Not only that, but having too large of toys in the tank can also stress them out, so you should limit the amount of the toys you put in as well as the size of the toys. Considering what size your overall aquarium is can be helpful for this, since bigger tanks obviously have more space for toys than smaller Betta tanks.
Material
Lastly, you should consider what type of material each fish toy is produce from, since this will ultimately determine how easy the toy is to clean. When you’re ready to clean the water in your tank, you’ll most likely remove all of the other decorations inside of the tank, including the toys. And you’ll also probably clean off those toys. Because of that, you’ll want to place toys with materials that are easy to clean inside of your Betta tank.
If you have toys that are more difficult to clean and you don’t clean them properly often, then you may risk the health of not only your Betta fish but of your plants and other tank organisms as well. Given that, make sure that the toys you install in the tank can easily be cleaned every time that you clean the other decorations and items inside of your tank.
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Here’s Our List of Best Betta Fish Toys
1. SunGrow Sunken Wreck Aquarium Decor
You’re highly recommended to check out this sunken wreck aquarium decor as a Betta toy because it’s able to act as a decoration as well as a toy for them to interact with. These decorations don’t require any assembly and they’re extremely easy to install into your aquarium, since they simply have to be placed into the tank. Not only that, but they’re produced with a durable and stable rock material, so they can easily be cleaned in order to ensure that your Betta’s tank is in healthy condition.
Moreover, this sunken wreck decoration includes two separate statues that give your Betta fish two places that they can swim into and hide from each other. Even if you on’t have one Betta fish, they can effectively play with these decorations by swimming and interacting with the fans on the statues by themselves.
Pros:
- Affordable
- Includes two statues for interaction with multiple Betta fish
- Acts as Betta toys as well as decorations
Cons:
- Aren’t as interactive as other toys, since they don’t move throughout the water
2. Zoo Med Floating Betta Log
This Zoo Med Floating Betta Log is highly suggested for you to check out because it’s able to show a natural look inside of your aquarium. Given that, it doesn’t take away from the natural beauty appearance that you’re likely trying to accomplish with your fish tank.
Not only that, but this Betta toy is beneficial because it allows your fish to interact in various ways with the log, since they can sleep in between the log, play with it by swimming inside of it, and they can even nest in it if the conditions are right. This log is even recommended if you want to personally interact with your Betta, since it contains a hole in its top that can be used for feeding your Betta fish while they’re inside of it.
Pros:
- Offers various forms of interaction
- Allows for personal interaction from you
- Affordable
Cons:
- Not the easiest decoration to clean
3. Luffy Marimo Live Plants Play Toys for Fish
You’re advised to consider purchasing these Betta fish balls because they’re classified as live plants in the form of small balls. Because of that, they can deliver not only the benefits of your fish receiving more activity, but they can deliver more beneficial effects to the overall water condition of your tank.
More specifically, these live plants can offer additional filtration methods for your aquarium water. Not only that, but they can make your aquarium appear more natural than an artificial Betta toy. Lastly, these live plants are easy to maintain, since they require no special lighting conditions and they don’t require that you remove and clean them every time that you clean the fish tank.
Pros:
- Benefits your fish’s boredom as well as the water condition
- Adds natural beauty to the tank
- Available in various-sized packs
Cons:
- May be difficult to retrieve if they roll in between the plants or other decorations
4. Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock
This Zoo Med Leaf Hammock is recommended for your Betta fish tank, since it offers a natural and realistic appearance to your tank. Since this hammock is able to directly resemble a leaf, it can hardly be recognized apart from the rest of the tank’s plants, so it doesn’t take away from the natural appearance of your tank overall.
Furthermore, this leaf hammock can be easily attached to the side of the tank, since it can attach by using the suction cup end on the toy.
Pros:
- Available in a pack of 2, 4, or 6
- Promotes to the natural appearance of the aquarium
- Can easily attach to the side of the tank
Cons:
- Doesn’t allow Bettas to be too interactive with the leaf
5. R2 Solutions Fish School Complete Training Kit
Lastly, you should consider purchasing this product from R2 Solutions because it’s classified as a kit that can help to train your Betta fish. More specifically, this fish training kit includes a 45-minutes DVD that can help you learn how to teach your fish to do certain tricks by using the kit. Not only that, but this product comes with a manual that has over 100 photos as well as some training tips.
Furthermore, this fish training kit comes with a targeted feeding wand that can reward your fish with food every time that they do a certain trick. The actual traingin kit itself includes an R2 Fish School Training Field as well as a compact base.
Pros:
- Has the ability to train your fish and make them more tame
- Allows you to create a closer bond with your fish
- Contains a manual, photos, and a DVD for instructions
Cons:
- More expensive than most of the other Betta toys
Conclusion
Overall, each of these Betta toys are able to offer your Betta fish with the entertainment and mobility that they need in order to remain in a healthy state. They’re especially beneficial for your Betta fish if you only have one of them in a tank by itself, which is common due to their aggressiveness when males are placed together. Each of these toys are able to give your Betta fish the activity that they need to be happy and interact with the environment around them.
Since it can still be difficult to choose which types of toys to purchase for your Betta fish even after reviewing this guide, the one that I most recommend for you to purchase is product #3: Luffy Marimo Live Plants Play Toys for Fish. This product is not only able to keep your Betta fish active and occupied, but they also have the ability to provide your tank with benefits, since the moss balls are live plants that filter and release nutrients into the water.
Not only that, but these moss ball toys are able to come in a packs of multiple different large and nano balls. They’re also easy to maintain, since they don’t require any special lighting sources. Given these benefits, you’re most recommended to purchase the Luffy Marimo Live Plants Play Toys for Fish on the market.
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