Who Gives A Fish Forums

One more thing, rinse any new substrate thoroughly. Cloudy water freaks them out. I learned that the hard way when my girl hid for days after a substrate change.

I've used smooth river pebbles for years with no issues. They're gentle on fins and come in natural colors. Avoid bright red or blue gravel, it can stress them out. My bettas seem way more chill with neutral tones.


I totally agree. Darker substrates also make their colors pop. I use black sand ...

I was browsing through videos and came across this setup - http/www.youtube.com/watch?v=UtQLO8J8tfw. It's pretty impressive. Something like that would be great.