Diy Betta Hammock

[Alexarium]

Well, I had this idea...

1. Cut a piece of PVC tube (5.5cm diameter, 8cm length - but you can do whatever size you want really)
2. Sand the edges, but also sand the surface (external and internal) as well
3. Make two small holes at the top of the tube
4. Add some fishing line to create a loop
5. "Dress" the tube with an aquatic plant so that it looks natural
6. Hang the tube on a suction cup
7. Put it in your tank
8. Congratulate yourself
9. Enjoy a happy betta

So far I've done steps 1 and 2.
 

 
I tried the tube in the water and it is not floating. Just mentioning that if anyone's wondering.
 
I am trying to find a proper plant for this. I'd like to cover the tube externally with it so that I get a floating plant/nest effect which would look natural and hide the white of the tube. I'm also looking to create a plant based "mattress" for the betta inside the tube, so I'd like to cover the tube internally as well. What I don't know is what type of plant I could use. Mind you that the plant will be very close to the tank's light (11 Watts in an AquaNano 40 tank).
 
My first thought was to use some Crystalwort (Riccia fluitans).
 
What would your choice of plant be?

 

[Blondielovesfish]

Java moss might work, I'm not sure if it would grow inside the tube though because of the lack of light it would have.
 
Its looking good, I've seen a few of these around but wasn't sure how to make them. I look forward to seeing your progress!

 

[SamB]

Why're you sanding the internal and external parts?

 

[Betta_Shark5678]

Seems like a cool project.  I'd love to see how it comes out.  Maybe my Betta would like something like this!

 

[Alexarium]

@SamB
 
I thought that would help the plant "stick" better to the surface of the tube

 

[SamB]

Ah, I see. I guess the only concern there is that if it's too rough, it might catch the betta's fins and rip them

 

[Alexarium]

Yes. well, that as well...

 

[Jbram]

What about Flame moss or xmas moss?  flame would look cool if the tube was in the middle of the tank and the moss could reach up towards the light.  Hmmmm I may have to steal the idea.

 

[RCA]

I did something similar with Bob's tank.  
Search Wildbettas posts as she has also done similar and covered them in plants, so will give you further ideas.
Look forward to seeing the images as your project evolves.

 

[Alexarium]

@RCA
 
First of all sorry for your loss. Bob was a happy fish and I wish all Bettas had the same care.
 
The problem with the pvc pipe is that it looks... ugly. Especially when you have a planted tank with dark decoration, as then the white pvc just says "hi, I'm ugly and I'm here". Not good.
 
Some 3 days ago I tried cutting a coconut to make a cave. It all went well, but then your post came in and gave me a new idea:
 
Put the coconut cave upside down, attach fishing line to four points and connect it to one or two suction cups to the glass ceiling of the tank.
I think it will work, the only thing I need to sort out is how big it will be as, for a cave it's fine, but for a hammock it is huge, so I'll need to cut it off a bit.
 
When I get the time, I will do it and post some photos.