Mrs lurch welcomes a new betta

[Lurcher]

….it’s wrapping up the last remnants of her ill-fated “endler world domination” escapade that's been unfolding for the past 3 years or so.

He's a stunning chap, isn't he? His setup's got all the bells and whistles: wide-leafed live plants for lounging, RO water, and a varied diet of live, frozen, and crushed flake food soaked to perfection. Now, I'm wondering if he needs any of the following additions to his life of luxury:
1. A cave or tunnel to call his own?
2. A flat rock for low-level lounging?
3. A hammock-type contraption stuck to the side of the tank?

As a cautionary tale, I'll recap the events that led to this point: She decided to set up a tank by her home office desk, opting for four male endlers that fit our water parameters and were easily distinguishable for naming purposes. Things went smoothly for a few months until she decided (against my advice) that they needed some female companionship.
She brought home four female endlers, which were initially quarantined. The next morning, we had around 12 baby fish on our hands. It turned out the females already had boyfriends. The following morning, another 6 or 8 babies appeared. This continued for about a week, if I recall correctly. We ended up setting up another identical tank for the females at the other end of her desk. The original QT tank was repurposed for the babies. Those that survived were rehomed to our local specialist aquarist shop. Later, a beautiful male "blue boy" (light blue and grey with long fins) was added to the girls' tank for a, shall we say, "interesting" weekend. As expected, chaos ensued. In the end, we had 227 babies. 227. *Deep sigh.*

[kingrise]

….it’s wrapping up the last remnants of her ill-fated “endler world domination” escapade that's been unfolding for the past 3 years or so.

He's a stunning chap, isn't he? His setup's got all the bells and whistles: wide-leafed live plants for lounging, RO water, and a varied diet of live, frozen, and crushed flake food soaked to perfection. Now, I'm wondering if he needs any of the following additions to his life of luxury:
1. A cave or tunnel to call his own?
2. A flat rock for low-level lounging?
3. A hammock-type contraption stuck to the side of the tank?

As a cautionary tale, I'll recap the events that led to this point: She decided to set up a tank by her home office desk, opting for four male endlers that fit our water parameters and were easily distinguishable for naming purposes. Things went smoothly for a few months until she decided (against my advice) that they needed some female companionship.
She brought home four female endlers, which were initially quarantined. The next morning, we had around 12 baby fish on our hands. It turned out the females already had boyfriends. The following morning, another 6 or 8 babies appeared. This continued for about a week, if I recall correctly. We ended up setting up another identical tank for the females at the other end of her desk. The original QT tank was repurposed for the babies. Those that survived were rehomed to our local specialist aquarist shop. Later, a beautiful male "blue boy" (light blue and grey with long fins) was added to the girls' tank for a, shall we say, "interesting" weekend. As expected, chaos ensued. In the end, we had 227 babies. 227. *Deep sigh.*

my bettas always seemed to prefer resting on soft, live plants. anubis, anacharis, and water sprite were particular favourites of theirs.

[BadgersSong]

Our bettas haven't been big on lounging around, but they love to explore their surroundings. They're slow movers, yet surprisingly active and intelligent, always interacting with their environment and going wild for live foods. Give them plenty of space, plants, and wood to discover, and mix things up every month or so to keep boredom at bay. And trust me, throw in some live scuds every now and then – it's hilarious to watch them turn into little predators.

[Snout]

Our betta was a surface dweller, always resting and sleeping under floating plants like salvinia - he completely ignored the fake hammock. He loved to explore, roaming through the live plants and making the most of his surroundings. Given their need to be near the surface to breathe, I think additions like tunnels or large pebbles at the tank base might not hold much interest for them.