{"product_id":"zoo-med-betta-bed-leaf-hammock","title":"Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA place to rest just below the surface, where bettas actually sleep.\u003c\/strong\u003e The Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock is a broad artificial leaf on a suction cup that fixes to the aquarium glass at whatever height you choose. Zoo Med's point is simple: it lets a betta rest near the surface of the water just as it does in nature. This listing is the standard size, Zoo Med item BL-20.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBettas breathe air. The labyrinth organ behind their gills means they surface regularly, so a fish with nothing to rest on near the top spends its day either hovering or lying on the substrate a long swim from where it needs to be.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eKey features\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eMounts wherever you want it\u003c\/strong\u003e — the suction cup fixes to the glass at a height you choose, so you can set it to suit the individual fish rather than accept a preset position.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSuction cup supplied\u003c\/strong\u003e — nothing else to buy, and no clip that needs a particular rim thickness to work.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBroad leaf shape\u003c\/strong\u003e — wide enough for a betta to settle across rather than balance on, which is the difference between a resting spot and an ornament.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eSits above the substrate\u003c\/strong\u003e — keeps a resting fish up in the water column, close to the air it needs.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNothing to power or service\u003c\/strong\u003e — no cord, no battery, no consumable.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTwo sizes in the Zoo Med range\u003c\/strong\u003e — BL-20 standard, which is this one, and a larger BL-21.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSpecifications\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eProduct\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBetta Bed Leaf Hammock, standard\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eZoo Med item number\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBL-20\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eAlso made in\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBL-21, large\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eMounting\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuction cup to aquarium glass, cup included\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eMounting height\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSet by you, fixed once placed\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eWater type\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFreshwater\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePower required\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNone\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhich betta resting spot do I need?\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoo Med makes two resting products for bettas and they solve the same problem differently. The deciding factor is whether your water level stays put.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ctable\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eProduct\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHow it sits\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDepth below surface\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eFollows the water level\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eZoo Med item\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eBetta Bed Leaf Hammock\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSuction cup, fixed to the glass\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eWhatever height you set\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eNo — you re-set it\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBL-20\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003e\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zoo-med-betta-floating-lounge\"\u003eBetta Floating Lounge\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFloats freely\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSame distance from the surface at all times\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eYes, automatically\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eBL-40\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe hammock is the right call when you want to place the resting spot deliberately — tucked behind a plant, out of the filter's flow, or at a particular corner your fish already favours. A floating lounge goes where the current takes it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt is the wrong call in a small open bowl in summer, where evaporation drops the water level a centimetre or two in a week and a fixed leaf ends up sitting in air or too deep to be useful. In that setup the floating version does the adjusting for you.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSetting it up\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eClean the glass where the cup will go. Suction cups fail on algae film more often than they fail on their own.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePlace the leaf a few centimetres below the water line, not right at it. A betta wants to rest close to the surface and take a breath without a real swim, but a leaf breaking the surface just collects debris.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eKeep it out of the direct outflow of a filter. A resting spot in a current is not a resting spot.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen leave the fish alone. Some bettas adopt a hammock within an hour, some ignore it for a fortnight, and a few never use it at all. That is individual temperament, not a fault in the product.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eSuitable for, and not suitable for\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSuitable for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBetta tanks with flat glass sides and a stable water level\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eKeepers who want to choose exactly where the resting spot goes\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTaller tanks where a betta would otherwise settle on the substrate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAdding cover near the surface alongside floating plants\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eNot suitable for\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCurved bowls and textured or frosted glass, where a suction cup will not seal reliably\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eOpen bowls that drop a noticeable amount of water to evaporation between top-ups\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eTanks with strong flow across the glass\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAnyone expecting every betta to use it. Some will not.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWhat Zoo Med does not publish\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoo Med publishes the item numbers, the two sizes and the suction cup fitting for the Betta Bed, but does not publish the leaf's material or its dimensions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe are not going to estimate either. A leaf width printed as a specification is the sort of number people order a tank around, and a guessed one is worse than no number at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf exact dimensions matter for your setup, ask us before ordering and we will measure one from stock.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCare and maintenance\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eRe-seat the suction cup every water change. Cups relax over weeks, and a hammock found on the substrate has usually slipped rather than been knocked off.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWipe algae off the leaf when you clean the glass. A broad flat surface near the light is exactly where a film builds.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNever clean it with detergent. Rinse in tank water or under plain tap water and put it back.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCheck the cup for splits after a year or two in warm water. Suction cups perish long before the leaf does.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eGoes well with\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zoo-med-betta-floating-lounge\"\u003eZoo Med Betta Floating Lounge\u003c\/a\u003e — the floating alternative, and worth reading if your water level moves.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zoo-med-betta-plant-bamboo\"\u003eZoo Med Betta Plant Bamboo\u003c\/a\u003e — vertical cover to go with the horizontal resting spot. Bettas use both differently.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zoo-med-betta-play-tube\"\u003eZoo Med Betta Play Tube\u003c\/a\u003e — enclosed cover down low, for a fish that wants somewhere to hide as well as somewhere to rest.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/products\/zoo-med-bettatherm-betta-heater\"\u003eZoo Med BettaTherm Betta Heater\u003c\/a\u003e — a betta that rests on the substrate is often a cold betta, not just a tired one. Worth ruling out first.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003ca href=\"\/collections\/zoo-med\"\u003eBrowse the full Zoo Med range\u003c\/a\u003e for the rest of the betta line.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eWarranty and delivery\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoo Med publishes no warranty term for this item and we will not quote one. Your rights under the Australian Consumer Law apply in full and are not limited by anything on this page.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSmall, light and unbreakable in transit. Ships as standard freight.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eCommon questions\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWhy do bettas need a leaf hammock?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBettas have a labyrinth organ that lets them breathe air at the water surface, and in the wild they rest among vegetation near the top of shallow, densely planted water. A tank with no structure near the surface leaves a betta either hovering to hold position or lying on the substrate. A leaf hammock gives it somewhere to settle within easy reach of air.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eHow high should I mount the Betta Bed?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA few centimetres below the water line works well — close enough that the fish reaches the surface in a flick, deep enough that the leaf is not breaking the surface and collecting debris. Keep it out of the filter outflow, and remember that the height is fixed once the cup is set, so you will need to move it as the water level changes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eMy betta ignores the hammock. Is something wrong?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUsually not. Bettas are individuals and adoption varies from within the hour to never. Before assuming the fish is uninterested, check the leaf is not sitting in the filter current, is not right at the surface, and that the tank is warm enough — a betta resting listlessly on the substrate is often a temperature problem rather than a furniture problem.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWill the suction cup hold on a curved betta bowl?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNot reliably. Suction cups need a flat, smooth, clean surface to seal against, so curved bowls, textured glass and frosted panels all cause trouble. If your betta lives in a round bowl, the Betta Floating Lounge is the better choice because it floats and needs no mounting surface at all.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch4\u003eWhat size is the Zoo Med Betta Bed?\u003c\/h4\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eZoo Med sells the Betta Bed in two sizes, item BL-20 standard and item BL-21 large, but does not publish dimensions for either. This listing is the standard BL-20. We would rather tell you the figure is unpublished than print an estimate; if the exact size matters, ask and we will measure one from stock.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"ZooMed","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":55293329735971,"sku":"ZM360","price":8.95,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0972\/7236\/5347\/files\/zoo-med-betta-bed-leaf-hammo-43875827679523.webp?v=1790237147","url":"https:\/\/nicksaquariumoceanariumterrarium.com.au\/products\/zoo-med-betta-bed-leaf-hammock","provider":"Nicks AOT","version":"1.0","type":"link"}