Botanicals for the Aquarium & Vivarium
Sustainably sourced natural leaf litter, seed pods, bark, and water conditioners in compostable packaging, curated for the botanical method, blackwater, and biotope aquarium, and bioactive vivarium.
Jungle Pods | Sterculia Foetida
NEW! Texas Live Oak Bark | Quercus fusiformis
Biome Builder - Fuel Your Ecosystem
Founded in 2021 to reconnect you with nature.
Our mission is to sustainably source aquatic botanicals, leaf litter, and seed pods for aquariums, vivariums, and paludariums. Our products are designed to help you build natural habitats like streambeds for corydoras, forest floors for dart frogs, and blackwater biotopes for bettas.
Ecosystems. Sustainability. Inclusion.
Uncover a New Shade
Before Betta Tea
After Betta Tea
Betta Tea™ | Natural Blackwater Tannin Replenishment
Betta Botanicals curated Betta Tea™ in the Spring of 2021 to solve the issue of re-tinting a blackwater, biotope, and botanical method aquarium. We went beyond just brewed tea in the aquarium - we curated a thoughtful blend of pure and natural botanicals native to your fish's habitat that we feel does a better job than conventional teas.
Build Your Ecosystem
Explore botanicals in situ by hovering over the colored dots.
Ben's Aquarium Blog
Go beneath the leaves with our guest blog posts, personal stories, and aquatic guides that help you recreate natural habitats.
OCTANE Accurate Habitat Replication for the Blackwater Aquarium
Crude oil. Microplastics. Deforestation. If you want your aquarium to reflect the actual rhythms of nature and its most biodiverse ecosystems, nothing is more current. OCTANE drops today.
(April Fools. The pollution isn't.)
Read moreabout OCTANE Accurate Habitat Replication for the Blackwater Aquarium
Betta Hendra: A Comprehensive Care and Habitat Guide
To keep Betta hendra is to preserve a fragment of a vanishing world; a living story written in tannin-stained waters and fragile ecosystems. These fish carry within them the memory of Borneo’s disappearing swamps, a reminder of everything that’s at risk beyond the glass. Their survival depends on more than the forests they come from; it depends on us, on the choices we make, the care we give, and the respect we show for the wild they represent.
Read moreabout Betta Hendra: A Comprehensive Care and Habitat Guide
Getting Dirty, A Guide to Creating a Dirted Botanical Method Aquarium
Dirted tanks meet the botanical methods in this deep dive into one of the most naturalistic aquarium setups out there. Learn how nutrient-rich soil and functional botanicals work together to fuel plant growth, foster microbial ecosystems, and recreate natural aquatic habitats—no CO₂ required. Whether you’re a seasoned aquarist or curious beginner, this guide will get your hands dirty—in the best way possible.
Read moreabout Getting Dirty, A Guide to Creating a Dirted Botanical Method Aquarium