Candy

Ye I have the marimo ball (kinda hard to see in the pic), the castle thingy actually has a large opening to one side so he can hide. I'd try a planted aquarium but currently I just have these stringy plants that look like pipe cleaners which do nothing but shed leaves and float around the filter which is annoying. I'm taking a trip to the pet shop on the weekend though so if I find some nice plant I'll get it  I'd rather not get floating plants tho because they might get in the way for the fish to come up for air.

Yeah that's what I mean with how it could be complicated with the surface being so small - everything would end up covered very fast haha.

If you're currently not equipped to deal with live plants you could always look into silk plants? The main purpose would be to make sure the fish has plenty of cover (they ideally should have the ability to hide from your sight completely).

Real plants come with their own set of advantages, but as far as creating a safe-feeling environment goes, silks do the trick^^ (Heard it's best to stay clear of the unnaturally colourful ones, though. And make sure they're aquarium-safe, no sharp edges etc that the fish could hurt itself on.)

Hope I'm not being annoying about this or anything, aha. Just throwing in suggestions while you're upgrading your fishy's home~

No problemo fam, I'm just an amateur who has been reading about bettas extensively so any good advice is welcome in my book~ I'll look into silk plants when I go to the pet shop, I think it'll be an easier starting point for me rather than having to worry about both betta and plant health lol