How to Decorate Your Fish Tank (Tips and Tricks!)
Decorating your fish tank is the part that almost everybody looks forward to when setting up an aquarium. It’s your chance to be creative but surprisingly many people actually end up making mistakes during this stage of the process.
This article will go through some tips and tricks to help you make your fish tank a comfortable living environment for your fish and help make your tank more visually interesting to the eye. As well as give some general information and tips for the decorating process.
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Work From The Bottom Up
The first thing you need to do is decide on what substrate you are going to use. (It will be much harder to decorate if you don’t add in substrate first.) *Make sure you clean everything that is going in the tank!!
Think about the fish you are getting; Do they need a sandy bottom, a rocky bottom, a bottom made of pebbles? Some fish such as eels need a sandy bottom because they tend to spend most of their time at the bottom of the tank (If you used rocks with them you could risk injuries which is why it’s important to research your fish) — If you’re fish doesn’t require a specific kind of substrate feel free to choose what substrate you like the best.
After you have put your substrate in the enclosure, you can begin to add plants and accessories!
Use a Plate to Fill Tank With Water
If you’ve ever been frustrated from your substrate flying everywhere while pouring in the water inside, this tip is for you. After putting in the substrate, try placing a plate/bowl inside the tank. Then, position the water stream so that it hits the plate instead of directly onto the substrate. This will cause less disturbances to the substrate.
After you are done pouring the water to about halfway up the tank or until the water is high enough to not cause many disturbances, take the plate/bowl out. Then, you can begin placing plants and any other accessories you may have.
Don’t Overcrowd The Bottom Of The Tank
With all the decorations to choose from, it can be hard not to overcrowd the bottom of your tank. This is one of the biggest mistakes people make in the decorating process. Overcrowding will just make maintenance harder and can even make your tank look a bit messy.
Tips?
- Measure Your Tank – If you measure your tank you will know exactly how much room you have for decorations so you’ll be able to decide if you can really fit the accessory you were wanting.
- Keep in mind what you already have – this will hopefully stop you from going to overboard with buying new decorations as you will be able to actually see how much more room you really have.
- Visualize exactly how you want your aquarium to look – visualizing will allow you to decide exactly how you want your tank to look and helps you not overcrowd the tank.
That being said, fish, like other animals should have enrichment so it’s recommended that you put a few obstacles they have to swim around (if they are smaller fish). Just make sure you’re not adding TOO much.
Try To Avoid Adding Things Not Designed For Fish
It can be very tempting to add things that are not designed for fish tanks, however, many items can actually cause problems and injuries to your fish.
Things that are dangerous/not recommended for fish tanks…
- Copper
- Ceramics (unless its advertised to fish)
- Concrete
- Shells and coral
- Wood (unless it was purchased at a pet store and has been pretreated)
- Rocks (unless it’s designed for fish)
- Glass (depends if there are sharp edges or not)
- Anything painted
- Anything with sharp edges
Add a Few Extra Places To Hide
*This tip is more targeted towards smaller sized fish*
Hiding is a natural instinct that most fish have. If you provide more hiding places for your fish, they will feel more comfortable and secure. If you have a shy fish, extra hiding places can even boost their confidence and make them explore more. Adding extra plants, driftwood, rocks, caves, tunnels, and structures can actually be beneficial to the tank. Just make sure you don’t overcrowd!
Know Your Fish
This may seem a bit obvious but not everybody actually researches the species of fish that they are purchasing. It is actually a very important thing to know while decorating. If you plan to keep larger fish that like to feed on the bottom of the aquarium, you will need to make sure you decorate accordingly (ex: you’d need to provide a fine substrate, and open space that is not cluttered. For that type of fish, gravel and/or rocks would not be suitable)
- Alderton, David (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 400 Pages - 02/12/2019 (Publication Date) - DK (Publisher)
Backgrounds
Adding a background is completely up to you. It is not a necessary thing to decorate with, but it does make your tank look a bit more finished and aesthetically pleasing. There are a variety of backdrops to choose from, ranging from solid colours to landscapes.
Add Plants
Plants are a very popular choice for decorating a fish tank — and for good reason! — they add a bit more colour to your underwater world and make it have a more natural feel to it, as well as enhancing its overall beauty. But…should you use plastic or real plants? — Truth is it’s up to you and the type of fish you have.
Plastic plants
Plastic plants tend to be the most popular choice because they are often more colourful/vibrant than real plants and can come in colours that aren’t found in nature. They are easier to maintain and cannot die, meaning they might last longer. They also don’t drop leaves, which is nice because decomposing leaves cause nitrogen levels to spike, which can be dangerous for your fish if not dealt with.
Real Plants
Real plants are beneficial to your fish because they can actually help improve the water quality of the tank. The fishes’ waste products contain nitrogen, which helps the plants stay alive in the water and keep the levels low in the tank. Plants can also help the tank maintain a stable Ph level and prevent a carbon dioxide build up. Unfortunately though, some fish and snails end up eating live plants, meaning you’ll have to replace them more often.
Try Not To Make Your Aquarium Too Symmetrical
If you would like a more symmetrical look, then feel free to do so. However, if you want to make your tank look for visually appealing maybe consider making your tank decor asymmetrical. The asymmetry will naturally guide your eyes around the tank. Consider playing with the heights of the decor you choose to help draw your eyes from one area to another area. These different heights and asymmetry of it all will really help with the overall look of the tank.
Think Of A Theme
While a theme isn’t exactly necessary, it can help you decorate in a way that isn’t cluttered and is more united as a whole. Themes can help with the overall look of the tank as well as help you decide what accessories fit best. Your theme can range from something simple to something more complex.
We hope some of these tips are helpful to you! If you haven’t already, consider reading our article about Setting up and Aquarium for Your Fish Without Them Dying!
