You already have your fish tank complete with whistles and bells for filtration. You’ve also gone ahead to get your water test kit ready and have the type of fish you would love to include in your aquarium. The next important step is to think about how you can decorate your aquarium. Most First-time fish tank owners tend to get overwhelmed with all the cute decorations they find at the pet store.
Some beginner aquarists make the mistake of overcrowding the bottom of their tank, ultimately finding it harder to maintain their aquarium. Keeping this in mind, what’s the best way to pick out your tank’s decoration? Here are a few considerations to pick the right décor.
1. Think About the Color of Your Fish
If you don’t want to upset your aquarium’s aesthetics, it’s always a great idea to think about the color of your fish when choosing your décor. Take note that your décor’s color has to complement your fish. If you’ve got plenty of light-colored fish, for instance, dull decorations or substrate is critical in complementing your fish’s light tones.
2. Choose The Right Plants
Plants are a popular decoration to your aquarium because they add color to the tank while at the same time giving it a natural look. Most people tend to prefer plastic over live plants for different reasons. First, they’re colorful as they’re designed in colors not found in nature. The plants are also easy to maintain and offer fish a place to hide, just like the natural option.
Natural plants are still a great alternative because they help improve your fish tank’s water quality. Such plants need nitrogen, and in your aquarium, they use your fish’s waste products. Live plants also use carbon dioxide for respiration and give off oxygen which is essential for your fish’s well-being. Understand that these aspects should act as a guiding principle on the type of plants to use in your tank.
3. The Height of Aquarium Elements Matters
Before you think about sourcing for a pet decoration, begin by splitting your tank into three zones; bottom, middle and top. Your fish will spend most of their time in any of these three zones, which is why you should keep free space in each section. To have an evenly balanced space, you’ve got to have at least two fish tank elements rising into the top zone.
It’s always wise to incorporate an item that makes a strong visual statement. Mermaids or underwater kingdoms, for instance, are among the popular aquarium decor best suited for the top zone. Ensure that you also have three more short decorations spaced at least two inches from the bottom of your tank. Don’t forget that your fish will feel much safer if your decoration has such a structure.
4. Invest in the Right Decor
When searching for your ideal fish tank décor, avoid harmful accessories, especially those with sharp edges. Such items may end up scratching your fish scales, opening them to infection. It’s also highly advisable to quarantine objects such as driftwood before adding them to your aquarium. The best way to go about it is to:
- Do a visual check for any presence of eggs on the object
- Get a bucket you don’t use, then add water and some hydrogen peroxide
- Soak the decoration in the hydrogen peroxide water for one day
It’s still highly advisable to boil driftwood. This helps to guard your decoration against releasing tannins into your fish tank. While tannins may be harmless, some aquarium owners don’t like that they sometimes temporarily discolorize their tank.
5. Take Note of Your Fish Activities
When investing in fish for your tank, it’s great to consider their oxygen uptake. The highly active fish breeds will have a higher oxygen uptake than the dormant breeds. Settling on the more active fish breeds means that you’ll need to invest in more oxygen-producing decorations such as underwater bridges and rivers.
Owning a fish tank is a great experience, and on top of it is the creativity that it offers if you ever plan to decorate it. There are plenty of decorations in the market, and it can sometimes prove challenging to know which one best suits your aquarium. When it comes to fish tank decorations, you’ve got control of the overall design of your aquarium.
But, as you work to create the decoration that suits your needs, you must consider the few aspects highlighted in this guide.
