Ideas for Fish Tank Ornaments

The fishes we have inside aquariums at home are commonly thought of as our friends. They are our pets that we love, we feed everyday and give a great habitat to live in. Although a fish tank is not their natural habitat, we can make it look and feel like the real ocean or sea with the aid of different ornaments. There is a wide variety of fish tank ornaments available in different pet shops today. In choosing the right decorations for you fish tank, there are important things to be taken into consideration. You should not only go for those that look good but more importantly, they need to be appropriate for the needs of inhabitants and easy to maintain because they will be taken out from the tank regularly for cleaning. Here now is the list of the most commonly used fish tank decorations which you can consider opting for.

The first one in our list is the rock wall which can be bought in sheets.

However, to save more money, you can make your own rock wall by gluing together many pebbles taken from the beach. The second ornament we have is the driftwood. Although this ornament can be found and picked up from the beach, it will be much better if you visit an aquarium dealer. To ensure the safety of your finned pets, you have to quarantine the wood in a separate tank for a bit before placing it into your own fish tank. The third ornament to consider is the coral. You will not find it that easy to take care of the coral but believe me when I say that they look so great inside the fish tank. We are referring herein to living corals and not the artificial ones.

The fourth ornamental item to be taken into account is the plants. You can choose between natural and artificial plants to place into your aquarium. Hence, you must be careful enough to place natural plants because there are some of them that can be harmful to the health of your fish. These ornaments can serve as their hiding places where they can explore. The fifth item in our listis the ceramic ornaments. They can come in the forms of bowl or dish displayed inside the aquarium. Moreover, you need to expect that there can be algae build- up which is not that easy to remove from the décor. The sixth in our short list is the gravel. This is one of the most common ornaments we see in most fish tanks. This is used to cover the bottom or as bedding of the tank. You may also consider adding colorful glass marbles.

Let us talk about sunken ships and castles which are at the number seven in our list. These can be purchased from many retail stores or pet shops in your locality. These can also serve as hiding areas for the fish. The third to the last is the stones and rocks. You can test rocks and stones with lemon juice to find out if there are possible reactions. If there are some, avoid placing them into your tank. At number nine, we have background paint. Aside from background papers available, you can paint the back instead with dark colors like black. The last but not the least is the fish itself. Make sure that you choose to domesticate those you like and you are willing to take care of.

Keeping all these fish tank decoration ideas in mind can help you facilitate beautifying the fish tank which can be a source of fun for your family at home.

Tips on Selecting the Right Fish Tank Ornaments

Choosing the right fish tank ornaments can be very confusing sometimes especially if you are like me who grab anything that I think would look good in my tank. Well now I admit that I'm wrong because not all ornaments are suitable for every fish. Fish have different requirements and if we want to see them healthy and happy, we should only give them what they can be comfortable with. Aquarists spend considerable amount of time and of course money just to make their fish tanks look attractive and pleasing to the eyes. Fresh water and salt water aquariums can be decorated with artificial underwater biotope life.

Corals and live rocks are popular fish tank ornaments because of the drama that they add to the aquarium. Both should be cleaned regularly. You can go for live corals but make sure you have the time and effort to maintain them. Lighting, water and feeding conditions all contribute to sustain live corals.

Live rocks are great because you can easily shape it into any form that you like using aquarium silicon sealant that you can purchase from your local pet store. If you will decorate your tank with your own collection of stones, make sure that they are not going to affect the water's pH level. It's also important to be certain that they do not contain any harmful toxic wastes. To test the stone, pour some drops of weak acid and see if it reacts. If you're not sure about this, I would suggest for you to just get the stones from your local pet store. This way you can be sure that they're perfectly safe for your fish. You can simulate caves and hiding places using stones.

Plants are also great additions to your fish tank. Don't you ever notice that a tank seems to look empty if there are no greens or plants in it? If you don't want live plants (although they are better), you can opt for silk plants instead.

Plastic plants can sometimes damage your fish's fins. Silk plants are much safer fish-friendly. There are more ornaments to choose fromlike artificial/real driftwood, wreck ornaments, castles, buildings, fantasy ornaments, light-up aquarium decorations (my personal favorite) and fake corals. You should be able to decorate your aquarium which way you want it but you always have to consider if the fish tank ornaments you choose will not be harmful to your fish.

Having Fun With Fish Tank Accessories and Ornaments

The most fun part for me when setting up an aquarium is picking out the accessories and ornaments. There are a lot of fish tank accessories and ornaments available in the market today and I'm telling you that you can get excited and you would want to buy all of them. Well the main thing is you should know if the fish that you own will be ok with an aquarium setup that will have ornaments. Discus fish (especially when it comes to breeding) are better off in a bare bottom tank. You can still decorate it though but having fine gravel at the bottom and some plants still look more presentable for me. This type of fish need a lot of room so over decorating is definitely out. When it comes to accessories, you only have to purchase what you need in giving your fish the healthy environment it deserves.

One of my favorite fish tank accessories is the algae scraper.

This tool will let you clean your aquarium without the need of dipping your hand or your arm into the aquarium. Choose something that will both work for glass and acrylic. Some of them even come in cleaning magnets so you can make sure you're getting 100% of the job done. These products cost about to 0. Using an algae scraper regularly will surely keep the viewers happy.

Lighting is one of the fish tank accessories that you should be careful of. Find out first what kind of light your fish need or how long they need it turned on every single day. Some fish cannot be placed under direct sunlight and noisy areas such as doors and hallways so light is definitely needed especially if you are going to put them in a secluded area in your home. Some of the lighting accessories include ballasts and cords, lighting timers and power strips and aquarium light bulbs.

Make sure you buy lights that are specifically made for aquariums. Apart from an algae scraper and lighting, you also need to keep a box with you where you can store all test kits, medicine and additives. This will help you inorganizing your stuff and this will avoid you from looking everywhere for the things that you need to maintain your aquarium. Fish pumps and aeration accessories are also staples to make sure your fish are supplied with the right amount of oxygen.