The best part of owning a fish pet is decorating the tank. However, with so many lovely aquarium decoration ideas out there, it might not be easy to figure out what will be best.
This article has provided you with some of the coolest aquarium decoration ideas at home to have your artistic juices flowing and fish tank popping.
All these ideas are pretty affordable and will not break your pocket. After all, the most important thing is creativity and an aesthetic vision for your fish. Below are some highlights.
Aquarium Decoration Ideas at Home
1. Custom Aquarium Decorations
Custom-made glass aquariums come in different styles and sizes. Aquarium design may reflect your taste or desire and offer incredible home decorations that bring tranquility into your home interior.
Decorative rocks, corals, gravel, and sand are natural aquarium decorations, but you can add custom designs to personalize your aquarium decor.
a) Floating Rock Planet
Apart from putting things on the bottom of your tank, finding decorations that you can hang from the top is a genius and fantastic idea. You can give your tank the look of a different planet by hanging rocks from the top of the mesh cover.
Your fish can swim around, over, or under the rocks. Additionally, they will probably get stimulated by its novelty.
b) Aquascaping
Aquascaping offers a perfectly aligned walk in the tank and plants growing on either path. That means you will get a creative tank with a space of environmental greenery.
The authenticity will be a lovely sight to observe and better for your fish’s health when you use live plants. The task may be hard to accomplish, but it’s incredibly amazing if you complete it.
c) Eastern Forest Gateway
Eastern forest gateway gives an authentic feel to the interior design of your home with the diversity of what appears to be real plants.
The longer plants grow to the top of the tank while shorter plants grow close to the gravel providing a nice vertical contrast that will attract eyes.
The rock structure and Japanese-looking temple give the tank an ancient appearance and offer a calm, chill vibe to the overall aesthetic.
d) The Log Cabin
Attaching a hollowed-out log to your aquarium can allow your fish to enjoy swimming in and out of it as you enjoy the clever pun. It is an easy decoration to add, and the log can be found online or at many pet stores.
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2. Small Fish Tank Decorations
There are tons of incredible small fish tank decorations that use everyday items, including your kid’s toys or house bottles. Here are some fantastic options to try.
a) Write a Message in a Bottle
A message in a bottle can be pretty mysterious and attractive. You can add a floating bottle to your small fish tank filled with a few items from your house. This decoration idea works for nearly any size of fish tank.
To keep your bottle floating upright, place some marbles or another object in the bottom to make it heavier.
b) Tea for Two Fish
If you have some pretty items you never use, you can set up a tea party inside your fish tank. You can use your favorite pattern or something you inherited from your grandfather or grandma. Whichever option you choose, it can be a beautiful, unique aquarium décor.
c) Small Aquarium Visitors
You can create a miniature version of what you usually see in a large aquarium. If you have a train set, you can utilize model railroading figures to create scenes of visitors watching your pet fish from the outside glass.
Model railroading figures are of different sizes, including super tiny T or Z scale and larger HO scale. You can utilize whatever scale you have in the house if you are into model railroading.
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3. Unique Fish Tank Decorations
If you want to add a unique theme to your aquarium, here are some great options for fish tank decorations.
a) Bubble Makers
Underwater rivers, aquarium air stones, and bubble chests appear attractive and are usually an essential addition to a crowded fish tank.
If you have kept one or more highly-active fish in the same tank, it’s essential to ensure adequate oxygen supply. Fast-swimmer fish will need more oxygen than slower species, so keeping oxygen levels high by adding air-generating decorations is crucial.
When you add bubble makers into your fish tank, ensure that they are not too strong for the pet fish to handle. If water flow gets too high, fish may find it hard to swim and become distressed, often resulting in disease.
b) Submersible Light Ornament
Adding submersible lights to a fish tank will provide a soft, attractive glow without getting too bright or invasive. This is a great way to lighten your aquarium without disturbing your fish pets.
Submersible lights also come in various colors, allowing you to transform your aesthetic and enhance the tone of a specific color.
c) Statues
People and animals’ statues can be perfect for a sea-themed fish tank and an attractive decorative option that adds a unique and creative feel to a bog-standard aquarium.
You can purchase statues from most aquatic retailers. If you buy a large figure, ensure that they don’t make your tank too crowded.
d) Sunken Ships
If you want to create a natural, sea-like theme in your aquarium, sunken ships are a safe, fish-friendly option that can complement nearly any tank design. You can purchase sunken ships from most commercial retailers.
Ships also provide excellent hideaway areas for fish, allowing prey species to conceal themselves from predators.
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4. Saltwater Decoration Ideas
Before purchasing whatever item you see at the pet store, you need to learn about the best decorations for saltwater fish tanks. Here are some awesome ideas for saltwater fish tank decorations to delight your fish.
a) Saltwater Plants
Saltwater plants are attractive, fun, and essential for a flourishing saltwater aquarium. Plants help reduce the number of harmful algae that may grow in your tank and pose health hazards to the pet fish.
Macroalgae plants feed on toxic microalgae and maintain the health of your fish tank.
Here are some of the commonly known saltwater plants:
- Maiden’s Hair
- Flaming Feather Algae
- Red Gracilaria
- Turtle Grass Shoots
- Dragon’s Feather Algae
- Blue Hypnea
- Carpeting Halimeda
Fish also feed on plants, which is an essential part of their diet in the wild.
b) Live Rock
Live rocks are usually made of coral pieces and other organisms. These rocks are incredible decorations and valuable for fish tanks since they serve as a biological filter and help maintain a stable water PH level.
Live rocks can be an expensive addition, but it’s worth the cost if you are committed to the health of your fish pet and aquarium.
c) Pipes and Ornaments
Saltwater fish are lovely pets, but they can become frightened or stressed out in an unfamiliar place, just like other creatures. Strangers passing by the tank or looking in can cause the fish to swim away and hide for a while.
In addition, they can become nervous if left alone or when the tank is too empty. Placing pipes and ornaments in the aquarium can help your fish feel more secure.
Ornaments such as natural lava rock or natural slate rock will give your fish a place to hide when they feel threatened.
PVC pipes are also suitable materials for saltwater tanks. They provide fun and accessible hideaway areas for your fish. You can even customize the pipes with fish-safe paints to add a colorful flair to your aquarium.
5. Custom Fish Tank Decorations
Creating your own fish tank decorations offers a perfect way for you and your pet fish to enjoy the aquarium. It provides a backdrop for watching the fish play around with custom fish tank decorations.
Here are some of the coolest substrates you can add to your aquarium to maintain a healthy fish tank.
a) Plants and Sea Gravels
Plants and sea gravel are the most common decorations in fish tanks. The gravel comes in white, neon, or transparent colors and can line any tank’s bottom. This drastically boosts the appearance of an aquarium, especially when you use colored gravel that contrasts or complements the species you have chosen to keep.
You can also use natural or artificial plants to decorate your fish tanks. Plants offer hide places for the fish, and they can use them to play hide and seek with their tankmates.
b) Exploration Caves
There is a variety of rock formations specifically designed for fish tanks. Most fish love diving into and exploring these small cave structures, allowing a lot of fun.
You can also make tunnel-like structures from these rocks to allow the fish to explore their own caves. That will create an ideal setting for the fish to enjoy playing hide-and-seek with their tankmates.
Other tank ornaments that your fish can hide, dive, and explore include underwater castles and residences.
c) Mirrors as Decorations for Fish Tanks
Another excellent idea for decolorating a fish tank is installing a mirror. The mirror makes the tank appear larger than it is if used correctly. Additionally, your fish will play with their reflections as they swim around.
It’s pretty simple to put these mirrors in place. You can simply place one on either end of the tank or attach one to the back glass pane as the custom fish tank decorations. And if your tank is small, you can use the mirrors to boost the general movement without putting too many fish in it.
When installing the mirrors on the aquarium’s interior, make sure all the rough edges are thoroughly smoothed out. That will help prevent the fish from getting injured when they come into contact with any of the sharp edges.
6. Aquarium Safe Decorations
Most pet fish have beautiful flowing fins that sets them apart from other fish species. Unfortunately, these stunning fins can be a liability if you have sharp or rough objects in your aquarium that might snag their fins and tail.
So, whatever declarations you pick for your fish tank, always make sure they are safe for your fish pet before you put them into their home.
Here are a few ideas on how you can decolorate your aquarium with safety in mind.
a) Rocks and Pebbles
Rocks and pebbles are the commonly used aquarium decorations. They come in different shapes and sizes, allowing you to choose them depending on your preference. But when choosing them, make sure they are not too tiny for the fish to swallow easily.
In addition, be sure to thoroughly clean and scrub them before putting them in your aquarium if you pick them from your backyard. Also, never overcrowd the tank with rocks since it can lead to space constraints that may hinder the fish from swimming freely.
b) Treated Driftwood Decorations
Another great choice when it comes to fish tank decorations is driftwood. You can purchase driftwood from a reputable pet store specifically designed for aquarium use.
However, if you intend to use driftwood found in the backyard, ensure it’s appropriately treated before placing it in your aquarium. Untreated driftwood releases toxic chemicals or tannins into the aquarium water, which may endanger the life of your fish.
c) Glass Decorations
Glass is one of the safest materials for aquariums, and it comes in two different forms; colored and plain.
Both plain and colored glass decorative items are safe for aquarium use, but there should not be any gaze or paint. A glass with paint can be dangerous to fish since the color may come off when submerged in water and cause harm to the inhabitants.
FAQs About Aquarium Decoration Ideas at Home
How Can I Decorate My Aquarium?
You can use different substrate combinations such as glass pebbles and gravel, sand, or soil. Alternatively, you can use rocks, driftwood, and plants for a natural look tank or even a log cabin or toys.
Remember that the aquarium’s decoration is mainly for the viewer, but you need to decorate depending on your taste and preference.
How Can I Make My Aquarium More Interesting?
To make your tank look nice, create a theme or a pleasing pattern by adding some additional flair to the bottom of your aquarium with attractive pieces such as rocks, driftwood, or artificial decorations for the aquarium.
And to add a pop of color, use brightly-colored artificial plants and plant them in the middle of the tank to create an attractive natural look.
Can I Put Plastic Toys in a Fish Tank?
Most rigid plastic toys, figurines, and ornaments are safe for aquariums, provided they are not painted and do not have any adhesives or sticker decals on them.
However, if you are unsure whether the toys will be safe for your fish tank, you can protect them using a safe aquarium sealant.
Read: Pothos in Aquarium turning yellow
Reference
LIVSPACE: How to Decorate Your Aquarium
WikiHow.Pet: How to Decorate a Fish Tank