Aquarium Decor

Gravel is an essential focal point of aquarium decor. Gravel can cause problems within a fish tank. This is because the fish waste seeps down through the rocks and collects where the eye cannot see it. This waste builds up and leads to imbalances within the fish tank such as nitrate imbalances, PH imbalances and alkalinity problems. Sand is a good alternative to gravel. Pet shops often sell colored sand. The benefit to using sand as aquarium decor is the waste collects atop of the sand which can easily be siphoned off. If you choose sand make sure to choose a soft grained sand so your bottom dweller fish do not get injured by the grains of sand.

Some breeds of fish NEED sand as the substrate in your fish tank such as bottom dwellers that have delicate barbells. You cannot use sand however as aquarium decor with an under gravel water filter. Always ask a pet shop owner advice on choosing the best sand for your tank. One major advantage of using sand for your tank is you can sculpt the sand into formations such as sloping valleys and the like, adding a surreal look to your fish tank. To clean your sand just vacuum it with a siphon to remove fish waste. Also churn your sand 3 to 5 times per year to remove any pockets of gas that may form under the sand, and while churning your sand turn off your water filter. When choosing aquarium decor your substrate is a very important piece of the puzzle.

Rocks are a great addition to any home aquarium decor . As far as rocks and the like go granite, slate, shale and quartz are best. Avoid stones such as lava rock which can cut your fish. River rocks can do wonders from your local creek bed with the added bonus that you can obtain river rocks for free. Another bonus of river rocks is that they have been in the water for a long time already so are generally safe for a fish tank. Atlantic coral can give your tank an awesome look combined with the right live or silk plants. Honeycomb rock also can do wonders, more so if your tank has breeding fish, as the baby fish can hide within the honeycomb. Aquarium decor rocks also give many breeding fish a surface to lay their eggs upon. Rocks add boundaries and dimension to your fish tank.

These can be pretty expensive at times depending on the style and brand of the synthetic rock aquarium decor. They start as low as $3.50 for the smaller plainer ones and up to $130.00 for large complex beautiful ones. These Synthetic rocks act just like a natural rock would in your tank but should not alter the water chemistry. They are made to look like natural rocks, caves and ledges. You can even find Synthetic rock air pumps which disguise the air pump device in the water. Synthetic rocks can make for good aquarium decor. To The right is a picture of synthetic coral rock.

Caves make a great piece of Aquarium decor. You can go to a local creek bed or riverbed and find shale or slate. Slate and shale is a flat shaped stone which can be layered to form natural realistic looking caves for your fish to hide in. These caves can be useful for shy fish or other fish escaping from an aggressive fish. You can use slabs shale or slate to form natural looking shelf's or platforms to place plants or decor on. Use Aquarium safe silicone to glue together the shale or slate so they do not cave in and hurt or kill your fish.

These are an important part of aquarium decor. Live plants can be very hard to maintain and keep alive if your tank has poor lighting. If your tank has good lighting then the right breeds of underwater plants will not only improve the natural look of your tank but also provide oxygen for your tank. Live plants also absorb toxins and other waste products with your fish tank. Avoid using under gravel filters with live plants as these type of filters can ruin your live plants roots, and the roots can also easily clog an under gravel filter, making it useless.

The plants will also convert fish waste into food. Live plants require some nitrates so avoid using a water filter that is too efficient. For live plants it is ideal to add fine gravel as your substrate although you can add sand atop the fine gravel. The reason for this is the plants need to be able to feed the right way and having nothing but plain gravel or sand in your tank will hamper this greatly, which could lead to the plants dying off. Laterite is a very good material for this purpose. Always remove browning rotting leaves on a plant as this can poison your tank water. Always ask your pet supplier what type of lighting the plants need as different breeds of plants need different levels of light: High , medium and soft light respectively. Always buy liquid fertilizers or tablets to feed your live plant aquarium decor but do follow the directions on the box or package to the letter.

Silk plants are easy to wipe clean and replace back into the tank on an aquarium cleaning, which makes them an ideal aquarium decor. The one advantage to silk plants over live plants is you can pick them up from a pet shop in almost any color. This can add a very unique look to your fish tank. Silk plants can also be chosen to match your other aquarium decor, while live plants tend to be mostly in shades of green. silk plants do give off natural movement like a real plant would. Silk plants look more like the real thing then a plastic plant ever will. To The right is a picture of a silk plant aquarium decor.

Aquarium decor takes many many forms. Sunken ships , castles , ceramic mermaids, Vases and much much more. This is one area of aquarium decor that a person can truly make their tank come alive and add character to their tank and enhance the viewing of it. Make sure any ornaments or aquarium decor is fish tank safe and will not affect the water chemistry. Clean with water any ornaments and decor before adding them to your fish tank. Another piece of aquarium decor for your fish tank which this author views as a must have is a background , which is applied to the back of your fish tank. This hides the wires in the back of the tank as well as adds to the depth visually of a fish tank if it is a good background.

As far as actual submerge-able decor goes first choose a center focal eye catching piece as the main focal point of the fish tank. You can build up the rest of your aquarium decor to match or fit the theme of the center piece. Aquarium decor with hiding places such as holes and empty spaces make your decor useful as well as appealing to the eye. There is even underwater tank lighting available these days in the form of a low watt submerge-able water safe bulb and are totally safe to use. Between your aquarium decor and plants 50% to 75% cover is appropriate.

Real shells - They add to the PH and hardness of your water, Poor choice for aquarium decor.

coral skeletons - They add to the PH and hardness of your water. Horrid choice for aquarium decor.

Chalky stones and rocks - alters your water badly. A death warrant for fish with this aquarium decor.

Metal - alters your water badly. A death warrant for fish with this aquarium decor.

Limestone - Dissolves and ruins your water PH and increases your water hardness. Poor choice for aquarium decor.

Sharp or rough edges - These can damage your fish , remember fish aren't to smart ! Very bad choice of aquarium decor.