Once you’ve completed all of your homework, picked out your aquarium and all of it s accessories, select a suitable spot in the room. It would be wise not to locate your tank too close to a window. Direct sunlight may induce unwanted algae growth. Also, if there is a draft from the window, this may play havoc on the desired water temperature you ll try to maintain in your aquarium.
As you fill your tank, and start it s cycling process, you can start to decorate! Just pick the perfect background and an assortment of decorations and don t be afraid to get creative!
Decorating your aquarium with an underwater scene can be really cute, or you could go with something that matches your room or a favorite theme. My favorite is the natural look. Earth tone colored rocks and petrified wood pieces. I like to create rock ledges and caves. That sort of thing. But the possibilities are endless. Keep in mind, you can always go back and change, or tweak it later.
A wide variety of aquarium décor can be readily purchased on line, as can aquarium plants and backgrounds. Some people, like me, prefer to use natural decorations and others like the more modern types. These include items such as treasure chests that open every so often with an escaping air bubble, elaborate sunken pirate ships, a variety of human or animal skulls, or the scuba diver that is two magnetic pieces – one inside the tank and the other outside so it looks like he is swimming through the tank.
Plant selection is also up to the individual. In a standard aquarium, I like to use plastic plants simply because they are inexpensive and simple to maintain. In a show tank, or perhaps in a special breeding tank, I will use real plants. A little more work and expense will be involved, and your tank lighting setup becomes much more important. But the extra effort will be worth it. There s nothing prettier than a healthy well planted aquarium, full of lush aquatic foliage.
One thing to keep in mind while decorating your aquarium is that your fish will need places to hide. Depending on how many fish you have, and what species you ll be keeping, you will want to make sure that there will be plenty of safe havens available. Also, be careful not to overrun your tank with too many decorations, or your fish may stay hidden and you ll never see them! One technique you may want to consider, is to slope everything in your tank forward. From the gravel, to your rocks and plants, make sure the higher or taller items are placed in the rear of the tank. Have the decorations gradually step down in size, as you come forward. Leave a bit of a clearing in the center of the tank, to better observe your finny friends.
Before decorating your aquarium make sure you thoroughly rinse off everything that you put in the water. You can use almost any waterproof item as long as it is non toxic and won’t deteriorate once it is submerged. Never use chemicals or harsh cleaners to clean the decorations. Just rinse well in warm water to remove anything contaminents that might be on the surface. If you are decorating with live plants, make sure you anchor them properly down into the substrate so that you don’t wake up the next morning and find them scattered about.
Also be sure to place your decorations within reach, so that you can still easily perform aquarium maintenance such as vacuuming the gravel and scraping algae. Remember every new surface you introduce into your tank, could become a potential home for unwanted algae that will have to be scraped off.
Author Resource:-
Steven Sannan is currently a member of the http://www.tropicalfishtreasure.com staff, with 35+ years of fishkeeping experience. Experience that includes extensive freshwater, saltwater and pond keeping knowledge.
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