Aquarium decoration: principles, tips and ideas

 

 

The first interest of decorating an aquarium is to recreate the natural aquatic environment of the fish that you own so that they evolve in the best possible conditions. The other advantage is to integrate in the house a fascinating element for the greatest pleasure of children and adults. But be careful, we do not launch ourselves randomly into the decoration of his aquarium because it is better to respect some basic principles.

Aquarium decoration: interests and main principles to observe

Each type of aquarium must be arranged differently. As a matter of principle, it goes without saying that large elements should not be installed in a small aquarium. However, the fish must be given the space they need to swim. Decorations and plants allow them to find hiding places, to be less stressed and therefore healthier. It is also essential for all species of fish to be able to rest and spawn in privacy.

 Decorating your aquarium also allows you to hide the essential but not the most aesthetic devices such as the heater or the filtration pump.

 The first step is always to install the bottom of the aquarium, which can be sand, volcanic rock or a specific substrate for plants that can be bought in pet shops. Only then do we move on to the decoration.

It is absolutely essential to integrate aquatic decorations in perfect harmony with the type of fish, namely saltwater fish and freshwater fish. Therefore, aquatic plants and decorative objects should be chosen according to the origin of the fish.

 For example, in a seawater aquarium you choose a soft decoration. A cold freshwater aquarium has fish that are generally not very colorful, so you can count on decorations with strong colors, but you must limit the number of them so that the inhabitants benefit from an environment that is clear enough as in their natural element. In a warm freshwater aquarium, the fish are very colorful, so we integrate decorations with neutral tones to enhance the species that live in the aquarium.

Aquarium decoration: only dedicated elements

Each plant, mineral and other element must imperatively be dedicated to aquarium keeping in order not to encourage pollution of this particular environment. We avoid varnished objects as well as putrescible natural elements because they will inevitably lead to an imbalance of the hydrogen potential (pH) of the water, which would result in the death of the fish. This is the reason why all the accessories for the decoration of an aquarium must be bought in a specialized aquarium shop.

 

Care should also be taken to install only decorations with non-sharp edges.

Elements suitable for decorating an aquarium

The ideal is to create a living picture, which the lighting of the aquarium is able to magnify. Travel enthusiasts generally do not hesitate to create an exotic landscape, for example. But one can also prefer to bring a highly design touch to his room.

 

The trend is to bring a natural touch to the home, and the aquarium can play an important role in this if it is decorated with elements of plant and mineral origin. A few fast-growing aquatic plants at the bottom, another with colorful foliage in the center and a few pebbles or quartz rocks, some of which are hollow, are enough to decorate an aquarium very simply.

 

By choosing only natural elements, you can recreate the aquatic biotope that suits your fish perfectly, provided that they belong - in the wild - to the same environment. This allows you to respect the rules of nature. We do not recreate the same biotope for fish from Africa as for those from Asia, for example.

 

An aquarium decorated by children can include Disney characters behind which a clown fish can hide. Note that children usually start aquarium keeping with a goldfish bowl. If they want to put decorations in it, it's best to give them a large bowl!

There is an incredible choice of natural and artificial objects. Even the artificial aquarium plants are nowadays of the most beautiful effect, and imitate the real plants to the mistaken one. They have at least the advantage of being acclimatized to any environment and have no requirements. The choice is up to each aquarist.

Depending on the aquarium you have, you can decorate it with some of the following elements:

1. Colored sand,
2. Quartz (black, pink, white...),
3. Gravels more or less fine,
4. Glass beads,
5. Natural pebbles of different sizes,
6. Imitation rocks,
7. Roots,
8. Natural plants,
9. Plastic plants,

A bubbler, note that if you multiply the number of bubblers in an aquarium, you risk preventing the plants from flourishing,Shells, Living reef rocks, coral rock structures, but small in size so that they are not too heavy,

Objects (amphorae, pots, glass decoration, scuba diving, comic book characters, skull, castle...)

A decorative 3D background, etc.

Whatever the desired style, you must always think that each fish finds its account there. Small hiding places for small fish and larger ones for large fish. And above all, do not overload your aquarium because you run the risk of obtaining the opposite of the desired effect. Too many decorations kill the decoration.