Now that you've found the perfect aquarium, it's time to think decor. Just as you wouldn't want to stare at bare walls, your finny friends will appreciate a few furnishings to jazz up their new home.
Underwater Garden
Foliage helps create a natural aquarium environment, and you can choose from a wide selection of live or plastic plants.
Plastic plants come in all colors, shapes, and sizes, and most actually look real. To clean them, simply rinse them off. Plastic plants won't wither because they aren't light sensitive, but they can fade and become brittle over time.
Live plants, on the other hand, help form a natural ecosystem. They produce oxygen during photosynthesis and consume carbon dioxide released by the fish who live in the tank. Live plants also absorb nutrients from decayed fish feces as fertilizer - helping to keep the tank clean and healthy.
If you pick live plants, expect to do a little more work. Plants need deep gravel beds or pots to foster root development, full-spectrum fluorescent lighting of 1.5 watts per gallon for 12 hours a day, and partial water changes every two weeks.
And just like choosing fish, consider each plant's compatibility before adding it to your aquarium. While most plants prefer a pH of 7 to 7.2, a few prefer a more alkaline or acidic environment. Strength of water flow and light intensity also may affect a plant's growth.
Unfortunately, if you want the focus of your tank to be on the plant life, you can't have many fish. You can have a small school of non-digging fish, like tetras or platys, but many other types will dig up your plants or eat them.
Rock On
Ornamentation like driftwood, statues, figurines, and rocks make up an interesting panorama in aquariums. And they provide nooks and crannies where territorial fish can stake their claim - an important feature in marine aquariums.
If you add rocks or driftwood, make sure they won't upset the aquarium ecosystem. Soak them for a day in a diluted bleach solution (one part bleach to 10 parts water) to remove contaminants, then rinse and soak them in freshwater for one to two days to remove the bleach.
If you're planning a coral and seashell motif, beware: These shells may dissolve in freshwater, increasing the water's pH. And rocks such as limestone or marble can create similar chemistry problems.
Heavy ornaments like large rocks or driftwood can spell danger for your finned friends. Select pieces with smooth edges, and use aquarium glue or epoxy to secure stacked rocks and other decorations.
Avoid objects with metal parts - these items can rust or leak toxic material into the water. It's best to stick with decorations designed for aquariums.
The Right Gravel
Gravel will anchor plant roots and provide the foundation for biological and undergravel filtration. But don't add just any old pile of rocks to your aquarium floor. Carefully consider the colors and types of pebbles to create the perfect aquatic environment.
Like plants, gravel comes in a range of colors, from pastel pink to blue or natural earth tones. And believe it or not, there's an ideal size for pebbles - 4 to 6 millimeters (3/16 inches) provides the best water flow for an undergravel filter. Gravel made from quartzite or granite is popular because it doesn't dissolve and affect pH.
Marine tanks also use gravel both for filtration and as a buffering agent to maintain a water pH of 7.8 to 8.3: This is especially useful for aquariums outfitted with limestone, oyster shells, and crushed coral, which release carbonates into the water and raise the pH.
How you decorate your aquarium is a personal choice. Don't be afraid to be creative - just make sure all your decorations are fish-friendly.