Dangerous Decor

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Fish - Safety

Dangerous Decor

Many aquarium fish enthusiasts have one thing in common. They are happy to be able to express their creativity in designing their pets' habitats. It's likely that before you picked up your aquarium, you had drawn a mental picture of how the landscape, the rock formations, the plants and the decorations would all come together in some kind of classic aquatic theme.

You had bought a few green slates of different sizes, a couple of red rocks and one beautifully nature-sculptured driftwood. You chose live aquatic plants to be strategically located - the Cabomba on one side of the tank rising high enough to provide a kind of shade from the overhead lights, the Amazon Sword Plants lining the background and providing asylum for the shy fishes and the small sprigs of young Vallisneria scattered beside the slates for accent.

Picture perfect! You sit back, turn down the house lights and savor the peaceful panorama of a school of Neon Tetras gliding back and forth, some bright tangerine Swordtails gently nipping on the rocks, and a couple of Kuhli Loaches scampering about with the Corydoras. Then you think, "What if I put in some more stuff to make the tank and the fish activities more interesting?" Before you do add something to make your tank more "interesting," consider the risks posed by such potential fish "toys."

Dangerous Items

Thinking a touch of creativity wouldn't hurt, you may imagine that a child's toy, or a decorative ornament sitting on the shelf will look spectacular inside the aquarium. In some cases, this can be true, and may even result in a truly inspiring or artistic presentation. However, there are specific types of items that should never find their way into your tank.

For your fish's health and safety, never immerse into your aquarium objects that are:

Water-soluble, such as paper-based items, fabrics, objects that flake off, break up or melt in water
Metallic, such as metal or metal-weighted toys, figurines or knickknacks
Dyed, such as anything that leaches when wet

Natural Items

If you are introducing decorative items that you had picked up at the beach or by the waterfall, like driftwood, corals, shells or colorful rocks, be sure to clean them properly before using them to highlight your freshwater aquarium's landscaping.

Here's how to clean new driftwood, corals, rocks and shells:

Wash them in fresh water to remove any salts and mineral residue. Do not use detergents.
Brush off loose particles that may come off easily when you introduce them into your tank. Loose particles will float around and clog your filtration system. Remember that sharp corals can be a hazard to your fish, and large ones can add too much calcium to the water content.
Let them dry out under the sun to kill bacteria and microorganisms that may harm your fish.

Moving Decor

Those nifty, plastic aquarium toys that are "activated" by rising bubbles - the frog that jumps up and down, the clam and treasure chest that open and close, the little boy fishing - are all very colorful and can be captive conversation pieces inside your tank. Bear in mind that these moving articles can make the fish skittish. The fish will get used to it in time, but not until after a few days of anxiety and stress.