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Aquarium decorations----Creating Homes for Fishes

Aquarium decorations are not only beautiful to look at they also have an important purpose. They provide fishes with homes---- hiding places and natural borders resembling their natural habitat. There are many different types of decorations, for instance Cave dwelling fishes love aquarium decorations that structure like caves, holes and crevices. Whereas Fishes that live in dense vegetation prefer plants and other types of tiny hiding places. Decorations are crucial for a happy and healthy aquarium they also keep fishes from getting bored.

Tanks: There are many variants of tanks big, small, quadrilateral or polygonal. The size of an aquarium should be according to the size and the number of fishs you plan to keep.

Also tanks come in a variety of tinted glasses.

Plants: They are the the most beautiful, inexpensive source of decoration for your aquariums. Fishes love the aquatic plants as they are part of their natural habitats. They come in all varieties, costing anywhere from a few bucks to hundreds. Plants are very useful as well; they bind carbon dioxide and oxygenate the water. They also use organic waste products as nutrition and remove potentially harmful compounds from the water. Plants can also be used to keep a check on the water quality of an aquarium; the plant will start dieing before the fish if the water suddenly becomes toxic.

Wood, Rock and Coral: An aquarium can be like a miniature true habitat for the fishes with these decorations. Drift wood and mangroves can create a beautiful effect in the aquarium, plus some fishes particularly thrive on Drift wood. But be careful as Drift wood might lower pH levels and the hardness of the water. So it is best used in aquariums with soft slightly acid water. Stones and rocks make excellent decorations. But again caution is needed; you should never use rocks that affect your water's pH levels or stones that might contain toxins. There are also fake rocks that resemble real rocks, but these are pretty expensive. Rocks can be used to create caves which many fishes are passionate about. Coral are a beautiful addition to marine aquariums; in fact they may prove necessary for a healthy marine habitat. But can be dangerous to fresh water aquarium and should not be used as they be harmful.

Gravel or sand: Both are great both come in a variety of color. Gravel comes in white, brown and black, or blue, red, green, yellow the whole rainbow spectrum. Sand again also has a plethora of colors white, black, blue, yellow, red, green. Both of these can be layered in multiple colors.

Glass marbles, Ceramics, Plastic: Ok all are unnatural materials and might look slightly tacky, but fishes don't give a fig for this, they enjoy them enormously. Glass marbles though are not a good bottom substrate out of a biologically as flora does not thrive on them, can add beautiful colors to the aquarium. It's best to use them sparingly or add another more functional substrate below. Ceramics are excellent aquarium decorations. All sizes and shapes can be used as long as they do not have sharp edges. However ceramics tend to grow algae that might be hard to. Plastic they are cheap, colorful and yes tacky, but can be found in a variety of fun shapes. Treasure chests, skulls, divers, pirates, plants and ships you name it and stores have them.

It is imperative that you only use aquarium decorations that are safe to use in aquariums. If you have salt water aquariums they should be saltwater-safe also. If you don't take this precaution your fish will die due to the organisms and toxins released by the decorations

Decorations have both practical and aesthetical use if done tastefully and carefully you can create a miniature aquatic ecosystem that both you and your fish can enjoy.