Fish tanks are present in over 7 million American homes. They outnumber reptiles and birds combined.

This is probably because fish are easier to take care of than birds and reptiles. They also make less noise, and there’s not as much of a stigma against them as there is with reptiles.

Perhaps one of the greatest things about owning fish is the sheer variety they offer, not just in the fish we choose to keep, but in how we decorate the tank.

There are endless amounts of great decorations and other aquarium ideas you can use to liven up a fish tank. We’ll talk about some of our favorites in the paragraphs below.

1. Rocks and Substrate

Ever wondered why so many fish tanks have rocks or sand at the bottom? Part of it has to do with decoration, and how the owner wants the tank to look. 

However, the fish you choose to raise will also have an effect on this. Some fish need sand to suit their lifestyle.

Stingrays, for instance, need a thick layer of sand at the bottom to bury themselves in. The reason for this has to do with the stingray’s environment.

Since they tend to live near the coast, stingrays often share the water with other coastal dwellers, like sharks and sea lions. Both of these species commonly eat stingrays. In response, the stingray has adapted to be the same color as the sand and will bury itself to avoid detection.

While chances are that nothing in your aquarium will eat the other inhabitants, it will make your fish feel more secure if they are allowed to behave as they would in the wild. The best aquarium ideas all involve the health of the fish, so you’ll want to keep that in mind.

2. Plants

When it comes to plants, you have two options: real or artificial. Each offers its own share of advantages and disadvantages.

For instance, real plants will help enhance the life and environment of your fish. A live plant will give off oxygen, thus making the water of higher quality.

Not only that, but the plants can feed off the nutrients in fish waste. The biggest challenges that come with live plants are keeping them alive, and matching the right fish to the right plant.

A dead plant can interfere with the nitrogen levels in the tank, which can, in turn, harm the fish.

Finding which fish and plants go together can seem challenging, but AquascapeAddiction is here to help.

The Best Aquarium Ideas to Brighten Up the Tank

There are plenty of great aquarium ideas out there to help improve the life of your fish. We’ve mentioned some of them in the paragraphs above, but there’s much more out there.

Between the sheer variety of fish on the market and all the different decorative options, the possibilities are endless.

We encourage you to do more research on your own if you’re interested.

For more information and advice about setting up and maintaining an aquarium, please visit our site.