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How to choose aquarium decoration
Today’s aquarist has a huge range of decorative material to choose from ranging from natural products from every corner of the globe and cleverly crafted artificial decoration simulating nature, to fun air operated action ornaments and in tank laser light systems!! The main priority of course is to provide your fish with the most perfect environment possible but all but the most specialist fish will happily swim through any and every type of submerged décor. The bottom line is that it is your aquarium and you can give it just about any look you fancy.
For best results, decorate your aquarium dry and only add water when satisfied with the layout of the chosen decoration.
General precautions with decorative materials.
Rock:
Rinse all natural rockwork before adding to aquarium. Some rock is more or less inert so it will not effect the water chemistry but others such as Tuffa, Limestone, Ocean Rock and others will make a definite difference to the Ph. Make sure the rocks you choose are suitable for the conditions required by the fish you intend to keep. If using Tuffa rock it needs to be immersed in a bucket of water and then rinsed to remove loose material.
Woods:
Bog Wood, Mopani Wood and Curio Wood are all hard or semi hard woods and so will not rot whilst submersed. Never use wood found locally or grapevine in an aquarium as these will decay and kill the fish. Unless bought as “Pre-soaked” all aquarium woods will need soaking in a bucket of fresh water. This is because they leach out tannin’s, which discolour the water. Whilst this is not harmful to most fish it can make the aquarium look dark and dismal. Decant the water every 24 hours and replace with fresh for anywhere from 1 to 2 weeks. The wood will still leach some tannin after this time but regular partial water changes and the addition of activated carbon to the filter system will minimize discoloration.
Natural Corals:
Natural Corals are actually the dead skeleton of live corals and are bleached in the country of origin to remove dead organic matter and sterilize them. It is essential, therefore, that these are soaked in a bucket for a minimum of 48 hours with frequent changes of water, prior to introduction to the aquarium.
Artificial decoration:
The beauty of artificial decoration is that it is always manufactured from safe, inert materials that will not have an adverse effect on the water chemistry or quality. Many “purists” would baulk at the idea of using artificial materials but the introduction of simply quite fantastic ranges such as Seagarden, Coral Reef Ornaments, Nautical Treasures Coral Creations, Simlawood / Simlastone and others have revolutionized aquarium decoration. All that’s required is a quick rinse.
Gravels:
Natural Pea gravel will require thorough washing in a bucket until water runs clean. If this is not done properly the aquarium will remain cloudy for weeks. Aquagrit nutrient substrate also requires washing thoroughly but coral sand and coral gravel can be added straight to the aquarium as they are pre-washed. Most coloured gravel requires only a quick rinse apart from the cheaper varieties which require treatment as above. If in doubt, stick it in a bucket, rinse and see what happens.
Sea Shells collected from local shoreline:
As a general rule it is best not to use these but if cleaned thoroughly, bleached and rinsed they can be used in Goldfish (Coldwater), Brackish, Rift Valley and Marine systems. They must not be used in Tropical community systems.
Choosing a decorative theme.
There are many options to choose from, you can create a section of the Amazon, The craggy rock formation of the African Rift lakes or an impossible futuristic landscape with fibre optics and coloured lasers. All you need is a little research and a lot of imagination. For me, setting up the theme and aquascaping (As decorating the tank is known) is, apart from choosing the fish, the most fun part and fishkeeping should be fun!! Below are a few design ideas to start you thinking.
Amazonian theme.
The vast tracts of the Amazon bordered by colossal rain forests are home to some of the most popular aquarium fish including Neon and Cardinal Tetra’s, Corydoras Catfish, the amusing sucker mouthed Plecostomus and the fish with a fearsome reputation, the Piranha. You can easily re-create a section of this richly diverse environment. To do this you will need the following.
Substrate:
Insert aquarium sand, minimum of 5kg per square foot (30 sq. cm)
Decoration:
Bogwood or Mopani wood or the lifelike artificial Simlawood or a combination of all these.
Plants:
Strictly speaking you do not have to pick species that are indigenous to the Amazon but the Echinidorous (Amazon Swordplant) family has many varieties to choose from and is a true native. Combine these with Vallisneria sp.
Background:
Plain blue or black or planted design.
Additives:
Blackwater additive
African Rift Lake theme.
Lake Malawi and lake Tanganyika are huge expanses of freshwater surrounded by terrain ranging from baking hot inhospitable to jungle. The fish that inhabit these vast oasis are unique in many ways. Believed to have evolved from land-locked Marine (Saltwater) species they are incredibly colourful ranging from the brilliant yellow of Lamprologus Leulapii to the striped sensation that is one of the Pseudotropheus Zebra species. Their home is one of steep rocky inclines perforated with millions of tiny caves.
Substrate:
Coral Gravel or Coral Sand
Decoration:
Usually slabs of slate (But other rock types such as Ocean rock, Petrified wood and Lava rock can be used) stacked and arranged to provide many small caves and hiding places. It is important to secure key parts of the rock structure so that it does not collapse. This can be done with Epoxy Aqua Putty or Silicone when assembling dry.
Plants:
Rifts are very hard on plants so choose from some of the better quality silk plants to break up the rockwork with the occasional splash of green.
Background:
Plain black or rock effect.
Additives:
Rift salts
Brackish water theme.
Where fast flowing rivers rush to pour their contents into the sea there is a turbulent estuary area where the fresh river water mixes with the salty brine to create an in-between mix of the two. Neither fresh nor salt, this water is known as brackish. Typical estuarine shores in the tropics are lined with Mangroves whose tangled roots reach out far into the water providing home and safe haven to many varieties of fish which have adapted to these conditions over a long evolution. Some of these fish will spend their entire life here whilst others are just lodging until, when fully grown they venture out to become fully fledged Ocean going fish. Varieties such as Scat’s, Mono’s, Bumble Bee Catfish, Archer fish several puffer fish and all the Molly varieties will thrive in brackish conditions.
Substrate:
Coral Gravel or Coral Sand
Decoration:
Design A. Use typically rooty looking pieces of Mopani or Curio wood in a tangled arrangement interspaced with Ocean Rock.
Design B. A brackish water tank can be made to look like a Marine system by using Ocean rock, Tuffa rock and Ceramic rock together with the excellent artificial corals by Coral Reef Ornaments and Nautical Treasures Coral Creations.
Plants:
For both options above you could use the artificial plant range by Seagardens or salt tolerant plants or a mixture of the two. Suitable salt tolerant live plants would be Microsorum sp., Lilaeopsis sp., Crinum sp., and Elodea and Vallisneria are relatively tolerant.
Background:
Plain blue or root effect.
Additives:
Marine Salt pre-mixed to a salinity of 0.05.
Buffer agent may be necessary to maintain Ph of 7.8 to 8.2
Other equipment:
Hydrometer, High range Ph test kit.
These are just a few ideas to use decorative materials to maximum effect. It’s easy to make your aquarium different and that bit special.
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