Saltwater Aquarium Decorations – Brightening Up Your Marine Tank
Now for the fun part – saltwater aquarium decorations are one aspect of marine fish keeping where you can really allow your creativity to reign free. A variety of decorations are available - from backgrounds, ceramic, resin or plastic ornaments, real or false corals and shells and even plants the sky is (well almost) the limit when it comes to creating a marine world for your fish and other invertebrates.
Saltwater aquarium decorations are fun to buy because unlike the other inhabitants of your tank they don’t require any special care! You won’t need to feed them, provide special habitats and they can’t get sick or die so they are relatively hassle free! A tank without any décor is dull but that’s not all.
A marine tank without any saltwater aquarium decorations is not very exciting AND it can be unhealthy for your fish. Using tank décor makes it possible to break up the physical environment of the tank and is important both for the biological and psycho-social well-being of the fish in your tank. This is because using tank decorations provides hiding places, areas for food to grow on and microbe activity that keeps your tank healthy.
Add to this the fact that saltwater aquarium decorations are nice to look at and fun to work with and you’ll begin to see that décor is essential in any marine tank. The best way to choose your marine tank décor is to visit a store that allows you to see saltwater aquarium decorations in an actual tank, not just on a rack or a table.
Some examples of saltwater aquarium decorations you might like to try in your marine tank are:
Belching clams and treasure chests – These are bubbling and air actuated action ornaments. Spacemen, submarines, clams, and treasure chests are always firm favorites. Even a frog on a log and airstones, are fun saltwater aquarium decorations. The display should be well lit and there should be plenty of bubbles for the best effect!
So what other options are there for saltwater aquarium decorations? What about different and interesting backgrounds? You can purchase a variety of backgrounds like marinescapes, paint-on materials, foils, mirrors and cork stock. You can even buy an in-tank diorama! Display the background effectively and choose tank décor that suits its theme.
Rocks are another good choice for saltwater aquarium decorations. You can choose from sandstones, volcanic and metamorphic rock or even plastic. Some rocks don’t have any impact on water quality while others improve the water quality. If you aren’t sure of a certain rock, play it safe and leave it out. Try pieces of tufa, igneous, silicious/petrified woods), and brackish and African Great Lakes systems calcareous "base" rock. You can usually but rocks by the pound or the ‘piece’. Some rock types are natural while others are artificial.
