Decoration Do’s and Don’ts
The aquarium pictured above looks fun and vibrant, right? As shocking as it may sound, this aquarium has a lot of hazards in it. Let’s start with the good: the tank has a filter, a heater, a thermometer, and many hiding places for its inhabitants.
Now let’s talk about the bad:
- Plastic plants
- Brightly colored ceramic decoration
- Gravel
Plastic Plants
Artificial plants can be a great addition to tanks; they have many pros.
- Artificial plants do not need extra maintenance- No special lighting, no plant food, and no trimming. If something happens and your aquarium lights break, it’s not an emergency.
- Artificial plants won’t be eaten- There have been many occasions where I spend $20 or more on plants, that just end up being devoured by my fish. Goldfish are especially notorious for ripping up plants.
- Artificial plants do not carry parasites- Many nasty critters can hitchhike into an aquarium if you’re not careful with live plants. Having artificial plants negates the need for quarantine. Give it a rinse, and you’re good to go.
- Artificial plants cannot die. This one seems obvious, but it’s a significant factor for many people.
Artificial plants can be great when they’re made from silk; plastic is another story…
Plastic plants may look great, but they can be a danger to your fish. Fish are coated in a slime coat, I know it sounds gross, but it has an essential purpose.
The slime coat is composed of a mucoprotein that serves as the barrier to virtually everything, from objects to tiny bacteria. This barrier also works to keep essential fluids and electrolytes in the fish. Any damage to the slime coat can be deadly for fish.
Simply put, plastic plants are the equivalent to fish trying to swim around razor blades.
Plastic plants are very rough and abrasive, and they can severely damage a fish’s slime coat and scales. If you’re going to use artificial plants, use silk and not plastic.
You can find some of the top-rated silk plants here:
Brightly colored ceramic decoration
Ceramics show up in this tank as Spongebob characters. Ceramic decorations in aquariums are highly debated amongst fish keepers. Some ceramic ornaments are perfectly safe, while others leach fish toxic heavy metals as the glaze dissolves.
These toxins can very easily spread into the tank and kill everything in it. It is so hard to tell if a ceramic object is safe or not; in my opinion, it is better to avoid them.
The other issue that comes with brightly colored ceramic decorations is that bottom dwellers such as plecos, snails, and shrimp will suck or chew on decorations. If ceramics are present, they will often eat the glaze off of an ornament.
Non-glazed ceramic objects like terracotta pots are perfectly suitable as aquarium decoration. Before putting it in your tank, examine carefully to be positive that the object is unglazed and not finished in a matte glaze or paint.
Gravel
Now, it’s not what you think. Colored gravel is often exceptionally safe, the color is in the stone and cannot be eaten by fish or leak toxins into the tank. The issue is with gravel size, the pleco shown in the image could easily ingest the gravel and choke.
It is vital that when choosing an aquarium substrate that it is either large enough that there is no way your fish could eat them or that they are small enough that the fish can pass the substrate easily if it is ingested.
My goldfish was notorious for eating the gravel in his tank, however, the gravel was small enough for him to spit back out or eat and pass without an issue. Be sure to choose the gravel that is right for your aquarium inhabitants.
Have you committed any of these fish felonies?
For more decoration do’s and don’ts check out the link below
