Decorations for Kid's Aquariums

Aquariums that grace your main living area might need conservative decorations, but letting your kids have fun with their personal aquariums gives them another outlet to express their personalities. Although your children shouldn't dump random toys in the tanks, many options exist to help them share their fish with their favorite characters.

  1. Figurines

    • When your child must have his favorite character portrayed in the tank, find figurines designed for aquarium use. These decorations might be stationary, or they might move as part of the aeration or filtration system. For example, a dinosaur or Sponge Bob figurine might open its mouth to release bubbles every few seconds, or the Little Mermaid might wave her tail as the gentle water current passes by it. Look for decorations that have pieces of different heights, holes in the middle or create a corner to give the fish places to explore and hide.

    Backgrounds

    • Backgrounds are inexpensive ways to create a theme for the tank without buying multiple figurines your child might outgrow quickly. With backgrounds, changing the scene is almost as easy as your kid changing his mind. Available as stickers or clings, these simply attach to the outside of the back glass so the scene shows through the front. Some have natural images such as seascapes or beach scenes, while others bring in more kid-friendly elements such as cartoon characters.

    Found Items

    • Make the aquarium decoration an ongoing process by helping your child find acceptable items that help you remember time together. For example, when you go to the beach, spend time looking for shells to place in the tank, or gather driftwood along the shoreline at the lake. Instruct your child not to drop random sticks or rocks out of the yard into the tank; you must wash -- or supervise your child washing -- all natural elements that go into the tank to remove dirt and germs. Using filtered, dechlorinated water to wash the items helps you keep the tank healthy for the fish.

    Toys

    • Don't allow your child to drop toys into the tank. Whether the toys are ceramic, metal or plastic, they might contain dangerous chemicals that could leach into the water and kill the fish. Except for found, natural items that you clean, use only products approved for aquariums to make sure they don't contaminate the water or poison the fish.