How to Make Your Own Unique Fish Tanks

Maybe your goldfish seems a little bored in its bowl-shaped habitat with river rock and a single plant. Maybe you're ready to invest in the salt water aquarium you've been thinking about for a long time. Whatever your reason for seeking a unique aquarium for your fish to call home, plenty of items are available to help you step past standard designs and decor. Give your scaly friends an underwater adventure every day.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium
  • Shelf or Case
  • Colored stones, pebbles, glass balls
  • Plants
  • Themed decorative items
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Instructions

  1. Setting Up an Aquarium

    • 1

      House your aquarium in clever abodes. Convert an old television or computer monitor into a case by hollowing out the inside and securing the aquarium within it. Use the premise of looking into a glass bottom boat by placing an aquarium on the bottom shelf of a glass top coffee table. Break from the classic rectangular and bowl shaped aquariums by choosing another geometrical shape such as a cylinder or octagon. If your seeking the truly unusual, invest in a sofa, sink, lamp base and even a toilet tank that has a built-in aquarium. Standard pet stores don't usually offer aquariums of such unusual quality, but an online search can lead you to several options if you're willing to pay a lot for uniqueness.

    • 2

      Add bright, bold color to your aquarium with pebbles, stones and glass balls. Plant life is good for color, provides natural elements and is even necessary to sustain the health and life for some aquarium critters. Avoid dead coral and shells. Even though some might add a nice flash of color, they can also be harmful to living corals taking up residence in your aquarium.

    • 3

      Create an underwater world with personality and mood. While a few plants and one castle aren't too interesting, an exotic Caribbean scene can make an aquarium the focal point of a room. Fill the aquarium with sunken ships and treasure chests, or bring a touch of Hawaii into the home with volcanoes and bamboo walls. Your fish can have the same pineapple house as SpongeBob or the Easter Island home of his neighbor Squidward. A multitude of themed aquarium decor, figurines and backgrounds are available at most pet stores and many large department stores.

    • 4

      Welcome unique and unusual fish into your aquarium. Their shapes, colors and markings alone can give an aquarium just the aspects it needs to set it apart. If you're mixing different types of fish, research their habits and natural instincts to make sure they will be compatible as roommates.