How to Design a Tropical Fish Aquarium

Starting or maintaining an aquarium hobby is enriching and enjoyable, especially if you creatively design your aquarium. Whether you're following a feng shui look in your home or you're wanting to mix it up a bit, designing your aquarium is almost as important as stocking it with tropical flora and fauna.

Things You'll Need

  • Fish tank (50 gallon)
  • Aquarium gravel
  • Assorted live plants
  • Fish tank backing
  • Bubble wall
  • Aerator pump
  • Clear rubber tubing (1/4 inch diameter, 25 ft roll)
  • Plastic cereal bowl
  • Garden hose (100 feet)
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Sit your fish tank upon a solid base or stand.

    • 2

      Introduce the aquarium gravel to the tank. Ideally, there should be about an inch and a half of gravel at the bottom of the aquarium. For warm water tropical aquariums, two inches of gravel is acceptable for spawning conditions. The color of the gravel is dependent on what your desired theme is. Experiment by mixing different sizes and colors of gravel together to create your own look.

    • 3

      Anchor the plants into the gravel by pushing their plastic bases into the substrate. If your live or artificial plants don't have plastic anchors, it may be necessary to create a mound of gravel to support them.

    • 4

      Affix the plastic fish tank backing to the outside of the backside of the fish tank.

    • 5

      Place the bubble wall device on the inside of the back wall of the fish tank. The suction cups should stick right to the tank, and it should rest just on top of the gravel.

    • 6

      Pull the end of the rubber tube from the roll and attach it snugly to the outlet on the bubble wall.

    • 7

      Unravel the roll of rubber tubing until about 2 feet of it is exposed. Cut it from the roll.

    • 8

      Attach the opened end of rubber tubing to the outlet that is protruding from the aerator device.

    • 9

      Place the plastic cereal bowl into the center of the gravel in the tank.

    • 10

      Hook the garden hose to an outdoor spigot nearest the room in which you are designing your aquarium and bring it in through a door or window to your fish tank.

    • 11

      Place the end of the garden hose into the plastic cereal bowl in the aquarium. This will keep the water from disrupting the tank's decor while you are filling it with water.