How to Make Your Fish Tank Look Good

The most important consideration when setting up an aquarium is the health of your fish, but that doesn't mean you can't have a great looking tank as well. An appropriately sized tank, heater, filter and substrate are vital to the well-being of tropical fish, and once you have the essentials in place, you can move on to the fun stage of decorating your tank with live plants, rocks and driftwood. Sketch out a few ideas before you start or dive straight in and shuffle things around until you're pleased with the layout.

Things You'll Need

  • Aquarium background
  • Clear tape
  • Gravel
  • Rocks
  • Live plants
  • Driftwood
  • Plant weights
  • Saucer or dish
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Instructions

    • 1

      Attach the aquarium background to the back of the tank, on the outside, using clear tape.

    • 2

      Rinse the gravel under running water to remove dust and debris. Transfer the substrate to the empty fish tank until it's approximately two inches deep at the back and one inch deep at the front to encourage waste to gather where you can siphon it out easily from the front of the tank.

    • 3

      Position the filter and heater on the back wall of the aquarium and arrange the decor so that you can still access essential equipment for cleaning and maintenance.

    • 4

      Attach weights to the plants and securely anchor each one in the gravel. Arrange the plants in groups with taller specimens at the back of the tank and smaller ones at the front to provide your fish with a variety of hiding places and an interesting environment.

    • 5

      Place a variety of different sized rocks in clusters on top of the gravel in several different spots. Rock crops look effective grouped at the base of plants, but take care to not damage the stems.

    • 6

      Decorate the tank with pieces of driftwood or bogwood. Color often leaches from some varieties of natural wood, turning the water brown. Although harmless to fish, it can look unattractive. Soak the wood, completely submerged, for at least two weeks in a separate bucket to remove some of the tanins responsible for discoloring water.

    • 7

      Place an upturned saucer or dish in the bottom of the tank and fill the aquarium with dechlorinated water. Pour the water over the saucer to avoid disturbing the gravel and decor and remove the saucer when the tank reaches the required water level.

    • 8

      Check the design of the fish tank and make any final adjustments.