Alongside the excitement of buying a brand new home aquarium and choosing which fish to bring home, there’s the fun and joy of decorating your tank to look forward to as well. You can find all sorts of fish tank ornaments and aquarium decorations now, making it easy to match your aquarium decor to your home interiors.
Whether you’re a lover of laidback minimalism or a big fan of colour, there are a whole load of ideas to help you decorate a fish tank so that it fits in perfectly with your preferred aesthetic.
Fish Tank Decoration Ideas
Before you get started buying fish tank decorations, think about what you want the end result to be. Many people have a clear sense of style when it comes to their home, so matching it to your aquarium decor will make it a feature for all the right reasons. You might have heard of aquascaping and want your fish tank to be an oasis of calm in a neutral room, or you may be a big fan of maximalism and be looking for fish tank decorations that really stand out.
Have a clear idea of what you want your tank to look like before you get started. That way, you’ll get it just right when buying your aquarium ornaments. Decorate a fish tank just as you would your home by planning ahead; that way, the end result will be exactly what you imagined.
How To Decorate A Fish Tank
Once you’ve settled on the type of aquarium decor you want, you can start to have fun buying fish tank ornaments and decorations to make your fish tank come to life. Here are some of the most popular home interior and fish tank styles we’ve seen, plus advice on how to get the look.
1. Minimalist
Taking a minimalist approach to your fish tank decorations is very on trend and lets the fish be the focal point. If your home has a minimalist design with neutral colours and pared back furniture, then a sleek and simple aquarium will look stunning.
Start with a basic substrate like white aquarium sand. Substrate is especially good for fish that like to burrow such as Corys, but it’s also a clean and minimalist design touch that acts as a base for any other fish tank decorations. Simple pebbles are also an option if you want to decorate a fish tank with a minimalist theme.
Keep the rest of the tank simple and consider adding a basic shelter for any breeding fish. Little caves will blend in seamlessly with a minimalist aesthetic, becoming a natural part of the aquarium decor and giving fish something to interact with.
Choose slow-growing, living plants that will complement the natural environment and not overpower the aquarium too. This will finish off a tranquil and lo-fi fish tank perfectly.
2. Maximalist
If bright colours, patterns, and print clashes occupy most of your home, then a maximalist fish tank style will be more for you. Start your aquarium decorations off with a brightly coloured substrate and then add fish tank ornaments and plastic fish tank plants in multiple colours. Include glow effect floating jellyfish and place fake coloured coral along the bottom to really decorate a fish tank to the max.
Maximalist aquarium decor looks amazing with tropical fish, as their exciting colours and patterns match the fish tank decorations perfectly, making your aquarium a real sight for sore eyes.
3. Colour Pop
For eye-catching fish tank decoration ideas, consider a colour pop theme.
Unlike a maximalist aquarium, a colour pop fish tank will focus more on certain colours, allowing them to stand out against the rest of the tank. This can look beautiful in a home where colour is used thoughtfully. Keep the base simple with neutral toned pebbles or sand, and add fish tank ornaments or aquarium decorations carefully to inject the right amount of colour.
Coral comes in many colours and there are several types of coral that work best in home aquariums. Brain coral, for example, has a beautiful burst of orange in the middle and looks amazing in a colour pop aquarium. If you find plastic plants easier to manage, choose a striking single colour that complements the fish you will be keeping.
Finding a balance with your fish tank decorations is the key to making it pop. Too many and the colour will be garish, but too few won’t make an impact. Start off with just a few decorations and build up until it’s just right.
4. Disney
Films like Finding Nemo and The Little Mermaid have been inspiring fish tank decoration ideas for decades, and even live action films like Pirates of the Caribbean can be a source of inspiration for your aquarium decor.
A Disney-themed fish tank is a lot of fun to create and includes the use of fish tank ornaments to make your tank really come to life. When you decorate a fish tank in this way, it makes it truly captivating to watch as fish swim around your Disney scene. Think pirates chests or shipwreck ornaments, or even brightly coloured plastic fish like Nemo that sit on the aquarium bed. Use colourful plastic plants as part of your seascape too.
As well as Disney, there are many other films and TV shows you can base your aquarium decor around for those who like to have fun with their fish tank.
What Else To Think About When You Decorate A Fish Tank
Matching your aquarium decor to your home interiors aesthetic is hugely enjoyable. When you decorate a fish tank, you should consider a few extra things:
- Make sure everything is safe for fish - it can be tempting to make DIY fish tank ornaments, like Lego houses or messages in bottles, but bear in mind that anything you put in a fish tank should be safe for fish, so choose dedicated aquarium decorations that can be trusted.
- Don’t overfill your tank - overloading your tank could be detrimental to fish. Fish need space to swim and water needs to circulate safely. Only put in the right amount of fish tank ornaments for the size of your tank.
- Keep your tank clean - adding anything into a fish tank will affect the ecosystem in there. This includes fish tank ornaments and decorations too. Use a good quality filtration system to make sure your tank is clean and safe for fish. Read more about how to clean a fish tank safely.
Decorate Your Fish Tank With Finest Filters
Alongside aquarium essentials like filtration, heating and lighting, at Finest Filters, we have fish tank ornaments and decorations to finish off your tank. Find a range of substrates from gravel and sand in multiple colours to minimalist caves and fun plastic plants.
Contact us for more information or visit our showroom to discover thousands of products for your home aquarium.
