Unique and Creative Aquarium Decorations & Accessories for your Fish Tank

When your inner designer won’t come out to play, deciding on your tank decor can be a frustrating process.

So I’ve created this guide to make it easier for you.

In this article you’ll learn:

• We’ll talk about 10 types of decorations you can use for inspiration.
• Simple things to consider before choosing your decorations so you can get the right ones for your tank,

10 Different Styles of Aquarium Decor to Inspire you

When choosing which decorations to add to your aquarium, it’s important to consider the benefits and potential drawbacks of each.

1. Driftwood

Natural driftwood is a popular addition to many aquariums and can help create a natural, simplistic feel. It also acts as a great hiding spot for more timid fish.

Driftwood can be bought in many stores and is usually very safe. You can, however, fish driftwood out of rivers and streams, adding it to your tank without spending any money.

You should exercise caution when doing this and be sure to quarantine wild-sourced wood. If you don’t, you run the risk of adding harmful microbes and parasites, having the potential to make your fish seriously ill.

Boiling driftwood before placing it in an aquarium can help remove some of the tannins in the wood. Tannins are harmless to fish, but many people don’t like that they can dye the water brown. 

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2. Aquarium Stones and Rocks

There are many attractive stones, pebbles and rocks available commercially which serve as great additions to many aquariums. They’re also ideal for nature themed tanks, comforting fish by mimicking their native habitat.

You can also add rocks found in the wild to your aquarium. Before doing this, however, it’s vital that you sanitize the rocks before adding them to avoid bringing in harmful organisms.

Be mindful, too, that some rocks, like lace rock, can be sharp and cause harm to your fish and should be avoided.

Also, some rocks can contain calcium that can leach into water, hardening it over time. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, especially if you have really soft water.

You can test rocks for calcium content with an aquarium liquid nitrate test kit. Nitrate tests contain two bottles, usually labeled bottle 1 and bottle 2. Bottle 1 contains hydrochloric acid. If you put a few drops on a rock, and it starts to foam, it means the rock is calciferous, and will leach minerals into your water over time.

Never bake or boil rocks. This can cause the rock to shatter or even explode. The best way to sanitize rocks is using the bleach method I covered under the “Sanitizing Non-Commercial Items” section above.  

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3. Caves

Adding caves to a tank is a great way to provide hiding spots for fish. Sometimes, fish feel shy or threatened and need a little place to duck into. 

And some species, like plecos or other catfish, are full time cave dwelling fish. They are nocturnal, spending their days tucked away in a cave and only emerging to eat after dark.

So, adding extra caves can help all of your different fish stake out a little home territory that makes them feel more secure.

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Hygger Sunken Log Resin

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6 Pieces Stackable Ceramic Fish Tank Hideout Caves

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Police Box Decorations for Fish and Shrimp 

I personally own this decoration. I’ve had it in my tank for almost 2 years and it still looks great. My zebra loaches love this and use it as their main cave during the day.

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4. Ships

Sunken ships can be bought from most commercial retailers. If you’re looking to create a natural, sea-like theme, sunken ships are a safe, fish-friendly option that complement most tank designs well.

Ships also provide great hiding spots for fish, allowing prey species to conceal themselves for security and comfort.

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Underwater Treasures Battleship

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SH-RuiDu Aquarium Air Driven Action Shipwreck Decoration

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Large Mountain View Aquarium Cave Bridge Decoration

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Ulifery Walking Land Tank Aquarium Ornament, Large

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5. Ruins

Ancient ruins are an excellent addition to Atlantis/mermaid-themed tanks and act as perfect places for prey fish to hide.

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SLOCME Large Angkor Wat Buddha Statue Decoration

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6. Statues

Statues of people and animals can add interesting focal points to your aquarium. They’re great for sea or Asian themed tanks.

Also, many statues made for aquariums include caves that make good hiding places for shy fish.

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JONJUMP Fish Tank Buddha Sitting Statue

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POPETPOP Mermaid Figure

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BCSIUHD Aquarium Ornament – Seahorse Mermaid

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7. Bubble Makers

Bubble chests, underwater rivers and air stones not only look attractive, but are often an essential addition to densely-populated aquariums.

If you’re keeping one or more highly-active fish in a single tank, it’s important to ensure that they have an adequate supply of oxygen.

Busier fish will require more than slower species, so it’s important that you keep oxygen levels high by adding in air-producing decorations.

When incorporating bubble makers into your aquarium, ensure that they aren’t too strong for your fish to handle. If your water flow becomes too high, fish will find it difficult to swim and become distressed, often leading to disease.

High water flow can be canceled out by adding dense objects like driftwood.

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Number-one Aquarium Bubble Light

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8. Aquarium Backgrounds

Aquarium backgrounds can serve as the perfect finishing touch to your tank.

Both poster backgrounds, flat, 2D pieces that stick to the back of tanks, and structured backgrounds which are 3D and textured can be used to give your aquarium a more realistic and creative feel.

Backgrounds should be secured with silicone or mounting gel and left for 48 hours before adding water and fish into the tank.

ELEBOX 20″ x 48″ Fish Tank Background 2 Sided River Bed & Lake 

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ELEBOX Aquatic Plant Reef Beach Aquarium Background Double-Sided

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Oyunngs Aquarium Background, Underwater Forest

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Zerodis Aquarium Background, Water Grass 

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9. Submersible Light Ornament

Submersive lights can also be added to fish tanks, providing a soft, attractive glow without being too bright and invasive for fish.

These serve as a great way to brighten up your aquarium without disturbing your pets.

Submersive lights can also come in a range of colors, allowing you to transform your aesthetic and enhance particular color tones.

GreenSun LED Aquarium Light, Fish Tank Light with APP Control

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Fish Tank Light, RGB Aquarium Lights

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10. Ceramic Ornaments

Implementing ceramic ornaments into an aquarium is a contentious practice with some hobbyists claiming it to be perfectly safe and others totally against their use.

The truth is that some ceramic ornaments are, indeed, totally harmless, while others leach toxic metals as their glaze dissolves and can seriously harm fish.

Any object that is stamped as ‘dinnerware safe’ is suitable for use. This means that its glaze has been fired using methods that prevent chemical leaching under acidic conditions. Non-dinnerware pieces do not meet these standards and should be avoided.

If you’re unsure about the safety of a ceramic ornament, dilute a household acid like vinegar to a pH similar to the most acidic conditions your aquarium could reach. A pH of 5 should suffice.

Submerge the ornament, or part of it, in this solution and wait a month before examining it again. Check its glaze. If any of the shininess of the object has deteriorated, this indicates chemical leaching and the object is unsuitable for aquatic usage.

Plain/unglazed ceramics like terracotta are suitable as they come with no risk of chemical leakage. Ceramics with jagged edges can be chipped away and coated in a bead of aquatic silicone to prevent injury.

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BCSIUHD Aquarium Decoration – Brown Ceramic Jar 

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DOHO Ceramic square shrimp hideout

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Norgail Handmade Brown Ceramic Shelters – Breeding Tube

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Bonus: Fun Fish Tank Ornaments

Other fish-friendly aquatic ornaments include:

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Things you need to Consider when Choosing Aquarium Accessories

When deciding on your decorations, you should think about the following:

1. The Size of Your Aquarium

It’s no good having lots of great big, fancy accessories if your tank just ends up looking crowded and ugly.

It’ll be pretty distressing for your fish, too, if they have no room to move around.

If you have a smaller tank, less is often more. It’s better to have one or two attractive decorations that stand out instead of multiple that leave your fish with little living space.

And, if you’re finding it difficult to make a choice, decide on a theme to follow in your design. That way, you can add in decorations like sunken ships and mermaid kingdoms, making it easier to choose accessories by sticking to a particular topic.

Proper Height of Aquarium Elements

Separate your tank into three zones: top, middle and bottom. Fish tend to spend the majority of their time in any one of these three zones, so it’s important to keep some space free in each.

In order to balance the space available evenly, it’s wise to have one or two tall items that rise up into the top zone (depending on the size of your aquarium) and then two or three that are short – around an inch or two from the bottom of your tank.

Your fish will feel safer if your decorations follow some kind of structure. By using those tips, you can incorporate decorations and accessories without making your fish feel uncomfortable.

2. The Color of Your Fish

If you’re concerned about upsetting the aesthetic of your aquarium, you can prevent this by considering the color of your fish.

The color of your decorations will either compliment or clash with your fish. If you have lots of lightly-colored fish, a dark substrate and dull decorations can help to complement those tones.

Vibrant, bright fish look great against white gravel and pale decorations, making the color of your fish pop against the colorless background. Green plants can also work well.

3. How Active Are Your Fish?

Highly-active fish have a considerably higher oxygen uptake than more dormant breeds.

If you’re keeping such fish, oxygen-producing decorations like bubble chests and underwater rivers and bridges can help to provide plenty of air, keeping your fish healthy and allowing them to remain active.

4. Natural vs. Wild Aquarium Theme

The color of your accessories will set the theme of your aquarium.

If you wish to create a natural-looking theme for your tank, pea gravel and live, green plants are great choices in terms of color.

Neon hues and vibrant shades can create a more wild, showy look and help draw attention to particular areas of your aquarium.

Once you’ve decided on a theme, select the color of your decorations and accessories carefully to complement the feel of your tank.

5. Look Out for Sharp Edges

Decorations like fake plants can sometimes have sharp edges. These can seriously harm your fish by scratching at their scales, creating injuries and opening them up to infections.

When you’re choosing accessories for your aquarium, ensure that you avoid any that have sharp edges, allowing you to create an attractive aesthetic without risking your fish’s safety.

6. Consider Focus Points

When you’re adding decorations and accessories to your tank, it can help to select one or two focal points.

These points should stand out amongst the rest of your decor. Items like mermaid statues and bridges draw people’s attention, setting the scene throughout your aquarium and complementing your overall design.

7. Have Fun, But Exercise Caution When Adding New Things to Your Tank

While it’s easy to get carried away when decorating your tank, adding in household items and things found in the wild, you should always exercise caution when bringing something new into your fish’s home.

Sanitizing Non-Commercial Items

While store-bought decorations are generally very safe, objects like driftwood or rocks found in nature need to be cleaned before being added to your aquarium.

Driftwood should be boiled, or if this isn’t practical, soaked in very salty water for several days. Start out with hot water and it should be switched out as it becomes saturated with tannins. 

Tannins won’t harm your fish, but they may decrease your water’s KH and possibly pH, and lots of folks don’t like that they tint the water brown. 

To sterilize rocks or other hard decor, follow this process:

Equipment: 

• Buckets
• Plain chlorine bleach (sodium hypochlorite) 
• Dechlorinator 
• Tap water 
• Measuring cups

Steps: 

1. I usually recommend doing this in buckets in your bathtub or shower. Make sure you wear clothing you don’t mind getting bleach on.
2. Mix bleach and water in a bucket at a ratio of 20 parts water to 1 part bleach. So, for example, if you used 1 cup of bleach, you’d need to add 20 cups of water (1.5 gallons/5 quarts).
3. Submerge items and let them soak for several minutes (it may take up to 15 or 20 minutes to remove stubborn algae or staining).
4. Dump the bleach and rinse the items until you no longer smell bleach. Return the decor to the bucket, cover with water and add a 4 times overdose of dechlorinator. Let the items sit for 10 minutes.
5. Remove items and dump water. The decor is safe to place in the aquarium. 

Final Thoughts

The bottom line when it comes to adding decorations and accessories is to add in any decorations that take your fancy – providing that you take measures to ensure that they’re safe and non-toxic.

Your fish are indifferent to the vibrant colors or unusual decorations you may choose to add. It all comes down to personal choice.

By using the tips above, you can add your favourite ornaments to your aquarium without having to worry about harming your fish.