A fish tank is a wonderful addition to a room. There are three main types of tank – cold water, tropical, and marine. The marine option is for keeping saltwater fish and is the most complex of all, but it is easy for anyone to keep a cold-water or tropical tank, and it is surprisingly affordable. Once you have your tank set up – choose one that is suitable for the space you have available – you need to let the water settle down and reach temperature, and then you can start adding fish. There’s one other factor that people wonder about: decorating the fish tank.

Naturally, you want to have at least one side – ideally one of the longer ones – clear so that you can see in and watch the fish as they glide around. But if your tank backs against a wall there is the option of putting a printed or drawn scene on the back. These come in the form of sheets of printed paper that feature an underwater scene – usually of plants – giving added depth to the look of your tank and getting rid of the see-through element. But what else can you do to decorate your tank?

Adding Colour

There are a few ways of adding colour to your fish tank, and one is choose colourful fish! When you talk to your pet supplier check that the fish you are buying are suitable for a ‘community tank’. Some species can be aggressive are best kept on their own. The boesemani rainbow fish is a great choice for adding colour to a tank of various species. Its iridescent scales add a simple beauty to the scene and it’s a graceful and attractive fish that will sit well in any tank.

You can also add colour by placing real live plants in your tank. Predominantly these will be green, although there are some in shades of red, and they require little in the way of maintenance. A lovely selection of different shades of greens makes a superb sight with fish in and out of the tiny underwater forests.

For those with marine tanks the fish can be very brightly coloured, and there is also the possibility of adding coral, sea anemone and other sea life that can bring a great variation of colour to the scene.

Lighting

There is no doubt that keeping fish can be therapeutic and it is a recommended pastime for persons who struggle with anxiety, for example. Watching a lit tank with plenty fish in moving serenely around can be surprisingly soothing. It’s no surprise that fishkeeping has been a hobby for a long time but the best thing now is the availability of superb accessories.

You can buy underwater lights for your fish tank that come in a range of colours. A couple of these placed at either end of the tank brings an entirely new look to the tank and will certainly make your fish tank a talking point. Also, putting houseplants outside either end of the tank – if the space is available – is a popular option.

If you’re not sure what you should do to decorate your fish your local pet store may be able to offer you some ideas. Remember to check that any electrical items you put in the tank are designed for the purpose and follow the instructions carefully when dealing with electricity near water.

Meanwhile, have a look and check out how many different beautifully coloured fish you can put in your tank, and start an affordable and rewarding hobby that you will find satisfying.

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