Top tips: Make the most of your fish tank – accessorise!

Everyone knows the best way to brighten a dowdy outfit is to accessorise. The story’s just the same with a fish tank. You can turn a bowl of water into one of the coolest features in your home with a statue here and some coloured gravel there. Check out the guide below for some great ideas of what to do with your fish tank accessories.

First things first, you need to think about what your fish need. Depending on the types of fish you have, you will have to take different precautions to make sure your fish tank accessories don’t kill or harm your beautiful fish. Tropical fish need different things to help keep them healthy than fresh water fish. Talk to your local fish expert, or the person you bought your fish from, and find out what you need to look after them properly.

Once you’ve got the essentials, like an aquarium heater and water filter, it’s time to start thinking about the pretty stuff. If you want visitors to your home to know how much you love your fishy friends, give them a fish tank to be proud of. When designing your dream tank, start at the bottom and work your way up. Up until now, you may have thought that gravel was just small rocks – but no! The gravel in your fish tank can become one of the tank’s most attractive features. You can choose from pretty much every colour under the sun – go pink if you’re feeling girly or blue to accentuate your beautiful clean water. Remember to think of your fish though: some fish like to search for food in the rocks, larger rocks make it harder for them to get swallowed and smooth gravel makes sure that any that does get swallowed, can be spat out without too much harm being caused.

Up next, it’s time to think green. We love having plants in our lives, so why should fish be any different? Add some greenery to your fish tank to make it feel that little bit more alive. If you’re buying live plants, remember to check out which ones are safe for your particular types of fish. Fake plants can also add some vibrant colour to your fish tank. Choose different sizes and colours to give your fish tank the air of being full of life.

What would a fish tank be if it didn’t have an ornament or two at the bottom? If you want to go down the natural route, choose some rocks to echo a real water ecosystem. If you fancy something a bit more retro, why not go for a mini shipwreck or a fluorescent treasure chest? As ever, be sure to prepare these features as advised by a fish expert to avoid causing any damage to your fish in their tank.

The most beautiful thing in your fish tank is bound to be the little swimming creatures themselves. Clean the tank regularly, make sure the fish are fed properly and kept in good health and they’ll help keep your fish tank looking its best every day.