When you’re building your own home aquarium, half of the fun is getting to design it as you wish. Many hobbyists see their tanks as blank canvases that they can customize and adjust to suit whatever aesthetics they please. However, there are certain rules to the process, depending on the type of aquarium you’re making. Use these tips for creating a beautiful aquarium display to ensure your design works perfectly.
Use Live Plants in Your Design
Whether you’re building a saltwater or freshwater ecosystem, plants are main factors in making the environment look natural. This is because they add a sense of diversity to the tank and make certain fish or corals appear more vibrant. Plants also provide extra oxygen to the water, which sustains some species of marine life. You can purchase live or fake plants for your aquarium, but it’s recommended that you choose live ones if you want to create an authentic feel.
Prioritize Color in Saltwater Tanks
For saltwater tanks specifically, you’ll want to place more emphasis on bold color. Unlike freshwater ecosystems, wild coral reefs are known for their vivid colors and unusual shapes. As such, you want to maximize these traits as much as possible when building this type of aquarium. You can do this by familiarizing yourself with the reasons why corals tend to lose their color and ensure you prevent these things from occurring in your tank.
Place Items and Specimens Strategically
Another important tip for creating a beautiful aquarium display is to consider placement. From rocks and plants to corals and driftwood, the overall arrangement of the items in your tank is essential to how it’s going to look to the observer. Where you place your living organisms can also affect how much light and water flow they receive—potentially affecting their health. So, make sure you research the needs of your specimens and place them so that these needs can be fulfilled. Then, you can organize the nonliving objects around them.
Keep It Natural
Ultimately, if you want an aquarium that accurately mimics the underwater world, you’re going to want to keep it looking natural. Professional aquarium designers often create their finest works based off elements of the natural marine ecosystem. Likewise, the key to success in your own aquarium design is doing the same and by including techniques such as asymmetry and plant diversity to create a wild appearance.
