Making Sure Your Aquarium Decorations Are Safe

There are lots of creative things people do with materials around the house to create their own version of a stunning fish tank theme. Over the last decade I have seen so many different things being placed in an aquarium, creating designs that have inspired my own concepts. And if what you want is a theme that stands out, that no one on the face of the planet has, you can do it too. You are not limited to buying store-bought accessories and decorations. Things you have around the house, trinkets and mantle decorations that you no longer want can be transformed into super cool aquarium decorations in many cases.

But not all items can be dropped into a tank of water with fish. Remember, fish are living creatures. The water they swim in is their environment and the aquarium is a mini ecosystem that you will need to keep as close to their natural environment as possible. The things you place with them shouldn’t upset the delicate balance of the tank. You must not harm them in any way by injuring them or affecting their health.

Things that should never go in an aquarium

Here is a simple list of items that should not be placed inside the aquarium with the fish. While the actual list may be longer, these are the most common things you might accidentally put there.

First on the list are metal objects. While you won’t knowingly put anything metal in the tank, you should also make sure that the item you’ve chosen doesn’t have any metal parts. This means not even a small screw. Metal rusts with water. Iron rusts, and rusty iron poisons the water for fish. Inspect the object carefully and remove every piece of metal that is on it. If a screw is holding a part together, remove the screw and glue the part together.

The second item is the chemical containers. This includes detergent bottles, shampoo and soap bottles, perfume bottles, etc. Any container that has ever housed any type of chemical should be avoided. I have seen many of these containers, especially perfume bottles that would make great fish tank decorations. The problem is that even though they’re chemical-free and you’ve rinsed the bottle, chances are there’s still chemical residue left. You may think the residue is too small to affect your fish, but it will. The water that fish swim in is also the water that they drink and breathe from. Even the slightest trace of chemicals will affect your health. If you insist on using a chemical container, you’ll need to soak it in running water for at least a week and shake it around the water to dislodge the chemicals every day.

The last item is painted trim. This is where the ornament is hand painted or has the colors sprayed on it. If they are, check that they have an outer layer of protective film that prevents the paint from fading. You can do this by taking a sharp blade and running it across the surface of the object. If the pain comes out as a fine powder, it doesn’t have its protective coating. Putting this in the water tank will cause the paint to leach into the water and poison it. If the paint comes off like a chip or chip, then you should be fine. But just to be safe, you may want to cover the ornament with a clear aquarium silicone coating.

While it may seem like too much fuss or a little paranoid, these three common items that people use as aquarium decorations negatively affect the health of your fish. If you want vibrant, healthy fish in your aquarium, you would do well to follow the tips above.