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Decorations are options for aquariums, but may be needed for some. Decorations such as plants can do a lot for fish. They can provide hiding spots, breeding spots, separations for territory, and much more. Driftwood is a beautiful decoration and some bottom feeding fish, such as plecos, need driftwood in their diet. Rocks can also add hiding spots for fish and ledges for amphibious animals. Today, there are many types of decorations. Some people choose to use live decorations. As beginners, I recommend that you don't try live plants, and for many reasons. First, they are very hard to keep. They need the right temperature, the right pH, the right kind of water flow, the right kind of light, the right amount of care, nutrients, and more. Some fish also can't live with the plants. I recommend to just stay away from live plants. Other decorations that I recommend staying away from are moving decorations. The movement can startle the fish and literally scar them to death. The worst kind of moving decorations are the opens with plastic fishing string-like wires because if the fish gets scared, then it might dart toward the wire and it can slice the fish in half, and I have heard of it happening. Also, ones with doors and things that open and close, fish may get curious and go in and get stuck and die. Any ways, I think that natural looking decorations make the aquarium look better than bright colors and fake things. Another important decorations, even though it may not be though of as a decoration, is gravel. Gravel does more than lay at the bottom of your aquarium. Gravel will hold all the plants down, make the aquarium look better, and most importantly, give a home for the "good guy" bacteria. Backgrounds are optional decorations for aquariums. You may want the aquarium to have a background on the aquarium if it is against the wall. If the aquarium is in the middle of a room or a divider, then you may not want one so you can see through it. A background can help hide cords and anything that is hanging off the back of the aquarium. There are multiple types of background from mirrored backs to pictures of real underwater environments. When you do buy a decoration, you will need to clean it (except for backgrounds because they are on the outside). A good way to clean decorations is to boil them in a big pot. If they are too big, put them in a tub and use very hot water, but be very careful not to burn yourself. |
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