Have you purchased an aquarium and now want to beautify and decorate it to make it a comfortable and fish-friendly environment? If you are a novice, there are a few things you should know.
Putting items inside the aquarium without criteria could be very risky as some of them could expose the fish to different dangers.
If you have any doubts, always ask yourself these questions: Could this object release toxins into the aquarium? Is it degradable? Is it sharp? Will it make chemical changes in the water?
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Can you put shells from the sea in your aquarium?
The same is true for shells in freshwater aquariums: objects like these can greatly increase the presence of calcium and if chipped can become sharp to the point of fatal injury to poor little fish.
Is it possible to put sea sand in your aquarium?
You have just returned from a vacation at the sea and brought home some sand as a souvenir to put in the aquarium at home?
Bad, both because you did something illegal, and because sea sand is usually polluted and may contain chemical residues that are harmful to fish. Sea water, unlike tank water, has a constant and continuous turnover.
There are sterilized and non-essential sand for the bottom of the aquarium, colored and ideal for setting up the sea bottoms of aquariums.
Why is it dangerous to put seashells in your aquarium?
If you decorate your aquarium with stones, branches or plants collected outside, it is necessary to take a number of precautions. Indeed, without taking these precautions you risk introducing :
- Micro-organisms or even diseases harmful to your fish;
- Fungi and worms that are harmful to your plants;
- Snails, which are not dangerous but reproduce quickly.
How to eliminate all risks for your aquarium?
In order to place your harvest in your aquarium, we advise you to
- To scald the rocks, sand and branches;
- To soak these same elements in a basin of distilled water or osmosis water with potassium permanganate (available in pharmacies in the form of powder) before rinsing them with hot water and letting them rest;
- Or disinfect them by treating them with bleach, i.e. in tap water that contains chlorine with a touch of bleach, before rinsing with hot water and letting them rest.
It is generally recommended soaking for 24 hours and let stand for 72 hours. Then, after the resting period, a soaking period in distilled or osmosis water will guarantee a completely harmless natural decorative element!
What kind of shells can I put in an aquarium?
Just because you can’t put seashells in your aquarium doesn’t mean that there aren’t shells suitable for freshwater. You can go to any aquarium store and find a wide variety of decorations, including seashells that are perfectly suited to the freshwater environment of your aquarium, and above all, they are safe!
You can also choose freshwater mollusks!
What natural elements can you choose for an aquarium decoration?
As we’ve seen, collecting natural elements for your aquarium can be dangerous. So, what can you get from nature to decorate your aquarium without taking too much risk?
You can mainly put :
- Rocks, pebbles and sand ;
- Branches or roots ;
- Even stumps.
Generally speaking, prefer dead branches that are almost ready to use, smooth and without bark.
On the other hand:
- Collect only hardwood branches because other plants may contain resins that are toxic to your fish;
- Also, avoid collecting pine, whose resin is not good for your fish;
- Avoid thorny woods.