How to Decorate Your 20 Gallons fish tanks?
Everyone knows that getting 20 Gallons fish tanks also includes a good filtration system. Now that you have that in place, the decoration is the next thing you should focus on.
So, how do you plan to decorate your fish tanks? You may not believe it, but this is where most people stumble. Sometimes, the aquarists get so exhilarated about decorating the freshwater aquarium that they often end up overcrowding it. That not only makes the tank look tacky but also makes the cleaning job extremely difficult. Keeping that in mind, are you ready to pick out all the proper decorations for your aquarium? The following guide can help you with that.
Think About the Substrates
Substrates are the primary thing that you need to consider while decorating the tank. There are different substrate options available in the market. Decide which ones you like and then build up from there.
The most important factor that you need to keep in mind while choosing it should be your fish. More often than not, the type of substrate you choose depends on the fish species you are getting for your 20 Gallons freshwater fish tanks. If you are thinking about getting fish like knife fish or eels, you need to create a sandy surface in your fish tank. Eels love to spend maximum time at the bottom of the tank. So, if you buy rocky substrates, it will rub with their bodies creating open wounds, which is harmful to their health.
That being said, stones and gravels are popular among the aquarists maintaining freshwater aquariums. They can be cleaned easily and almost always gives a natural look to your aquarium. These are a way better option than the colorful glass pebbles.
The glass pebbles are not bad for the health conditions of your fishes. But, they do not provide much space for the good bacteria to form colonies. The glass pebbles also create problems when they break down. Like the natural pebbles, the glass ones also erode over time. However, unlike the natural ones, the edges of the glass pebbles turn sharper.
The glass pebbles are beautiful, but they can be harmful as well. You can, however, use a couple of them to add some popping colors to your 20 Gallons fish tanks. Just remember to change the pebbles once they start showing the signs of wear and tear.
Real or Fake Plants: Which One to Choose?
As the plants add color to the aquarium, most people love to use them as decoration. While almost every pet store sells colorful aquarium plants, most aquarists choose plastic plants for their aquariums. Why? Because the colors of the plastics plants are often more vibrant than the real ones. You can find plastic plants in various colors that are hard to find in nature. These plants are also easier to maintain as they do not die.
Saying that, the live plants offer some benefits, which the fake ones cannot provide. Live plants improve the water quality of your fish tank. These plants absorb the waste products of the fishes from the tank water. It also helps to keep the levels of various chemicals significantly low. The plants also use CO2 for respiration and offer O2 in exchange. It reduces the chances of carbon dioxide build-ups in your 20 Gallons aquarium. It helps the fishes to breathe and keep the pH level of the water at a stable point.
Of course, unlike the fake ones, the live plants drop leaves and die. The deal plant and leaves decompose inside the plant, increasing the nitrogen levels in the tank. This spike in nitrogen can stress the fishes out, which can lead them to death.
Things You Should Not Put Inside Fish Tanks
- You should not put any elements made of ceramics inside of the tank. Toxic chemicals can leech from these elements and cause significant damages.
- Never put a piece of wood inside your aquarium if it is not pretreated. If you want to put woods inside your aquarium, make sure to buy them from pet stores.
- Never put just any rocks inside of your fish tank. Some of the rocks contain minerals that you might not want in the water of your 20 Gallons freshwater fish tanks.
- If you have a freshwater aquarium, you should not put corals and shells in it. These elements will leech out calcium, which the freshwater system does not need.
- You can put elements made of glass inside your aquarium, as long as it does not have any sharp edge.
All in all, you need to do research even before decorating your 20 Gallons fish tanks. Researching is the only way to make sure you are using the proper elements for decorating your aquarium. The more you research, the better you will understand the requirements and will be able to decorate the tanks accordingly.
