When thinking of building a fish tank, keep in mind that it’s an art that involves more than keeping an aquarium at home. Your main focus should be on the health of your fish. Once this is out of the way, you can turn your focus to the look and layout.

Here are important considerations to help create your ideal fish tank.

1.  Use Your Light Creatively

If you’re hoping to stick with using rocks instead of plants, the creative use of lights will transform your aquarium’s look. By raising your light a few feet above your water line, you’ll create a spectacular dappled effect instead of uniform lighting. Using high-intensity spotlights instead of the regular fluorescents is also an incredible way to create dark and light patches.

It’s still highly advisable not to fill your tank with a heavy, brooding mass of rock that’s illuminated on a single spot. This is because it offers a different atmosphere than when the tank is lit evenly from end to end.

 

2.  Paint Your Aquariums Back

If you’re looking to have an aquarium with a sleek look, painting your aquarium’s back outside glass is key to elevating your environment. Instead of showcasing whatever is in your fish tank, painting the back of your aquarium can make it a central piece of your home. It’s highly advisable to settle darker colors as they make pale-toned ornaments and gravel stand out.

If you opt to paint your tank, make sure that you do a double coat so that no paint gets into the tank. 

 

3.  Take into Account Your Aquarium’s Growth Prospects

As you plan your fish tank’s overall look, you’ve got to think of your growing space as a garden. Your aquascaping gets better as your plants continue growing. This is why when searching for fish tank supplies, especially aquatic plants, you should never overlook their growth. 

Understanding the growth factors of plants will help you to understand their level of maintenance better. If you plan on investing time in your aquarium, you can always make changes to your design as your environment changes.

 

4.  Settle on A Great Color Code 

When it comes to the color of your aquariums, you have to think about selecting a palette for your fish tank. If you’re thinking of keeping the hard elements (ornaments and substrate), they should have one tone for your tank to have a bold look. 

 

In most cases, the earthly palette acts as an exceptional backdrop for any colorful fish to get noticed. If you’re looking to have a bright palette, your substrate can start the color code. You could have a two-toned option together with vibrant glass gravel in reds, greens, and blues.

 

5.  Plastic Plants Can Be Handy

There’s nothing wrong with including plastic plants in your aquarium. However, you need to know how to put them to good use. Having ten quality plants of the same type may look okay, but ten different species will look cluttered. It’s also best that you settle for colors and shapes that blend in well with your lighting and rockwork.

 

If you have a tank that has bogwood, red and dark green plants will look great. You should consider light-colored plants for a brighter aquarium, especially if it’s characterized by sand and limestone. Understand that the importance of fake plants is to complement and not contrast with the design.  

 

6.  Settle on Beginner Friendly Fish Species

As a beginner, it may be tempting to start with a variety of tropical fish. While this isn’t a bad option, you should learn not to overdo things. Remember that there are fish varieties that you can easily manage without feeling out of your depth.

 

Regardless of the species you choose, you should know that different species have unique characteristics and attributes. So, you should seek the expertise of an aquarium specialist on the species that match your requirements.

7.  Be Creative With Your Design

Your aquarium doesn’t necessarily have to take a box-like shape. This is the case if you are modeling the flat bottom, smooth of a river or lake. In such instances, the substrate that’s shallower along the face of a tank and deeper on the other end is more realistic.

Aquatic plants thrive well in certain depths, and this is an aspect worth taking into account when planting in your aquarium. Sloping the gravel and sand in your fish tank also ensures that solid waste easily slides down to a point where it can be netted and siphoned out. 

 

When planning to own an aquarium soon, aspects that may have caught your attention include fish darting in and out of the paints and the gentle bubbling of the filter. As a beginner, the variety of fish and maintenance aspects to consider can make starting your own seem intimidating. The tips highlighted in this guide should act as a first step to building your perfect fish tank.