How to Make Designer Aquariums

You can make your aquarium as glitzy or natural as you desire.

Designing your own aquarium is an excellent way to personalize the environment that your pet fish live in. Why? You can actually add items in a variety of colors or textures that might not normally be sold with your aquarium of choice in a retail store. And, you can match it to your favorite style: country, chic or urban. It’s a great way to put your personal stamp on it. So, ready to get started on your new project? Here’s how to do it.

Things You'll Need

• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Stickers
• Rocks
• Plants
• Lights

Instructions

1. Select a theme and plan it out. This step is where a majority of people go wrong. Why? They want to design a room or an item like an aquarium without a plan. Unfortunately, this is the path way toward disaster. So decide in advance if you want a country styled aquarium or a Dora Explorer one. You’d be surprise to know the range of aquariums for fish in the stores these days. And yes, there is one that is created in hot pink just for a little girl who is fascinated with Dora Explorer.

2. Pick out your aquarium. You can get one at a local retail store, Petco or online at Aquariums Direct (www.aquariumsdirect.com). The more specialized the store, the bigger chance you will have of getting an aquarium that fits your personal style.

3. Tweak the outside of your aquarium. Even if the color is right or texture is right, you can actually add to the outside of your aquarium. You can use paint (Rustoleum Oil Base), wallpaper and even stickers to personalize the outside of your aquarium. For instance, Sci-Fi lovers can add glow in the dark stickers of stars or the solar system to the outside of a black aquarium.

4. Select rocks for your aquarium that fit your theme. You pick a traditional rock theme or get ones shaped like fish or memorable figures. You can find most of these items in a pet store or shop that specializes in aquariums. You can also carve them out yourself from shale. Just be sure you know what you are doing if you go with the latter. So, if you are personalizing an aquarium with jewels, get jewel shaped and colored rocks to accentuate your theme.

5. Choose plants that compliment the theme of your aquarium. These plants can be bushy, thin or floral. Just be sure that they match your theme. This part will be easy because you find a variety of plants for an aquarium in many stores.

6. Find accessories that go with your theme. Your accessories can range from small aerating cars to changing lights. Either way, they should compliment your theme. So, if you pick a Dora the Explorer theme, a doll that looks like her should be sitting in your tank. It will help outsiders understand what you are trying to state with the decorations of your aquarium.

7. Review the finished product and get rid of things that don’t match. Now that you’ve finished your designer aquarium, check it out. If you don’t like an accessory added to it or the paint, change or get rid of it. Make sure your finished product is what you enjoy looking at and is in line with your pre-planned theme.

Tips & Warnings

• Take your time in the planning stage to be sure you have picked a theme for your aquarium that you love.

• Don't add items to your aquarium that will hurt your fish or damage necessary equipment.

Resources

• Filtration Tips for Aquariums