Aquarium Ornaments

[Deleted User]

Do you all know any good places to find more unique aquarium ornaments? I'm wanting to get two (for two different aquariums) but do not want any of what I've seen so far in PetsMart, PetCo or the places I know of to look online. I'd like something a little more unique (and not like a cartoon character... not a skull or sunken "junk", etc.).

Thanks!

[Wild Turkey]

Do you have any live plants? Tried em? You sound like you would enjoy a low tech planted tank. Other than that you cant get much more natural looking than than wood and stone. If you buy them from pet/fish stores they are usually inert and safe. I buy pre-waterlogged stuff at petco sometimes, out of their display tanks are the best deals

[mattsbottleofjager]

I'm a rookie to fish tanks and live plants, but I am really glad I went with live plants. I picked up all my plants from [Only Registered Users Can See Links.] and got mopani driftwood from [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

[Northernguy]

Try and find some driftwood that have different shapes to it.
I have one peice that kinda looks like a dear head.I have another that reminds me of a moose head.I also have some that lust look like wood! lol
What are you after? Do you have any ideas?
I'm guessing you want a natural looking tank!

[Aeonflame]

If you want a natural looking tank, try achieving that through placement of your driftwood, plants and other ornaments. The entirety adds up to much more than any one piece :)

[rich311k]

Look around there are lots of things, all natural rocks and wood, authentic looking planes and ships, you could do a Mediterraen garden thing with terra cotta and statues, all depends on what you want, it is your tank.

I myself prefer wood and plants, I only use rocks if I have to.

[Lab_Rat]

Driftwood, rocks, and plants make the best decor imo. The other stuff is for kids tanks.

[Goodbye]

I prefer wood, rocks, plants and leaves as they provide a more natural appeal to the tank. In other words, I prefer a natural looking tank rather then a tank with fake looking stuff such as sunken ships, skulls, brightly colored gravel etc.

[DrNic]

Well I know that around here Petco and Petsmart carry very different tank decor. If you visit both you might be able to find something different enough.

I have to agree with the others though. Rocks, driftwood and plants can be setup any number of ways to give tanks different looks. You might even want to try all driftwood in one tank and all rocks in another or something to that effect.

[MonkeyPox]

You live in an area with a lot of options for some nice driftwood. If you're not interested in finding your own, I like this ([Only Registered Users Can See Links.]) site for their selection.

[tori.lock]

I've always liked the look and idea of roots. It gives tanks a really nice mangrove look and provides nice hiding spots. Broken terracotta pots are nice caves and I think they have a good look. They're simple and don't draw attention to themselves but provide shelter. As for plants I love the look of grasses and moss. And at kitschy as they are, I found some pretty realistic looking animal skulls online (buffalo, crocodile, etc) that I think if placed properly and given some moss to grow on could look very natural, if you want it a bit darker.

[Deleted User]

Thanks for the ideas, folks!!! I hadn't thought of finding our own driftwood or roots, but that for sure is an option. My husband is a surveyor, and he probably comes across neat stuff we could use all the time.

All over our property, we have these white rocks (all sizes) that have flecks of "gold" looking stuff in it. I grew up thinking these rocks were or contained fools gold. But, I don't know that's truly what it is. It's all over VA and I swear, on my property, we do like a twice annual "rock harvest" to get the ones that wash up out of our horse paddocks. Anyone know if this kind of rock is fish safe? (cleaned thoroughly, of course). It would be perfect w/ its white color but those glints that shine!

[Lab_Rat]

I personally wouldn't use rocks with shiny flecks in them. Heavy metals in rocks could be very detrimental to your fishes health. There are some websites that have great info on aquarium safe rock types.

[Deleted User]

Well, shoot! I thought it would look pretty but for sure I do not want to introduce anything harmful. I appreciate the heads up to avoid those kind of rocks [Only Registered Users Can See Links.]

I wonder if I found some kind of colored (like colbalt blue) jar or small wide mouthed bottle, if I could clean that up and safely use that as an "orament"? That idea came to me this morning and I might like the looks if I could find the right type bottle / jar and if it sounds safe.

[rich311k]

Glass is inert as long as it is not painted.