Are you tired of looking at the same plain fish tank in your room? You’re probably looking to liven up your aquarium with splashes of color. Decorating your fish tank benefits you and the fish themselves by creating a vivid atmosphere and enhancing your space.
Depending on the species you’re housing in your tank, most fish need decorations in their environments. Fish rely on cover from plants or landscape features as much as we enjoy looking at creative structures and colorful plants swaying in the water.
We searched the web thoroughly to find the easiest-to-make DIY fish tank creations for you. These projects are cheap, easy to create, and require minimal maintenance once installed. Fish tanks don’t have to cost an arm and a leg! Let’s dive into some inventive ways to create your own DIY masterpieces for your fish tank.
The Top 10 DIY Fish Tank Décor Plans
- Mini-Ocean Aquarium by Arctida
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Small glass bowl/container of your choice, sand or aquarium gravel, mini moss balls, seashells, sea glass, driftwood, etc.
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner
This low-maintenance moss ball aquarium transports you to a miniature version of a tranquil beach and calming waters. It is perfect for small fish like betas or goldfish, and you can use seashells or other beachy items you have left over from other crafts and projects. This cute idea shouldn’t take you more than ten minutes to put together!
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Small glass bowl/container of your choice, sand or aquarium gravel, mini moss balls, seashells, sea glass, driftwood, etc.
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner
- Pickle Jar Aquarium by Acasarella
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Empty gallon pickle jar or mason jar, pebbles / rocks/ marbles, decorative plants
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner
Reuse your old pickle jars or mason jars with this perfect tabletop miniature fish tank. You can fill your pickle jar with plants and pebbles and decorate it to your heart’s content. If you like the look of store-bought items, you can even make your own aquarium-safe decorations using products like Sculpey clay. You should be safe using store-bought pebbles and decorative grass plants to create the scene of your dreams. You can even create stickers to place around the outside of your jar to decorate it even more!
Materials: Empty gallon pickle jar or mason jar, pebbles / rocks/ marbles, decorative plants
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner
It covers all you need to know about the ideal tank setup, tank size, substrate, ornaments, plants, and so much more!
- Rock Sculptures by Rate My Fish Tank
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Chosen rocks
Tools: Could use tongs if using a larger tank so you can reach the bottom, glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
Stacking rocks in your aquarium to build structures is an engaging puzzle. When decorating your aquarium, adding rocks can help fill up empty space while giving your fish new places to hide and explore. Not only are rock structures striking in appearance, but you can also move them around and create new structures at will. There are so many types of rocks for you to choose from that your possibilities are endless. When considering the size of the rocks you’ll use, you can decide if your rocks will stand alone as individual decorative pieces or if you are going to build layered structures or caves for your fish.
Materials: Chosen rocks
Tools: Could use tongs if using a larger tank so you can reach the bottom, glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
- Figurine Scenes by Reddit
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Dolls or figurines, decorative items for scene (chains, chairs, tables, etc.)
Tools: Aquarium safe sealant, aquarium safe glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
You have so many objects around your home that you can already use as decorations for your fish tank. If they are pet safe (meaning non-toxic paint or plastic), decorating your tank is as simple as plopping the items into place. Plastic army men, dinosaurs, or even action figures can be artfully arranged to create fun, engaging, and icon movie scenes. When choosing figurines for your aquarium, watch out for toxic paint on toys—especially if it is one you painted yourself. You can purchase paint that is safe to use in aquatic settings. The author’s example features Jason Voorhees chained at the bottom of a “Camp Crystal Lake” Aquarium. Skulls, crystals, and a carefully placed and glued-down sign top off the spooky scene!
Materials: Dolls or figurines, decorative items for scene (chains, chairs, tables, etc.)
Tools: Aquarium safe sealant, aquarium safe glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
- Driftwood Sculptures by Aquarium Watch
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Driftwood pieces, driftwood sticks, (optional: plants, mosses, rocks)
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
If you want to highlight the beauty of nature in your fish tank, driftwood sculptures are the perfect decorations for you. Adding custom driftwood sculptures to your fish tank is a creative way to make your tank look more natural. Showcase the “natural” aquarium look with plants, rocks, driftwood, and moss.. Sometimes, less is more, and featuring nature as the star of the show is always a great place to start. You can think about abstract ways to place the driftwood pieces in your tank and create eye-catching designs and memorable shapes. You can always add plants like mosses to give it an even more natural look if the driftwood alone isn’t enough.
Materials: Driftwood pieces, driftwood sticks, (optional: plants, mosses, rocks)
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
- Make a Zen Garden by Gardenia Organic
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Tall stones, small pebbles, aquarium-safe sand, plants, small aquarium-safe bridge
Tools: 1 craft knife, glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
You can make your own Zen Garden inside your fish tank by easily using aquarium-safe materials. Creating a Zen Garden inside of your fish tank requires careful placement of your stones, plants, and chosen sand or pebbles. You want to think about the patterns you plan to create and how they relate to the rest of your tank. The main focus of a Zen Garden tank is the décor, though your fish may appreciate the calming surroundings just as much as you do! You might even spot a beta doing yoga if you’re lucky.
Materials: Tall stones, small pebbles, aquarium-safe sand, plants, small aquarium-safe bridge
Tools: 1 craft knife, glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
- Visit Bikini Bottom by Awesome Aquarium Decorations
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Pineapple decoration, SpongeBob aquarium decorations, aquarium sand, colorful plants
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
Visit Spongebob’s iconic home by placing the well-known figures throughout your fish tank and featuring buildings like the Krusty Krab or Spongebob’s pineapple house. You can use colorful plants and specially made aquarium-safe figurines and sand. You can layer different-colored rocks and pebbles to create roads and other city-like effects.. You can even get background images specially printed to wrap around the backside of your tank to take the scenes even further!
Materials: Pineapple decoration, SpongeBob aquarium decorations, aquarium sand, colorful plants
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
- Lego Habitat by Why Pet Fish
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Lego set
Tools: Aquarium safe glue
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
Let’s face it, Legos are incredibly fun, no matter how old you are. Let your mind run wild when it comes to decorating your fish’s tank. Legos are perfectly safe in the water, and whatever you want to build is only limited by your imagination. You can create an entire underwater ecosystem using Lego pieces or follow specific kit designs and use larger pieces combined with superglue to make something truly unique for your fish. The best part about using Legos to make your own plants and structures is that the objects are not permanent, and you can change the design as much as you want.
Materials: Lego set
Tools: Aquarium safe glue
Difficulty Level: Intermediate
- Make Underwater Tunnels by Instructables
Check Instructions Here
Materials: “Food-safe” plastic pipe or basket, aquarium gravel or rocks, pond spray foam, aquarium safe paint
Tools: Aquarium glue, hacksaw, safety goggles
Difficulty Level: Moderate – Advanced
An underwater tank can be another excellent addition to your tank. It might seem weird to want to include spaces where you can’t see your fishbut your fish will appreciate having a new place to explore and hide. Customizing and making your own tunnel designs can add bright focal points to your tank and encourage natural behaviors in your fish. Use PVC pipe or other food-safe materials to create any structures you can dream of. You can also use polymer claythat is non-toxic and aquarium safe once it has been properly cured.
Materials: “Food-safe” plastic pipe or basket, aquarium gravel or rocks, pond spray foam, aquarium safe paint
Tools: Aquarium glue, hacksaw, safety goggles
Difficulty Level: Moderate – Advanced
- Lego Village by Fire Star Toys
Check Instructions Here
Materials: Lego set, aquarium sand or pebbles, plants
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
As we mentioned earlier, Legos are perfectly safe for your fish tank. After you follow the building instructions, make sure you secure any buildings and structures in your tank to prevent floating. Lego pieces are naturally light, so you have to make sure to sink them into the gravel. Turn your aquarium into Hogwarts, a tree house village, and more using any official Lego set and your imagination.
Materials: Lego set, aquarium sand or pebbles, plants
Tools: Glue
Difficulty Level: Beginner – Moderate
Things to Consider
When choosing decorations or materials, you must carefully consider the safety of your fish. You can’t just add any old toy or plant to your aquarium and hope for the best. You have to consider what the item is made of and where it has been prior to placing it in your fish tank. Looking at product information from the manufacturer is always best, but you can also find relevant information online as well.
At the end of the day, the safety of your fish is more important than aesthetics.
Cross Contamination
Maintaining a healthy aquarium means maintaining perfect water conditions and a healthy balance. You need to be careful not to add any foreign substances to the tank that will upset the balance of the water’s PH levels and potentially endanger your fish. If you add in materials, like toys or paints, or even wood, without knowing where it comes from, you risk introducing chemicals into your water.
Some objects can release toxic chemicals into the water that can harm your fish. Make sure your check the labels of everything you use before adding it to your tank.
While fun and creative, DIY decorations are risky and come with some common contamination pitfalls. One of the biggest problems of creating your own DIY décor is toxic paint. Most store-bought paints are not safe for your aquarium. Paint that is not marked as aquarium safe or non-toxic can slowly leach into the water without you even noticing. You can buy aquarium-safe paints online or in your local pet stores.
You also want to avoid metals or collected wood. Metal can rust or corrode and leach into your water, while collected wood can leak chemicals like paint. If you scavenge wood from outside, the chances are that it has been contaminated with chemicals used for industrial purposes.
Always make sure to rinse your wood thoroughly and soak it in a separate water source for a few days prior to submerging it in your tank.
Shapes
You know how we cut foam pool noodles to place on sharp corners so toddlers don’t run into them? You want to do the same for your fish. Aquarium safe decorations are specifically designed not to have any sharp edges. When making your own decorations or sculptures, you want to make sure you do the same.
It is very easy for fish to cut themselves along sharp edges, especially if they enjoy being close to the structures inside their tank.
Make sure you run your hands over the any object to feel for any sharp edges.
Another thing to consider when decorating your aquarium is how stable your decorations are. When building your own structures or rock piles, the last thing you want is for them to collapse and injure a fish inside of your tank. If you are piling up rocks, make sure you are using aquarium-safe glue to hold it all together.
Final Thoughts
The creative possibilities for decorating your fish tank are endless. While heading to your local store or ordering supplies online may be easier, there are more than enough ways for you to decorate without breaking the bank. Some projects may more skill and knowledge than others, but if you’re a creative DIY-er, you shouldn’t have any problems creating an exceptional aquarium scene.
Featured Image Credit: RKPhoto, Pixabay
