Using freshwater aquariums to decorate your home
The simplest way to display fish would be to use a single fish tank or a small 2 gallon aquarium. Using either would require some type of substrate (gravel) and decorations. You may decide to use cold water fish like Bettas (Siamese Fighting Fish) or Goldfish. They both like cooler water, which means having a heater is not necessary. Fish tanks also do not require filtration. Both Bettas and Goldfish enjoy a simple diet or flakes or pellets and would require weekly water changes. Be sure to keep them away from high traffic areas, as too much activity is stressful for any type of fish. Bettas tend to be aggressive, so you can only keep one in a bowl or aquarium. Goldfish do well singly or in groups.
Even if you are a beginning aquarist, you can keep warm water fish that are easy to care for. Warm water fish require temperatures between 72 and 82 degrees, which means they will need a heater. Easy-care species include Black Mollies, White Clouds, Danios, Swordtails, and Guppies. These fish can live together in a community tank with little problem. All of these species are hardy, lively, can live on flake or pellet diets, active, small, and long-lived. The aquarium would require a 10 percent water change to keep the water fresh and healthy.
Aquariums can be decorated according to your personal taste, using any color preference and the many types of decorations are limitless, so matching any decoration would be very easy to do. I personally have a 55 gallon aquarium with a red bellied pacu. My tank is located in my dining room. My living room and dining room consists of off-white and black furniture. My aquarium has white gravel with black slate rock pieces as well as a solid black bottom. Before the Pacu grew, there were also black and white plants. The tank stands on a black wrought iron stand and blends in perfectly with the surrounding décor. The only downside to an aquarium this size is not being able to move it at will. It’s ideally located away from windows to prevent algae growth, and it’s also away from high-traffic areas.
The aquarium is a great talking point as visitors are always enthralled with the size of my Pacu and its care. My Pacu is about the length of my forearm and will eventually need a larger tank to support its girth. What started out as a way to fill empty space has grown into a large aquarium containing a solitary species of fish and is a very beautiful decorative accent in my home.
