Aquarium Decorations can be the fun part of setting up your tank!
You can choose almost any decor from underwater treasure scenes to oriental pagodas. You can buy plastic or ceramic pieces and, of course, the ones that attach to a little air hose and emit bubbles! If you really want a cute look you can spring for one of those magnetized 2 piece scuba divers where you put half inside the tank and the other half outside the tank.
But decorations can serve a practical purpose as well. Your fish need a place to “hide out” – somewhere they can dart in to if they feel threatened and a place where they can feel protected.
Just like in their natural environment where there are tree roots and rocks and such underwater, you want to create similar structures in your tank.
Spread the structures evenly throughout the tank and provide lots of decorations that the fish can swim through and hide behind.
Choose your decorations so that they provide enough hiding spots for all the fish in your tank. It won’t do to only have 1 small spot where only 1 fish can take cover. Try to stay away from any “natural” decorations like shells or coral as they can dissolve and effect the stability of your tank. Before placing anything into the tank, make sure you wash it off (or even boil it) so that you don’t introduce any harmful chemicals into your water.