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The best aquarium decorations for your fish tank

Natural decorative aquarium rocks and plant features have long been a favorite way to provide a familiar environment to your fish. Not only do they oxygenate the water, but they also bring a pleasant living space for your pets. Upgrade your aquarium with these amazing options.

One of the most important considerations is the quality and origin of any decor or element you introduce to your aquarium. It’s a good idea to be super careful not to change the chemistry of the water to avoid any health risk to your pets. That’s why we focused our selection to only natural or safe resin options. Check out our suggested picks and bring new life to your tank.

CNZ Aquarium Decor Fish Tank Decoration

Best Tall Structure

If you are looking for a tall structure to highlight the vertical dimension of your tank, the CNZ Aquarium Decor Fish Tank Decoration is perfect. This artificial green plant has lifelike movement and a vibrant color that makes it blend perfectly with the rest of the tank.

10 Marimo Moss Balls

Best Overall

For those looking to add more live plants to their aquarium, the 10 Marimo Moss Balls can bring many health benefits and elevate the natural feel of any tank. These are some of the easiest water plants to take care of since they don’t need any special lighting. They live for many years, in some cases reaching life spans of several decades.

Marineland Bamboo 3 Feet

Best Background Filler

Create the perfect background to your aquarium or terrarium with the Marineland Bamboo, a 3-foot-tall natural decorative element that can either be anchored to the bottom or allowed to float freely in the water. Consider a great way to create a hiding spot for your fish habitat and help reduce stress.

Update your aquarium decor and add these amazing new natural ornaments. They are all sure to make your fish aquarium decoration stand out and bring a soothing playground for your water pets to thrive and grow happy and healthy.

PawTracks Contributor
PawTracks Contributor
Wondering what to feed a baby bird? Here’s how to take care of an orphaned bird
We'll walk you through the baby bird feeding process step by step
Baby bird standing up

Feeding a baby bird is nothing like feeding a baby human. Since birds aren't mammals, they don't drink or produce milk (and you should never give that to an adult or baby avian). Instead, mama birds chew their food into tiny pieces and spit it into squalling infant mouths. That can make it harder to figure out what to feed a baby bird if you find one in your care.

Because baby birds are dependent on their parents not only for food but also for instructions on how to be a bird, it's best for the little one to stay with its parents. So, if you find a baby bird on the ground, try to bring it back to the nest rather than looking after it yourself. If you cannot return the bird to its nest, contact a rehabilitation center that can take care of it.

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What fish can live with bettas? These are your best bets for fish buddies
Bettas can't live with one another so you should look to other species for friendship
Blue betta fish staring at the camera

Betta fish are known for being territorial, feisty, rather combative, and therefore not great tank mates in general. This reputation, however, only holds true in particular situations and with certain fish friends. Male betta fish are aggressive, but only with other male bettas, so it is important to never put two males in the same tank. It will lead to tail-nipping behavior and other aggressive actions. So, what fish can live with bettas?

Happily, there are several other fish that can keep your betta company in a safe and non-aggressive environment. Many colorful, friendly fish cohabitate well with bettas. This is our guide to finding the perfect fish companion (or companions) for your betta.

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Do fish sleep? It’s complicated
You'll probably find your fish resting periodically — don't panic
Fish resting in an aquarium

You might see your little swimmers still and peaceful in your tank and think that they're sleeping. But do fish sleep? It's complicated because first we have to define what sleep even means. Research says that many animals do rest and that slowing down intermittently helps with all sorts of processes, including things like fighting disease and recharging energy. So while fish don't sleep in the same way humans and most other mammals do, they still rest periodically to help them stay sharp.
How do fish sleep?
First, let's talk about our sleep. You'll notice that when we go down for the night, we almost always close our eyes and our furry friends do as well. That's thanks to our neocortex, which shuts off so we can get some shut-eye every night. Dogs and cats operate much the same, though they sleep at different times than we do (practically all day, in the case of cats).

Fish have neither a neocortex nor eyelids, meaning they can't sleep exactly the same way as humans. Researchers at Stanford studied fish brains and found that they do seem to be sleeping, though aquatic animals likely don't enter REM state (dolphins, too, have slightly different sleep methods). Sharks take this even further by swimming even during sleep — if they stop, they won't be able to keep breathing!
When do fish sleep?
You may be surprised to discover that fish usually sleep at night and spend the day awake. That's great for us to get prime-time aquarium viewing. Still, some fish are up at night, especially a few species of catfish that will do the bulk of their feeding in the wee hours of the morning. Interestingly, a few fish don't sleep at all, including some species of cavefish that live entirely in darkness, and many baby fish, which don't develop this ability until adulthood.
How do I know if my fish are sleeping?
As with all animals, you probably want to leave your tiny sea creatures alone while they get some rest. You don't want to get woken up from a nap, either, after all. Check for signs that they're catching a few z's. Fish are possibly sleeping when they stay motionless for a while, lay down on something in the tank, and don't respond to things going around them. So if you walk up to your fish house and see one snuggled up in the corner, they're probably fine. Come back later to make sure they've moved rather than tapping on their home to rouse them.

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