The 19 Best Aquarium Decorations of 2023

Best Multipack Plants

MyLifeUNIT Artificial Fish Tank Plants

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Even though most pet fish are sold in clear tubs packed gill to gill with 50 of their closest cousins, their forever home should be a lower-stress environment. With the MyLifeUNIT Artificial Fish Tank Plants 10-pack you get a great variety of colors, heights and densities to accommodate fish of all temperaments and environmental requirements. You can easily swap out any or all of these items to find ones that your fish prefer. Each plant is made from PVC, with a ceramic base that’s easy to install under most substrates and won’t upset the pH balance in your tank.

Price at time of publish: $16

Best Large Artificial Plant

Lantian Aquarium Décor Large

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When it comes to artificial plants, a dense base with lots of stems is a great choice for most systems. Depending on the species you keep, you may go for something shorter that allows for top-swimmers to have open swimming space. For shyer fish, this fake plant provides lots of hiding spaces, while also bringing a pop of color to your tank.

This 18-inch plant from Lantian Aquarium Decor provides dense foliage attached to a single weighted ceramic base, which makes it easy to install in most substrates. It’s perfect for hiding fish in particular, while its combination of green and red should fit in with most tank designs.

Price at time of publish: $11

Best Small Fish Hideaway

MUNLIT Stackable Aquarium Rock Caves

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For smaller, shy fish, multiple caves are an absolute requirement. These will provide them lots of options to take a break from their busy aquarium life, and maybe some rambunctious tankmates. These caves can be stacked, to provide a multi-level apartment complex, but are only appropriate for small fishes, such as bettas, small cichlids and tetras.

Price at time of publish: $12 (2-pack)

Best Large Fish Hideaway

Lingxuinfo Scakbyer Habitat Decor Hideout

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With an opening that’s nearly 5 inches high and 9 inches across, the Scakbyer Habitat Decor Hideout is perfect hideout for cichlids and medium-sized saltwater fish. It’s made from non-toxic resin, and painted in a realistic, natural pattern. 

While designed primarily for reptile terrariums, this large fish hideaway sinks, making it easy to install on the surface of any substrate. Be sure not to install this cave too snuggly, for you will have to remove it to perform your regular maintenance!

Price at time of publish: $45

Best Wood

Majoywoo Natural Coral Driftwood

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It’s important to select wood that’s been specifically treated for aquarium systems. Throwing in any old log from your yard is not appropriate and certain types of wood can secrete compounds that will poison your fish.

This natural coral driftwood assortment comes in a pack of three, each piece unique and approximately 6 to 10 inches long. It’s perfect for a medium to large aquarium system, but Majoywoo also offers a two-pack of even larger driftwood pieces. 

For the best installation, boil your new wood for one hour or let it soak for four hours in salt water, which will help release any remaining tannins from the wood. Repeat until the water no longer changes color.

Price at time of publish: $22

Best Rocks

Blue Handcart Natural Slate Stone Rocks

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Substrate rocks can vary widely in size, but if you’re looking to build up some height, you will need some natural shelving. This makes slate the perfect pick for building out aquascapes, since you can create height where you want it with these easily stackable stones. Blue Handcart Natural Slate Stone Rocks come in a stackable multi-pack, which includes a variety of 2-3 inch stones and a larger, 8-inch stone that can be used as a bridge between stacks.

Price at time of publish: $20

Best Landscape Ornament

UNEAK Large Shipwreck Aquarium Decoration

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When it comes to large landscape designs in aquariums, who could ignore the quintessential pirate ship? What makes the UNEAK Large Shipwreck ideal is its 15-inch height, which makes for a dramatic statement piece. Plus, the wrecked ship is split in two, allowing you to separate the two pieces to get the best look and provide extra hiding spaces for your fish.

Price at time of publish: $100

Best Decorative Gravel

Oupeng Coarse Sand Stone Decorative Rock

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While lots of decorative gravel is shiny or colorful, we like the more neutral sand tones provided by Oupeng Coarse Sand Stone. These small pebbles are appropriate for all sizes of fish and are capable of providing the recommended one inch of substrate for foraging, bottom-feeding fish. It’s also a perfect weight for anchoring live plants and other décor objects.

Price at time of publish: $8

Best Artificial Hard Coral

Danmu Polyresin Coral Ornament

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Saltwater tanks are known for their brightly colored fishes and corals, but if you’d rather stick to a fish-only system, you can still get vibrant colors without the work. Artificial corals, like the Danmu line, allow you to showcase your brightly colored fish with an equally bright background. This line of artificial corals comes in four colors, so you’ll be sure to find one that works with your design. Unlike live corals, you will need to scrub these to keep their colors their brightest.

Price at time of publish: $18

Best Artificial Soft Coral

Cayway Aquarium Silicone Fish Tank Decorations

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When it comes to selecting aquarium décor, silicone elements are rising in popularity. Rather than a stationary decoration, silicone décor items will provide some movement to your tank. We like the Cayway 4 piece assortment since it showcases four different types of soft color with their own design and color. They have multiple options for you to find the best assortment for your tank. These items will also glow under blue LEDs, making them pop amongst your other décor items.

Price at time of publish: $17

Best Floating

Zoo Med Floating Betta Log

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Floating elements for aquariums are recommended for a small variety of species. Bettas, with their long, flowing tails, require regular rest periods. Many betta fish love this log from what I’ve encountered in practice. It gives them a safe place to rest that is up high in the water column, rather than down on the bottom. This log even has a feeding hole at the top to provide a flow-free space for feeding that limits competition from other fish.

Price at time of publish: $11

Best Budget Pack

Pietypet 25-piece Aquarium Décor

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This Pietypet set contains 24 various artificial plants, ranging in size from 10.5 to 2 inches, and also includes a rock cave. A wide variety of colors and sizes are represented, and each plant has an easy-to-bury base. Plus, you can even detach each plant from its base for easier cleaning.

Price at time of publish: $15

Best Extra Large

PENN-PLAX Age-of-Magic Wizard’s Castle Aquarium

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If you have a large tank that needs an extra-large décor item, we recommend PENN-PLAX Age-of-Magic Castle. At over 12” in height and length, you will need a large tank to accommodate such a large structure, but your fish, including your larger fish, will enjoy exploring the castle and its substructure. The base is 7” wide and hosts a large cage, perfect for your larger fish.

If you want an even bigger castle complex, you can combine the Wizard’s Castle with its Part B counterpart.

Price at time of publish: $41

Best Realistic Plant Set

YOJOE Aquarium Plants

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This set contains five pieces of vibrant green artificial plants that are suitable for most types of fish. Some of the pointier fronds are not suitable for long-finned fishes, such as bettas. This assortment is a more “natural” aesthetic with green foliage and brown-tinted bases/roots.

Price at time of publish: $19

Best Treasure Chest

Penn Plax Action-Air Jewel Box Treasure Chest

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When it comes to classical aquarium décor, nothing beats a traditional treasure chest. This model connects to an air pump, and the lid will periodically open and release a cloud of bubbles. This really isn’t adding much oxygen to your aquarium, but does provide a fun, animating component to your aquarium tank.

Price at time of publish: $9

Best Novelty Decoration

NICREW Aquarium Volcano Ornament Kit

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What tank is complete with a towering inferno of bubbles? The NICREW Aquarium Volcano Ornament kit comes with a solid resin mountain structure and an aerator/light insert. This system is very easy to install and there are even suction cups on the bottom of the aerator disc to keep it in place. It comes in both a multi-color option or solid red to mimic a lava flow. This decoration will also improve your water flow and oxygen levels while bringing a fanciful element to your tank.

Price at time of publish: $18

Best for Small Fish

Penn-Plax Spongebob Squarepants Pineapple House

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No list of aquarium decorations would be complete without an under-the-sea pineapple house. However, this cave really needs to be for small fish only. As a private pet fish veterinarian, I have seen goldfish get stuck in this cave multiple times. I’m not sure what it is about this cave that is just irresistible to try and squeeze themselves into, but then they get stuck and injure themselves trying to get out. So, small fish only.

Price at time of publish: $6

Best for Bettas

Zoo Med Laboratories Betta Bed Leaf Hammock

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It is recommended that all betta tanks have lots of places for bettas to rest. It gets tiring swimming in a ball gown all day! The best option is to install a betta leaf along the side of your aquarium, up high enough where your fish can enjoy looking at their surroundings. Simpler is better for these structures, so the basic Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock is a cheap and inexpensive way to greatly improve your betta’s quality of life.

Price at time of publish: $3