What Makes An Ideal Fishtank Ornament (sponge Filter? Help)

[Torrean]

I know this is kinda a stupid general question because different fish have different preferences and needs, but what do you look for in an aquarium ornament and why. Different requirements for different kinds of fish is more than welcome. I'm asking because I am hopefully, finally, getting close to starting a small business making aquarium ornaments and I'd like to know what a variety of fish owner's like. I'd also like to specialize. For example I could build a short wide ornament with a hole on each end and no hole on top for a pleco because they like dark places, or I could build a large open top tower with holes all along the sides (like the one in the pics) for mid to upper level fish. Then I could put tags on the different ornaments saying how they are specialized and what fish would prefer them. Thanks a lot for any info. The more people Posting the better.

This is the ornament that I made for the 55 in my bedroom. It has pots on the sides for plants but these can be reworked into hiding places.

 

[kris-b-]

The only things I have in my tanks are bogwood and rocks, I like things to look natural and have plenty of hiding spaces!

 

[lozzles]

same but maybe desing them for breeding tanks with multiple caves on one ornament

 

[Paul_MTS]

i'm another natural guy, bogwood, rocks and plants here although a large teracota pot can look good in a tank.

out of the ornaments we sell at work, i like the broken urn designs of the long skinny jugs you lay on there side.

may sound stupid but if you made some pipes which were "fish safe" the people that are worried or don't know about using household pipe would buy this for sure.

 

[Weaver]

I have a hollowed out train which the loaches use at night and which a lot of the fish swim in and out of
Also a grecian urn jobbie on its side which the rainbow shark and the opaline gourami use.
I also have a big stone with a large hole in it and various small holes and nooks and crannies.
The lfs has one of those pyramid ornaments which the parrot fish and cichlids use to breed in,a small barrel ornament which is home to a lobster and a sphinx ornament which again cichlids use for breeding
Personally speaking I find that ,depending on the fish,I need ornaments in my tanks as the bogwood etc dosent provide enough hidey holes for the fish.
I dont like ornaments which are too brightly coloured and any I do buy have to double as homes or hiding places for fish
The one you have pictured would be perfectly fine especially when the plants start to grow and it"matures" a bit in the tank
Good luck with your venture

 

[Torrean]

Thanks Paul. That's a good idea about the pipe. If you notice in the picture there is a hamster tube in the background. A long tube with some holes worked into it would be a great idea. The fish could dodge into it and get away from any tankmates that were being aggressive.

I'm not exactly sure what I am asking for but I appreciate any input. I've thought about making a lot of small pieces that are made to fit together and using aquarium sealant to attach them to one another. But this may make it difficult to remove (or find) dead fish. Would it be better to make them stay together with friction so they can be put into and taken out of the tank more easily.


edit: about the plants growing in the ornament. A pleco was transferred from my sisters ten into the 55 and he ripped all the plants up. Once he leaves (she's getting a 55 set up as we speak) I will replant the side pots.

 

[NinjaSmurf]

For me it would all depend on what type of look I'm going for in a particular tank. For one ten gallon I had it was pretty much going to be a themed tank with a mix of The Beatles and Pink Floyd references. I had two toy octopus that looked really good in there, black and blue gravel, was looking for a yellow submarine...

A theme I want is the 'ship graveyard', which really doesn't need an explanation, but would be time consuming because I want small versions of the ships placed on huge looking (yet not all that big in reality) ravines, making whatever fish I have in the tank look like mosters.

For me I think the most important thing about a ornament is that it can be placed in a lot of different ways in the tank, not just facing one way, or even resting on one side, the ability to turn the thing upside down and backwards or what ever to create a new way of looking at it is a major plus to an ornament.

 

[Matty]

The only things I have in my tanks are bogwood and rocks, I like things to look natural and have plenty of hiding spaces!

ditto

 

[Torrean]

I was thinking about pottery breaking during firing (happens sometimes) trying to figure out how I could deal with the liability issues of having someone else firing my pieces. Then I thought about what Smurf said about flipping things around. A lot of people break terra cotta pots because they like how it looks. I could take the broken pieces and silicone them together into a simblance of the original and file the sharp edges. Then sell them that way. They would look good no matter how you turned them because they would be chipped and broken. It would look like a river bed with ancient pottery strewn about.

I appreciate the tip about versatility (flipping pieces around) That will definitly help when I start making pieces.

I appreciate the natural look too that's one of the reasons I'm making these pieces. Although they do not really look "natural" i guess you could say they are natural looking (if you see what I mean) Some people have told me that the piece in the picture looks kinda like a tree stump. One of the main things that made me decide to do this was I walked into a pet store and saw florescent gravel and castles. Orange rocks and things just make me ill. So I decided there might be a market for people who like natural looking tanks but don't want a tank with just bogwood and rocks (no insult meant at all, I love the look of those tanks) I can make a piece like the one in the pics with long root like tunnels running off of it on all sides with holes in them so the fish can swim in and out.

 

[Mr.September15]

I think most fake/real plants are always a good idea. But for ornaments I would go with the natrul look of bogwood and rocks even though I dont have any. I'm propably going to buy them when I get my new tank hopefully if I even get a new tank.

-Arrowhead

 

[dwarfgourami]

What I'd really like is natural looking caves, big enough to house a plec (Not that I've got a plec- but one can dream). All my lfs does is bogwood (which I like), and castles and grecian temples, which look unnatural+ I'm always worried that the fish willg et trapped or hurt themselves on sticky-out bits.

Also I like the idea of labelling ornaments ("particularly suitable for x").

 

[soritan]

I like natural looking tanks, too. Live plants, bogwood with really startling shapes, coconut shell caves, and oddly colored river stones to contrast my sand are always considered ideal, to me.

Since I'm all about the fish/frogs/shrimps (whatever), I mostly select things which are understated, slightly utilitarian (always gotta serve two purposes), and ideally, cheap.

 

[OohFeeshy]

Yeah, I like natural too, but I'd like something natural looking that allows me to see the khulis.... Perhaps something like a coconut shell with a bit cut off so it lays flat against the glass, covered in java moss with a small hole for the loaches to go in?

 

[kat and james]

we prefer natural things, bogwood, slate, rocks, plants etc. i think a lot of teh plastic ornaments are very tacky! but some ceramic pots and things could be very tasteful! i think it is a really good idea for a business!! there is a desperate need for more attractive ornaments!

kat

 

[wuvmybetta]

I prefer rocks and wood, but once upon a time I had an amazing (imo) centerpiece in one of my tanks. A wizard I bought on eBay. A friend of mine has a few salt tanks, one with some skulls and dragons so I gave her my wizard just in case she wanted to use him. She brought pics over last night..
http/i2.photobucket.com/albums/y26/Kelly...wpics/ctank.jpg
I think he'll look fantastic once he gets stuff growing all over him

Has anyone seen that new log/filter/heater? It's huge and should sit as a centerpiece, or off in the corner and it houses all of your hardware. They were actually pretty neat, just not real enough in appearance.