How to Decorate an Artificial Fish Tank to Make it Look Real

Fish tanks and aquariums add a touch of light and color to a room, but their maintenance requires lots of time and effort. 5-Minute Crafts wants to offer you some simple ideas to make an artificial tank with affordable products. This colorful design is ideal for decorating your living room, your bedroom, or your study.

You’ll need

• 0.5 gal (2 l) of cold water

• 1 tsp of blue vegetable dye

• 1 glass container with an airtight lid — capacity: 0.6 gal (2.5 l)

• Colored pebbles and decorative seashells

• Artificial foliage

• 2-3 small plastic fish

• Invisible nylon thread

• Liquid glue

• 1 tsp of vegetable oil or baby oil (optional)

How to put all these things together

1. Place the larger pebbles in the bottom of the container.

2. Use smaller pebbles of different colors to create layers. You can also add some artificial gravel. Lastly, arrange some shells on the surface.

3. Lay out the plastic foliage. You can also add plastic animals like crabs or starfish.

4. Fill up the tank with water.

5. Add a few drops of dye to the water. The quantity will depend on how light or dark you want the water to be.

6. Cut the invisible thread the right length, to make it look as if the fish are floating. One fish may have a longer thread than the other one. Use the liquid glue to stick one end of the thread to the lid and the other end to the fish.

7. Wait for the glue to dry and for the fish to stick firmly to the thread.

8. To simulate bubbles, pour in a few drops of either vegetable or baby oil, and gently stir. Finally, close the lid to seal the container.

You can do this activity with kids and have them put their own mark on it. The fish tank can be used to decorate a room or a study.