Driftwood
Mopani, spider wood, redmoor, manzanita. Real driftwood releases tannins that lower pH (good for tetras, discus) + provide tannin "blackwater" colour. Soak/boil first to make it sink + reduce tannin staining if you don't want it.
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Decorations And Hiding Spots
🪨 Decor + hides
Aquarium decor — function first, aesthetics second
Most fish stress comes from feeling exposed. Hiding spots, sight breaks, and a structured layout reduce aggression, encourage colour, and let shy species (loaches, plecos, smaller tetras) actually live, not just survive. Here's the decor logic that works for fish AND looks great.
What we'll be stocking
Decor types
Rocks + stones
Slate, lava rock, dragon stone, seiryu, ohko. Vinegar drop test before use (limestone fizzes — raises pH, only OK for hard-water species). Stack stable — no leaning towers, fish dig and topple them. Build dry-test before placing in tank.
Ceramic / terracotta caves
Pleco caves, breeding caves, tube hides. Smooth ceramic = safe + easy to clean. Terracotta plant pots (clean, food-grade) work brilliantly + cheap. Each shy fish ideally gets one cave so they don't compete.
Live plants
Best decoration of all — biological filtration, oxygen, hiding spots, natural look. See our planted-tank substrate + lighting pages. Anubias + Java fern + mosses are beginner-proof. Live plants beat plastic on every count except cost (slightly).
Silk + plastic plants
Silk: soft, fish-safe, look natural-ish, dust-trapping. Plastic: cheap, lasts forever, can have sharp edges (run a finger along — if it scratches you, it scratches fish, especially fancy goldfish + bettas). Live > silk > plastic.
Build a layout that fish use
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Sight breaks reduce aggression
A clear-glass tank with no decor = constant visual stress for fish. They feel exposed + can't escape rivals. Tall plants, driftwood, rock stacks BREAK sight lines = fish can move out of view = stress drops, colours improve.
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One hide per shy fish
Bottom-dwellers (plecos, cories, kuhlis, loaches) need at least one cave each — usually they share, but not always. Bullies will guard a single cave + exclude others. Multiple hides in different areas = peace.
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Open swimming space
Don't fill the whole tank. Active swimmers (tetras, danios, barbs, rainbows) need open horizontal swim corridor — usually the front + middle. Rule of thumb: 50% decor, 50% open water.
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Vinegar test rocks + driftwood
Drop white vinegar on rocks. Fizzes = limestone, raises pH (only OK for hard-water Africans / livebearers). Doesn't fizz = inert, safe for any tank. Driftwood: from a fish shop = safe; from outdoors = risk of pesticides + parasites, very long boil + soak first.
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AVOID
Painted gravel + plastic decor with chips (toxic leach). Glass fragments. Sharp-edged "ruins" (cut bettas + scaleless fish). Treasure chests with bubble-vents (fine to use, just verify the air-pump line is intact). ANYTHING with copper components (copper is toxic to invertebrates).
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Driftwood prep
New driftwood floats. Soak in a bucket of water for 1–2 weeks (changing water daily) to release tannins + waterlog it. Or boil for 1–2 hours (kills hitchhikers, speeds waterlogging, removes most tannins). Permanent floating = wedge under rocks until soaked.
📦 We're stocking up
Our decorations and hiding spots range goes live as we vet suppliers — we won't list anything we wouldn't use ourselves. In the meantime, our calculators, breed guides and AI vet tools below are free and don't need stock.
Frequently asked questions
Live plants vs plastic — which should I get?
Live every time, if you're willing. Live plants filter ammonia, oxygenate, provide cover, and look infinitely better than plastic. Easy starters: Anubias, Java fern, hornwort, vallisneria — survive low light + neglect. Plastic plants only fit fish-only tanks where the keeper doesn't want any planted-tank work.
How do I sink driftwood?
Soak in a bucket for 1–2 weeks (water-change daily) until waterlogged. Faster: boil 1–2 hours. Stubborn pieces: wedge under a rock or fix to slate with cable ties + plant on top. Eventually all driftwood waterlogs and stays down on its own.
Can I use rocks from outside?
Yes, with care. Vinegar drop test (no fizz = inert). Boil 30 minutes to kill parasites/algae. NEVER from limestone areas, polluted streams, or sprayed/treated land. Granite, slate, basalt, lava rock all safe and free if you find them.
Do fish actually use the hiding spots?
Constantly, even if you don't see it. Bettas sleep in caves, plecos hide all day + emerge at night, shy tetras retreat to plant cover when stressed. Most fish that "won't come out" are short on hiding spots — paradoxically, more hides = MORE visible fish (less stress = bolder).