PLANTS Large decorations, such as plants should be kept at the sides or at the back of the fish tank so as to conceal the unsightly but essential aquarium components. Components such as heaters, air lines and lift tubes are what you will want to hide as best as you can. In order to utilize the space inside the aquarium, plants and other ornaments that are similar in size should be grouped together, but they should also be grouped differently according to colors. This arrangement gives the fish tank a pop of color and texture. Plants should also be used to conceal the edges of other ornaments such as plastic decor, water wheels and volcanoes. You can use live plants to decorate the aquarium and they add a certain pop of authenticity to the tank; though this results in extra maintenance. An advantage of real plants is that they help maintain the pH of the water, as well as adding to the oxygen concentration of the water. On the bright side there are synthetic replacements that look and feel just as good as live plants. 
SUBSTRATES Substrates are those ornaments that are used to line the floor of the fish tank. There is a wide variety of materials to choose from including sand, pebbles, gravel or even stones. The materials can also either be natural or synthetic. Sand is suitable for fish that love to spend time at the bottom, buried in the sand or just rubbing themselves around in the sand. Fish like a freshwater ray, knife fish and rays will prefer a sandy b...