Freshwater

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Part I: Aquarium Basics
Don’t lean rocks against the back glass of the aquarium, as this can cause
“dead areas” on the rear surface. These tightly enclosed areas do not allow
for proper water circulation in the tank and will contribute to uneven heating
and water fouling.
Buying wood
Although driftwood is very beautiful and helps create interesting scenes in
your aquarium, it can be very expensive if you buy the stuff from the retail
store. There are always other options such as finding your own wood as previously
mentioned.
We’ve found that woodworker’s shops often carry small pieces of driftwood
at much more reasonable prices. Other good places to check for driftwood
are second-hand shops and yard sales. Often people have a piece that they
picked up while on vacation sitting around for years just taking up space and
then decide to sell it for cheap once they tire of storing it.
Safely sealing wood
Because several types of wood (bogwood, for example) contain tannins which
produce acidic conditions, not all woods are suitable for every type of
system. Bogwood (which produces a golden-colored water) lends itself best
to systems that contain species that prefer soft conditions that are slightly
acidic (tetras.)
If you’re not sure how a particular piece or type of wood will affect your
aquarium conditions, the safest thing to do is to seal it with polyurethane
varnish. Use at least three coats of this sealer, allowing each coat to dry
before applying the next. The varnish keeps wood from releasing any products
that can affect your water conditions. You can seal an interesting piece
of wood from the wild with polyurethane varnish as well.
Plastic plants
The appearance and variety of artificial aquarium plants have really
improved in the last ten years. You can easily find plastic plants in all different
colors and sizes to suit your aquarium size and layout. If you don’t want
to crowd the appearance of your tank, buy small plants for the front of the
tank and larger plants for the back.