There will come a time when you may need to move your fish tank decorations to a different aquarium. This could be for a variety of reasons, for example because the number of fish you have has outgrown your current tank, or it could be that someone gave you a second hand aquarium decoration that you would like to use. Whatever the reason, you’ll need to follow a few rules to make sure the fish tank decor is safe to use in your new fish tank.

Why all the fuss about transferring aquarium decorations?

Can’t we just remove the fish tank decorations from one tank and drop them in the other? Why is there such a fuss or need to have proper preparation? The main reason is microbes.

You see, your fish tank decoration has been soaked in the tank water for a long time. Even with the best cleaning schedule, these trims are perfect breeding grounds for bacteria and fungus. This is especially true for tank accessories that have detailed carvings and rough surfaces. Cracks and gaps between details make it very difficult to clean properly and will provide the perfect hiding place for these microbes.

Taking the decoration out of the old tank and placing it in the new one without any preparation will transfer these microorganisms to the new tank. Since the conditions in the new tank are just right, it will cause a bacterial overgrowth that will be very unhealthy for your fish.

Also, if you have new fish in the new tank that have not been charged with microbes from the previous tank, they will definitely get sick and die. Therefore, preparation is necessary when transferring the aquarium decoration.

But bacteria aren’t the only concern here. There are also snails. While it’s fairly easy to spot a snail perched on one of the ornaments when you pull it out of the water, its eggs are nearly invisible to the naked eye. Without proper preparation you would be introducing these snail eggs to the new tank and once they take over the tank they are very difficult to remove.

How to correctly transfer aquarium decorations

It’s really not that hard to transfer tank decoration the right way. The key idea here is to properly sanitize fixtures and ensure there is no microbial transfer. This is what you have to do are steps:

1. Remove the item from the old tank and give it a good rinse. You do this to dislodge any larger debris so we can properly clean it later.
2. Using a soft toothbrush, scrub the decoration well. Keep in mind that cracks and trim details are ideal places for microbial colonies, so scrub well. Soak the decoration in running water from time to time to get rid of the things you rubbed on. Do not use any kind of soap or detergent for this, plain water is enough. Soap and detergent will leave a chemical residue no matter how well you wash the garment, and this could poison the water later on.
3. After you have thoroughly scrubbed the item, give it a final good rinse under running water. Then air dry items in sunlight. This is something I have always practiced whenever I wash my tank decor. Sunlight has UV rays that will kill any microorganisms that may still be on the ornament. Leave it out in the sunlight for an hour or two.

Your fish tank decorations are now ready to be replaced in the new aquarium.