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 has given 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 your fish tank decor is safe to use in your new fish tank.

Why all the fuss about transferring aquarium decor?

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

You see, your fish tank decoration has been soaking in the tank water for a long time. Even with the best cleaning program, these ornaments are perfect surfaces for the reproduction of bacteria and fungi. This is especially true for tank accessories that have detailed carvings and rough surfaces. The cracks and spaces between the details make it very difficult to clean properly and will provide the perfect hiding place for these microbes.

Removing the decoration from the old tank and placing it in the new one without any preparation will cause these microorganisms to transfer 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 the microbes from the old 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 lift 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 Properly Transfer Aquarium Ornaments

It’s really not that difficult to transfer tank decor the right way. The key idea here is to properly sanitize the accessories and make sure there is no microbial transfer. This is what you have to do are steps:

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

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