8 Tips for Making Centerpieces With Fish

Finding the perfect centerpiece for your upcoming event might feel like a creative challenge. If flower arrangements and candles seem too traditional, consider making centerpieces with fish. Tiny aquariums can transform into perfect centerpieces if you keep these tips in mind before, during and after your event.

1. Pick Small Fish

Unless you have an extensive guest list and massive tables, standard aquariums will only prevent your guests from seeing each other during their meal. It’s better to select smaller fish that need less swimming space. If you find bettas or tetras, they can swim around vases, bowls or even decorative glasses that won’t block anyone’s view.

2. Find Homes for Them

It’s fun to imagine gorgeous fish swimming in stunning centerpieces, but they’re not the same as a vase of flowers. They’re living beings that will live long after your event ends. Before purchasing any, plan to find homes for them when they’re no longer decorating your tables.

You could adopt them all and house them in a large tank if you want to add aquatic critters to your home. If you’re not good at keeping fish alive, you can donate them to a pet store or sell them by posting about them online.

3. Research Their Water Care

No matter when you buy your fish, they’ll need their water prepared a specific way. Some fish need warm water, while others require a specific pH or mineral content level. You’ll have to learn their particular habitat requirements while talking with a pet store representative.

Keep in mind that other things you might want to add to your centerpieces could kill your fish. Essential oils may make the water smell incredible and even purify the air for your guests, but they’ll poison your fish. So will tap water, sparkles and food colorings meant to change the water’s hue.

4. Add Color to Their Water

You can’t add food coloring to your aquatic centerpieces, but you can change the water’s color another way. Line the bottom with colorful crystals or stones. They’ll have more visual depth and match your event’s theme. Add white and transparent stones to accentuate your winter wedding’s decor or pink crystals for a birthday party. It depends on what colors would look best on your tables.

5. Decorate Their Containers

After figuring out what will go along the bottom of your centerpieces, you can anchor additional decorations with the materials. If you’re hosting a Friendsgiving party, add a figurine that looks like what you’ll cook, such as a roasted turkey or squash. Search around different pet stores and online shops to find unique decorations that work with your event.

6. Plan When You’ll Buy Them

The days leading up to your event will be busier than usual, but you should schedule a time to pick up your fish. You can’t drop them into your centerpieces immediately after buying them. You’ll need time to prepare the water and learn how often they should eat. It’s easier to keep track of everything if you add these steps to your schedule, especially if you plan to bring the fish home afterward.

7. Design an Underwater Habitat

Wondering how you can fill the space in your centerpieces? Create underwater habitats if you can’t find decorations that match your event’s theme. Layer the bottom of each centerpiece with sand and place a few seashells on top of it. The fish will look and feel at home because their environment reflects the tank they lived in at the pet store.

8. Top the Water With Flowers

Many people who have fish in centerpieces top the water with decorative flowers. It’s the perfect blend between traditional flower arrangements and your creative alternatives. Anyone hosting a romantic event like a wedding may want to include flowers without leaving out their fish. Just be careful which flowers float on top of your fish.

You’ll have to cut the stems off at the base of each flower head, exposing the fish to the petals, leaves and nectar. Sometimes all three are poisonous to fish, so double check a toxic plant list to ensure that your flowers are safe for your centerpieces. If you have any questions, a pet store associate or aquatic expert can help you figure out what’s safe and which flowers you should avoid.

Create Centerpieces With Fish

Making centerpieces with fish can be a fun experience if you use tips like these. Take care of the fish according to their habitat requirements, never add anything that could hurt them and find homes for them after your event. You’ll create ethical, entertaining centerpieces that allow your guests and fish to have a great time.