Choosing the best fish bowl vase for your particular needs depends on how you intend to use the accessory. There are three basic roles for fish bowl vases as part of a decorating scheme. Perhaps the most common is a decorative planter filled with soil. Decorative planters can also be filled with water for hydroponic growing. Filling a fish bowl vase with objects such as pebbles or sea glass is another option.
For use as decorative planters, colored vases may be a good option. By filling colored glass fish bowl vases with potting soil and adding your favorite houseplants, you can bring nature indoors, improving the air quality of your home and decorating at the same time. When used as soil-filled planters, darker colored vases are often preferred because the darker colors hide the soil and roots of the plant.
A fish bowl vase used for a soil filled planter should have a wide mouth to allow for watering the plant. In addition, a wide-mouthed fish bowl vase provides some unusual options for the interior decorator. One such an option might be a miniature cactus garden planted in a fish bowl vase to create a small bit of irony in your decorating scheme.
Decorative fish bowl vases can also be used for hydroponically grown plants. Various types of ivy and other plants grow extremely well in water without the need for soil. A taller fish bowl vase with a heavy base and narrower mouth works well for these applications because the added weight of the water keeps the plant from tipping the vase over and the narrowed mouth of the vase keeps the plant growing from a centralized point.
If you choose to grow plants hydroponically in a fish bowl vase, there is also the option of adding live fish. A clear glass or light colored, translucent vase works very well for this option. Choose a vase with a slightly wider mouth to facilitate feeding the fish and incorporate a mesh framework to hold the plant in place. This mesh framework makes the task of removing the plant to clean the bowl and care for the fish a simpler process.
Another option in home decorating with a fish bowl vase doesn't include plants or fish. The vase can be filled with colored pebbles, marbles, floating candles or other decorative accessories. In some cases, decorators have even used potpourri mixes or scented sea glass to create beautiful and useful home decorating accessories.
