Turn Dollar Tree Basics Into A Mesmerizing DIY Aquarium Nightlight

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A kid's bedroom is a great place to put a fish tank. For a kid, it functions as an attractive nightlight that won't ruin your home's aesthetic, and it's something comforting to wake up to when sleep is troubled by less-than-cheery dreams. That said, it's not always practical to put a tank in your kids' rooms. However, if you turn Dollar Tree basics into a mesmerizing DIY aquarium nightlight – a DIY that was the brainchild of TikTokker @allthethingstok — you can still give them whimsical fish to watch and a glowing light to see by. Thanks to the Dollar Tree, this isn't a difficult DIY project, nor is it expensive — between $10-12 and a little assembly time is all it will cost you.

For the little tank that your child's fishy friends will live in, you'll need to pick up a 33-ounce jar with a lid. The glow of the nightlight comes courtesy of an LED push light and a pack of batteries to power it up. Two sets of clear floral marbles and two sets of colored craft rocks fill the bottom of the tank and provide something for the light to reflect off of. As for the inhabitants, a handful of plastic ocean-themed toys will populate the tank with miniature marine life and cartoon characters (the TikToker uses the clown fish Nemo from "Finding Nemo"). Finally, the bottom-of-the-sea flora comes to life thanks to plastic plants from the floral section.

The plastic fish need somewhere to swim, so you'll need to make a home for them. Building it starts with laying a bed of flat floral marbles and some aquarium rocks at the bottom of the glass jar. Give them a good stir with the end of a chopstick or a clean butter knife. (Your hand may be too big to fit into the jar to do this task). Stirring the rocks and marbles gives them a random pattern. This not only looks more natural, but also creates more interesting reflections in the aquarium water when the light is turned on.

Speaking of water, you'll add the real stuff to the miniature tank, but this opens up the possibility of microscopic yuckies growing in it. Add a few drops of white vinegar to the water. This household staple helps make algae a thing of the past when you're cleaning wet surfaces inside and outside the house; it'll keep this and other types of fungi out of your nightlight aquarium, too.

Finally, the Dollar Tree push light will short-circuit if water gets on it. Once the aquarium is finished, give it a good wipe before you place it on top of the light. This ensures your kids' little light works once the big light goes out.

Oceans look blue. Unfortunately, tap water doesn't. It appears clear, and while this is ideal when you want to drink it, it's a drawback when it comes to this project. True enough, the blue rocks on the bottom of the glass jar give the water a more aquamarine hue. However, it's possible to take things a step further toward realism. Just add blue — or a combo of blue and green — food coloring to the water once the tank is assembled. You'll want to experiment with the amount to get the right color. That said, it's likely that you'll only need a couple of drops to turn the water a different color.

Finally, you're not limited to Dollar Tree décor items for this project. Try out some fish tank décor, like a onesimcr floating diver or these glowing aquarium ornaments, featuring glow-in-the-dark jellyfish and other sea creatures. Many Dollar Store toys don't float, so adding actual fish tank trinkets to the jar makes the nightlight fish tank seem more like it's teeming with fun and life.