Like what Nature Does.

I think that there is something inherently wonderful about doing the aquairum hobby on a "basic" level. You know, real simple approaches.  One of these is the idea that excessively intervening in your tank's function, or even looking at every deviation from what you'd consider to be "acceptable" is somehow a "problem" that we need to jump on and solve immediately. 

We worry about the danger of letting things "spin out of control..."

The reality is, Nature is in control- even when things seem contrary to what we want. It's not always a "problem" just because your tank doesn't appear the way you want it to. We look for all sorts of "solutions" and "fixes" to our "problems"...And the reality is, in many cases, we don't have to do all that much.

Nature's got this...

Nature eventually sorts it out.

We need to be patient and rational, not impulsive and upset.

Again, this mindset of "zen-like patience" and confidence in Nature "figuring shit out" is but one way of looking at and managing things- and admittingly, it's not for everyone. 

Control freaks and obsessive "tinkerers" need not apply.

Intervention, in this case, is more mental than actual. We need to change our thinking! Not every process has- or needs- a "workaround."

The "workaround" is to understand what you're doing, what could happen, WHY it happens, and what the upside/downside of rapidly "correcting it" can be. The key, typically, as with most things in the aquarium world, is to simply be patient. 

Despite our best efforts to "fix" stuff- Nature almost always "sorts it out"- and does it way better than we can.

Think about the bane of most hobbyists' existence- So-called "nuisance algae."

It's a "nuisance" to us because it looks like shit.

To us.

It derails our dreams of a pristine aquarium filled with spotless plants, rocks, coral, etc. Despite all of the knowledge we have about algae being fundamental for life on earth, it bothers the shit out of us because we think that it looks "bad."

And collectively as hobbyists, we freak the fuck out about it when it appears.

We panic; do stupid things to get rid of it as quickly as possible. We address its appearance in our tanks. Seldom do we make the effort to understand why it appeared in the first place and to address the circumstances which caused it to proliferate so rapidly. And of course, in our haste to rid our tanks of it, we often fail to take into account how it actually grows, and what benefits it provides for aquatic ecosystems.

Big blooms of algae are simply indicative of a life form taking advantage of an abundance of resources available to it in our tanks.

Algae will ultimately exhaust the available excess nutrients which caused it to appear in the first place, if you take steps to eliminate "re-supplying" them, and if you wait for it to literally "run its course" after these issues have been addressed.It will never fully go away- you don't WANT it to. It will, however, simply reach more "aesthetically tolerable" levels over time.

We've seen this in the reef aquarium world for a generation now. It happens typically in new tanks- a "phase" popularly called "the uglies"- before your tank's ecology sorts itself out. And the reality is, these big algal blooms almost always pass-once we address the root cause and allow it to play out on Nature's time frame.

Of course, as fish geeks, we want stuff to happen fast, so hundreds of products, ranging from additives to filter media, and exotic techniques, such as dosing chemicals, etc. have been developed to "destroy" algae. We throw lots of money and product at this "problem", when the real key would have been to address what causes it in the first place, and to work with that.

Yeah, the irony is that algae is the basis of all life. You don't ever want to really "destroy" the stuff...to do so is folly- and can result in the demise of your entire aquarium ecosystem.

In a reef tank (or freshwater tank, really) it's a necessary component of the ecosystem. And hobbyists will often choose the quick fix, to eradicate it instead of looking at the typical root causes- low quality source water (which would require investing in an RO/DI unit or carbon block to solve), excess nutrients caused by overfeeding/overcrowding, or poor husbandry (all of which need to be addressed to be successful in the hobby,always...), or simply the influx of a large quantity of life forms (like fresh "live rock", substrate, botanicals, corals, fishes, etc...) into a brand new tank with insufficient biological nutrient export mechanisms evolve to handle it.

And often, a "quick kill" upsets the biological balance of the tank, throwing it into a further round of chaos which takes...even longer to sort itself out!

And it will sort itself out.

It could take a very long time. It could result in a very "unnattractive" tank for a while. It could even kill some fishes or plants. I mean, Nature "mounts a comeback" at nuclear test sites and oil spill zones! You don't think that She could bring back your tank from an overdose of freaking algicide?

She can. And She will. 

In due time.

If you let Her.

Once these things are understood, and the root causes addressed, the best and most successful way to resolve the algae issue long-term is often to simply be patient and wait it out.

Wait for Nature to adjust on her terms. On her time frame.

She seeks a balance.

Waiting it out is one of the single best "approaches" that you can take for aquariums.

So, it's really about making the effort to understand stuff.

To "buy in" to a process.

Nature's process...

To have reasonable expectations of how things work, based on the way Nature handles stuff- not on our desire to have a quick "#instafamous" aquascape filled with natural-looking, broken-in botanicals two weeks after the tank is first set up, or whatever. It's about realizing that the key ingredients in a successful hobby experience are usually NOT lots of money and flashy, expensive gear- they're education, understanding, and technique, coupled with a healthy dose of patience and observation.

Doing things differently requires a different mental approach.

 

We work with Nature by attempting to understand her.

By accommodating HER needs, not forcing Her to conform to OURS. Which she won't do in a manner that we'd want, anyways.

Nature will typically "sort stuff out" if we make the effort to understand the processes behind her "work", and if we allow her to do it on HER time frame, not ours. Again, intervention is sometimes required on our part to address urgent matters, like disease, poisoning, etc. in closed systems.

However, for many aquarium issues, simply educating ourselves well in advance, having proper expectations about what will happen, and (above all) being patient while Nature "works the issues" is the real "cure.

So yeah, in our world, it's never a bad idea to let Nature "sort it out."

She's done a pretty good job for billions of years. No sense in bailing out on her now, right?

As we've all started to figure out by now, our botanical-influenced aquariums are a lot more of a little slice of Nature that you're recreating in your home then they are just a "pet-holding container."

The botanical-method aquarium is a microcosm which depends upon botanical materials to impact the environment.

This microcosm consists of a myriad of life forms all levels and all sizes, ranging from our fishes, to small crustaceans, worms, and countless microorganisms. These little guys, the bacteria and Paramecium and the like, comprise what is known as the "microbiome" of our aquariums.

A "microbiome", by definition, is defined as "...a community of microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, and viruses) that inhabit a particular environment." (according to Merriam-Webster)

Now, sure, every aquarium has a microbiome to a certain extent:

We have the beneficial bacteria which facilitate the nitrogen cycle, and play an indespensible role in the function of our little worlds. The botanical-method aquarium is no different; in fact, this is where I start wondering...It's the place where my basic high school and college elective-course biology falls away, and you get into more complex aspects of aquatic ecology in aquariums.

Yet, it's important to at least understand this concept as it can relate to aquariums. It's worth doing a bit of research and pondering. It'll educate you, challenge you, and make you a better overall aquarist. In this little blog, we can't possibly cover every aspect of this- but we can touch on a few broad points that are really fascinating and impactful.

So much of this proces-and our understanding starts with...botanicals. 

With botanicals breaking down in the aquarium as a result of the growth of fungi and microorganisms, I can't help but wonder if they perform, to some extent, a role in the management-or enhancement-of the nitrogen cycle.

Yeah, you understand the nitrogen cycle, right?

How do botanicals impact this process? Or, more specifically, the microorganisms that they serve?

In other words, does having a bunch of leaves and other botanical materials in the aquarium foster a larger population of these valuable organisms, capable of processing organics- thus creating a more stable, robust biological filtration capacity in the aquarium? 

I believe that they do.

With a matrix of natural materials present, do the bacteria (and their biofilms- as we've discussed a number of times here) have not only a "substrate" and surface area upon which to attach and colonize, but an "on board" food source which they can utilize as needed?

Facultative bacteria, adaptable organisms which can use either dissolved oxygen or oxygen obtained from food materials such as sulfate or nitrate ions, would also be capable of switching to fermentation-or anaerobic respiration- if oxygen is absent.

Hmm...fermentation.

Well, that's likely another topic for another time. Let's focus on some of the other more "practical" aspects of this "biome" thing.

Like...food production for our fishes.

In the case of our fave aquatic habitats, like streams, ponds, and inundated forests, epiphytes, like biofilms and fungal mats are abundant, and many fishes will spend large amounts of time foraging the "biocover" on tree trunks, branches, leaves, and other botanical materials.

The biocover consists of stuff like algae, biofilms, and fungi. It provides sustenance for a large number of fishes all types.

And of course, what happens in Nature also happens the aquarium- if we allow it to, right? And it can function in much the same way?

Yeah. I think that it can.

I think this means that we need to continue to foster the biological diversity of animals in our aquariums- embracing life at all levels- from bacteria to algae to fungi to crustaceans to worms, and ultimately, our fishes...All of which form the basis of a closed ecosystem, and perhaps a "food web" of sorts for our little aquatic microcosms.

It's a very interesting  concept- a fascinating field for research for aquarists, and we all have the opportunity to participate in this on a most intimate level by simply observing what's happening in our aquariums every day!

And facilitating this process is remarkably easy. It can be summarized easily in a few points. :

*Approach building an aquarium as if you are creating a biome.

*Foster the growth and development of a community of organisms at all levels.

*Allow these organisms to grow and multiply.

*Don't "edit" the growth of biofilms, fungal growths, and detritus.

Make mental shifts.

These mental shifts require us to embrace these steps, and the occurrences which happen as a result. Understanding that the botanicals and leaves which we add to our aquariums are not "aquascaping set pieces"; but rather that they are "biological facilitators"for the closed ecosystems we are creating is fundamental. These materials are being utilized and assimilated by the organisms which comprise the biome of our aquarium.

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