May 30, 2018

Evolving tanks and emerging tastes...

As this botanical "thing" evolves, and more and more materials are coming into our world, I'm finding that I actually have a desire to use less different botanicals in a given display than I used to.

An evolution of sorts.

I'm not really sure why this is; I think that in the confines of the aquarium, I've come to embrace simplicity. Well, simplicity in terms of the variety of the materials that I utilize in a given display. I still like the complexity of tangled wood. Something about tangles wood and botanicals that works for me at the moment!

Of course, our tastes DO evolve over time, right?

I think that they definitely do. We like to try new stuff. Different stuff. Or even old stuff that we haven't played with in a while...

I mean, think of the fishes that you are into at the moment.

I'll be there are species in your current "active roster" which are significantly different that those which you worked when you first got into this game. Of course, there are many of us who stay with our lifelong love of certain fishes- characins and killies for me, Apistos and Bettas for so many others....

However, we do pick up a few new friends along the way, don't we?

And the cool thing about this hobby, is that, just like physical conditioning, college, or other endeavors, the skills we learn in one arena benefit us as we expand into other areas of interest.

With an almost infinite amount of stuff to learn, and enormous resources at our fingertips, including friendly, experienced hobbyists-there has never been a better time to embark on new journeys in the aquarium hobby. Yes, the usual caveats about taking people’s advice with a grain of salt apply, but with the proper attitude, and the willingness to be humble and “new” at something again, the possibilities for enjoyment in the aquarium hobby are as vast as the oceans, lakes, and rivers of the world.

It’s fun to learn about all of these new (to me) things. And of course, it's fun to acquire new stuff- and new skills, of course!

For everyone- there are products, procedures, trends, and “experts” in specialty areas of the hobby that are completely unknown to us before we jump in…how cool is that? These people have decades of experience with say, South American Cichlids- or even more obscure fishes. Etc., etc., etc.

To know what they know, you simply have to DO stuff for a long time…Or ask those who know and LISTEN- then do your own followup research.

Keep moving.

Sure, you can learn a lot by reading, and more by asking-but in the end, you have to DO stuff in order to get the valuable experience. You can literally spend a lifetime trying new stuff in the aquarium hobby...

...As your tastes change and your tanks evolve.

Today's simple thought about something that you already know.

Stay diligent. Stay enthusiastic. Stay open-minded. Stay enthralled.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics