The Tint

A leap of faith...

It seems only fitting that, in the middle of this Holiday season, today's piece is about having a certain degree of faith...

Now, it's not exactly the kind of faith that we think of during the Holiday season- but it's a type of faith, nonetheless...

Among the many things that I absolutely love about botanical-style, blackwater aquariums is that they most definitely "evolve" over time, to an extent that your tank in say, 3 months looks virtually nothing like it did at 2 weeks.

And it's different than the "evolution" of a planted aquarium. I mean, sure, plants fill in, and they cover more area and grow thickly. However, they're more-or-less predictable and to a certain extent, controllable. You can plant things in a given area and know they're going to fill it in, and you can trim and manicure to keep it that way.

A botanical-style aquarium differs somewhat, in that much of the evolutionary work is done by Nature, with little intervention from you, the hobbyist. Decomposition, fungal growth, water movement, and chemistry play big roles in how your tank will change over time. Sure, you can place a seed pod or twig or whatever in a specific location, but as biofilms colonize it, and the pod begins to slowly break down, it's very "structure" changes.

These are known, predictable occurrences; however, we just don't know exactly when they will happen or how much it will impact the appearance of what we've done with our tanks. It requires a bit of acceptance...or at the very least, faith that Nature will "push through" and do what is required to keep the ecosystem functioning.

And, yeah-  you don't quite have as much control over many parts of the process...Something that many aquarists are unfamiliar- even uncomfortable with. And this makes perfect sense, because we've spent the better part of the past 100 years in the hobby sort of trying to "get a handle" on natural processes which govern the function of our tanks. 

We're taught from day one of our hobby "career" to take charge of our aquariums. We're told that we need to scrape algae, change water, service filters, remove detritus, etc., etc.

Now, this is great "basic training" for the hobby, as it not only teaches you to look at what's happening in your tank, but to get involved with its daily operations. That's really good experience.

On the other hand, it also "conditions" us to become concerned any time a deviation from a prescribed, predictable occurrence is noticed. And this can be a bit problematic sometimes, because many hobbyists aren't "trained" to understand exactly what it is that's causing the "deviation", and whether or not it's actually a bad thing. We're just told, "If X, then Y..."

So one of the the first, perhaps most "counterintuitive" things we're told when starting a botanical-style aquarium is that, yes certain things happen, but you need not worry or take action. Rather than launch active countermeasures, you're instructed to observe, study, and...enjoy the changes.

And most of the changes in a botanical-style aquarium over time are actually almost as predictable as any other, once you learn how the "operating system" of a botanical-style aquarium works. You know from reading all of our posts, seeing pics, and from the numerous community discussions what some of the expectations are.

And a good part of the game is understanding that things aren't pristine or perfect in Nature, as we've railed on before! They need not be in our tanks, either.

I mean, an aquarium is not a "sterile" habitat.

The natural aquatic habits, although comprised of many millions times the volumes of water that we have in our tanks- are typically not "pristine"- right? I mean, soils from terrestrial geologic activity carry with them decomposing matter, leaves, etc, all of which impact the chemistry, oxygen-carrying capacity, biological activity, and of course, the visual appearance of the water.

And that's kind of what our whole botanical-style aquarium adventure is all about- utilizing the "imperfect" characteristics of the materials at our disposal, and fostering and appreciating the natural interactions which take place in aquatic habitats. Understanding that descriptors such as "crystal clear" and "pristine" only apply to some aquatic habitats, and that there is real beauty in all forms.

Indeed, the real "magic", in many instances, occurs in the more murky, turbid, not-so-crystal-clear waters of the world. And if we understand and accept this, and have some faith in the process, we're likely to start our aquariums with a bit less concern over absolute "sterile perfection."

We can embrace the mindset that every leaf, every piece of wood, every bit of substrate in our aquariums is actually a sort of "catalyst" for sparking biodiversity and yes- a new view of aesthetics in our aquariums. Not necessarily a perfectly manicured, "clean-as-a-whistle" game.

The pristine seed pods and leaves start "softening" a bit. And what's that stringy stuff accumulating on the edges? Why, it's our old friend/nemesis/resource (depending upon your POV), biofilm.

Yup, the first mental shift that we have to make as lovers of truly natural style aquariums is an understanding that these tanks will not maintain the crisp, pristine look without significant intervention on our part.

And, by "intervention", I mean scrubbing, rinsing, and replacing the leaves and botanicals as needed. I mean, sure- you can do that. I know a bunch of people who do. They absolutely love super prisitne-looking tanks. 

I do, too...

However, I must admit, I feel a bit sorry for people who can't make the mental shift to accept the fact that Nature does here own thing, and will lay down a "patina" on our botanicals, gradually transforming them into something a bit different than when we started.

When we don't accept this process, we sadly get to miss out on Nature guiding our tank towards its ultimate beauty- perhaps better than we even envisioned.

For some, it's really hard to accept this process. To let go of everything they've known before in the hobby. To wait while Nature goes through her growing pains, decomposing, transforming and yeah- evolving our aquascapes from carefully-planned art installations to living, breathing, functioning microcosms.

But, what about all of that decay? That "patina" of biofilm?

It's okay.

It's normal.

It's natural.

It's part of this type of approach. It's present in all natural aquatic systems. We just work with it instead of against it. In stead of trying to sanitize, edit, or otherwise "redirect" Nature, we understand that it will follow its own path, sometimes going through phases that we may not appreciate.

Evolution.

And guess what? It never stops.

And one more thing? The biofilms and that you might loathe so much tend to subside almost completely over time...If you are patient, and don't tear your tank apart in a frantic effort to eradicate one of Nature's finest creations.

The ebb and flow of life in a natural, botanical-style aquarium is much like a garden. You can and should perform regular maintenance, conducting water exchanges, filter media replacement, etc.- like you do in any other tank. However, you need to conduct these maintenance sessions not with the idea of "THIS will take care of those biofilms", but an attitude of. "This will continue to facilitate change over time..."

Yeah, it requires a certain attitude.

And a willingness to look at Nature as she actually is- and to appreciate the beauty in the details of her processes.

A willingness to accept.

An acceptance that Nature will plot the right course for your tank if allowed to do so.

And, sure-you need a certain degree of patience and yeah-faith- that things will unfold in ways you may not even have begun to appreciate. Like any other aquatic endeavor, you can make it easier and more enjoyable by being aware of what is going on, and accepting the way Nature works her magic.

You can do this. 

If you take a leap of faith.

Have a wonderful Holiday season. Enjoy your family, and your time with your aquariums.

Stay fascinated. Stay excited. Stay intrigued. Stay creative. Stay faithful...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

 

 

 

Radical departures. Interpretations of Nature. Mandatory mental shifts.

Part of being the "point man" for a company and for a movement that fosters a bit of an alternative, perhaps even rebellious spin on the way we keep and look at aquariums is that you find yourself on the receiving end of occasional "incoming fire" from those who feel your ideas somehow diminish or disparage their view of how things should be in the hobby.

It's part of the game, and I've long ago stopped taking this stuff personally, or even caring, to be quite frank. However, the important thing for me is to always look for a "teaching moment" or other opportunity when those criticisms come my way. Very altruistic of me, I know...😆

It never typically works out quite like that, but it's worth a shot, right?

And, I freely admit, as someone who fancies himself a writer, it's a bit tough to keep from going down the proverbial "rabbit hole" when addressing this stuff and sounding like a total ass...but I try!

The "concerns" from those who don't follow the work and ideas of our community, haven't studied the 700 or so blogs/podcasts we've put out, researched, or even looked at some of the photos of wild aquatic habitats we feature always center on the very two things that we spend the most mental "capital" on in our world: The look and function.

Now, the criticisms generally start with the "look."

I know that much love in modern aquascaping is given to things like "surgical cleanliness", manicured plants, carefully symmetrical rockwork, proportion, negative space, etc. Many of the most breathtaking contest 'scapes adeptly embrace this concept.

That's awesome. It's all well and good...

Nature, other hand, couldn't give a flying f-ck about that.

And neither should you. 

Ouch. 

Yeah. It's true, though.

Yesterday I had a rather one-sided "discussion" (actually, it was mostly him attacking) with a "fanboy" of a certain style of aquarium keeping, who took a tremendous amount of pleasure in telling me that our interpretation of Nature and our embrace of decomposing leaves, biofilms, detritus, and such is a (and I quote) "...setback for the hobby of aquascaping..." (which, those of you who know me and my desire to provoke reactions, understand that I absolutely loved hearing!) and that "it's not possible to capture Nature" with our approach... (an ignorant, almost beyond stupid POV. I mean, WTF does "capture Nature" mean? Word salad.)

I was like, "C'mon, dude. Really? It's 2020 and we're still at it?"

Oh, you know where this is going today ...

I mean, sure...

For everyone's benefit, I'll sort of share my opinions on this stuff yet again. Perhaps YOU might find it useful when "questioned" by one of these friendly, open-minded folks!

You've heard me say this a million times before:

NEWS FLASH: What we proffer-our interpretation of Nature- is not everyone's idea of a dreamy aquarium.

Frankly, it puts off some people. It scares the living shit out of others. And many just don't understand. They can't get past brown, soupy water and all of the good stuff that goes with it. IMHO, they've been sort of "programmed" by the world of perfectly clean sand, bright lighting, rocks you could eat off of, and wood that, on day 45,  looks as sterile as they day it was submerged. Oh, wait...Don't those guys usually break down their tanks by day 45?😆

("C'mon, Fellman, THAT was just mean!")

It's okay. I get it. We all get it.

Yet, some of the adherents to this rigid interpretation of Nature love to "call me" on this for some weird reason to "tamp down" our ideas just a bit, I suppose.

Reality check, guys.

What you do is cool. I dig it. Seriously. it's rad. Do YOU, and keep sharing your fine work.

However...

Stop trashing on what you don't really understand.

You need to understand that Nature is really not always clean and tidy. In fact- most of the time, it isn't. And if you buy into the head-scratching hobby narrative that every pristine "high-concept" contest aquarium is somehow what Nature "looks like", you're simply fooling yourself. Sure, there are some really clear, sparkling habitats out there in the world, but they represent the exception, really.

And I'll go out on a limb and suggest that none of them have tidy rows of symmetrically trimmed, color- balanced plants, or neatly arranged rocks of related size and proportion.

Talking tough here, but I can't stress this enough.If you really want to understand the natural aquatic habitats of our fishes, some of you have to get out of the idealized aquascaping mindset for a bit and stop dissing everything that doesn't fit your idea of the way the world should be, and just accept the realities which Nature presents...

I am actually surprised we still get the occasional DM like this.

So I must push back a bit.

I am not at all joking when I tell you that I'd take an aquarium that can faithfully replicate the scenes above or below in form and function over any IAPLC "Grand champion's" aquarium. Like, any day of the week.

With zero hesitation at all.

None.

Tinted, turbid water. Sediment, biofilm. Decomposing botanical materials. Soil. A random scattering of branches covered in fungal growth.

To me, it's freaking gorgeous. Beyond anything I've ever seen in any contest anywhere on planet Earth.

Unfiltered Nature.

Okay, I'm not mentioning this to brag about how our avant-garde love of dirty, often chaotic-looking aquariums makes us cooler than the glass pipe and stupidly-named aquascaping stone crowd, or something like that. 😆 (well, possibly, but..)

However, I want you to understand the degree to which we at Tannin Aquatics love the concept of Nature in it's most compelling form, and how strongly we feel that we as a global community of hobbyists need to look beyond what's regularly presented to us as a "natural aquarium" and really give this stuff some thought. We CAN and SHOULD interpret natural aquatic features more literally in our aquairums.

Now, not all of Nature requires us to make extreme aesthetic preference shifts in order to love it.

Well, maybe not all. A lot of it, though.

Let's look at some interesting aquatic features from Nature which push us out of our collective hobby comfort zone.  Let's try to think why we hesitate to replicate them, and what to expect when we do.

We could all appreciate this, I think.

One concept that critics seem to delight in leveling against those of us who play with botanical-style aquariums is our love of letting Nature take an "active role" in our aquariums...

Embracing a certain degree of "randomness" in our aquariums. They call it "sloppy" or "undisciplined."

Okay.

In general, it helps to ask questions about why things look the way they do in Nature. What creates the aggregations of wood, soils, leaves, etc. that we as a hobby spend so much effort and energy trying to wrap our heads around? Could it be that factors like current, weather events, and wind distribute materials the way they do for a reason? Could our fishes benefit from replicating this dynamic in our aquariums?

And, is there not incredible beauty in that apparent "randomness?"

Now, there are some ideas that are significant departures from what you'll normally see, yet are not radical enough to discourage you from accepting some different aesthetics and functions in the aquarium...

Example: There are a lot of aquatic habitats in Nature which are filled with tangles of terrestrial plant roots, emergent vegetation, fallen  branches, etc., which virtually fill small bodies of water completely.

These types of habitats are unique; they attract a large quantities of smaller fishes to the protection of their vast matrix of structures. Submerged fallen tree branches or roots of marginal terrestrial plants provide a large surface area upon which algae, biofilm, and fungal growth occurs. This, in turn, attracts higher life forms, like crustaceans and aquatic insects.

And yeah- that brings our friends, the fishes- to the party.

These are incredible habitats for fishes.

Can't we replicate such aquatic features in the aquarium?

Of course we can!

This idea is a fantastic expression of "functional aesthetics." It's a package that is a bit different than the way we would normally present an aquarium. We hesitate to densely pack an aquarium like this, don't we?

Why do you think this is?

I think that we hesitate, because- quite frankly- having a large mass of tangled branches or roots and their associated leaves and detritus in the cozy confines of an aquarium tends to limit the number, size, and swimming area of fishes, right?

Sure, it does...

On the other hand, I think that there is something oddly compelling, intricate, and just beautiful about complex, spatially "full" hardscapes. And when you take into account that these are actually very realistic, entirely functional representations of certain natural habitats, it becomes all the more interesting!

What can you expect when you execute something like this in the aquarium?

Well, for on thing, it WILL take up a fair amount of space within the tank. Depending upon the type of materials that you use (driftwood, roots. twigs, or branches), you will, of course, displace varying amounts of water. So, for example, if you tend to use a lighter, more "diffuse" material, such as Melastoma Root, or the material that we call "Tangle Branch Wood", you'll displace less water from the aquarium than you would if you use materials like Manzanita or other "denser" types of wood.

It's really up to you in terms of the effect of course.

However, a dense matrix of material like roots will recruit biofilms after a relatively short period of time. This stuff will likely "ebb and flow", largely dissipating after a relatively short period of time. However, there are no guarantees- and you WILL, 100% see this stuff on the surfaces at some point. What you choose to do is up to you. You can wait it out, manually remove it with siphon snd oft brash, etc.

Keep in mind that this biofilm growth is precisely what happens in Nature in densely-packed aquatic systems with fair amount of nutrients, sediment, and not a significant volume of of flow.  Stuff settles on the branches, and further fuels biofilm growth. It's a rich, highly productive "micro habitat" that hosts an astonishing amount of life.

Another potential problem with this kind of configuration in the aquarium is that you'll have to decide for yourself just how hard to push the lighting over the tank. Too much, and you'll grow a big ol' batch of stringy, gooey algae. You have to play with it- especially if your purpose for lighting the tank is aesthetic, as opposed to facilitating plant growth.

I know, because I purposely pushed it to the limit in one of the several  iterations of my "Tucano Tangle" aquarium, blasting the shit out of the tank to see exactly what would happen..And, well, it was a fairly predictable result! 

Light+nutrient+limited water movement= algae.

Duh.

On the other hand, with the right balance of light, fishes, and water movement, you can achieve beautiful results with a dense matrix of wood or roots.

Ideas like this require multiple mental shifts and an acceptance that you may not be completely in control of the whole game.

Uncomfortable with this idea?

I understand.

It's hardly "revolutionary" or crazy...Yet, to attempt to replicate one of these complex natural habitats in the aquarium requires us to look ourselves in the mirror and see if we're up to the challenges (aesthetic and otherwise).

Had enough of this. Or thirsty for more?

I submit to you the idea of turbid, sediment-filled tanks, where dead branchy materials, decomposing leaves, twigs, biofilms, clays, soil and silt play...

 This type of feature really pushes us out of our comfort zone.

You have silty, sedimented material which, when disturbed, will cloud the water a bit for days at a time. Sort of like what happens in Nature- but it's in your living room.

Could you handle this?

What's the upside to a tank like this?

Well, for one thing, you have the benefit of a substrate which actively leaches minerals, organic materials, and other compounds into the aquarium.  It also fosters  the growth and proliferation of fungi, bacteria, and microorganisms which not only facilitate processing of dissolved organics, but serve as a supplemental food sources for our fishes.

This is extremely similar to the benefits such areas of flooded forest floors and such provide in Nature.

It's a very different type of "aesthetic beauty" than we are used to. It's an elegant, remarkably complex microhabitat which is host to an enormous variety of life forms.  And it's a radical departure from our normal interpretation of how a tank should look. It challenges us, not only aesthetically- it challenges us to appreciate the function it can provide if we let it.

"Functional aesthetics." Again.

Suffice it to say, there are NO rules in rediscovering the unfiltered art beneath the surface. Our "movement" believes in representing Nature as it exists in both form and function, without "editing" the very attributes of randomness and resulting function that make it so amazing.

We are utterly inspired by this.

We are about the preservation of biofilms, decomposition, and that "patina" of biocover that exists when terrestrial materials contact water. Understanding that these materials break down and influence the environment...and that this process doesn't always conform to our hobby interpretation of what is "beautiful." An appreciation of the ephemeral, the transitional. 

It makes sense to me. I believe that there is a huge hunger in the aquarium hobby to find out more about the natural habitats from which our fishes hail, and to create more realistic functional representations of them in our aquariums.

In my own rebellious way, I also can't help but think that part of this enthusiasm which a growing number of aquarists seem to have for this stuff is that aquarium hobbyists in general have a bit of a "rebellious streak", too! Our taste in "style" is changing. And that maybe, just maybe- we're collectively a bit- well, "over" the idea of the "rule-centric", mono-stylistic, overly dogmatic thinking that has dominated the aquascaping world for the better part of a decade.

Maybe it's time to look at Nature as an inspiration again- but to look at Nature as it exists- not trying to sanitize it; clean it up to meet our expectations of what an aquarium is "supposed to look like."

And by the same token, also understanding that not every hobbyist wants to-or can-go to the other extreme-trying to validate every twig, rock, and plant in a given habitat, as if we're being "scored" by some higher power- a universal "quality assurance team"- which must certify that each and every rock and branch is, indeed from the Rio Manacapuru, for example, or your work is just some sort of travesty.

At the end of the day, we all should do what we love. That's a given. 

However, we should also stop convincing ourselves that what we do is the only way to achieve a successful, beautiful aquarium. There is much we can learn from each other. And much we can learn from Nature- which can help us create more successful aquariums.

Blurring the lines between Nature and the aquarium, from an aesthetic sense, at the very least- and in many respects, from a "functional" sense as well, proves just how far hobbyists have come...how good you are at what you do.

What an incredible dynamic!

Those who profess loudly that their highly stylized interpretation of Nature is somehow a "better" way to manage an aquarium than a system which fosters the processes (and as a collateral "benefit"- the look) of Nature in a more realistic way should take a deep breath and study wild aquatic habitats "holistically."

It will only make their works better and even more meaningful. 

Learning how natural habitats work, and what outside pressures they face from human intervention helps us to appreciate, understand, and protect them for future generations to enjoy.

At the end of the day, I admit that our approach is less easily digested than many other approaches. Yet, I believe that there is an elegance, an educational component, and a beauty that botanical-style aquariums can deliver like no other.

Continue to take pride in what you do.

Don't let dogma and the prevailing mindset of "what's cool" distract you from doing what you love and believe in. Embrace, enjoy, and accept the thoughts, attitudes, and works of others, while constantly questioning and striving to do what moves you.

Question, observe, and query those who do things differently than you do. However, don't just levy criticism on something you don't understand because it differs radically than what you love so much.

Find what makes your heart sing, and do it. Share it with the world. Educate. Listen. Enjoy.

You'll never be "wrong."

Stay open-minded. Stay creative. Stay bold. Stay curious. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

 

While you're away....

Ohh..it's the Holiday season...a lot of you are headed out of town!

Who's worried about keeping their fishes fed while they're gone?

Not this guy.

Nope.

As you are completely aware by now, we're big fans of mimicking the look and characteristics of the seasonally- inundated forests known as Igapo, common to the Amazon Basin. Under the influence of the Rio Negro, the water depth  in these areas can differ as much as  12 feet/4meters between the high and low water periods in the annual cycle! 

The dynamic of input and utilization of materials from the surrounding forest is fascinating and profound for those of us who wish to mimic these habitats in our aquariums...And it actually plays right into our very human behavioral patterns, too!

What do I mean? Read on...

During the rainy season, overflowing streams flood the rainforest floor, accumulating materials which the fish communities utilize for food and shelter. And materials which fall from the surrounding trees and banks are major contributors to the productivity of this ecosystem. As the waters recede somewhat, temporary streams flow through these areas.

Interestingly, scientists have found that these streams have very little internal production of food sources for their resident fishes. Rather the food sources come from materials such as plants, fruits, leaves, and pieces of wood which come from the surrounding environment. Oh, and insects. Lots of insects from the surrounding trees and bank, which fall into the water.

These are known as "allochthonous inputs" in ecology- materials imported into an ecosystem from outside of it. This is rather interesting point. Essentially, it means that these areas, rich habitats that they are, are almost completely influenced by outside materials....

As more materials fall from the trees and surrounding dry areas, the greater the abundance of fishes and other aquatic animas which utilize them is found. And materials will continue to fall into the water and accumulate throughout the period of inundation, maintaining the richness of the habitat as others decompose or are acted on by the organisms residing in the water.

Not unlike our botanical-style aquariums, right?

It makes me think that our process of adding and replacing new materials to our botanical-style blackwater aquariums is a very good representation of what occurs in these habitats. Further, I think that we can "leverage" human nature in producing an even more realistic representation. 

Huh?

Well, think about it..During certain times of the year (like now, for example!), we generally tend to be distracted or otherwise engaged with family, vacations, and other activities which draw attention away from our aquariums a bit. During this time, those of us who regularly add and remove materials from their botanical-style aquariums might be less likely to do so, and the materials just sort of "sit" there.

And then when we return from our travels, and our attentions once again are more focused on our aquariums, activity surrounding our tanks pics up.

This is very similar to what occurs in nature during the seasonal shifts, when less material falls into the water, and the allochthonous inputs become less concentrated and frequent. The ecosystem, although always dynamic in it's own way, is in a more-or-less "stable mode", at least for a short period of time.

So, one might say that our sort of "benign neglect"  or  more nicely, "benign inattention" during the lazy days of summer is a rather accurate representation of nature! 

And NOT feeding your fishes for a period of time in a well-stocked botanical-style aquarium, in my experience...is no big deal at all.

Don't worry. Your fish won't even miss you while you're away.

Really.

A simple thought for the Sunday before Christmas....

Stay happy. Stay engaged. Stay excited. Stay relaxed. Stay curious. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

 

 

The "bottom-up evolution" is here...

I know, I know- I seem like I bring up variations of the same subject like 100 times in this blog. However, I think there's good reason to do so. I mean, many of the ideas that we have postulated and played with have not only "worked"- they've led to other tangential discoveries, practices, evolutions, and occasionally, breakthroughs! 

SO...For the "umpteenth" time, let's talk a bit more about...wait for it- substrates. 

Yeah. The bottom of your tank. Or, more precisely, the stuff that comprises it. 

I'm obsessed with this shit, as you know.

SECRET: Literally, if I didn't start Tannin, I'd have created a company that only curates and sells substrate materials...So,to scratch this itch that's never went away, I'm doing the next best thing in 2020- we'll be increasing the diversity of our substrate offerings. Stuff you won't find elsewhere, destined for applications that no one else could ever love more than our community. Stay tuned...

Anyways- back to the topic at hand...

Now, for many of us, the literal "foundation" of our aquariums has been- and still is- sand or gravels. It's been that way for most of the century of the modern aquarium keeping era. Sure, there have been variations in grades, sand types and origins, and colors and such, but it's basically the same stuff we've had forever.

Sands and gravels are  a good simulation of the materials found many natural habitats. However, I think we have to accept that many aquatic habitats aren't simply sand and gravel- our sort of idealized, sanitized vision of what the bottom should be.

When you consider natural waters and the impact of the substrate, the story gets even more interesting. In rivers, such as the Amazon, Rio Xingu, or Orinoco, you'll find materials that originate in the mountains and highlands, and gradually work their way downstream, influencing the aquatic environment chemically, physically, and geographically. 

The materials are influenced by the currents and water movement, tend to "sort themselves out", and re-organize over time. To simulate this dynamic, it pays to do a little research on the specific environment that you're looking to replicate. Some parts of the Amazon, for example, are replete with larger particles of material, even rock, with a covering of fine sand.

Studies have shown that particle sizes tend to decrease the further downstream from the source they are found. Makes sense, right?

Large rivers, such as the Amazon, have beds of shifting sands, slowly transported with the currents. Typically, the larger the item (pebble, rock, or boulder), the longer it tends to stay in one place. So, in a more powerful flow, you're more likely to find larger-sized materials.

History lesson (yeah- where else in the aquarium world will you get a mini history lesson on substrates?):

The first recorded observations of bed material of the Amazon River were made in 1843 by Lt. William Lewis Herndon of the US Navy, when he travelled the river from its headwaters to its mouth, sounding its depths, and noting the nature  of particles caught in a heavy grease smeared to the bottom of his sounding weight. He reported the bed material of the river to be mostly "sand and fine gravel." Oltman and Ames took samples at a few locations in 1963 and 1964, and reported the bed material at Óbidos, Brazil, to be "fine sands, with median diameters ranging from 0.15 to 0.25 mm."

Okay, not some real breakthrough knowledge there, I know- but the point is, many of the larger rivers and their tributaries that we obsess over have mixed sizes of sands and gravels on the bottom.

There is a LOT to the science of naturally "graded" materials, and you'll have to do some research on the subject. In the end, science can tell you a lot; however, creativity and your aesthetic taste are typically the "guidelines" that you'll embrace to assemble your "slice of the bottom."

With an abundance of commercially-available substrate materials on the market, it's easier than ever to replicate cool little segments of the environment. Take a sort of 'holistic" approach to constructing the substrate in your aquarium. Look into the practical and aesthetic aspects of your materials, and how you'd combine the permanent materials (gravels, sands, pebbles, etc.) with the more "transient" materials (i.e.; botanicals and leaves). It's a lot of fun, very engaging, and can almost create a "hobby within a hobby!"

And yeah, the "transient materials" part is equally fascinating to me.

In many of the slower-moving waters, where the sediment "sorting" has already occurred, you will find an accumulation of softer, more "ephemeral" materials, like leaves, twigs, seed pods, soil, sediments, etc. over a bed of sand. Sometimes, these can be quite deep- a meter or more. In areas such as the Pantanal, as related by our friend, Tai Strietman, this decomposing materials- often terrestrial plant parts and such, can be extremely deep.

What goes on in these deep beds of decomposing botanical materials?

A lot, I think.

It's something that I keep coming back to, because the idea of utilizing botanicals in your aquarium substrate keeps tantalizing me with its performance and potential benefits.

As I've obsessively reported to you, last year, I set up a small tank in my office for the sole purpose of doing damn near the entire substrate with leaves and twigs- sort of like in Nature. There was less than approximately 0.25"/0.635cm of sand in there. I went from throwing in wood to make it look "cool", to ultimately yanking out everything but the leaves and twigs on the bottom. That's the whole "scape." What we in the reef world call a "no scape." 

Leaves and a shoal of Parachierdon simulans. 

Nothing else.

And the interesting thing about this tank was that it was one of the most chemically stable, low-maintenance tanks I've ever worked with. It held a TDS of 12 and a pH of 6.2 pretty much from day one of it's operation. It cycled in about 5-6 days. Ammonia was barely detectible. Nitrite peaked at about 0.25mg/L in approximately 3 days. 

Now, the point of this piece is not to drop a big old "humble brag" about some new tank I started. The point is to show what I think is an interesting "thing" I noticed about that tank: Stability and ease of function.

I was quite astounded how a new tank could go from dry to "broken in" in a week or so. And not just "broken in" (ie; "cycled"), mind you. We're talking, like, stable. I don't usually do this, but I tested all basic parameters every day for the first 3 weeks of the tank's existence, just to kind of see what would happen.

And not much happened.

The interesting thing about a tank like this is that it relied on leaves in a way that I had rarely done before. Yet, I had complete confidence that it could work just fine. I'm not some "visionary" here- I'm just a guy who's played with blackwater/botanical-style aquariums for a long time and has developed a certain degree of comfort with them.

Many of you are in the same position, I'll bet!

As far as I have determined, what goes on in an aquarium with botanicals- or leaves, in this instance as the total  "substrate" or "hardscape", as the case may be, is that they become the basis for biological activity in the tank. As we have discussed a million times here, as botanicals break down, they recruit bacteria, fungi, and other organisms on their surfaces.

What I am starting to feel more and more confident about is postulating that some degree of denitrification occurs in a system with a layer of leaves and botanicals as a major component of the tank. At the very least, good nutrient processing occurs in such a system because of the resident micro and microfauna present in this botanical bed.

Now, I know, I have little rigorous scientific information to back up my theory, other than anecdotal observations and even some assumptions. However, there is always an example to look at- Nature. 

Of course, Nature and aquariums differ, one being a closed system and the other being "open." However, they both are beholden to the same laws, aren't they? And I believe that the function of the captive leaf litter bed and the wild litter beds are remarkably similar to a great extent.

The thing that fascinates me is that, in Nature, leaf litter beds perform a similar function; that is, fostering biodiversity, nutrient export, and yes- denitrification. Let's take a little look at a some information I gleaned from the study of a natural leaf litter bed for some insights.

In a slow-flowing wild Amazonian stream with a very deep leaf litter bed, observations were made which are of some interest to us. First off, oxygen saturation was 6.7 3 mg/L (about 85% of saturation), conductivity was 13.8 microsemions, and pH was 3.5.

Some of these parameters (specifically pH) are likely difficult to obtain and maintain in the aquarium, but the interesting thing is that these parameters were stable throughout a months-long investigation.

 

 

 

Microscopic investigation confirmed this- it revealed that the leaf litter was heavily populated with fungi and other microfauna. There was a significant amount of fish life. Interestingly, the fish population was largely found in the top 12"/30cm of the litter bed, which was estimated to be about 18"/45cm deep. The food web in this type of habitat is comprised largely of fungal and bacterial growth which occurs in the decomposing leaf litter. 

Okay, I"m throwing a lot of information here, and doing what I hope is a slightly better-than-mediocre attempt at tying it all together. The principal assertions I'm making are that, in the wild, the leaf litter bed is a very productive place, and has a significant impact on its surroundings, and that it's increasingly obvious to me that many of the same functions occur in an aquarium utilizing leaf litter and botanicals.

I think that it's time that we as hobbyists devote a bit more time and effort to the idea of "alternative substrates"- or, at the very least, utilizing more than just sand and gravel for our substrates and calling it a day.

There is so much more that I think we can learn by incorporating botanical and other materials into our aquarium substrates. It's part of the reason why we've offered various "substrate additives" in the form of crushed leaves, bark, twigs, coconut-based materials, etc. for the past 4 years or so.

We're going to double down on this stuff...Sands, botanicals, clays, and other stuff...

I think that the bottom of our aquariums is so much more than just a place to secure our driftwood, rocks, and plants. It's an opportunity- a place to enhance, augment, or even drive the biological and chemical environment of our aquariums. 

If we continue to look to the natural aquatic habitats from where our fishes come, there is literally a whole new world of possibilities. Possibilities to create aesthetically unique, visually compelling, and entirely functional microhabitats within our botanical-stye aquariums. This is literally an untapped area of the hobby, which is screaming at us to do more and make some discoveries and breakthroughs.

Now, with much deference to the planted aquarium crowd, particularly those who play with "dirted" substrates- we can build on this. Of course, we're not taking about utilizing alternative substrates strictly for growing plants, like those cool cats are. Nope, we're talking about utilizing such materials in a more "holistic", fish-focused aquarium, centering on replicating the look and function of natural aquatic habitats. 

We're going to be talking a lot more about this in 2020. We're going to think about how to incorporate all sots of materials and ideas into our substrates.  And yes, the long-awaited, much discussed "Urban Igapo" soils will be coming very soon. It's time to experiment.

A literal "active substrate", indeed! Yet, something that is fascinating and beautiful for those who give the idea a shot!

This is a big aesthetic shift in the hobby, but it goes well beyond that.

We're literally going to elevate the substrate from being at the bottom (metaphorically) to being top-of-mind (or, at least higher up in our consideration process) when designing and executing our new botanical-style aquariums.

The result of this focus- we hope- will be a greater understanding of the form, function, and even the aesthetics that the substrate can bring to the aquarium. Mental shifts are just the beginning; you've already made that "commitment" the minute you set up your first tank of decomposing leaves and such.

Yeah, you're in!

And we recognize that we are all part of a greater whole, and that the work that we're doing will benefit the generations of aquarists who will follow us, and apply what we're learning in ways that we probably haven't even contemplated yet. Thinking about things like botanical-infused substrates are just one way to push the state of the art along.

Yeah, it's a hobby evolution...from the bottom up.

Glad to have you in the mix!

Stay excited. Stay inspired. Stay diligent. Stay open-minded. Stay hungry for knowledge...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

 

The continuous aquarium.

As you know, we postulate and execute some occasionally unorthodox, often far-outside-of-the-norm aquarium ideas around these parts! 

One of the ideas we play with quite a bit is hardly "radical" in it's departure- you've likely done a version of this hundreds of times during your aquarium hobby career: It's the idea of keeping your aquarium more-or-less "intact" while moving on to a new iteration.

In other words, you're kind of over your Southeast Asian Cryptocoryne biotope, and ready to head West to South America. So, rather than tearing up the entire tank, removing all of the plants, the hardscape, the leaves and botanicals, and the substrate, you opt to remove say, only the plants and the driftwood/rocks from the tank; exchange a good quantity of the water.

Woooah! Crazy! You fucking rebel...

I know. I know. This isn't exactly earth-shattering. 

On the other hand, in the world of the botanical-style aquarium, the idea of leaving the substrate and leaf litter/botanical "bed" intact as you "remodel" isn't exactly a crazy one. And conceptually, it's sort of replicates what occurs in Nature, doesn't it?

Yeah, think about this for just a second.

As we almost constantly discuss, habitats like flooded forests, meadows, vernal pools, igarape, and swollen streams tend to encompass terrestrial habitats, or go through phases where they are terrestrial habitats for a good part of the year.

In these wild habitats, the leaves, branches, soils, and other botanical materials remain in place, or are added to by dynamic, seasonal processes. For the most part, the soil, branches, and a fair amount of the more "durable" seed pods and such remain present during both phases.

The formerly terrestrial physical environment is now transformed into an earthy, twisted, incredibly rich aquatic habitat, which fishes have evolved over eons to live in and utilize for food, protection, and complex, protected spawning areas. 

All of the botanical material-shrubs, grasses, fallen leaves, branches, seed pods, and such, is suddenly submerged; often, currents re-distribute the leaves and seed pods and branches into little pockets and "stands", affecting the (now underwater) "topography" of the landscape.

Leaves begin to accumulate. Detritus settles.

Soils dissolve their chemical constituents- tannins, and humic acids- into the water, enriching it. Fungi and micororganisms begin to feed on and break down the materials. Biofilms form, crustaceans multiply rapidly.  Fishes are able to find new food sources; new hiding places..new areas to spawn.

Life flourishes.

Sooo...

When you remove much of the hardscape, plants, etc. from the aquarium as you "evolve" it to something else, yet leave the substrate, some of the hardscape, leaves, etc. intact, you're essentially mimicking this process in a most realistic way.

Sure, a "makeover" of an aquarium can be a seriously disruptive event. On the other hand, if you take the mindset that this is a "transformation" of sorts, and act accordingly, it becomes more of an evolutionary process.

This is something I've done for many years- like a lot of you have, and it not only makes your life a bit easier- it can create pretty good outcomes for the fishes we keep.

The "Urban Igapo" idea that I've been touting for a good part of the year is a very deliberate execution of this iterative process, and it's taught me quite a bit about how these habitats function in Nature, and what kinds of benefits they bring to the aquarium.

We've talked about the idea of "flooding" an aquarium setup designed to replicate an Amazonian forest before. You know, sort of attempting to simulate some of the processes which happen seasonally in Nature. With the technology, materials, and information available to us today, the capability of creating a true "year-round" habitat simulation in the confines of an aquarium/vivarium setup has never been more attainable.

The time to play with this concept is now!

We've been testing the idea for a long time, and have been formulating some soils which attempt to replicate some of the attributes of those found in these habitats during the "dry" season. When flooded, you get an effect that's similar to what happens in the igapo.

Sure, the water gets cloudy for a bit. The water is tinted, turbid, and sediment-laden. Eventually, it settles out. If you planted grasses and plants which are able to tolerate submersion for some period off their life cycle, they'll "hang on" for a while- until the waters recede.

Just like in Nature.

And you can go through multiple "wet and dry seasonal cycles" with the same substrate and perhaps only a slight addition of materials to replenish those which have broken down, but the result is a "continuous aquarium"- one which can stay more-or-less intact over a long period of time and iterations.

No one said the hobby is easy, but it’s not difficult, either- as long as you have a basic understanding of the environmental processes and conditions within your aquarium. And the idea of leaving essential biological components of your aquarium more-or-less "intact" for an indefinite period of time is really compelling.

Of course, an aquarium which utilizes botanicals as a good part of its hardscape follows a set of phases, too. And I've found that once a botanical-style aquarium (blackwater or brackish) hits that sort of "stable mode", it's just that- stable. You won't see wildly fluctuating pH leaves, nitrates, phosphates, etc. To a certain degree, the aquarium has achieved some sort of "biological equilibrium."

Now, one thing that's unique about the botanical-style approach is that we tend to accept the idea of decomposing materials accumulating in our systems. We understand that they act, to a certain extent, as "fuel" for the micro and macrofauna which reside in the aquarium. The idea of leaving this material in place over the long-term is a crucial component of this approach, IMHO.

As we've discussed repeatedly, just like in Nature, they'll also form the basis of a  complex "food chain", which includes bacterial biofilms, fungi, and minute crustaceans. Each one of these life forms supporting, to some extent, those above...including our fishes.

I have long believed that if you decide to let the botanicals remain in your aquarium to break down and decompose completely, you shouldn't change course by suddenly removing the material all at once...Particularly if you're going to a new version of an existing aquarium.

Why? 

Well, I think my theory is steeped in the mindset that you've created a little ecosystem, and if you start removing a significant source of someone's food (or for that matter, their home!), there is bound to be a net loss of biota...and this could lead to a disruption of the very biological processes that we aim to foster.

Okay, it's a theory...But I think I might be on to something, maybe? So, like here is my theory in more detail:

Simply look at the botanical-style aquarium (like any aquarium, of course) as a little "microcosm", with processes and life forms dependent upon each other for food, shelter, and other aspects of their existence. And, I really believe that the environment of this type of aquarium, because it relies on botanical materials (leaves, seed pods, etc.), is more signficantly influenced by the amount and composition of said material to "operate" successfully over time.

Just like in natural aquatic ecosystems...

The botanical materials are a real "base" for the little microcosm we create.

And of course, by virtue of the fact that they contain other compounds, like tannins, humic substances, lignin, etc., they also serve to influence the water chemistry of the aquarium, the extent to which is dictated by a number of other things, including the "starting point" of the source water used to fill the tank.

 

So, in short- I think the presence of botanicals in our aquariums is multi-faceted, highly influential, and of extreme importance for the stability, ecological balance, and efficiency of the tank.

Okay, I might just be torturing this simple idea to death- I admit this point that I'm probably not adding much more to the "recipe" here; likely simply being redundant and even a bit vague...However, I think we need to think about how interesting this simple practice is.

And yeah, I'll concede that we probably don't have every answer on the processes which govern this stuff.

For example:

The most common question I get when it comes to taking out a fair amount of this material and then "continuing" the tank is, "Will it cycle again?"

And the answer is...It could.

On the other hand, here is my personal experience. Remember, I keep a sort of diary of most of my aquarium work. I have for over three decades (gulp...). Just random scanning my "diary", I see that I have executed this practice dozens of times in all types of aquariums, ranging from simple planted aquariums to hardscape-only tanks, to botanical-style, blackwater and brackish aquariums, to reef tanks.

Not once- as in never- have I personally experienced any increase in ammonia and nitrite, indicative of a new "cycle."

 

Now, this doesn't mean that I guarantee a perfect, "cycle-free" process for you. On the other hand, by leaving the bulk of the substrate material intact, and continuing to provide "fuel" for the extant biotia by leaving in and adding to the botanicals present in the aquarium, this makes a lot of sense.

Sure, I have in place a mindset and husbandry practices that assure success with this idea.

I am a fanatical observer of my aquariums, particularly the botanical-style ones I run (oh, all of them...), and I do the same things over and over and over again; specifically, weekly small water exchanges. I don't overcrowd my tanks. I don't add tons of fishes at one time. I don't overfeed my fishes. I don't add a large batch of botanicals at one time to "remodeled" or existing aquariums. I'm annoyingly patient. I don't freak out over things taking a while.

I embrace "detritus" ( at least the kind that is caused by mineralization of botanical materials) as "fuel" for the biological "operating system"- not as something to be afraid of. 

And, like many of you, I don't see a need to rush to some version of "finished." 

Personally, I don't think that botanical-style aquarium are ever "finished." They simply continue to evolve over extended periods of time, just like the wild habitats that we attempt to replicate in our tanks do...

And the botanicals in the aquarium? Well. they'll keep breaking down, "enriching" the aquarium habitat.

 

Understand and facilitate these natural processes into your aquariums. Keep that in mind when you "iterate" an aquarium.

If you're months into a tank, and simple don't like the look or performance or whatever- you can easily change it. It's a lot like catching a continuously-running commuter train or subway line, right?

Part of the beauty of the botanical-style aquarium is that you can sort of "pick it up where you are" and "ride it" out for a while, or change the "routing" as you desire! Started your tank as an Amazonian habitat but you're suddenly enamored with a more "Asian" look?

Keep the "operating system" intact, but change out some elements.

Super easy, right?

It is. If you let it be that way.

Evolution is not only fun to watch, it's a lot of fun to manage as well. And it's even more fun to have the option to do either!

Our aquariums can operate continuously for indefinite periods of time if we allow them to do so. It's a compelling, fascinating idea and process.

Enjoy it.

Stay patient. Stay diligent. Stay resourceful. Stay observant. Stay engaged...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

 

Going long. Really long.

How long do you keep your botanical-style aquariums up and running?

A few months? A year? Several years?

As self-appointed "thought leaders" of the botanical-style natural aquarium movement, we spend an enormous amount of time talking about how to select botanicals, prepare them, and utilize them in aquariums. We talk about what happens when you place these terrestrial materials in water, and how botanical-style aquariums "evolve" over time...

All well and good...

However, we've probably talked a lot less about the idea of keeping these aquariums over the very  long term.

And, I'd define "very long-term" as a year or more.

I mean, this makes a lot of sense, because botanical-style tanks, in my opinion, don't even really hit their "stride" for at least 3-6 months. Yet, in the content-driven, Instagram-fueled, postmodern aquarium world, I know that  we tend to show new looks fairly often, to give you lots of ideas and inspiration to embark on your own journeys.

And I suppose, that's a very cool thing. Yet, it's likely a "double-edged sword."

Like so many things in the social media representation of today's aquarium world likely gives the (incorrect) impression that these tanks are sort of "pop-ups", set up for a photography session and broken down quickly. We are, regrettably, likely contributors to some of this misconception. 

I think we, as those "thought leaders", need to do more to share the process of establishing, evolving, and maintaining a botanical-style aquarium over the long term. To that end, we're going to do a lot more documentation of the entire process in months to come- documenting the journey from "new" to "mature"-sharing the ups, downs, and processes along the way.

Regrettably, the way this work is often presented on social media, it likely enables us to project our human impatience and desire or instant gratification on living creatures, which, in my opinion, is sort of the opposite of Nature's "timetable." She does things in a time and manner that are best suited for the creatures who reside in the natural world. There is no need or reason to conform to our timetable to get the aquarium cycled and stable "this weekend."

Besides, if the goal is to keep an aquarium functioning for the longest period of time, what's the rush to get it stabilized?

Patience, as always, is the key ingredient here.

Like with most types of aquariums, I don't think that there is an "upper limit" to how long you can keep a botanical-style aquarium up and running. It's predicated upon our ability to stick to a mindset...

The longest I've personally maintained such a system continuously has been about 5.5 years, and the only reason I broke down that aquarium was because of a home remodel that required the removal of everything from the space in which the aquarium was located. I set it up again shortly after the work was completed, keeping the substrate intact during the "move."

The reality, though, is that I could have kept this system going indefinitely. 

As most of you who work with these aquariums know, the key to long-term success with them is to go slowly, deploying massive amounts of patience, common-sense husbandry, monitoring of environmental parameters, and careful stocking management. Not really much different from what you'd need to do to successfully maintain ANY type of aquarium for the long haul.

As we've discussed many times, for the longest time, there seemed to have been a perception among the mainstream aquarium hobby that botanical-style blackwater aquariums were delicate, tricky-to-maintain systems, fraught with potential disaster; a soft-water, acidic environment which could slip precipitously into some sort of environmental "free fall" without warning.

And there was the matter of that "dark brown water..."

The very "look" of our tanks no doubt did much to help support this negative narrative...Yet, there is so much more to it than just the unique aesthetics.

You need to first have an understanding that you're creating a dynamic environment and aquascape. It's anything but "static"- sort of like a planted aquarium, but in reverse (rather than plants growing, the botanicals are, for want of a better word "diminishing")! At any given time, you'll have things like leaves in various states of decomposition, seed pods, slowly softening and recruiting biofilms and a "patina" of algae (sort of like the "aufwuchs" common to the African Rift Lakes, I suppose).

What happens over time?

Well, typically, as most of you who've played with this stuff know, the botanicals will begin to soften and break down over a period of several weeks. Botanical materials are the very definition of the word "ephemeral." Nothing lasts forever, and botanicals are no exception! Pretty much everything we utilize- from Guava leaves to Melostoma roots- starts to soften and break down over time. Most of these materials should be viewed as "consumables"- meaning that you'll need to replace them over time. 

Oh, and sure, botanicals  will go through that "biofilm phase" before ultimately breaking down, and you'll have many opportunities to remove them...Or, in the case of most hobbyists these days- add new materials as the old ones break down...completely analogous to natural "leaf drop!"

Now, this idea of "leaving stuff in" always seems to get people "riled up!"

I personally have never had any negative side effects that we could attribute to leaving botanicals to completely break down in an otherwise healthy, well-managed aquarium. Yeah, it will produce pieces broken-down botanical materials and...detritus. 

Well, you know how I feel about detritus. 

Many, many users (present company included) see no detectable increases in nitrate or phosphate as a result of this practice. Of course, this has prompted me to postulate that perhaps they form a sort of natural "biological filtration media" and actually foster some dentritifcation, etc. I have no scientific evidence to back up this theory, of course (like most of my theories, lol), other than my results, but I think there might be a grain of truth here!

 

Now, of course, you are dealing with a tank filled with decomposing botanical materials, so you need to stay on top of stuff.  Our embrace of natural processes aren't about simply abandoning all well-established aquarium husbandry practices. Botanical-style aquarium aren't just "set and forget." Good overall husbandry is necessary to keep your tank stable and healthy- and that includes the dreaded (by many, that is) regular water exchanges.

As we pointed out, at the very least, you'll likely be cleaning and/or replacing pre filter media as part of your routine, and that's typically a weekly-to bi-weekly thing. Part of the art and science of botanical-style aquarium-keeping is the idea of developing consistency, and understanding what to expect over the long term, as outlined above. And yes- one of the most important behavioral characteristics I think we can have in this hobby, besides patience, is consistency.  

Just sort of "goes with the territory" here.

Nothing we've mentioned here is earth-shattering or revolutionary, from an aquarium husbandry standpoint. However, seeing that for many hobbyists, this is their first experience at managing a botanical-style blackwater aquarium, and with tons of information out there stressing concepts like breaking down a tank after a few months, I think it's not a bad idea to review this sort of stuff from time to time!

In botanical-style natural aquariums, seldom are big moves or corrections required. Rather, it's really a combination of little things, done consistently over time, which will see your aquarium thrive in the long run. 

Although there are likely exceptions, many of the beautiful aquariums you see splashed all over the internet aren't typically left up long enough for Nature to really do her thing. It's not about a few weeks- or even a few months..It's about processes which take many months or even years. 

I suppose the time frame makes it hard for many to appreciate the Japanese philosophy of wabi-sabi, as professed by Takashi Amano himself. In many ways...We're not used to looking at things in our aquariums over long periods of time, the way Nature organizes, evolves, and operates.

Now, when we talk about the use of natural materials in our aquatic hardscape, such as the use of leaves and softer aquatic botanicals, which begin to degrade after a few weeks submerged, one can really understand the practicalities of this philosophy. It could be argued, perhaps, that the use of botanicals in an aquarium is the very essence of what "Wabi Sabi" is about.

I'll say it for like  the fourteen-thousandth time: The whole idea of a botanical-style backwater aquarium isn't just about a new aesthetic approach. Sure, that's the most obvious part- it's highly visual.

There is so much more.

This is where those who don't understand these types of aquariums get it all wrong and really "short-sell" this stuff... It's about understanding and processing what's happening in the little aquatic ecosystem you've created. It's about asking questions, modifying technique, and, yeah, playing hunches- all skills that we as hobbyists have practiced for generations.

When you distill it all- we're still just "keeping an aquarium"- yet, one that I feel is a far more natural, dynamic, and potentially game-changing style for the hobby.

One that we need no longer be afraid of.

 

We, as experienced hobbyists, need to explain that, although we can force things to move faster, the results over the long term are often compromised, requiring painful and expensive "do-overs" down the line to correct mistakes made while rushing to get the aquarium "done" (and what is "done", anyways?). In fact, you can sort of "makeover" an aquarium without fully breaking it down, to a different "botanical theme" if/when you get "bored" with your tank's current iteration. I've done this many times.

Yeah, that's another topic for another blog real soon!

So, yeah, we'll do more to share the idea of keeping these aquariums over the long haul...

Thinking long term, as opposed to short-term, also plays better to the critics of our hobby, who feel that we are simply consumers- "taking" from Nature without regard for consequence.

In my personal opinion, this type of lack of understanding of the true nature of the hobby has lead to misconceptions, criticism, and the popularization of the aquarium hobby as wasteful, environmentally insensitive, and unaware, which is farther from the truth than most of those confused souls who applaud vapid  animated films like (Insert absurd movie title here) as "educational" would have the general public believe.

When we encourage people to rush through stuff and think only of some personal "end game", without regard for the consequences to the life forms they intend to keep, we encourage the very thought that fuels the unwarranted criticism of our hobby by the uninformed public.

I commit to Tannin doing more to tell the entire story even better than we have to date. Everyone will benefit as a result!

We need to demonstrate that "getting there" is truly more than half of the fun! That to many, the journey itself is one of the most-if not THE most- enjoyable parts of the hobby.

And it starts with an understanding of Nature.

Realizing that the wild aquatic habitats of the world provide us so many ideas- so much inspiration- and so many lessons.

Yeah, there are so many more cool things to learn.

It starts with the basics that we all know, and applying some of that experience and knowledge to what, for many of you, is an entirely new style of aquarium.

The surest path to success with botanical-style, natural aquariums, as we've stressed repeatedly, is to move slowly and incrementally.

Sure, once you gain experience, you'll know how far you can "push it", but, quite frankly- Nature doesn't really care about your "experience"- if the conditions aren't right and the bacteria in your system cannot accommodate a rapid, significant increase in bioload, she'll kick your ass like a personal trainer!

It's important to take a really long-term view here.

Respect Nature. Learn from her. "Go long..."

Stay patient. Stay inquisitive. Stay humble. Stay diligent. Stay creative...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Density. Diversity. Function.

When we think of streams and rivers, we probably think of flowing water, sandy bottoms; maybe a few branches...

And, while it's quite true that there are certainly many habitats which fit that description, there are numerous aquatic habitats where fishes reside are simply sluggish, small, branch-leaf-and-tree-trunk-choked pools and such.

Yeah, it's true.

The crystal-clear, swift-moving water is not always home to as large a variety of fishes and other aquatic organisms as these more placid, densely-packed bodies of water are. Have you thought much about how "clogged" with materials some of the natural habitats we intend to imitate in our tanks actually are?

It's kind of interesting to consider, and I've done a little "field work" over the years, as well as some "internet safaris", exploring some of the interesting habitats where our fishes come from, and I've frequently been surprised just how much "stuff" is in the water.

And of course, there is a strange "disconnect" with our interpretation of Nature, and what is really out there.  It makes me think about our aquascapes, and how we are seemingly always concerned about having the "appropriate" amount of "negative space"- at least from an artistic perspective.

I mean, from an aquascaping point of view, I suppose that's quite understandable. And, I would imagine that there is a sort of immediately obvious perception that  having an aquarium that's not densely-packed with materials is somehow more sustainable, healthier, etc. from a practical management standpoint.

Like, it's easier to maintain an aquarium that's more "open."

Or, is it?

Sure, you can easily get a siphon hose into a more open tank. You can keep detritus in suspension where it can be removed more easily-if that's your thing, of course. You know my thoughts on "detritus..."

On the other hand, if you've made that "mental shift" to accepting a more natural-looking- and functioning aquarium, the amount of material you have in the tank makes little difference. You simply adjust your husbandry practices to accommodate the physical "configuration" of the aquarium and go about your business!

Educating yourself about the realities of natural habitats, rather than strictly modeling our aquariums after other aquariums, can open you up to numerous examples of how these environments foster numerous life forms successfully.

When you take into account the materials that accumulate in smaller streams, igarapes, flooded meadows, and swamps, a surprisingly large amount of botanical materials, ranging from tree branches/trunks to leaves and such, accumulates and takes up physical space in the aquatic habitat.

Now, not only do these materials take up water volume and physical space- they serve to direct flow, create other hydrodynamic features, etc. More important, they also accumulate/sequester nutrients and food sources for the organisms which reside in these habitats.

In the aquarium, a larger volume of say, driftwood, rocks, and botanicals will not only impart the oft-mentioned chemical affects into the water, they will similarly channel flow, create territories, and offer areas of visual interest. Well-managed systems which are densely-packed with wood and botanical materials can create surprisingly dynamic, ever-evolving displays.

Evolving...

This is no doubt analogous to the seasonal evolutions of underwater landscapes in Nature, as waters recede after the rainy season, leaving a more densely-packed assemblage of materials in a given area.

To get a better perspective on this, look at the rain forest floor in tropical regions, such as Amazonia. After all, this is what is left during the dry season, and gives you some idea of the eventual "topography" of the underwater landscape when the rains return. 

Rain performs the dual function of diluting organics, while transporting more nutrient and materials across the ecosystem. What happens in many of the regions of Amazonia, for example- is the evolution of our most compelling environmental niches. The water levels in the rivers rise significantly. often several meters, and the once dry forest floor fills with water from the torrential rain and overflowing rivers and streams.

The Igapos are formed. 

Flooded forest floors. Yeah, I talk about this habitat incessantly. 

The formerly terrestrial environment is now transformed into an earthy, twisted, incredibly rich aquatic habitat, which fishes have evolved over eons to live in and utilize for food, protection, and spawning areas.

Many bodies of water which meander through jungles and rain forests are constantly being "restocked" with leaves, seed pods, branches, and other botanical materials from the surrounding vegetation- some of which are knocked into the water by weather, wind, animal activity, etc. Depending upon the velocity of the water, its depth, etc., they may aggregate right where they fall, or be gradually re-distributed downstream by the current.

I can't tell you how amazing this type of habitat is to replicate in the aquarium. It challenges our aesthetic tastes, our skills at managing closed systems, and our ability to understand the benefits of having all of this stuff present in our tanks.

Now, I'm not telling you that you should fill your tanks to the rim with wood, seed pods, leaves, and rocks (although it sounds like a cool idea, doesn't it? LOL). I AM suggesting that you look into the interesting aesthetic and physical affects you can create with a more "dense" scape. Attempt to understand the function and benefits of such a configuration. 

Experiment.

We've already touched on some of the benefits above; analogous to those found in the natural habitats they attempt to represent, and this is increasingly obvious to all of us who play with botanical-style aquariums.

Now, the one of the immediate "downsides" most hobbyists who are unfamiliar with our practices will jump on is, "Hey, more 'stuff' in the water means...less water volume...you can't have as many fishes in your tank." Absolutely. Sure. On the other hand, less water volume means you could host fewer fishes...and lower population densities of fishes could actually serve to create a more visually engaging display!

Not only will there be functional and environmental benefits as a result of lower fish populations- you'll probably find some aesthetic ones, as well.

Now, I remember back in the 1980's through the early 2000's, in the reef aquarium side of the hobby, people were obsessed with the concept of "live rock" as a "filter medium", and the prevailing wisdom was that you needed "x" amount of rock per given volume of water in a reef tank...and it was quite a bit...And  of course, the best way to achieve this recommended quantity was to create a literal "wall of rock", something that I have railed on personally for years in my writings and presentations.

It looked pretty crazy.

So, I'd be a bit hypocritical if I was  suggesting a "wall of botanicals" and such; however, I think it would be interesting to play with higher densities of wood and botanicals in some displays. To encourage areas of interest. Yes, fascinating details which encourage the observer to really study the aquarium in a more focused way.

In Nature, all of the botanical material- fallen leaves, branches, seed pods, and such create the biological "operating system" for the aquatic environment.  Soils dissolve their chemical constituents- tannins, and humic acids- into the water, enriching it. Fungi and micororganisms begin to multiply, feed on and break down the materials. Biofilms form, crustaceans reproduce rapidly.  Fishes are able to find new food sources; new hiding places..new areas to spawn.

Life flourishes.

Let's get back to the "practical" aspects again.

There are some keys to maintaining aquarium filled with materials like decomposing leaves and botanicals. We know this by now; it's become part of our "best practices..." You definitely need to do regular maintenance. You don't want to overstock...I mean, common sense stuff. However, in a tank filled with considerable organic material, "slight overstocking" and poor general husbandry can be problematic. 

It's about husbandry and perspective...

And it's about accepting the fact that the leaves and other natural materials are part of the ecology of the tank, and that they will behave as terrestrial materials do when submerged:

They'll break down and decompose. They'll form the basis of a surpassingly complex food chain, which includes bacterial biofilms, fungi, and minute crustaceans. Each one of these life forms supporting, to some extent, those above...including our fishes.

 

When you think of the botanical materials not so much as "hardscape props", but as dynamic biological components of a closed microcosm, it all makes a bit more sense. And the more material that is present in the system, the greater the "fuel" available for microbial growth to "power" the system.

And when we add/remove/supplement more leaves and botanicals, and allow others to fully break down in our tanks, we are totally mimicking the natural processes which occur in streams and rivers around the world. 

Think about the materials which accumulate in natural aquatic habitats, and how they actually end up in them, and it makes you think about this in a very different context. A more "holistic" context that can make your experience that much more rewarding. Botanicals should be viewed as "consumables" in our hobby- much like activated carbon, filter pads, etc.- they simply don't last indefinitely.

And the biofilms and algal growths which appear on our leaves and botanicals-just as they do in the wild habitats we mimic- provide not only a degree of "biological functionality" for our systems, but an evolving aesthetic as well.

Embrace these things- don't fear them.

Understand that the real "designer" of our botanical-style aquaecapes is Mother Nature herself.

We just set the stage.

So- set the stage, and enjoy the random, compelling, and ever-evolving work of art that is the blackwater/botanical-style aquarium. Started by you. Evolved with the steady hand of Nature.

Look, I adore minimalist stuff...abosolutely. However, I'd think it would be interesting (and entirely authentic to Nature) to play with a more complex, "heavy-handed" scape once in a while. Not just for their interesting aesthetics, mind you.

 

Where it gets really interesting is in a larger aquarium, with a population of smaller fishes dwelling in such a 'scape. For example, imagine the allure of a tank, heavily "choked" with thin wood branches (Mangrove, Manzanita or "Spider Wood" are what I'm thinking), some larger seed pods, bark, and leaves.

By selecting smaller fishes like Tetras, Apsitos, Boraras, Guaramis, Badis, Corydoras, etc., you could maximize the impact by having a fairly high number of fishes in an aquascape that offers a lot less open area, encouraging the fishes to engage in more natural behaviors, like swimming through, and foraging among the dense wood and botanical areas.

If you stock with fishes like Elachocharax, for example- that are known to inhabit more densely packed areas of streams and such, or very specific areas like leaf litter zones, you can create a very unique and engaging display in which the fishes won't be immediately evident to the observer.

As with the "jungle" planted tanks I adore so much, the densely stocked botanical-style aquarium encourages the observer to take the time to "linger" and "discover" the fishes flitting in and out of the hardscape...

Like in any botanical aquarium, a more densely-packed one will require thoughtful, but not excessive maintenance. You'll simply need to feed carefully, stock thoughtfully, and adhere to the typical tenants of aquarium keeping. There is very little that is actually more difficult to manage about this type of tank than any other, when you understand its dynamics.

Like in any other display, a more densely packed one will find its way, developing over time into an intriguing, engaging display that will become a constantly-evolving, highly engaging, and oddly refreshing aquarium.

The appeal of this interesting aesthetic, and the practical benefits may or may not be immediately obvious to you. However, I encourage you to consider an aquarium like this for your next project.

The good news is that, if you find that you prefer a more "open" scape, you can simply remove wood, botanicals, etc., until you hit the aesthetic that appeals to you. And even that, in itself is not unlike the natural processes of current, tidal movements, etc. which "re-arrange" the natural ecosystems all the time!

In the end, turning once again to the incredible, almost infinite "portfolio" of inspiration which Nature provides seems to always provide will steer you in the right direction. If you look at enough natural aquatic systems, you'll no doubt be struck by some habitat that speaks to you, motivates you to replicate it in some way...and to share your work with others.

With the precious natural environments subject to many external forces, perhaps one of the most significant steps we can take to help preserve them is to help others appreciate them by modeling an aquarium after them. 

The natural beauty of an unusually "dense" aquarium like the one's we're discussing here may just motivate non-aquarists to take a greater interest in helping preserve and protect these precious natural ecosystems.

An that's the biggest "win" of all!

Until next time...

Stay curious. Stay inspired. Stay adventurous. Stay unique. Stay excited...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

 

 

 

How would I do that?

As you know, we've pushed you time and time again to attempt to replicate natural aquatic habitats, versus someone else's aquarium. And of course, when we're offering up inspiration, particularly for which there is currently no "aquarium facsimile" of, it helps if we give you some ideas about what materials to use to replicate them.

Yes, the very nature of this kind of blog post is a bit overtly commercial, because my best point of reference is the selection of botanical materials that we offer here at Tannin Aquatics. And, despite the fact that this blog is being published in our own website, there is always someone who likes to point out that the recommendations are "slanted" towards our product offerings. (I mean, duh- but yeah, some guys love to point this out).

Obviously, you can acquire materials for your tanks from other sources, or collect some yourself if that works for you. We'd be delighted if you chose to obtain your botanical materials from us, of course...😍

So, obligatory commercial "disclosures" aside, let's get to the idea part!

Let's look at a few interesting habitats, and some recommendations for botanicals that you might want to incorporate into an aquarium version of them!

Flooded Pantanal Grassland

Thanks to our friend, Tai Strietman, we've seen some really interesting and inspiring images of this unique habitat. 

The Pantanal (derived from the Portuguese word "pantano"- meaning "swamp", "wetland", or "marsh") is the largest wetlands region Earth. Full stop. Primarily located within the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, it also extends into the state of Mato Grosso, and the nations of Paraguay and Boliva as well! We're talking about region estimated to be as large as 75,00 square miles/195,000 square kilometers!  

It's freakin' huge! 

Essentially a large depression in the earth's crust, the Pantanal constitutes a huge river delta, into which a number of rivers converge, depositing sediments and other biological materials. Now of course, with a habitat this large, there are multiple ecosystems contained in it- as many as 12 have been defined by scientists! 

(Image by Alicia Yo- used under CC BY-SA 3.0)

Now, our main focus is, of course, fishes- and the Pantanal offers plenty of places for fishes to reside in! The cool thing about the Pantanal is that as much as 80% of it is floodplains submerged during the rainy seasons (in which up to 59inches/1,500mm of rainfall have been recorded! That corresponds to water depths which can fluctuate up to 15'/5 meters in some areas!), and is home to an astonishing diversity of fishes and aquatic plants!

With it's enormous expanse of shallow, slowly-flowing water (velocities of no more than 4"/10cm per second are typical), dense vegetation-terrestrial and aquatic- tends to be the norm here. 

The water itself tends to be turbid, and perhaps even a bit anoxic at times. And, interestingly, the highest levels of pH and dissolved oxygen in these habitats tend to occur when the water decreases and plant growth is stimulated. Curiously, however, scientists are not 100% certain if this is because of the plants going crazy with photosynthesis, or mixing of the water column due to influx of water. 

Macrophytes (aquatic plants that grow in or near water and are either emergent, submergent, or floating) supply shelter, food resources and cover for the resident fishes. Still other fishes consume the aquatic insects and microorganisms/biofilms that are recruited in this habitat. Most are well-adapted to the relatively oxygen-poor waters of this vast flood plain.

So, it goes without saying that this is a remarkably complex habitat, with multiple options for replication in the aquarium! I think your first decision is to decide what, if any aquatic plants you'd use. Aquatic plants found in Pantanal habitats include such popular aquarium species as Polygonum, Salviania, Pistia, Ludwigia, and more. You could also incorporate some marginal plants, like Acorus, Papyrus, and other "sedges", to represent the flooded or emergent terrestrial plant component found in these habitats.

Personally, for substrate, I'd utilize a fine sand, perhaps with a powdered form of aquatic plant substrates mixed in. On the surface, you'd certainly want to incorporate some leaves. They're ubiquitous in this habitat. Specifically, leaves like Jackfruit, Guava, and Texas Live Oak leaf litter would work well to represent the appearance and function of the leaf litter component.

In addition to leaves, you could certainly incorporate some other botanical materials, like seed pods. If it were me, I'd be inclined to use a scattering of smaller seed pods, like Dregea, Mokha, and Parviflora - admittedly, none of which are "geographically correct" and actually found in this habitat- all of which replicate the look of the materials found in it, however!

(that whole "Generic Tropical" concept I rant on and on about...)

And of course, with all of that vegetation, you're bound to find some roots, branches, and twigs...So what better way to represent this than with a group of oak twigs scattered about the substrate. Our recommendation, of course, is our "Twenty Twigs" product, which gives you a nice little variety of twigs to fill in some details! You could go with the "regular" or "Large" size, depending upon your preferences.

How would you 'scape your Pantanal tank? 

This habitat is just FILLED with possibilities for replication! You could represent a nice, flat field, or get a little more daring, and do a sort of "shoreline" feature, with sloping substrate, terrestrial, and aquatic vegetation mixed together.

With so few representations of this amazing habitat in the natural aquarium hobby, and see many opportunities to express it with botanicals, it tells me that not only is The Pantanal simply ripe for replication- it's a perfect "ground-floor" opportunity for studying, learning, discovering, and creating evolutions and breakthroughs in the hobby!

 

Southeast Asia Peat Swamp

Southeast Asia is home to the interesting "Peat Swamps", fascinating and surprisingly diverse in their ecology.

These swamps are important to the local ecology in that they absorb excess rainwater, which keeps rivers from flooding. They are being lost at an astounding rate, as human activity encroaches- and with them, the fascinating fishes- both known and yet discovered- which call these swamps home.  

For example, in the Malaysian Peninsula, it's been estimated that only about 10-20% of the original peat swamps remain. To add to the concern we have, many of the fishes found in these swamps are known to inhabit only certain swamps!

In the well-studied North Salangor Peat Swamp Forest area, it's been estimated that there are about 48 species there, 8 of which have been described to science only within the last couple of decades, and 6 of which are known only from this area.

And that's not entirely unique...that's just one example of many!  

 

Many of the fishes from these unique environments are classified by science as stenotopic- able to adapt only to a narrow range of environmental conditions. It's been estimated that stenotopic species represent about 18% of the total fish fauna in Malaysia- so to lose these environments would be to lose a significant number of unique fishes!

(Betta livida, another rarity form the Peat Swamps of Malaysia)

One wonders how many of these environments may be lost before some of these fishes are even discovered! Fortunately, there are some governmental agencies in these regions that are making some effort to preserve these unique biotopes before they are lost forever.

So, how would we do this?

Depending upon the species you're wanting to keep, you could probably utilize a relatively small aquarium (like 20 US gallons, or even less) to create a very tightly controlled, cohesive environment. I'd look for a shallow, wide "footprint" for such an aquarium.

Well, obviously, the "tricks of the trade" include utilizing botanical materials to recreate the unique substrate foreign in these swamps- decomposing leaves and such. Now, I'm not one for using peat in our aquariums whenever possible, but this could be a perfect opportunity to use other materials, to create a more realistic substrate.

For example, one could mix some clay-based planted aquarium substrate, along with some of our "Mixed Leaf Media", as well as our  "Fundo Tropical" or "Substrato FIno"- both coconut-based substrate materials- to create an interesting, if not somewhat faithful facsimile of the natural substrates found in these swamps.

Now, in an area which might have overhanging terrestrial vegetation, I'd be inclined to incorporate some Palm-derived materials in any representation of them. I'm thinking about stuff like Nypa Palm pods, Fishtail Palm stems, Coco Palm bracts, etc.

Variousl topes of bark, such as Red Mangrove bark, would perform the dual role of enhancing the aesthetics AND imparting a lot of "tint" to the water via their abundant tannins.

I don't presume to be an expert on planted aquariums, but I do know that some species, such as Cryptocoryne, are found extensively in these environments, and would be the natural and easy choice for plants in such an aquarium. hey do well in rich substrates like the ones we're talking about here.

These plants range from being easy to grow, to incredibly fussy and delicate. And of course, one could make all sorts of arguments about which could be the best to represent this habitat...If you want to research and utilize species which are specific to this habitat, or if you want to use more "generic" choices to represent the species found there...

And of course, being in a forested area, many of these peat swamps have a tangle of roots and branches in them, forming a complete "matrix" which fishes will hide within. Obviously, we have some materials which are appropriate, such as Melastoma root, Malaysian Driftwood, or even Red Mangrove branches, which although not exactly biotope-authentic, are representative of the tangled branches found in these environments.

"Generic Tropical" once again!

Lighting could be subdued, to enhance the swamp-like atmosphere, so you could use LED or T5 with ease. Interesting effects could be created with spot lighting. Filtration would be best accomplished with a canister or external power filter, as water movement is minimal in these swamps. Plus, with a mix of rather buoyant substrate materials, you'd probably want to limit the heavy flow to keep them from blowing all over your tank!

Deeply tinted water. Dark substrates. Aquatic plants. This sounds kind of irresistible to me as an aquarium subject!

 

Brackish Water "Mangal"

We have been pushing our vision of a botanical-style brackish aquarium for a few years now, and I think it's starting to catch on a bit!

Although aquarists have been playing with brackish tanks for decades, in my opinion, what's been missing is a focus on the actual habitat and how it functions. Just like what the hobby was doing in the blackwater area for years, I think we've been collectively focusing on the wrong part of the equation for a long time- in this instance, just "salt" and basic aesthetics.  

As we've done with most of our work at Tannin, we're focusing a lot of energy on the functional AND ( far different) aesthetic aspects of the brackish environment than has been embraced before.  Our approach to brackish is a little different than the "throw in a couple of rocks and white sand, a few teaspoons of salt per gallon, add some Monos and Mollies, and you're good to go!" concept that you've seen for a long time in hobby literature. It's not quite as sterile and pristine as the world hobbyists have played with before in this sector of the hobby...

 At the risk of sounding like an asshole (lol),  I think that the current "version" of brackish water aquariums is a good part of why they've remained relatively obscure for so long...they are, well...kind of monochromatic, shockingly unrealistic, and dare I say, boring.

Yeah. We won't push "boring" here. You may not like the "tinted, muddy look" we're pushing here- but you won't find it boring!

And of course, there are a few components which, in our opinion, "power" the brackish water, botanical-style system: Mud, leaf litter...and mangroves.

Mangroves are woody plants which grow at the interface between land and water in tropical and sub-tropical regions. Mangroves are what botanists call "halophytes"- plants that thrive under salty conditions. And they LOVE high-nutrient substrates! In many brackish-water estuaries in the tropics, rivers deposit silt and mud, which generates nutrients, algae, and fosters the development of other small organisms that form the base of the food chain. This "food chain" is very similar to what we've been talking about in our botanical-style blackwater aquariums.

The nutrients the mangroves seek lie near the surface of the mud, deposited by the tides. Since there is essentially no oxygen available in the mud, there is no point in the mangroves sending down really deep roots. Instead, they send out what are called "aerial roots" (that's what gives them their cool appearance, BTW), sort of "hanging on" in the mud, which also gives the mangroves the appearance of "walking on water."

And of course, the leaves which mangroves regularly drop form not only an interesting aesthetic and "structural" component of the habitat (and therefore, the aquarium!)- they contribute to the overall biological diversity and "richness" of the habitat. 

Fungi and bacteria in brackish and saltwater mangrove ecosystems help facilitate the decomposition of mangrove material, just like in their pure freshwater counterparts. Interestingly, in scientific surveys, it's been determined that bacterial counts are generally higher on attached mangrove leaves than they are on freshly-fallen leaf litter, and this is kind of interesting, because ecologists feel that attached, undamaged mangroves leaves don't release much tannin, which, as we know might have some ate-bacterial properties. However, it's also been found that materials like humic acid, which are abundant in the mangroves, stimulate phytoplankton growth there. 

Interesting, right?

The leaves of mangroves, as they break down, become subject to both leaching of the compounds in their tissues, as well as microbial breakdown. Compounds like potassium and carbohydrates are commonly leached quickly, followed by tannins. Fungi are the "first responders" to leaf drop in mangrove communities, followed by bacteria, which serve to break don't the leaves further.

Since the mangrove is the "anchor" of the estuary habitat, we will focus on replicating (both aesthetically, and ultimately, functionally) on the root zone of the mangrove tree. This is a fascinating and complex habitat, which serves as a nursery, feeding ground, refuge, and primary habitat for a complex array of creatures. 

We've chosen to utilize mangrove roots and mangrove branch wood for this particular niche, because of its unmistakable aesthetics, appropriate form, and function as a protective area for fishes.

The gnarled, tangled roots of the mangrove tree are the cornerstone of a dynamic, aesthetically attractive aquarium. 

Of course, you can incorporate live mangrove plants into the equation, if you're put to the challenge of maintaining them. These are very slow-growing trees, so you can enjoy them in an aquarium for a very long time by starting with a healthy "propagule" from a mangrove from brackish water.

They need not be "rooted" in the substrate. Rather, they should be secured partially submerged, and they will put down roots as they grow. If incorporated into the dried mangrove roots/branches, you can create a fantastic biotope display!

 

We like to incorporate specific types of shells in this type of aquarium for their unique and appropriate aesthetics. Specifically, shells which are from representative mullusks that are known to inhabit the mangrove estuaries. We are big on the use of oyster shells to simulate the habitat of the "Mangrove Oyster", Crassostrea gasar, which adds a realistic touch to the mangrove roots when secured with glue.

For all of the "weirdness" about it, the use of mud and sediment seems to have so many interesting applications, aesthetic nuances, and potential ecological benefits for the aquarium. I love seeing more work being done with various combos of these materials.

Now, my experience with "mud" ( really, "sediments") starts with the reef aquarium world. Mud was one of those odd tangents that hit the hobby right around the “early 2000’s "refugium craze", and sort of faded quickly into the background. I am sure that part of the reason was a renewed obsession later in the decade with less biodiverse, more “coral-centric” systems, which eschewed substrates in general, specifically those which had the tendency to house competing biota!

All of those factors- and a continued obsession with using high tech electronic pumps to facilitate ridiculous amounts of water movement within our aquariums sealed the fate of mud as a true “side show” in the reef hobby for the foreseeable future.

Well, did it? 

Now here we are, in the fading years of the 2nd decade of the new millennium, and I think that it’s time to resuscitate the idea of using mud in our tanks. I know a lot of planted tank enthusiasts have used "mud" in so-called "dirted" planted tanks with much success, and I think there is more to it.

My brackish-water obsession has seen me make liberal use of such sediments, and I'm thinking that there is still much room for experimentation in other types of freshwater, brackish and- yes, reef aquariums.

The combination of dead branches, live mangroves, leaves, sediment, and shells creates a remarkable opportunity to interpret and learn more about the unique mangrove habitats.

One thing that we've done with our mangroves, by the way, is to secure the sprouted propagules to the mangrove branch sections within the tank, with the ultimate goal for them to "touch down" with their prop roots into the substrate. This is a long-term process, as the mangrove is not the fastest-growing plant out there!

However, we play a "long game" and are very patient to let them do their thing and gradually let the roots work their way down into the substrate and for the branches and roots to sprout above the waterline in their own time...

 We are absolutely in love with the idea of "blowing up" brackish water aquariums, which is just great for the hobby!  Our brackish water line, "Estuary," is about three years old now, but really just getting started, and we're all learning some cool stuff together, just like we did in the blackwater world!

Yeah, a little more commercialism in your face, but hey- we want to push this brackish water concept a lot more! 

By not being afraid to go "off-road" a bit, you'll be helping pave the way for others who will follow-just like we're doing with the blackwater, botanical-style aquariums- so that, in the very near future, this type of aquarium will not be perceived by the hobby in general as some sort of "side-show stunt", but just another approach to managing a unique natural aquarium.

It's "open-source", and you're invited to contribute. You'll be helping to "write the code" as they say in Silicon Valley. 

Horrified? Turned off?  Or excited, intrigued, and motivated?

I hope this long-winded, yet frustratingly superficial jaunt into executing on some of the ideas we rant about incessantly around here gives you some practical ideas to execute to replicate some  aspects of Nature in some different sort of aquariums.

I think we're starting to see a new emergence of a more "holistic" approach to aquarium keeping...a realization that we've done amazing things so far, keeping fishes and plants in a glass or acrylic box with applied technique and superior husbandry...but that there is room to experiment and push the boundaries even further, by understanding and applying our knowledge of what happens in the real natural environment. 

You're making mental shifts...replicating Nature in our aquariums by achieving a greater understanding of Nature...

You're laying down the groundwork for the next great phase of aquatic husbandry innovation and breakthrough.

Here's to a happy Holiday Season and many exciting innovations in 2020!

Stay healthy. Stay happy. Stay excited. Stay curious. Stay festive...

The elusive goal of "perfection..."

As the Holiday Season is in full swing, and the new year is on the horizon, it's a very exciting of time for a lot of fish geeks: That time, after the hustle and bustle of the holidays, when many of us create a new tank for ourselves! That magical, exciting, nerve-wracking, utterly enjoyable time.

Soon, it'll be time to get the show on the road and create a beautiful aquatic environment in that blank canvas that is the empty aquarium!

And, with every build comes the usual considerations: theme, budget constraints, equipment choices, aesthetics, power consumption, etc., etc. And, with every build, us fish geeks tend to look at things as if this is our new chance to "get it right", as if all of the previous tanks we've built were part of a buildup to this ultimate achievement.

Perfection this time!

That's a lot of pressure to put on ourselves, huh?  

I hear this so often from my fellow hobbyists and customers that it's sort of becoming "a thing..."

Now, that's not an entirely unhealthy thing; I mean, pushing ourselves is not a bad thing, right? We always strive to improve, to learn from past mistakes, and to constantly work at perfecting our craft. There is nothing wrong with hobby "self improvement."

The problem, as I see it, is that we tend to overreach at times in our attempts to create our version perfection. We sometimes tend to push too hard in terms of how we do things, the equipment we select, and the methods we choose. We put too much pressure on achieving some prescribed "result", and overlook the fun of this whole thing.

I know that I have done this over the years- sometimes with good results, but also with unintended, less-than-favorable effects on my mindset!  And it is a bit weird, because being at the helm of Tannin Aquatics, there were times when I've put some additional artificial pressure on myself, convincing myself that I needed to push myself to the limits of capability, technology, and budget just because it's what's "expected by "everyone"- and that I needed to "inspire" our community.

Now, perhaps that was more true early on in our existence, when I really needed to visually articulate just what we meant by "botanical-style" aquariums. These types of tanks were way, way out of the mainstream in the hobby, and we simply needed more quality examples to inspire others and to just convince a few people to give this "weird" idea a shot! 

So, yeah, there was some pressure I placed on myself to nail everything I did. I mean, we were trying to foster a movement here.

However, as the years passed and Tannin and our philosophy began taking hold, I find that I'm actually a lot more relaxed about the whole thing-spending more time just enjoying the process; thinking about what gives me the most pleasure in aquarium keeping, and how I can design my system to provide that experience for me-and health for my animals.  If something cool comes of it which inspires others, that's "icing on the cake!"

I think I was perhaps a bit hypocritical to push myself so hard to push for some perfect way to inspire people, as opposed to simply doing what I felt was interesting, unique, enjoyable, and educational.

I've realized that sometimes, the best "inspiration" I can provide is not showing you  only what I believe is a sort of "perfection"; rather, simply sharing the journey and process of creating a botanical-style aquarium, and accepting whatever comes of my efforts. Understanding that much of what we do is simply "setting the stage" for Nature to take over- and that the real magic happens when we give her the reigns...

This is a far healthier, happier place for me- and for many of you, who have placed similar pressure on yourselves over the years, right? I mean, it's a hobby, right? It's supposed to be fun. Aquarium keeping is not like any other hobby- it's an obsession for many, an expression of ourselves, and often a lifestyle as well. 

I'm finally able to reflect back on my lifetime of experiences in the hobby and truly put my mind into a mode of, "I can really enjoy this for the right reasons." So, it's a personal breakthrough, if nothing else...

I figured I'd share my little "epiphany" with you. Perhaps it's something that you've pondered before?

Regardless, I'll continue share my experiences/thoughts/ideas with you in the hope that it might just touch a few of you who occasionally (like me) tend to take this stuff a bit too seriously, and risk losing the enjoyment that we're supposed to have from the fish keeping hobby.

I've broken this little personal discovery down into a few points about things I know I have had to do to differently to have a successful, enjoyable aquarium.  I think that these ideas might help a few of you, too. These are written to myself, from a third person point of view, so if it comes across a bit preachy, that was unintended...except, perhaps, to myself!🤔



Of course, we might need to think about what "successful"  or "perfection" actually means in this context. To some, just having a tank that keeps fishes alive for a while is a "plus one!" For most, it needs to hit on a whole litany of points. For still others, a "successful" aquarium experience means to win accolades and peer approval- you know, being "Insta famous", achieving social media "influencer" status- the whole "Tank of The Millennium" prize that more than one hobbyist I know has coveted.

The term "successful" is really a personal context, I suppose.

So, without further beating the shit out of this, here are my conclusions about things I've found that I needed to do differently in order to achieve the results I want with my aquariums:

Stop trying to create the "perfect" tank from the start. It will evolve.- Yeah, it does happen. You don't need a "finished product" worthy of peer accolades and compliments right from the start (or ever, but that's a different point). Great tanks evolve over time. Wood doesn't even get a little "patina" for months, botanicals don't "soften" for a while, and water chemistry parameters take some time to get dialed in. In short, you can't rush Nature- nor would you want to.

Part of the fun is watching things evolve over time. 

Yet, we often like to accelerate this pace, for reasons not easily defined.

The race to "finished" is one you need not push too hard, particularly in the botanical-style natural aquarium genre. You'll get there one way or another, and the timetable is dictated by...well, ya know- Nature.

The "right stuff" is a mindset- not a collection of materials or a "style"- For many aquarists, we get into this "collector's mode", obsessively acquiring that sexy type of wood - sometimes because we love the stuff, and other times, because it's the "hot thing" at the time. Oh, to that end-here's a bit of "inside data" for you...you know what our top-selling wood varieties are? Plain old "Asian driftwood" and so-called "Spider Wood"- hardly exotic...but they work in so many situations! Go figure.

Oh, and what's our top-selling rock? One of the trendy, ridiculously-named varieties?

Nope.

River Stones. Can barely keep the stuff in stock half the time.

What does this say to us? Stuff which works is always the "hot style"- particularly when you're trying to replicate Nature instead of some other person's aquascape...

 

Now, in all fairness-for many, if you honestly assess your motives, you may find that your source of enjoyment in the hobby is simply the process of acquiring the trendier stuff- the "thrill of the hunt." Oh, and replicating another hobbyist's awesome work? .Nothing wrong with that at all, but don't discount your own ability to interpret Nature, too.

You're likely better at it than you think.

For all of us, it should be about letting Nature run its course, as it has for eons, and helping it along a bit in our closed systems. Nature has no "schedule", no "style guide" to follow. Just because the latest thing is to "break the water line" with hardscape, or whatever, it doesn't mean you're "out of touch" if your hardscape doesn't!

I frequently laugh when I hear the well-known 'scapers talk about trying to master a certain aquascaping "style" or mastering working with a type of rock or something. I love and admire these people dearly, but I don't think that they realize that just saying shit like that messes with people's minds, lol (no doubt it sells some expensive rocks and stuff, too, of course)...

See challenges in your aquarium, like algae issues, parameter control, etc as opportunities to improve your skills- It may seem utterly ridiculous when there is green slime on your sand, brown filamentous algae clogging your overflow, and diatoms all over the aquarium walls, but if you actually take the mindset of, "Here is a chance to figure out what I'm doing wrong and how to keep it from happening again," you may just come out of challenges with a better attitude and greater skill.

Yeah, really, the old "when life gives you lemons" mindset works well in aquarium keeping. Because it's not a matter of IF you'll have some challenges- it's a matter of WHEN. They come with the territory; living creatures in closed systems and such always throw us challenges. Everyone freaks out from time to time- it's human nature. However, the TRULY successful hobbyists is the one who gathers his/her wits, observes what's going on, analyzes what the cause might be, and tries to figure out what to do about it so that it doesn't happen again.

Don't just go "through the experience" with a problem- LEARN from it and use it as a skill enhancer. And share it with others for the big win!

Don't over analyze everything- I know, that's almost laughable, coming from a guy who has become an 'evangelist" for the replicating natural water conditions in the aquarium when possible. Well, yeah, I can see how one can easily be caught up in "analysis paralysis", spending tons of time chasing every parameter and freaking out over the slightest deviation.

We receive a lot of emails from hobbyists trying to hit some specific pH, GH, and or TDS level in their tanks, and they are going crazy trying to hit their targets. That's a bit crazy, I admit. In fact, it's nuts. Let's be honest- I think that having information about our water parameters is important- even vital. However, it's what you DO with the information that has the most impact. 

"Chasing numbers" is a maddening obsession, and not the key to success.

Creating a beautiful, healthy aquarium is an amalgamation of many skills and factors. Obsessing over every single aspect of your tank is going to drive you nuts- if not- drive you out of the hobby- in record time. It's far better to set target ranges for aspects of your system's function, appearance, and environment, than it is to force yourself into rigid parameters.

And, for goodness sake, don't freak out over every weird noise, white spot on your Gourami, and bit of brown on your Amazon Sword. Sure, there are reasons for almost everything that happens in an aquarium, but you don't need to worry about every single one. I know aquarists that think the world is coming to an end every time their filter's output goes out of whack- convinced that this is a sign of some "great tank apocalypse." Typically, it's just a sign that they just fed some extra food or got to excited with an additive or something. Not worth worrying about, unless you see signs of overt distress, right?

Yeah, we try to relax- yet we watch, and we worry, and we ponder. Pondering is fine. Worrying is not good for your hobby experience-or your health. 

Stop worrying about what everyone else thinks- This is the toughest one for many hobbyists, in this internet-enabled, Instagram-fueled, Twitterized, forum-driven "postmodern era" of aquarium keeping, we're literally besieged hourly by dozens of examples of "amazing" tanks, build threads, DIY projects, animal acquisition success stories, and assertions that "THIS" is the way to succeed at keeping a successful aquarium.

And, with the aquarium forum "community" elevating various actively-posting hobbyists to near divine status daily, we can easily feel not only humbled, but downright insignificant or irrelevant as aquarists. This is a really bad thing to get sucked into. Remember, typically what you see on "the 'gram" or elsewhere is someone's work at its best- the most polished, favorable pics garner far more "likes", engagement, and buzz on social media...

Do YOU: I can't stress it enough: If you have a vision, and idea- a theory- and the ability to act upon it- do it! Don't listen to the naysayers, the followers, the sheep. There are always plenty of self-appointed "critics" hiding behind the security of their keyboards and a window with Google open- ready to show you a dozen reasons why what you're proposing is not going to work. I see this daily. It's toxic. And the fact that we often succumb to this pressure is simply crazy.

Yeah, there are always plenty of people heaping adoration on the hobbyists that seem to be doing "cool" stuff, tried and true, but maybe not the direction that your heart tells you to go. You're not in the aquarium keeping hobby to impress anyone- let alone, the masses. You're probably in this hobby simply because you love keeping fishes, plants, corals, and aquariums-whatever you're into. These are the right reasons.

Just because you may have a contrarian bent- an idea that seems to go against "conventional aquarium-thinking" (whatever that may be), doesn't mean that it's wrong, or no good, or not worth pursuing. In fact, that's all the more reason to go with your gut and execute! So what if you may not be "popular..." So what if you take a few hits from naysayers.

You're following your own road. The irony is, that by being successful at something radically different or previously out of fashion- you might just end up with the very adoration that you previously scorned.

Weird, huh?

Yeah, it happens...

Grit, passion, and determination can take you farther than style, money, and gadgets-  It's true. Anyone can throw together an uber-pricy tank with all the latest gadgets, name-drop-able fishes, rocks, and wood. Anyone can hire "experts" to make it for them. Anyone can talk a good game, get "likes" on Facebook, and play the "hype game." Not everyone can create and maintain a truly great aquarium over the long run; one that takes time, patience, and yeah- the occasional dose of failure.

Not everyone can rise from setbacks, mistakes, and outright catastrophes- and create an amazing reef tank, propagate that awesome coral, or breed that fish once though impossible. Only those who have the conviction, perseverance, and determination to follow through can do these things.

And don't think for even one minute that your little tank with a pair of Apistos and a well-tended Anubias is any less amazing or interesting than the 500 gallon "Nature Aquarium" style tank that some well-heeled hobbyist somewhere is building and splashing all over Instagram. Your effort, your drive- your love for the animals under your care is every bit as impressive- if not more so- than anything that all of the "cash and flash" can achieve. 

As we enjoy the holidays and get ready to start a new year, pause for just a moment to reflect how awesome this hobby really is, and how fortunate that we are to enjoy the gorgeous animals that we love so much.

"Perfection" as we often describe it is likely unobtainable, and the amount of energy we spend to try to achieve it is often better spent simply doing great work and enjoying the whole process.

Always remember the amazing responsibility we shoulder as aquarists to provide the best possible life for the animals under our care, and for their well-being. Realize that when we are accomplishing those key things, we've already won the game. And yeah, always take more than an occasional glance at the wild habitats from which our fishes come, for the ultimate inspiration!

You might already be approaching that elusive goal of "perfection..."

And then, remember how damn fun this whole game really is- when you let yourself enjoy it!

Stay happy. Stay calm. Stay engaged. Stay creative. Stay individual. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Where in the world?

A lot of you ask about what botanical materials to use for specific types of fishes or their habitats. It's a good question, and one which has a bunch of different answers, actually. Now, many of you ask about botanicals from specific geographic regions, because you're looking to create a "Southeast Asian" or "Amazonian", or "West African"- themed tank.

I love that we are all applying our love of botanical materials for specific reasons in our aquariums. Of course, I think that most of us  need to relax a little bit when it comes to our selections, and not get too uptight about it!

Now, if you're really hardcore about every botanical being strictly from the region in which your fishes are found, make use of the (okay, admittedly long-winded) descriptions on our website product pages. For each botanical, we'll list the geographic origin. Some botanicals are very specific to one country (ie; Brazil), whereas some will simply be listed from "South America", because they are not necessarily limited to one countryin the region.

Now, the important thing to know is that many of the botanicals we offer are found in various parts of the world, and can sort of "represent" materials found in specific geographic environments. Some are "circumtropical", or come from plants which have been transplanted by man throughout the world. Most of our items, however, fall into that category we've often referred to (rather unprofessionally, I must confess) as "generic tropical"- stuff that represents the materials you might find in tropical aquatic ecosystems around the world.

 

We've kind of made that argument that, once leaves are submerged and starting to break down and such, one would be hard-pressed to make the call and state firmly that a given item somehow looks out of place from a geographic standpoint (unless, of course, one happens to be a botanist!). Now, again, it's always been my personal opinion that you can utilize whatever items you want in virtually any situation, because even an Asian botanical perfectly represents a botanical item from say, Africa or South America...especially once it's "down and wet..."

In other words, the cool-looking Cariniana pod from the Cariniana legalis tree of South America would be perfectly at home in an Amazonian-themed aquarium. It would also be perfectly acceptable in a Southeast Asian or African-themed tank, as it resembles some of the botanical materials that are found in the aquatic habitats of these regions.

"Generic Tropical."

However, I've seen dozens of biotope aquariums in big competitions representing very specific Asian or South American habitats, with substrates covered in Beech or Oak leaf litter from Europe or North America, and no one- judges included- batted an eyelash, so...

I'm just sayin'.

IMHO, we shouldn't get too bent out of shape about this stuff. 

Really.

And, to make things even more interesting, let's ponder for just a moment exactly "how" botanical materials which are found in tropical waters actually get there in the first place!

The reality is that most of the materials which accumulate on the substrate or elsewhere in the aquatic habitats we try to recreate either were there to begin with before the water arrived (as in the case of the flooded igapo forest floors of South America), or fell into the water from overhanging vegetation, or were swept up by flooding, wind, or other natural events.

There is really not some set model for how these materials arrive into aquatic habitats. And, to be objective, I have to proffer that many of the materials that we offer for this purpose are from trees and shrubs often not found directly in the path of water.

Maybe they're from areas nearby.

Some are from mountainous regions or plains which don't have bodies of water in the vicinity that they're found. Again, they are selected for inclusion in our offerings because they have an appearance or characteristics which represent those of materials that we've seen in various aquatic habitats.

"Generic tropical."

Don't stress over it. Enjoy it. Incorporate the function and aesthetics from materials which represent those found in our favorite tropical aquatic habitats. Learn about the habitat, and how materials accumulate in the waters- and how they influence the fishes that live in them.

Your aquarium will look cool. Trust me.

 

Now, I admit, while I'm a bit "lax" on my botanical selections when it comes to representing a given geographic region, I'm almost stupidly anal about fishes in a given tank all being from the same area...well, at least to a certain extent, anyways. I'm focused fairly tightly, but not obsessively:  Like, every fish added to the tank has to be from the general region that all of the others are from...or that the tank's "scape is supposed to "represent."

 

That's admittedly a big stretch, when you consider a "region" can encompass tens of thousands of square miles, right? 

And, I must confess:

I'm not immune to any "temptations" I might encounter along the way to my ultimate goal...

There is always that part of me which falls headlong into that "shiny object syndrome"- you know something cool catches my eye along the way, and there I am, off on a tangent, researching and considering ways to "modify" my plan...complete with justification ("Well, you know, just because I SAID it's going to be an Asian blackwater stream with Rasbora espie doesn't mean that I can't have a few of those Copella arnoldi in there. I mean, "SPLASHING-FREAKING TETRA- HELLO!" )

Yeah. Shit like that. I mean, no one is perfect, right?

Like, that's how it goes...

And the sad truth is that, unless you're one of those people who is absolutely obsessed with complete authenticity, or is entering into one of those carefully-scrutinized biotope aquascaping contests, it likely doesn't matter all that much, right? Having generally "geographically proximate" fishes in the same tank, has always been a "decent standard" for me personally.

I've always felt that the fishes that are from the same general region- even if not from the exact locale or ecological niche-will probably not interact all that much differently than they would if they were some other random species from their habitat...right?  I mean, a Dachshund and a Golden Retriever are both dogs, and...

Um, yeah. You can argue this one as much as you want, I suppose.

Probably?

Sure, if you're like me, you'll carry with you that personal "mark of shame" and yeah- some feelings of guilt- for as long as you own the tank, or perhaps until your overwhelming horror at having made this "geographic transgression" finally takes you down and forces you to remove the "offending"  fishes into a tank of their own (hopefully with more "geographically-appropriate" tankmates , of course).

It's kind of...ridiculous...

Or is it? 

On the other hand,  if you really want to take this argument farther- are fishes from different parts of the world all that physiologically dissimilar?

I mean, sure, fishes evolved over eons to take on specific characteristics that were likely adaptations to specific environmental conditions they'd encounter. Although I've often wondered wether or not a blackwater stream with a pH of 4.8 in Borneo is THAT much different, at least generally speaking, than an Amazonian igarape with the same pH.

I mean, sure there are probably some subtle flora/fauna/geology differences which impact the chemical composition on a level we as hobbyists are not able to distinguish, but are they THAT much different?

I wonder...Not that you ever would (for obvious reasons), but if you transplanted, say, a Rasbora from a stream in Southeast Asia to a jungle stream in the rainforests of Brazil, or a Nanostomus to a Sarawak jungle stream- could the fish adapt?

I mean, one could even take the argument about geographic suitability to our botanical game. We could ponder if a Cariniana legalis seed pod from Brazil in our Asian-themed tank would somehow be detrimental to our fishes- or perhaps not as physiologically beneficial- as a more geographically appropriate Sterculia pod from Thailand.

We could.

Yet, wouldn't that literally be like "splitting hairs?"

Could the humic substances and tannins be "something in the water"which bridges at least part of that gap between wild habitat and aquarium?  I suppose one could argue that there are very specific biochemical "signatures" that locale-specific botanicals could impart into their aquatic environments, yet that is really speculative, until we know what exactly to look for! 

What an exciting thing that will be in the future, huh? Yet, I can see how this could drive people crazy...

I mean, where does it end?

And what benefit or detriment would we be experiencing as a result of our decision to include/exclude a specific botanical, wood, substrate, or other material in our 100% authentic "geographic-focused aquarium?" And let's be honest, it's virtually impossible to obtain some items from various geographic locales, because of various nations' bio-protection laws and such (and we're happy they exist!), so the point is largely moot, IMHO.

So we can't stress out over NOT having access to every leaf, seed pod, or twig in a given area for our next entry into some biotope aquarium contest. Besides, I'm 100% convinced that most judges couldn't tell the difference between a palm set from Thailand, or one from Colombia. 

I'm just not.

Sorry, guys. Soem of these people should lose their damn attitudes, because it's absurd. I mean, once these materials are submerged and covered in biofilm and such, unless you're analyzing them with a microscope and an ICP-OES machine, or doing DNA sequencing, you won't know.

Nope.

Let's just say "broadly" (at the risk of over-generalizing) that most any botanical can be used in our interpretation of a blackwater, botanical-style aquarium. Many of our botanicals should be thought of as "reasonable facsimiles" of the materials found in the wild aquatic habitats of the world. The point is that in the vast majority of hobby activities, we don't need to get all "stressed out" about including the exact items found in the waters with our specific fishes.

Rather, we should seek to enjoy the aesthetic that they bring to our tanks, the enrichment that they add to the environment, and the joy they bring us. Just putting ideas "in the water" is an amazing creative process that we are honored to be a part of.

Stay creative. Stay observant. Stay dedicated. Stay enthusiastic. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

 

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics