The Tint

Down and dark? A question from "the old mailbag..."

Stay curious. Stay resourceful. Stay diligent. Stay creative...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Dining in "the desert?"

If you study up on many of the wild habitats which we love, there is a tremendous amount of thinking by scientists that blackwater systems are relatively devoid of planktonic life. This is a fact borne out by many years of study.

Major rivers like the Rio Negro are often called "impoverished" by scientists, in terms of plankton production. That may give you the impression that these are virtual "wastelands" in the aquatic realm. However, "impoverished" doesn't mean "devoid" of life. There's a lot of it. And these rivers are surprisingly dynamic, in terms of life. 

Many blackwater systems do show seasonal fluctuations, such as lakes and watercourses enriched with overflow in spring months. At low water levels, the nutrients and population of these life forms are generally more dense. Creatures like hydracarines (mites), insects, like chironomids (hello, blood worms!), and copepods, like Daphnia, are the dominant fauna that fishes tend to feed on in these waters.

And of course, these creatures are tied intimately to the presence of leaf litter and decomposing botanical materials from the terrestrial environment. This is interesting to contemplate when we consider what to feed our fishes in aquariums, isn't it? 

These life forms, both planktonic and insect, tend to feed off of the leaf litter itself, as well as fungi and bacteria present in them as they decompose. The leaf litter bed is a surprisingly dynamic, and one might even say "rich" little benthic biotope, contained within the otherwise "impoverished" waters.

And, as we've discussed before on these pages, it should come as no surprise that a large and surprisingly diverse assemblage of fishes make their homes within and closely adjacent to, these litter beds. These are little "food oasis" in areas otherwise relatively devoid of food. The fishes are not there just to look at the pretty leaves.

It's not really that much different in the aquarium, is it? I mean, as the leaves and botanicals break down, they are acted upon by fungi and bacteria, the degree of which is dependent upon the available food sources. Granted, with fishes in a closer proximity and higher density than in many wild systems, the natural food sources are not sufficient to be the primary source of food for our fishes- but they are one hell of a supplement, right?

That's why, in a botanical-rich, leaf litter dominated aquarium, you see the fishes spending a lot of time foraging in and among the litter...just like in nature.

It's been observed by many aquarists, particularly those who breed loricariids, that the fry have significantly higher survival rates when reared in systems with leaves present. I'm sure some success of this could be attributed to the population of infusoria, etc. present within the system as the leaves break down.

Biofilms, as we've discussed many times before, contain a complex mix of sugars, bacteria, and other materials, all of which are relatively nutritious for animals which feed on them. It therefore would make a lot of sense that a botanical-influenced aquarium with a respectable growth of biofilm would be a great place to rear fry! Maybe not the most attractive place, from an aesthetic standpoint- but a system where the little guys are essentially "knee deep" in supplemental natural food at any given time is a beautiful thing to the busy fish breeder!

And what of the leaves themselves?

Do our aquatic animals feed on them? Well, yes- and no. Some fishes, for example, Loricariids, will feed on some of the materials directly, rasping off surface tissues. Others, like certain characins (notably, Headstanders, Metynis, and similar fishes), will feed off of the algae growth, or aufwuchs, as it's collectively referred to, present on the botanicals and leaves.

Other creatures, such as the beloved ornamental shrimp (Neocaridina, Caridina, etc.) feed on the biofilms, algal material, and directly on the leaves themselves. Not only do they do very well in such systems, in my experience- but they can help keep the biofilms from getting too much of an "upper hand" in such an aquarium.

Leaves and other materials added to our aquariums not only look cool, but they provide an important function (supplemental food production) as well. Something interesting to contemplate, right?

Yeah, we think so! Consider that the next time you toss some leaves in your aquarium!

Stay creative. Stay thoughtful. Stay resourceful...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

The diagnosis? Or just a biased observation?

We hear more often than not that the aquarium hobby is slowly dying. 

I don't believe that. However, many do.

Sure, it's being challenged. It faces pressure from a number of outside influences. These are often disconcerting, but I think they need not signal that Doomsday is near. 

Okay, I'm putting my head on the chopping block yet again, but it's something that's been on my mind.

From time to time, I see these discussion on hobby forums and Facebook and such, about the fact that fewer people seem to be entering or staying in the hobby each year. Just generally lamenting the fact that the hobby seems to be less popular than it once was. I lurked in one of these conversations not long ago, and was amused, and really sort of appalled by the attitudes I saw, and even more so, by the apparent bewilderment of the people in the discussion- several of whom were active board members in major hobby organizations, in a unique position to solve the "problem."

The sense I was getting was, "We give newbies all of this stuff to utilize and there seems to be no reason for people to drop out of the hobby..."

I think that this narrative glossed over some easily corrected underlying issues.

Now, sure, as a vendor in the aquarium hobby- but mainly as a hobbyist- I look at these discussions with more than just a passing interest, although I don't necessarily share the gloomy forecast that are proffered in these discussions. Sure, less people might be entering the hobby than, say in the 1960's, but the ones who are in are where the real value is to the hobby. They need some TLC.

And the right kind of "stuff."

The real issue, IMHO, is not trying to get as many people to enter the hobby to begin with- sure you always want more participants- but the "low hanging fruit" that we should immediately concentrate on is  to keep those who are already in...IN. 

I think that's where the perceived challenges to the hobby lie.

And I think I have some rather opinionated views as to why this even IS a challenge, and some surprisingly easy "fixes" to help address the issue. You may disagree sharply, find my opinion a bit insulting, and may think I'm completely off base...And that's okay. However, I think there are some aspects of my argument that deserve closer examination if we want to solve this "problem" that seems to be vexing a lot of people in the aquarium hobby lately.

Let's start with a bit of a personal "case study", if you will. It will shine a bit of light on a positive and a sort of "negative" that is happening right out in the open. It's about perception and awareness as much as anything else. 

One of my fave speciality aquarium clubs is the American Killifish Association. I've been a member of this organization off and on since my teenage years. It's one of the oldest and most well-run specialty aquarium organizations in the world. Many of its members have been there for decades... A great, experienced group. I'd encourage anyone with even a passing interest in killies to join. So much to learn there!

Well, that's the good- and the challenging part of this thing.

The AKA does have a lot of members and a long tradition. However, this is where things get a bit, well- "bumpy": Like many organizations with a long-time membership core, to newcomers it tends to be (IMHO) a bit "cliquish", a bit stubborn, and somewhat "non-user friendly" at some points. Not "mean" or "rude", mind you- just sort of "in it's own bubble." Seemingly blissfully or even stubbornly unaware of the environment and opportunities which surround it. And, to someone who was a member decades ago, and then re-joined recently- it's like a freaking time warp! It's barely changed. That's both good and bad- but it's like this perfectly preserved 1970's hobby organization...With a little modern touch or two.

The good part is the quality, generosity and "coolness" of the people in it. That's never changed. I hope it never does.

Now, I admit that killies are a rather specialized group of fishes, and the husbandry and breeding of them is unique, challenging and fascinating. And the AKA has some truly "master breeder" types in its ranks, who have a lifetime of experience with these fishes that's valuable beyond mention.

Like many hobbyists, I joined this group to learn more about the care and breeding of these fishes, and to have access to breeders doing great work with them to obtain stock. The club has not disappointed in many of these aspects. Killie hobbyists are some of the most generous, helpful, and conservation-minded people around. They do a lot of good in this area.

However, IMHO, they are also caught up on this strange "thing" that drives me crazy with many hobby clubs/organizations- and I think it's at least part of what the "problem" that everyone talks about is:

The perception is that they seem to feel that it's necessary to be super "scientific" when sharing information about the fishes that they keep...I think, to the point of actually driving people away. Yes, I believe this. In the case of the AKA, it seems like many of the articles in their periodic journal are "reviews" of a genus or group of killies...well-written, tediously researched and all-but IMHO, the reviews are sort of "educated layman" taxonomic opinions, of interest to only the hardest of hardcore hobbyists. Perhaps amusing to some scientists- but really good for those late-night, beer-influenced hobby convention discussions between "old timers..."

So much time in many of these pieces is spent attempting to analyze what species belong in what "complex", and what type locality they're found in, that seemingly scant attention is paid to the fact that:  a) Many of the species reviewed aren't even available to the hobby, and b) Little is offered on the specifics of their husbandry or even the environmental parameters of the much-ballyhooed "type localities" where they were found. Do we need to impress scientists with our taxonomic opinions? What about the incredible work we do actually studying the living fishes themselves and how they reproduce? That's gotta be worth something, right?

Ouch.

I mean, wouldn’t those things be useful to discuss? Wouldn't that be more useful to a typical/new hobbyist with interest in these fishes?

I sound like a bit of an ass, I know.  I'm sure many people will not be happy with me.

It's not the first time, right? And my opinion is, well- my opinion. Like it or not- if this topic bothers you, we need to discuss it from multiple angles- and they're not always pretty. However, lest you continue to be insulted by my opinions, please realize that the point I'm getting at is- while it's awesome to do all of the cool research on arcane topics like speciation and taxonomy-and I have much respect for those who do this work- focusing so much on this stuff without a significant amount of "counterbalance" with more practical topics really doesn't do a whole lot to help the neophyte or even quasi-experienced hobbyist who just wants to acquire, learn about, and breed some killifishes.

It just doesn't. Not what we want to hear, likely- but I think it's correct.

For every "How to raise________" or "Making your own spawning mops" type of article, which we need- there seems to be a greater number of pieces on subjects like, "A hobbyist's view of the taxonomy of the Aphyosemion callurium Group" or whatever. Again, it's my perception- and that of others who have brought this up before. There must be a reason for this perception, right? Just something to think about.

How do you get new hobbyists interested- and keep them interested and active in the game- with the bulk of your content featuring stuff like that? Frankly, it's intimidating and off-putting to many newcomers. There needs to be a balance. An understanding that not everyone finds the same thing useful. And, just to be fair, the AKA has an online "beginner's guide" that is a HUGE, useful and awesome resource...And I think that it maybe needs to be even more widely available or digestible for this "new era" we are in.

Again, in my humble opinion, the key to acquiring new members and keeping them is to remember that this is a HOBBY, and that publishing issue after issue of (I know it's really irksome to many scientists) non-peer-reviewed "papers" on very, very specific and arcane topics is just NOT going to help you endear yourself to the typical hobbyist who's really interested in the best way to spawn and incubate a few species of annual killies in a systematic way, or whatever. 

The best value (IMHO) that we deliver as hobbyists is to provide practical information to other hobbyists about the techniques, ideas, and practical approaches to what we do. The scientific "papers" are certainly something that should be featured, but a balance in content between practical and abstract has to be reached in order to appeal to a broader range of hobbyists- particularly those who are new to our specialties. And I don't think anyone would complain if the "practical/abstract" balance was skewed a bit to the "practical." 

We're not scientists. Okay, some scientists are hobbyists...but hobby speciality groups are really not the optimum venue to publish true scientific research or type papers or what have you, right? It's a hobby organization. We are trying to recruit new people for our hobby; educate them on stuff that keeps them engaged. If you turn people off from the "get go", how do you expect to retain them? I know, it's a "tradition" of sorts- it goes back decades. Well, if the problem of losing hobbyists is so acute- isn't it time to revisit this "tradition" and perhaps improve upon it?

There will always be a place for these detailed works by hobbyists. I'm not saying to ditch them.

As hobbyists, we can and do contribute valuable observations and practical information to science, but I can't help but wonder why we feel compelled to  publish taxonomy reviews (particularly without considering stuff like DNA analysis and such, like ichthyologists would when conducting such a review) and the like so often. We need to at least strike a balance by sharing more content about the things that help hobbyists keep and reproduce these fishes.

I know someone out there is already counting the proportion of scientific-themed pieces to hobby content in their club publication right now to push back on me...I get it. However, the fact that there is a perception by many hobbyists (I'm not the only one- it's pointed out to me often...) that it's skewed a bit means that it's something to at least consider, right? Discussing techniques which will lessen our dependence on wild populations, and provide insights into the life history of these unique fishes from a perspective that only an aquarist can is pretty damn impressive, really.

That's a truly priceless contribution.

Sure, it may not sound as "technical" or glamorous as an evaluation of the family structure of some South American annual kilie complex, but I'm pretty sure that it will do a lot more to get hobbyists involved and to call attention to the fishes, their life cycle, and the environmental pressures they face. Like it or not, we are experts on this "practical" aspect of tropical fishes. 

And I again apologize in advance, because I'm sure this might insult at least a couple of editors of hobby club journals, who likely are frustrated that they aren't receiving enough "How to breed________________" articles from members of their organizations for their publications. That's a problem too, right? And it's kind of all of our faults. We all have experiences. I know we're not all writers- but even writing a brief summary on something you do regularly and well for your fishes is huge.

And welcome, too.

And, look- I'm not saying to dumb stuff down, insulate us from what's happening in ichthyology or other science fields, or to ignore the work of "citizen-scientists" or anything like that. I'm just saying that if you're going to spend a ton of time and energy lamenting about why so few hobbyists enter these specialties, you need to take a good, hard, often uncomfortable look at what you/we are and are not doing to address this.

Tough love.

I'm sure someone will point to me and say, "Well, why not bring this to the attention of your club. Or better yet, why not write articles for them?" Good question- but as you can see, I've been busy writing content-every day-on what I know best, right here in "The Tint." And, I'm happy to make it available to most any club (if asked permission, of course) for publication in their journals and magazines if they want.

And lest you think I'm unfairly pounding on the dear old AKA (which I truly love), I'm not. It's simply a good personal example I can offer which supports my little "thesis."

Want another?

Look no further than the world I came from- the reef side of the hobby. 

Now, absolutely amazing work has been done by hobbyists of all kinds over the past few decades- none of it can be discounted. Propagating corals is a huge thing that will ultimately help preserve priceless wild reefs for generations if done right. The techniques and practices to accomplish this are within reach of any hobbyist who wants to learn. There is a huge hunger and a continuous need for more of this information.

Yet, if you attend the major reef hobby contests in the past few years, there has been a strange lack of "nuts and bolts" information on the basics of coral care, set up, etc. Rather, a high percentage of the speaker topics consisted of things like reviews of coral genetics, how some big ocean-going Tang was spawned in Palau, or a talk about (insert your fave chemical...) dosing for nutrient control at a public aquarium or whatever. I mean, cool- but...it's a HOBBY conference.

And the organizers of theses conferences would often complain why the talks were so poorly attended, and that everyone wanted to see the gear and buy stuff instead of attending them. I heard this all the time when I was really emerged in that universe.

To their credit, they've started to figure this out, IMHO, and the pendulum is swinging back to more of a balance. It's really a matter of looking at what the reality is in our hobby world.

The reality is, what the coral hobby consistently needs is good information on how to keep and grow corals. Fundamentals. Duh. This is not some profound insight. You need only look around for the obvious answers.

Hobby forums are not dominated by questions about the mass-spawning of subtropical corals. Like it or not, they're filled with questions like, "How do I mount my Pocillopora frags?" or "What's the best way to control slime algae in my reef?", or "How do I acclimate my soft corals?"... Stuff like that. 

Content and information should be skewed towards that, right?

Look, I know that we don't exist in a vacuum. I know that the reefs and other habitats are in trouble, and we need to understand the threats they face. We need to interact with academia to share insights and learn. We can't run from some of the science stuff...I mean, we are ALL at the mercy of the nitrogen cycle, for example, and we need to have at least a basic understanding of how it works and what the implications are for our aquarium work. 

However, we also need to better educate hobbyists on how to keep and propagate the corals that are being removed from these reefs in large numbers. When I co-owned a coral propagation/import business, the bulk of the questions from hobbyists were frighteningly basic- like stuff you should know before you ever even buy any aquarium!

Fundamentals.

Any wonder why these people don't more enthusiastically attend a talk about some subtropical coral spawning study at MACNA?  Many can't even keep their own coral frags alive in an aquarium. I literally received calls from guys who didn't have the most rudimentary understanding of the nitrogen cycle- yet they spent tens of thousands of dollars outfitting their reef tank with the latest gear, and buying the latest "designer frags."

It's not just limited to the reef world, of course. 

And, it's our fault as an industry, too.

We seem to sell prepackaged "solutions" for everything. Another piece of gear, another additive..."That'll solve your problems!" How about we educate people on the basics and beyond? The good, the bad, and the shitty? That's why we at Tannin have article after article on the most basic, and even arcane aspects of playing with blackwater/botanical-style aquariums on our site. Because I believe that hobbyists have to be armed with the most fundamental knowledge of our craft in order to succeed. I'm not going to just show pretty pics of cool 'scapes and sell seed pods. That's how I'm going to do my part to address the hobby dropout thing.

It's a wider hobby "cultural problem", too. We're lazy. A lot of us want instant gratification and simply don't want to take the time to dig through information- even if it's out there in abundance. They want it easier. Faster. More concise.

And yes- it's still not always enough. People can't be lazy. They have to read the stuff. A personal example again? I get numerous emails asking me how to prepare botanicals- even after we spent hundreds and hundreds of dollars on producing a customized infographic, and years writing dozens of articles on the very topic. Obviously, I still need to do better. We all do.

There's blame enough to go around. And to newbies and others in the hobby: Don't be freaking lazy.

The resources are there. We just have to keep directing people towards them. And people need to use them. 

Hats off to people like our friend, Rachel O'Leary- who has cranked out hundreds of informative videos on all aspects of fish keeping...stuff for hobbyists of every level- but always with an emphasis on the art of fish keeping. An incalculably valuable resource. She's a fixture at hobby conferences everywhere. We need more stuff like this- more hobbyists like her to step up.

You get people into the hobby by sharing with them the awe and wonder and beauty of the aquatic world. You show them that, with a little investment of time and study and patience and execution, they too, can do it. You reinforce the basics- no matter how redundant that might be to the majority of the hobbyists who are experienced in a given subject. Get information out there in multiple, easily digestible formats. You strike a balance.

Learning never stops.

You get- and keep- hobbyists excited by sharing the things that they need to know in order to succeed and stay in the hobby. You back it up with camaraderie and support. You take the time. Do the "people skill" things... And as vendors, we must look beyond just trying to sell whatever it is that we sell, and share advice on fundamental concepts to assure lasting success in the hobby. Otherwise, we cause our own extinction, right?

"Teach a man to fish..."

Yeah, that sort of thing.

Yes, even in the social media "Insta-hype" world we're in, there is room for improvement. I've hit this hard before...we show too much "finished product" with killer aquaecapes and such, and not enough of the less sexy, although way more important process...

There is an easy fix for that one. Just share the process. 

Discuss the fundamentals of what you do.

When hobbyists realize it's not just "1-2-3 AWESOME!"- and that there is a little work and occasional setback and struggle involved, expectations are set which assure people go in eyes wide open...and stay in. Expectation management via education. And there is a certain responsibility that we as hobbyists take on when keeping live fishes; this needs to be emphasized. 

That's my "diagnosis"- and a "prescription" to help fix some of this.

I realize that my strong opinion may be off base with many...You might have personal experience, facts, and opinions which differ substantially from mine. And that's important.  It means that there are numerous possible solutions. Here's the thing: We should all act in a manner that we feel helps advance the cause of recruiting and retaining people in the aquarium hobby.  Maybe you DO prefer to write taxonomic reviews above all else.

Well, damn it, keep writing them! And we should try to step back and evaluate things as objectively as possible from time to time. If you think we should keep the most advanced segments of the hobby satisfied with content that is geared towards them, and that's what you're best at- keep doing that. 

However, do turn an eye to the larger hobby as a whole once in a while, and perhaps offer up some of your good experience on a practical level to help recruit and retain some newbies. You'll be pleasantly surprised at how well that can work! 

Want to be a mentor to a new hobbyist? Awesome! 

My personal strategy is to offer up as much digestible, non-commercial information on every practical and philosophical aspect of our little hobby segment as possible. Your approach might be something completely different. And that's great. 

Just act on it. Because nothing will change if we don't.

Thanks for indulging me on this one. Much more to discuss, I know.

Stay diligent. Stay generous. Stay observant. Stay open. Stay empathetic...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

A reasonable "facsimile?"

I'm very happy to see that one of the most popular segments of what we do is to create "biotope-inspired" aquariums- that is, aquariums which have been set up to replicate, on some levels, a specific natural habitat. 

Of course, "on some levels" is the key here. We're not talking exact biotope aquarium, where every fish, twig, leaf, etc. supposedly needs to be spot on for the locale in order to avoid a sound thrashing by the "experts" who lurk on social media. 

Nope.

We're talking about creating aquariums that are inspired by specific ecological niches, geographic locales, and habitats, which utilize materials that offer a representation, rather than an exact copy, of those found in the stated area. The reality, as we've beaten the shit out of repeatedly here, is that creating an exact duplicate of virtually any biotope is almost impossible, because you'd need to source and utilize the exact soils, botanicals, leaves, etc. found in your target niche.

The irony here is that the fishes are actually the easiest part of the equation! It's the "other stuff" that is more difficult to match up. And I suppose that it makes sense. That's why research is so important. And taking the time to look at the natural habitats...

And the criticisms you might face when you talk with some of the hardcore "biotope elitists?"

I wonder- can these armchair critics really discern the decomposing leaf of Hevea brasiliensis, Swietenia macrophylla, or Euterpe precatoria from Catappa, Guava, Jackfruit, Apple, Oak, etc? I mean, seriously? And, if someone cannot source these specific Amazonian leaves, does that invalidate the aquarium from consideration as a "biotope aquarium?"

No, they likely can't.

Does it even matter?

Whew, I AM getting worked up here, lol.

Again, it's the self-righteous attitudes surrounding these kinds of things that drive me crazy...

The point of my rant is that I think we all want the same thing. We all want to represent. as accurately and faithfully as possible, the biopic niches we're into. And that is incredibly cool! But when we get caught up in semantics and petty arguments for the sake of...well, for the sake of "being right"- who does this help?

Who does it hurt?

Doesn't this kind of criticism hurt those who are in a unique position to use their aquarium hobby talents to maybe, MAYBE reach a few non-hobbyists with their beautiful tank...perhaps raising awareness of the plight of that Borneo peat swamp or African flood plain? Does it discourage them from trying again in the future and sharing their work with the world?

Yeah. I think it does. And that sucks.

We need to lose the attitude on this topic.

I think many aquariums can be accurately labeled "biotope-inspired" or "biotope-style" aquarium. I think a lot of the cool work our community does is at that level.

There is nothing wrong with that at all.

And yeah, my orientation- my personal passion- the passion which led me to found Tannin Aquatics- was to curate, love, and offer my fellow hobbyists the natural materials they can use to create inspiring and compelling natural-style aquariums. To what level of authenticity we all aspire to is the choice of each one of us as individuals.

Now, the problem is, you "can't always get what you want."

It's a reality of the world in which we operate. 

Much as I'd love to offer the leaves of the Hevea basiliensis or whatever, some materials aren't always-or ever- available. One could even make the argument that collecting some items would damage the very habitats that they come from. Some governments forbid or severely restrict the export of certain botanical materials- even fallen, dried leaves and seed pods.

Many of the materials we source are only available because they are a bi-product of agriculture or other domestic activities-many of which are (fortunately), sustainable and eco-sensitive. For example, many of our leaves and pods are from family farms or plantations, which grow fruit or utilize the leaves or seed pods for other purposes as well. That's a lucky thing. 

At the end of the day, I think that everyone can and should put aside their interpretive differences and come to an agreement that just about any aquarium intended to replicate- on some level- a specific wild habitat, ecological niche, or area where a certain fish or fishes are found- is hugely important. Why? Because it calls attention to the habitats and environments themselves. It creates a starting point for discussion, research, debate...It raises awareness of the challenges that many habitats face with the encroachment of man's activities. It most certainly makes us appreciate the fragility of life- the genius of nature, and the incredible diversity and beauty of our home planet.

Even the most poorly executed (by "contest" standards", anyways) "biotope" aquarium helps the uninitiated public (or even the hobby community, for that matter) to become just a tad more enlightened about nature. It might just stimulate someone, somewhere to ask themselves, "Is that what it's like in The Atabapo?" And maybe, just maybe, they'll open up the iPad and do a little reading on the habitat that was being discussed...Maybe they'll take a crack at creating a representation of this habitat themselves. Maybe they will research and find and donate to an organization out there that is working to protect it. 

Call your aquarium a "reasonable facsimile" of a wild habitat. Call it "biotope-inspired." Call it what you want...

It's all good, IMHO. 

Stay inspired. Stay curious. Stay diligent. Stay creative. Stay brave...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Over time...

As you know, I spend a lot of time talking very critically about the short term mindset that seems to be pervasive in the hobby, seemingly enabled by the frenetic pace of tank "do-overs" in the aquascaping world. I sometimes worry if the art of long-term maintenance- or even the idea of keeping an aquarium set up over the long term- like- years versus, ya know- a few months (or a "contest period!")- is a reality that most newer hobbyists have thought of.

Yeah, it's a long game.

In our game, we talk a lot about establishing more natural-functioning/appearing systems, and many of the nuances associated with getting them up and running. However, we seem to spend a relatively small amount of time talking about what actually happens in these tanks over the very long term and how to manage them, right? With so many hobbyists getting  into this style of aquarium for the first time, it's worth another look!

There are some characteristics of these types of tanks which require a fair amount of continued management that keep them functioning as blackwater tanks; most notably, the continuous addition of more botanical items to replace those which break down, be they leaves, wood, or seed pods and the like- in order to maintain not only the visual "tint", but the beneficial humic substances and other organics contained in these materials. 

Over time, many of these compounds are dissolved into the water column, and these botanical materials will no doubt lose some of their efficacy as "environmental enhancers."

And obviously, this sort of "active management" not only creates a more stable environment for your fishes, it provides an opportunity to continuously engage with your aquatic environment on a very regular basis. Continuously replacing and adding more botanical materials over time  is one of the most important aspects of managing this type of aquarium, and is especially critical in an environment in which the very structure of the aquascape itself evolves and changes over time!

Now, unlike other tanks I've managed over the years, such as reef aquariums, planted tanks, etc., where you need to sort of change or evolve your husbandry tasks as the tank ages (i.e.; pruning, revising fertilization schemes, etc.), the botanical-style natural aquarium seems to benefit from the same types of maintenance tasks throughout its functional lifetime.

Some hobbyists choose to let their botanical items remain in the system until fully decomposed; others prefer to remove items just as soon as they lose the "pristine show look." Regardless of how you handle the "botanical breakdown", you're more-or-less following the same practices over a long term. 

Consistency. Our old friend.

And of course, water exchanges are as important a part of the management of our systems as any other. The dissolution of organics and "reset" that water exchanges provide are one of the "cornerstone" practices in aquarium husbandry, and will help continuously hold your environmental parameters. 

As any aquarium ages, it's essential to at least have a handle on what is happening chemically. In the botanical-style, natural aquarium, it's nice to conduct basic water parameter tests early on in the tank's existence, to establish a reference "baseline" of the tanks typical "operating parameters".

In a typical tank, you may see a gradual reduction in pH over time.  This may be caused by acids forming from accumulated nitrate and other nitrogenous compounds and over time, as they overwhelm the buffering capacity of the tank. This seems to be much more common in higher pH systems, such as African cichlid tanks, reef aquaria, etc.

You will likely find, as I have, that with the consistent management of your natural-style blackwater aquariums, very little in the way of "parameter shift" appears to occur. I've seldom noticed any sort of appreciable pH decline over time in these tanks (probably because you're starting out with lower pH!), and nitrate and/or phosphate levels tend not to vary significantly at all with consistent botanical replacements and water exchanges.

I'm curious what YOUR experience has been in this respect.

I also tend to monitor TDS a lot in botanical tanks, and I've found that I will see a "range" of 2-3 ppm at the most, in which the parameters seem to stay throughout the lifetime of the tank. Any deviation from this should be something that you should investigate. Not necessarily a "bad" thing, as TDS can be just about anything...yet it does function as a sort of "yardstick" for environmental consistency.

Ah..consistency over time again.

One physical maintenance task that I have found to be continuous and necessary is the cleaning of filter intakes, mechanical filter media, and water pumps. With a constantly-decomposing array of botanical materials streaming into the water column, lots of small debris tend to get sucked into filter intakes, pumps, and of course, mechanical filter media. These need to be cleaned/replaced on a regular basis; perhaps even more frequently than other maintenance tasks.

It's simply part of the game when working with a botanical-style blackwater aquarium!

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 natural-style 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. 

Yeah, over time.

Stay consistent. Stay observant. Stay engaged.. Stay involved...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

"That pH thing...again."

Oh, it's back to the pH thing, and how botanicals affect it again?

Yeah, it is...

Well, I think we need to talk about it, because we receive so many questions about this topic and there seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about it.

The reality is that botanicals CAN influence the pH of your water...under certain circumstances. 

Simply adding catappa or other leaves to your hard, alkaline tap water will have little to no effect, other than to impart some color and maybe increase your TDS a bit.

I'm starting with RO/DI water, with essentially no carbonate hardness and a very "flexible" pH. Not only do the botanicals influence the color, but they can influence the pH under these circumstances by virtue of the humic acids they can impart to the water. 

However, the tannins, which are the substances which "tint" the water, cannot "overcome" the calcium and magnesium ions, and drive down the pH significantly in water with high levels of these ions present. It simply is putting more materials into the water (which are often detectible by TDS meters in aquariums).

Remember, there are multiple factors in play, and multiple goals you might have for adding leaves to your tank. If it's just about the aesthetics of having leaves in the tank, and you want clear water, use activated carbon in your filter and call it a day!

If you're all about a deeply tinted and low pH environment, you need to eliminate activated carbon in large quantities, employ RO/DI water, and likely use quite a bit more of these materials than I am talking about here.

You have to experiment.

There is simply no "recipe" out there that can give you "Instant Amazon" conditions by adding "a little of this and a bit of that" to your tank, despite what "experts" or vendors will tell you. There just isn't. Period. 

I could talk until "the cows come home" about how much of "this and that" I use in my tank- but I may have a combination of factors that are vastly different from the environment in your aquarium. Sure, you can get some inspiration and a general idea- but your results will vary.  Every tank is different. I think it's more about understanding the general "practices" involved and their impact, versus simply learning "how many" of "whatever" to add.

Until we as a hobby community back off from looking for some specific "recipe" on how to achieve "x" water parameters without exception, and look at each aquarium as a sort of "one off" situation requiring a custom solution, confusion and misinformation will continue to proliferate.

Sure, I can give you my "blackwater recipe", but it's just that: My blackwater recipe.  It works for me:

In one of my display tanks in my home, I use a mix of Yellow Mangrove and Texas Live Oak, with a bunch of Red Mangrove Bark and Oak twigs to achieve a nice color that I like.  (notice I talked about the color in the context of the materials I use?). Now, I also have a pH of around 6.5 and undetectable carbonate hardness; a TDS of around 6 (interesting....).

But that's me. 

I like it. And my fishes like it. My tank runs in a manner that works for me and my fishes. It's not trying to replicate a 4.8 pH Amazonian stream or whatever. It's about creating and managing an environment which I can easily and effectively maintain.

Oh, and the idea of utilizing chemical filtration in blackwater tanks...

Now, I've already touched on the issue of chemical filtration and its impact on removing the tint and tannins associated with leaves and botanicals a number of times in "The Tint" over the years.

Yes, it's entirely possible to minimize or render the ph-lowering and water-tinting capability of tannins released by leaves with activated carbon, Purigen, or other chemical filtration media. Tannins are rather weak acids, yet they can lower the pH of water when their is less "buffer" in the system (i.e.; lower general hardness). Just how much tannins can lower pH in a given system depends upon how much buffering capacity the water has. 

With "harder" water (i.e., water with a greater buffering capacity), you can have the tinted water look from leaves and wood, without the pH reducing effects, particularly if the acids are absorbed by the aforementioned chemical filtration media. So, in other words, you can have the aesthetics of blackwater while running your aquarium at a higher pH if the hardness is sufficient. Once you remove tannins in a lower hardness system, your pH should rise, too, since you're removing the acids.

Woah. Head spin time. 

Bottom line is this: You can use chemical filtration media in "tinted" tanks. However, depending upon the amount of media, quantity of tannin-producing items (leaves, wood, botanicals, etc.) and the capacity of the aquarium, the impact will be variable.

I run chemical filtration media (Purigen and activated carbon) in my tanks, and I still have nice tint and pH relatively stable, as mentioned above. It's a fine line between "too much" and "too little", and you will simply have to experiment to find what works best for you! Nuance and testing guide you.

And never let yourself be fooled. It's a fact:

Botanicals and leaves will NOT soften your water.

I think it's perhaps the most misunderstood thing of all about botanicals in our aquariums. And, I suppose it's easy to see how this one got started and tends to hang around a bit:  (Yes, redundancy tie. again!) Most botanical materials contain tannins and humic substances, which can drive down the pH in water with little to no carbonate hardness.  

And of course, the tinted, soft acidic water in many natural habitats often has an abundance of leaves and botanicals present. I think that this gave a lot of hobbyists the impression that you could simply add some of these materials (leaves, etc.) into your tap water and create "Rio Negro-like" conditions easily! Many are convinced that the "look and color" are indicative of the chemical composition of the water...a misleading and erroneous assumption, as we've discussed repeatedly.

Remember, this can only be accomplished in the aquarium by utilizing source water which has been treated via reverse osmosis or ion exchange ( a process in which calcium and magnesium ions are "exchanged" for sodium or potassium ions.)

Reverse osmosis is a water treatment process which relies on a membrane which has pores large enough to admit water molecules, yet "hardness ions" such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ remain behind and are flushed away by excess water. The resulting product water is thus called "soft water"-free of hardness ions without any other ions being added. 

Want to easily create soft, acid water? Get an RO/DI unit and be done with it...

I attribute my aquariums' relatively stable soft, mildly acidic conditions to the use of reverse osmosis/deionization (RO/DI) to pre-treat my tap water. Yes, RO/DI units are a bit pricy at first. However, IMHO, they are an essential piece of aquarium equipment and a very wise long-term investment for the serious natural aquarium hobbyist!

Yes, this article may simply make your head spin just a bit more, and I apologize if it does...

However, the real aim was to help clear up a few assumptions about creating the type of water conditions in our aquariums which replicate, on some level, some of those from the natural habitats from which our fishes come. Maybe, to get you looking at more of the facts and science behind this stuff, rather than simply searching for a product or "recipe" on how to do things.

I hope that we've helped just a bit!

Stay curious. Stay studious. Stay open-minded. Stay resourceful. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Never green with envy...

Total confession: I am definitely not an aquatic plant guy. In fact, I'm not even able to identify half the plants out there that are popular at any given time, let alone the "classics" all that well...And the fancy "varietals?"

Yeah, forget about it!

That being said, I've kept plants all throughout my decades of life as an aquarium hobbyist. However, for me, the aquatic plant obsession bug just new bit. I don't know why. I love them. I think planted tank are amazing, and I respect and admire those who are good with them.

Yet, I look at planted tanks and I just don't feel this compulsion inside that screams, "I have to have one!"

Weird. 

Rather, I planted my flag in the "hardscape" department-specifically with botanicals and blackwater and such, and never really looked back. Now, I do currently have a blackwater aquarium with plants at home...And this is strange- it's probably my least interesting or compelling aquarium I maintain right now. Which is odd, because it's a great tank with lots of cool Southeast Asian fishes and tons of potential.

Yet, when I stare into this tank, I'm more likely to say "Meh!" than, "Wow!" 

Now, my planted tank friends tell me that it's largely because I decided to go with notoriously slow-growing plants like Cryptocoryne...Plants that, without the addition of CO2 just sort of "exist", growing incredibly slowly. I mean, they look healthy and colorful, but they are just sort of...there. Of course, going with a large percentage of tissue-cultured plants (the freshwater equivalent of coral frags, IMHO) that were tiny to begin with didn't help, right?

Yeah.

So, this is as good a time as any to discuss the whole idea of plants in blackwater aquariums once again. (Yeah, we've had this discussion a few times!)

The interesting common denominator about this topic- like so many others when it comes to blackwater aquairums, is that there has simply been a lack of good information on the topic- and an abundance of speculation, assumption, and downright misinformation floating about out there in cyberland...

I think the misconception that plants can't grow in blackwater partially originates from the common "inflection point" of, "Blackwater aquariums are unstable/hard to manage/dark and foreboding", and merges with the well-trodden and partially factual "narrative" that says that, since many parts of say, the Rio Negro essentially have no plants, that plants can't live in any blackwater habitats.

I was able to glean some information that might be of use to you in this regard, and with all of the interest, it seems like an appropriate time to be discussing this stuff!

First, let's just clarify the "plants in Amazonia" thingy real fast.

There are two primary areas of interest in our particular "botanical-centric" habitat focus, besides just the better-known blackwater rivers, such as the Rio Negro, where plants are found.

The Varzea are seasonally-flooded forest areas, which are inundated by pH-neutral "whitewater" (ie; not significantly stained by tannins), and can reach significant depths, whereas the Igapo are generally shallow, blackwater environments with relatively low nutrient content and acidic soils. Varzea forests are extremely rich, which leads to a very rich aquatic ecosystem when inundated, and tend to have greater density of aquatic plants. Várzea forest soils have high nutrient contents because they receive high loads of sediment (from the Andean and pre-Andean regions) from the whitewater rivers nearby.

Igapó forests, by contrast, do not receive this seasonal influx of sediments , which is why they have relatively inorganic nutrient- poor soils. Igapo waters are acidic, with a pH ranging between 4 and 5, and are rich in organic materials- particularly humic and fulvic acids. It is also thought by scientists that the seasonal inundation of the Igapo soils creates anoxic conditions, limiting plant growth in general.

So, you CAN keep aquatic plants in blackwater aquaria intended to replicate, to some extent, either of these botanically-influenced habitats. Obviously, the Varzea-type flooded forests are more conducive to aquatic plant growth.

And here is the part which probably feeds into the general  "you can't grow plants in blackwater" myth: 

The other important factor affecting plant growth in these aquatic habitats is light; or specifically, light penetration. This affects diversity of both the terrestrial grasses and aquatic plants present in the waters. In the blackwater Igapo areas, light only penetrates down to depths of  1-2 meters, and many submerged grasses and terrestrial forest plants simply die back from lack of light. And the forest canopy adds to the shading in some areas, further reducing the amounts of light available to plants. Varzea tend to be more "open", and a greater abundance of light, and therefore, light penetration, occurs.

Of course, you can grow Amazonian plants in blackwater aquariums, such as the broad-leaved dwarf Amazon sword plant (Echinodorus quadricostatus), which prefers the dim conditions of blackwater rivers. And notice, I didn't even touch on Asian blackwater plants, like Bucephalandra, Cryptocoryne, etc.

If ever there were "poster children" for blackwater-native/tolerant aquatic plants, either of these two genera would be the ones.

Interesting to me is the use by many hobbyists of low pH substrates and leaf litter in their culture ( a lot of the blackwater Crypt. "players" use Catappa, etc. in a ground up form, almost like a "mulch" of sorts...A cool use for our "Mixed Leaf Media" and "MLM2", I'd say! ). Interestingly enough, many of the so-called "blackwater Crypts" also tend to "melt" if they are in soils that are too nutrient rich...A lot to take in here, but a lot which plays right into our fascination with botanical-style blackwater aquariums!

And what about Africa? It's more than just Anubias...

I think that a considerable amount of time needs to be spent by members of our community simply reaching out to our friends who are into aquatic plants...the knowledge and commonalities are remarkable. We simply need to discuss and understand the realities of keeping plants in blackwater versus the more "traditional" " clearwater" aquarium.

 

It's a known fact that light doesn't penetrate as effectively in the tinted water of blackwater environments. That's ONE of the reasons you don't see a lot of algae in many blackwater systems. And floating plants, of course, tend to do well-because you don't really have the "light penetration factor" influencing them as much as say, rooted plants. Light penetration is a limiting factor, other things being "more-or-less" equal, right? 

Well, yeah...you can compensate with brighter light...the beauty of LEDs, right? And of course, just having light in our tanks isn't enough.

The other big issue to tackle when keeping aquatic plants in blackwater aquariums is to some extent, the well-trodden opinion that blackwater may be described as more "nutrient poor", and having much lower ionic concentrations of calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium than clearwater environments.

So how do you overcome this?

You fertilize your tank- just like you do in a "clearwater" system. You'll probably have to adjust your doses to compensate for the near lack of the above-referenced major ions, but it's pretty much that simple, in my experience. You'll use more fertilizers. And if you're growing plants that rely on rich substrates, like Cryptocoryne, I've found that you really don't have to do all that much differently than you do in a "clearwater" tank.

So, just because the water is dark, doesn't mean you can't keep plants. And hey, if you're a guy like me, who's obsession is with brown instead of green, it simply means that there are lots of different directions you can go in our world.

Stay curious. Stay motivated. Stay diligent. Stay undaunted...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

The tangle of Spider Wood...

When it comes to creating hardscape in our aquariums, we tend to fall in love with a few varieties of wood. I mean, sure, we are always looking for different varieties, yet we seem to settle on certain types with incredible predictability. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! 

One of the most consistently popular wood types in our hobby is what is known as "Spider Wood."  It has a most unusual root-like configuration, which lends itself well to all sorts of aquascaping applications.

Now, I've always liked this stuff, and we've pretty much always sold this stuff as  "Hand-Selected Pieces" (ie; random ones we pic FOR you!), which are just as good as when we used to sell them as WYSIWYG...And better for you, because it costs less when we don't have to photograph each piece!  I mean, they ALL pretty much have unique attributes and almost every piece looks good from one or more angles.

You can't really go wrong.

And it "plays well with other materials- like Senggani Root, as we've demonstrated in our most recent tank.

You almost can't go wrong, really. Even with a guy like me selecting for you!

Now, I'll be the first to tell you that "Spider Wood", although stupidly easy to work with, has its own set of quirks. It has some really gnarled shapes- which is awesome, but you need to think about it if you're trying to use a few larger pieces in your 'scape. Often the pieces are rather challenging to "fit together" if your goal is to make it look like they are part of one "organic formation", if you will, so you really have to use some forward vision if that's your goal and you're using the larger-sized pieces.

The "nano-sized" ones are ideal for this type of project.

I mean, if you look closely at a lot of displays that use this wood, they look sort of like a bunch of little peices all stuck together. Which, I suppose, is part of the "charm" of the stuff. You have to envision it after a month, covered with a "patina" of biocover, surrounded by decomposing botanical botanicals...

My understanding that what the aquatic trade refers to as "Spider Wood" is the roots of Rhododendron (aka Azalea), a genus of over a thousand woody plants found in Asia and North America. Like everything else in the aquarium hardscape trade, the exact species or origins are kept shrouded in a sort of deliberate mystery. That being said, it's no mystery why the stuff is popular! It looks pretty cool...once you figure out how to use it! 

And, as an added "bonus", this stuff releases a lot of nice, water-tintitng tannins...something that freaks the f--- out of most hardcore aquascapers (much to my sadistic delight, as you know), but something that our tribe just loves! Oh, and the plant (and I think likely by extension, the roots) is known to offer "..possible anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities" which may be due to the antioxidant effects of flavonoids or other phenolic compounds and saponins the plant contains...

If you recall, some of these same substances are known to occur in Catappa leaves, and there are documented fish health benefits of catappa, validated in scientific research.

SO...hmm...maybe?

Oh, and it does tend to recruit a fair amount of gooey fungal/biofilm growth shortly after submersion, often to the horror of the unaware...So, if ever there were a candidate for "pre-soaking" wood before using in the aquarium, "Spider Wood" is it. Granted, this growth will usually subside after a few weeks of submersion, and some well-timed scrubbing with a soft-bristled brush.

Holy detour, Batman! Okay, so back to the scaping thing...

It's relatively lightweight. REALLY gnarled in appearance...and pretty much perfect for many types of aquascaping ideas! 

And that's about alI I have to say about THAT!

Stay creative. Stay inspired. Stay diligent. Stay curious...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Out of the "frying pan..."

Yes, it's time for me to start ruminating about stuff that I've been plying with in my head for years...You know, the idea of an aquascaping contest. Now, with my complete disdain for the typical aquascaping contests- the absurd rules, the endless arguments over format, attitudes, etc, I feel like I'm likely opening up myself for more trouble... 😂

I know we talked about the "Igapo Challenge" some time back...It's something that I know we'll do later...However, I think our first contest needs to have a broader appeal...

It needs to be a bit more inclusive, and do more than just reward the best-looking tank.

That being said, I think a contest can perform some valuable functions in our world. First, it can help show the current state of the art in truly natural aquariums. Not just blackwater aquariums...As we've seen, the world we've all evolved here at Tannin has grown to encompass botanical-style blackwater, brackish, planted, and other types of unique systems.

I'm trying to figure out criteria...I mean, I will personally have to restrain myself from railing on any of our judges who look at "Golden Ratio", "Iwagumi" rock placement, or other conventional constructs like that. Also, I wouldn't want to hold entrants to being compelled to enter stuff as specific as "Small meander adjacent to Rio Parauari, high water mark, 30km north of the town of Alto Maues..."  Not only would that degree of pretentiousness make me want to vomit- I think it would defeat the purpose of this contest idea. I don't want to encourage insanity. This would not be a strict "biotope" contest. It's that whole "biotope-inspired" thing.

That's why, I'd vet the judges carefully. It would just be ugly, otherwise!  I mean, sure, I'm not saying that we'd want to see entries like,  "Liquid Methane River on the Saturnian moon of Titan"- that's too geeky and weird even for me.

Oh, and if you give your entry a name; you know, "The wandering trail to Enlightenment" or something like that- immediate disqualification. Seriously. 😍 

Just enter something cool. Describe what it purports to represent.

We'd likely have some set of questions that comes with entry- so that observers and judges alike can learn from your work...

The idea- our "mission statement", if you will- would be to create a contest- an exhibition, really- which celebrates our love of the "natural style" aquarium. And more important, celebrates the uniqueness; the aesthetics of Nature- and the function of the aquarium. Entrants won't be rewarded for fantasy-style "diorama-style" tanks, for sure! 

I suppose, the whole thing also requires us to have a definition of what we think a "natural style aquarium" is in our little contest. Well, here are some of my initial thoughts:

First off, the aquarium should incorporate a large percentage of materials such as botanicals, leaves, driftwood, etc., utilized in such a manner as to create a functional representation of a wild aquatic habitat. In other words, an aquarium that operates, not just looks good.

I think that vivariums, paludariums, and aquariums should all be entered into the mix...No separate categories for them. Because we will likely evaluate a given system  on both aesthetics and function, and we want to encourage "cross-over" work by aquatic hobbyists- I don't see any reason why we should have all sorts of complicated category distinctions.  Same with display size. I see no reason why a 5-gallon aquarium can't be evaluated using the same criteria as you would a 250-gallon aquarium.

Form-Function.

Oh, and I think it would be important to show some "evolution" of each entry. In other words, more than just a "here's the rock work as we set up the tank" bullshit. I'm talking, several shots taken throughout the "pre-entry" life of the tank, from startup to submission- perhaps taken over the course of 4-5 months. Yeah- any talented 'scaper can do an "instascape"- a talented aquarist can evolve and manage it over time.

This would, of course, necessitate a longer time window for entries. Like, there would be an entry period, and then an "evolution period", and finally, the closing date when submissions need to be received by.

And stuff like decomposition, detritus, biofilm- even algal growth would not be penalized. In fact, unless it's specific to a given niche you're attempting to replicate, I'd think that we'd actually look suspiciously on any tank that looks super pristine and perfect! Of course, I'm not saying to enter a poorly-maintained fish-death factory...What I am suggesting is that we  should see entrants which attempt to "meet Nature where it is"- that being the intersection of science, art, and evolution.

Nature is not a perfectly ordered, pristine place. Your entries don't need to be, either. 

And then there would be a strong judging component for originality and innovation. Like, if you tackled some problem uniquely to create your functionally aesthetic entry, we'd love to hear about it. No secrets in this game. It's as much about sharing technique as it is about exhibiting the results of it. And no, you don't have to only use materials you've purchased from Tannin in your entries. Sure, we'd love to see some stuff, but to make that a requirement would be- well, just sort of lame.

And of course...prizes. If we're asking you to do a 6-month commitment to a contest, they have to be good. So, likely, we'll have stuff like aquariums, lights, accessories, gift cards, etc.

Likely, there would be a nominal entry fee (like $10USD or less), which would cover some of the expenses for administering and promoting the contest and entries. We'd really want to share your work with the world.

And I think we'd have a first-third award schedule. And perhaps a couple of other categories? Like, "Most Unique" or "Most Innovative"- something like that?

Well, that's what I have for you so far...I'm absolutely open to hearing what you think- to your suggestions, concerns, etc.

My God, what have I unleashed now?

"Out of the frying pan- into the  damn fire, right?"

Yup.

Until next time...

Stay creative. Stay thoughtful. Stay diligent. Stay unique. Stay generous...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

The art of habitat representation: A case study...

As an observer of modern aquascaping- in a variety of forms, I've spent quite a bit of time looking at flooded forest floors. This interesting habitat offers incredibly interesting aesthetics and function. It's a habitat which gives us the opportunity to not only be creative, but to learn about its unique dynamics and function.

If we look at this habitat a little deeper, we can perhaps pull out some components of it, and consider what materials we could use to replicate its unique features. This is something that I love...assessing which materials would do the job. We have received so many requests about "...which ones do I use?" that it made a lot of sense for us to address this in terms of what we offer. Now, I realize that part of the fun is assessing and scheming and curating for yourself; however, we can't help but push a few ideas into your head to perhaps speed along your process!

Now, we've talked about flooded forest floors many times, but not in this specific context.

What would be some "cornerstone" materials that you'd use to represent this habitat? Well, let's break it down:

First, a forest floor has soil. It's sort of a "dirty" place (pun kind of intended...).

In our case, we could use a combination of standard aquarium substrates, like sand, perhaps combined with terrestrial soils, or planted aquarium soils. In one of my recent aquariums, I utilized a fine aquarium sand, coupled with some ground-up, clay-based  aquatic plant soil (Ultum Nature Systems "Control Soil). I selected this material because the aesthetic and grain size, when combined, creates something that looks very much like the soils you'd find on a tropical forest floor.

And of course, no flooded forest floor would be complete without roots, branches, and stems. My recommendations from our "portfolio" would be one of more of the following: Oak Twigs, Senggani Root, or even "Spider Wood." Each brings its own aesthetic and function to the aquarium representation of this habitat.

You could keep the "roots and twigs" to a minimum, placed in a "flat" configuration on the substrate, or let some of them creep up into the "vertical", consuming a bit of the negative space in the aquarium. If you're using materials like the Senggani Root", there is the option of orienting them in a variety of ways. You could even cut up and utilize "bits and pieces" of these materials in lots of different ways, in order to represent that element of the habitat.

The other, and perhaps, most obvious component of this habitat is leaves. Whenever you have trees overhead, you're pretty much guaranteed to have lea yes failing to, and accumulating on the forest floor. And of course, when the waters arrive, the leaves become a dominant part of the newly aquatic habitat.

As you know, we're really into leaves, and we have a pretty good variety of different leaves available. It's really about what you like, the aesthetic you're looking to achieve, and the "scale" of the aquarium.

And of course, seed pods are perfect to use in this type of representation. Some of my personal faves would be smaller items, like Mokha Pods, Calotropis Pods, Dregea Pods, and Jacaranda Pods.  Obviously, the choices are endless. I like these particular materials because they have varying degrees of durability, offer a diversity of shapes, and are of a "scale" that can work even in a smaller aquarium.

And of course, there are other possibilities to replicate this habitat. You can utilize larger materials which represent tree trunks and other large, buttressing structures which end up on the first floor. Larger pieces of driftwood, such as our "Malaysian Driftwood" and "Asian Driftwood," can represent these materials in a most effective way. If you can source  very thick, substantial pieces to represent a tree trunk, either in the "upright" or "fallen" condition.

And then, there are those other materials- such as bark pieces; specifically, Red Mangrove Bark, which comes in larger, more "workable" sizes. Bark not only adds compounds like humic substances and tannins to the water, it creates a rather durable substrate upon which various microorganisms and fungi can anchor and proliferate- adding to the "functional" aspects of the aquarium habitat.

One additional component that you will find on a flooded forest floor would be terrestrial grasses. Many of the grasses in these forests are durable enough to survive these periods of inundation.

Now, we may not have access to the exact species of grasses that are found in these habitats (although you can do some research in academic papers online and find them); however, we can find some species which are representative of them. We could even utilize riparian plants- or perhaps even some aquatic plants (gulp), like Sagittaria, which can really work. Again, it's about representing- as opposed to strictly replicating- components of this habitat.

At the end of the day, about the best we can do is present to you some aspects of the habitat, and recommend some of the materials that you can use to recreate it- or aspects of it- in your home aquarium. And of course, there are numerous other materials you can use from our selections, or materials that you can collect yourself. The art and science of natural aquarium keeping is an evolving and enjoyable one!

And with that...

Stay interested. Stay creative. Stay observant. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics