Beyond “Realism”- Or, How Scott can get Multiple Hobby Groups to Hate Me in One Episode!

The idea of utilizing some biological material from an existing aquarium to help “inoculate” the biology of a new tank is as old as the modern hobby itself. And the botanical method aquarium lends itself particularly well to this sort of practice.. let’s talk about how our botanical method aquariums are not only never “finished”- they can achieve a certain “ immortality!”

One of the long held “best practices” in aquarium keeping is the idea that you need to “cure” wood that you use in your aquascape before adding it into your display aquarium. While the idea behind this practice seems sound to many- perhaps it’s not all that beneficial to those of us who play with botanical method aquariums. Like, what are the “downsides” to letting this process play out in our display tanks? Hint: I’m not seeing any….

Among the many skills we can learn as practitioners of the botanical method aquarium is to become what I call an “operator.” An aquarist who works with and manipulates various factors of the aquarium ecology to create dynamic seasonal changes which mimic those found in Nature. The possible health benefits and spawning opportunities that could arise out of this practice are endless!

As hobbyists, we plan for and worry about every possible contingency in our aquariums. And when something DOES go wrong, we consider it “unexpected”, or “anamolous”, when the reality is that the cause is out there, somewhere. I personally think that we need to relax about stuff, roll with it. We need to deal with these unexpected things by developing a more resilient attitude.

Today, let’s touch on a topic that we welcome hit on here in “The Tint.” Let’s talk about lighting your botanical method aquarium- specifically for growing aquatic plants. This is the mere “opening salvo” in what I hope to make a more in depth look at this topic- one which many of you ask about! Tinted water and aquatic plants seem counterintuitive, but there’s a lot to the topic. Let’s get into it!

If there is one fundamental that I wish I could teach to every aquarist, it’s patience.Botanical method aquariums run on the stuff…Patience is a core principle of what we do, and it’s an essential skill for every hobbyist to have. We need to eschew “hacks” and “shortcuts in favor of a longer game. We need to look at the “big picture” and see the many benefits of being patient….

We postulate and theorize a lot about what botanicals do for aquariums. We are beginning to understand some of their implications and impacts in our aquariums. However, we won’t talk about lot about their impact on wild aquatic habitats…Let’s have that talk- and think about the implications for our aquariums, too…including a bit more talk on what we call “blackwater.”

If we observe what our fishes feed on in the wild, we might be pleasantly surprised to find out that we can (and in some instances, already do) provide these same foods in a botanical method aquarium. Let’s take a fresh look at the foods we can produce in our tanks, and the potential benefits they can provide for our fishes!

Our aquariums tell us a lot of things. They literally “speak” to us. By observing, testing, and analyzing the feedback we receive from our tanks, we can set ourselves up for long term success.And often, it’s not as simple as just looking at numbers on a test kit. We need to look at things in context- to see what’s behind the numbers. We sometimes need to affect changes.. and other times, let the aquarium tell us what it wants to be. Feedback.

Yeah, it’s time for my semi annual ass kicking of the contest aquascaping world. Another of my irrational yet passionate rants asking us to do better! Guaranteed to offend a lot of people!😵‍💫