For some reason, a lot of people in the aquarium hobby seem to feel that you need to have a large aquarium to be considered a “serious” hobbyist- or a “successful” one. Where the hell did THIS idea come from? Let’s discuss…

How do hobby practices develop? What makes us do things the way that we do? And why are we sometimes hesitant to change, to learn, to evolve? What kinds of changes have we made in the hobby- and what kinds of changes will we do tie to make?

We do this incredible thing- we replicate the function of natural aquatic habitats in our aquariums. And we’ve had to adapt, evolve our techniques, and take criticisms from others to do it. Yet, it’s all worth it.. we just have to look at the “how and why” of what we do sometimes to appreciate it!

Yeah, it’s been a while since I’ve talked about tearing fry a more natural way. Fish breeders won’t like this, I’m sure, but for “casual” breeders like me, the idea of incorporating a botanical method aquarium to feed young fish fry is amazing!

The beauty of our approach to aquariums is that they are perfectly optimized for operating indefinitely…if we manage them in a way that’s consistent with our understanding of their ecological function…

We at the stage in our aquariums so to speak. We deliver a “stage” for Nature to perform Her work. We shouldn’t resist this.

We have been preaching for almost a decade about the concept of “functional aesthetics”- an appreciation for the function of natural habitats , understanding that the function contributes to the aesthetics. And it’s time once again to elaborate on my theory..

It’s amazing how adaptable fishes are, isn’t it? However, I’m more convinced than ever that, just because fishes CAN adapt to conditions that are easier for us to provide, doesn’t mean that we should force them to. Let’s discuss..

Okay, it sounds like a bad sci-fi movie, but it’s just a designation given to one of my aquariums..a system that changed my practice and evolved my thinking about botanical method aquariums. Everyone likely has their own “Project 18”- that tank which pushed boundaries for them. Let me share what this tank did for my aquarium hobby practice… then please reflect upon yours…

Our fishes have evolved to consume all sorts of foods. And they often shift their feeding habits throughout the year, as a response to seasonal changes, abundance, etc. And our botanical method aquariums, with their leaves, seed pods, etc. are fantastic producers of supplemental nutrition…