Yeah, it’s perfectly possible to keep an aquarium going for an indefinite period of time, in multiple “iterations.” In fact, you’ve likely done it before. Yet, with the mindset you now have, and in the context of botanical-style aquariums, it’s a whole new game...

There is a real magic to botanical style aquariums as they mature. They’re really best as a long-term proposition. I think we’ve probably not done enough as self appointed “thought leaders” in this space to share this. It stops now. Let’s talk more about botanical-style tanks in the long run!

There is something oddly compelling about densely-packed, highly complex aquatic habitats. Yet, our aquarium aesthetic “sensibilities” eschew them in favor of more “minimalist” aquariums which are perhaps less “authentically functional.” Here’s the case for more complexity!

It seems that many of us in the hobby are sort of hung up on this idea of creating and sharing the “perfect” tank... achieving the “ultimate.” Goals ARE great, but the pressure that we put on ourselves to achieve them can be bad.. here are some tips for this of you who are stuck somewhere out there on the road to “perfection..”

There is a lot to consider when playing with botanicals in our aquariums- like, what happens to them as they break down. A whole community of organisms- from bacteria to fungi- play a hugely important role in the aquatic ecosystem, in both Nature and aquarium. Let’s think about this for a bit- and further “blur the lines” between Nature and our aquariums in the process!

Probably one of the most over used words in aquarium hobby is “natural”- especially when it comes to describing the look and aesthetics of our tanks... let’s look at this a bit more!

Yeah, it’s entirely possible to set up a botanical-style aquarium for the specific purpose of “internal food production...”

Adding tea and blackwater extracts are often seen as “hacks” or “workarounds” to achieve “blackwater” results. Yet, they overlook the fundamental idea of embracing a “process” or “methodology” of aquarium keeping... here are my “ultimate thoughts” on this stuff...

Yes, playing with leaves, seed pods and stuff seems like a very simple aesthetic play for aquariums. Yet, there’s a lot to this.. much can be gleaned from Nature about how these materials imp t the aquatic environment...

What could be more fundamental to our aquariums than wood? And isn’t it important to think about wood as not just an aesthetic component- but as a producer of vital compounds for the health of our fishes- and as an aggregator or supplemental foods, too. A lot to consider!