One of the best parts of the aquarium hobby is our desire to create, innovate, and execute some of our seemingly cray ideas! It’s how we move forward... right?

With all of the incredible advances in our little hobby sector of late, some people are still not “getting” it.. not appreciating the beautiful simplicity and joy they can take when they relax and trust Nature do some of the work.. they- we- need to give ourselves permission to have fun!

When we are “done” with a tank; hungry, perhaps, to try something new, we’re really starting on a very familiar journey. The considerations about how to proceed during a “reset” are pretty fascinating... and help us review and refine some of the fundamental aspects of the botanical-style aquarium.

What makes our botanical-style aquariums so compelling; so alluring? What is it about them which calls to us? Today’s brief piece is a little (hopefully) thought-provoking look at the thinking behind our work, and the natural habitats which inspire us...

The idea of throwing botanical materials into our aquariums is beyond just an aesthetic experiment these days. Rather, it’s a means to explore the function of the natural habitat. A way to replicate and observe the processes which occur when these terrestrial components mix with water...

When you think about it, when we set up an aquarium, it sort of goes through all of these intersting processes and phases which are sort of analogous to those which happen in Nature, right? What can we learn from these processes and phases (hint: a LOT)..?

There are so many considerations when attempting to replicate the wild habitats of our fishes in the aquarium. Many are things that we simply have to make guesses about.. amd that’s okay!

What makes a great aquascape? Cool materials? Talent? Effort? Well, sure- but that’s only part of it. Perhaps the most important part is something that we need to adopt in our minds.. a way of looking at stuff.. an attitude...a mental shift. A certain “something” that we can all adapt.

There is a perceptible shift in the “high concept” aquascaping world towards what they call “realism”- actually replicating natural aquatic features and habitats in the aquarium.. it’s close to what is needed to evolve aquarium keeping to the next level.. Close. However, there is still room to push the “functional” part of the equation...

There is something alluring about BIG ideas pulled off on a small scale. I really like just executing something very tightly and then- just possibly, “scaling up.” This little review of our “Tucano Tangle” biotope-inspired aquarium is just that.. an example of thinking big and executing small!