Rethinking things from the bottom up...

[Tannin Aquatics]

Okay, not really "shrimp-centric" today, but another word on why we're so big on this whole "aquatic botanical" thing...It's a brief look at the "What possessed these guys to take this route?" question that I get a lot. You might glean some insights...

Have you ever looked at the bottom of a stream bed, creek, river, or lake?

Depending upon factors like the time of year, locale, water depth, current, etc., you're likely to see a lot more than just mud or sand on the bottom. The bottom of a body of water is a fascinating, surprisingly dynamic place within the natural ecosystem. The bottom (substrate) composition not only influences the types of fishes, plants, and animals that reside there- it influences the environment itself.

 When I began my obsession with aquatic botanicals and wood in aquaecapes, I was influence heavily by my observations of these natural ecosystems. It seemed that, although the aquarium world embraces lots of different substrate materials (different types of sands and gravels), rocks, wood, and plants, little attention has been paid to the other materials often present in this biotope.

In the Amazon, for example, you'll find seed pods, leaves, fruits, nuts, twigs, branches- all sorts of botanical materials- which accumulate on the bottom as they fall from surrounding trees, and are swept by currents into pockets and bends with the water courses. 

These accumulations in the substrate create surprisingly dynamic, ecologically rich biotopes. Many, many fishes reside in these "benthic" areas for part or all of their lives, deriving food, shelter, and spawning refuges within the matrix of materials that accumulate on the bottom.

So I always wondered why, as hobbyists, we simply were content to do a "rough representation" of the bottom of a natural aquatic environment with just plants, wood, and rocks. I mean, don't get me wrong-you can create many gorgeous underwater scenes with these materials only, but to truly attempt to replicate the aquatic environment in the most natural way possible, it seemed only proper that you'd want to include the aforementioned botanical materials.

So, I set about studying the natural environments and sourcing materials that provided a reasonable facsimile of those you'd find in the wild. I began playing with the aesthetic of placing prepared botanicals on and in the more traditional substrate materials, such as gravel and sand. The result was aquarium substrates that not only looked more like the ones encountered in the natural environment- they behaved much like them, as well.

I realized that there is a dynamic interplay between the water, substrate, and materials which accumulate in and on it. As these materials soften and break down, the enrich the surrounding aquatic environment with organic materials, tannins, and other substances which contribute to the biodiversity and functionality of the aquascape. l loosely refer to this as "substrate enrichment."

I noticed that many of my fishes which came from these types of biotopes, such as characins, dwarf cichlids, Cyprinids, etc., began looking better, behaving more calmly, and even reproducing more readily. Shrimp went nuts, grazing and displaying interesting activity levels...maybe it was in my head, but even my wife noticed!

It was not uncommon to find clouds of fish fry of various species swimming about in the matrix of materials on the bottom of aquarium 'scaped in this manner.

Plus, I found the aesthetic quite attractive! Now, I realize it's not for everyone: Decomposing leaves, biofilms. crumbling botanicals, even a matrix of algae- is not every aquarist's idea of a cool-looking substrate. However, for those adventurous aquarists who embrace this new aesthetic, an entirely new experience and possibilities await!

I know many are skeptical. I know many more are downright frightened of the idea of stuff slowly breaking down on the bottom of the aquarium. It's sort of contrary to what we've been "acculturated" to in more "conventional" aquatic husbandry: You need to keep aquarium neat and tidy, with not accumulation of materials on the bottom. And stability is so important with shrimp...sensetivity is a factor to take into account, of course. In my opinion, fear of what they think might be degrading water quality caused by such activity frightens a lot of aquarists off from trying this. 

The facts are, I've not seen degrading water quality as a result of using botanicals in otherwise well-managed systems. Ever.

Yeah, if you're not dumping a ton of food into a tank, over-stocking it, and allowing dead fish to accumulate in the tank, you're likely to see no real difference in water quality in a "New Botanical" style aquarium that you are in a more "conventional" system. The main difference is the aesthetic - Tinted water, lots of materials on the bottom, biofilms, and even the occasional clumps of algae- just like in nature.

One you make that "mental leap" to this aesthetic, you might just find that it's one of the most dynamic, easy-to-manage aquarium systems you've ever worked with. You just need to wrap your head around it. And as for the shrimp? Well, mine took to it pretty easily. But that's just MY experience; it would be irresponsible for me to recommend dumping stuff into your tank as the "ultimate" way to go. It's just ANOTHER possible route to success with shrimps...

Give it a shot. Try "substrate enrichment" on a small scale in a small, specialized aquarium. See if you can handle the look, feel, and results...I'll bet that not only can you "handle" it- I'm willing to bet you'll fall in love with the idea! And I think your animals will be just fine...just go slowly and carefully, with a healthy dose of common sense!

Stay open minded. Stay creative. 

Stay wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

 

[SOTG402]

good read

[Tannin Aquatics]

10 minutes ago, SOTG402 said:

good read

Thanks...I think I've kind of made most of my thoughts clear on using botanicals in our tanks...Probably time for some new topics next week, lol.

-Scott

[SOTG402]

My next tank ill go your route try and replicate amazon habitat. Looking forward to next weeks topics!

[mayphly]

Nice read! I like the idea of having something a bit different in the tank for the shrimp to pick on. I went ahead and ordered the Fundo Misto to try out in some of my tanks. It looks like a great variety of pods in that pack. Looking forward to them! Thanks!

[adrand]

Im loving your contributions to the forum. Nice job.

[Tannin Aquatics]

1 hour ago, mayphly said:

Nice read! I like the idea of having something a bit different in the tank for the shrimp to pick on. I went ahead and ordered the Fundo Misto to try out in some of my tanks. It looks like a great variety of pods in that pack. Looking forward to them! Thanks!

Thanks very much for your kind words, and your order. I think you'll really enjoy the variety of stuff in that pack! Just follow the pre instructions and you're on your way! Be sur to share the experience (good. bad, otherwise) and let us know how we can improve!

Regards,

 

Scott

[Tannin Aquatics]

2 hours ago, SOTG402 said:

My next tank ill go your route try and replicate amazon habitat. Looking forward to next weeks topics!

I'm excited to see what you come up with! Sorry to make you want to set up another tank...I cause "MTS"  ("Multiple Tank Syndrome") for a lot of fish geeks, lol!

 

Scott

[Tannin Aquatics]

1 hour ago, adrand said:

Im loving your contributions to the forum. Nice job.

Thanks for the nice thoughts! Really happy to be here!

-Scott

[oem]

 Hi Scott,    I like the way you think.  I try and keep some of my tanks as natural as possible. Compost from my garden.  Then I go to the local sand and gravel pit and sift thru piles to get 1/8"-3/8" igneous stones.(tiny lucky stones) and accent with larger pieces.  Oak and maple leaves and acorn caps from the creek out back.  Empty snail shells and some duckweed (plus RR floaters).  Guppys and my new Dimunutus crayfish.  Some would say it looks like the drainage ditch, but I see the wonderful outside even during a snowstorm.,,,,Mike

[barvinok]

thank you for the nice read

[Tannin Aquatics]

2 hours ago, oem said:

 Hi Scott,    I like the way you think.  I try and keep some of my tanks as natural as possible. Compost from my garden.  Then I go to the local sand and gravel pit and sift thru piles to get 1/8"-3/8" igneous stones.(tiny lucky stones) and accent with larger pieces.  Oak and maple leaves and acorn caps from the creek out back.  Empty snail shells and some duckweed (plus RR floaters).  Guppys and my new Dimunutus crayfish.  Some would say it looks like the drainage ditch, but I see the wonderful outside even during a snowstorm.,,,,Mike

Cool! I think that's the point...Juts because something doesn't look like the "generally accepted" perception of "what an aquarium is supposed to look like" doesnt mean that its not cool. If you look at underwater movies of the Amazonian region, you see stuff that would typically make most hobbyists cringe: Plants covered in a slime algae, cyan on the substrate, crumbled leaves, jubled twigs, mud bottoms. Now yeah. a fish tank is not the Rio Negro, or whatever- but to simulate such an environment is pretty simple- surprisingly so- if we unchain ourselves mentally from the preconceptions that we have as hobbyists. And I've found that, with a few exceptions here and there- these systems run just as easily- if not more easily ('cause we're not fighting every little spec of algae or broen down matter, etc.) that the "conventional" systems we're more accustomed to. 

Now I realize shrimp fanciers need to maintain a certain degree of control, stability, cleanliness, but I think you'll find that system with decomposing leaves and botanicals and such, if well maintained, has nutrient levels no greater than a more "sterile" type of system. Juts because the water is brown doesn't mean its high in nutrients, etc. That being said, there is still much room for experimentation.

Would love to see pics of your tanks!
 

Scott

[oem]

Thanks Scott, I'll need to get some help to get pictures up.  It took 6 weeks to get the water slightly yellow from brown and at times I was wondering if it was going to work out.  I'm glad I waited.  My PH went from 7.5 to 7.0.  Not too drastic. TDS,NO2 were crazy.  I was worried about lack of algae so I seeded it with some stones from my other tank.  The RR floaters slowly died leaving ton of adaptable little plantlets.  Some roots lie on the bottom still, providing food for my guppy fry and the crays, which are thriving.  I still need to clean excess detritus for quality control and the foam filter needs swept off more often. Not sure of current TDS, NO2 or NO3 but need to check again. (Lazy and not to worried)  I still need to lower my PH to bring out the color of my crays.  Eccentric  YES , Crazy   Probably

Whether breeding for a specific color or cycling a tank patience is not only a virtue but a necessity.