Going natural?

[Tannin Aquatics]

As more and more people get into the idea of utilizing botanicals materials, like leaves, seed pods, etc. in their aquariums, we're seeing more and more creative applications. We're also seeing a lot of people go from tentatively adding a few things to their tanks, to starting them out with botanicals as a major "component" of the scape- part of the "theme" of the tank, itself, which is really cool.

I've noticed a definite trend, if you will, in some specialized areas of the hobby, such as the cichlid world, for example, which are really interesting. It seems that there has been a sort of mental shift from keeping cichlids in more-or-less "utilitarian", almost "sterile" setups for breeding, to aquariums that more accurately reflect the habitats from which these fishes hail from in the wild. I really like this, because we're paying greater attention to the "big picture" of their husbandry- not just feeding, water chemistry, and providing spawning locations. Instead, we're providing all of these things within the context of a more natural display...and hobbyists are getting great results...and they're enjoying their tanks even more! (click to read more)