That obvious trait for success we all know and practice, but seemingly never discuss

[Tannin Aquatics]

Consistency.

You hear the term mentioned in pretty much every field of human endeavor: Sports, investing, education, nutrition, business, personal fitness, blah, blah, blah...

And of course, it's a concept perfectly applicable to aquarium keeping. Absolutely.

Yet we don't really talk about it much. Or think about it...except maybe when something goes wrong. Case in point- last week, I had a conversation with a fellow hobbyist who had a tank that was amazing for years, only to start declining rapidly over the past couple of months for "no apparent reason."

It wasn't until we discussed it thoroughly, as fish buddies do, that it was apparent that his once stable aquarium was declining because of some rather subtle, yet immediately obvious changes to his maintenance routines. It just took  a little bit of "talking it out" with a "third party" (i.e.; me) for him to see that the obvious cause was a much longer period of time between water changes and a less consistent filter media change-out schedule.

Ahh, there it was again. Consistency.

Consistency is a trait that can not only make you a better aquarist- it can create a better aquarium! It applies to virtually every area of the aquarium hobby: Environmental parameters, equipment choices, feeding, livestock selection, maintenance, and procedures, just to mention a few.



Consistent habits create consistent environmental parameters, without a doubt. A prime example would be the achievement and maintenance of consistent environmental parameters with regular maintenance procedures, such as water changes, dosing schedules, and lighting photoperiods. As you've heard me mention ad nauseum here, natural rivers, lakes, and streams, although subject to seasonal variations and such, are typically remarkably stable physical environments, and fishes and plants, although capable of adapting to environmental changes, have really evolved over eons to grow in consistent, stable conditions. (Click to read more...)