A discus breeder whom I'd known for many decades recently commented that many aquatic gardens seemed to lack much in the way of livestock. " Yes, pretty plants, but where are all the fish?" He asked me why they had lost their interest in fish. "Seems to me most of the planted aquarist started out as simple freshwater tropical fish hobbyist". "Why do you think planted aquarist gravitate to few fish?"
I still love fish and tried to balance my interest between these two aspects of the hobby. I swore "I'd never become like those plant people." I'm pretty sure I failed that part, but I am still the fish loving aquarist. Do aquatic gardeners lose their interest in fish? Or are they initially so overwhelmed with the new plants they lose sight of the other aspect that initially got them involved in the hobby? After mastering planted tanks and aquascaping, do we only then return to fish? Are we trying to force our taste to change away from the fish and towards a larger holistic ecosystem? Perhaps so. I've seen very few top rated planted tanks with large communities of fish. A small school of midwater tiny fish all artificially pointing one direction, tank is packed to the gills full of weeds.
This is intimidating to non planted aquarist. They like the idea of natural live plants, they like the idea of hiding places for the fish, the removal of nutrients by plants and the production of O2. They do not like the idea of one single small group of fish that they will likely not see much of and a weed choked glass box. Plants or no plants, a good well balanced stocked aquarium is still something that takes personal discipline( curing oneself of dreaded disease "fish collectoritis") on both cases. The same is true for planted gardens and their selection of plant species. So why not apply both ideas to both the aquarist aspects and fish keeping along with aquatic gardening? Do we really need to master each or one before moving on to the other parts of the hobby? Or can we master them both together?
Do we "love the planted tanks more" because we add few fish and thus are not concerned at much, adding fish as a mere after thought?
I have to wonder myself. In some aquariums, the fish where after thoughts or few where added. I simply did not care much at that time. Today, most every tank focuses of a good sized nice fish community and plant community together. In top rated ADA and Dutch aquariums, each lacks fish by most any aquarist standard that keeps fish. There are exceptions, but we all know there is certainly a high percentage that have very few fish.
Is this an aesthetic aquatic gardeners feel is best or better? Why? It seems to me that the love of both aspects should weigh equally, and the scurge of "collectoritis" should be applied to both plants and fish species.
Many fish only and planted only hobbyists I think have the same goals, but are scared of the other.
Some planted hobbyist feel the system is too unstable and "against the rules" to have more than a few fish. Many fish only hobbyists are unsure how to go about managing the jungle, many having terrestrial brown thumbs.
Should such rules be broken? Should we focus more on bring these two goals together as we gain competence? We 1st mastered fish, next the plants, now both? Many planted hobbbyist do good sized frequent water changes, this is similar to fish keepers and breeders with good balanced communities. That's where I got the idea from after all, not from planted hobbyist! Discus breeders mostly.
Is this a good direction to go?
Does this same philosophy also apply to the aesthetics of the aquarium set up itself and the placement in the home where it will be best enjoyed? Is this not also part of being an aquarist and aquascaping? In otherwords, does all design and aesthetics apply from the aquarium ...to the living space? It's often like a messy home with a few nice well done aquascapes that adds contrast? Many of the nicer examples of planted aquariums also have nice design placement and integration into the home itself.
Of course for most of us, we lack such permanent living space, or the economic means to have a design based around the aquarium or general theme, we may collectoritis in other areas, like knick knacks, old cars, books, cats, dogs, computer equipment or other hobbies. Still over time, I have sought to apply both aspects to my hobby and use the ideas I've gotten from aquariums to apply to many other aspects beyond the aquarium itself. This is not a sudden process, rather, a more gradual process of growth and integration. Piece by piece, step by step, question by question.
Regards,
Tom Barr
I still love fish and tried to balance my interest between these two aspects of the hobby. I swore "I'd never become like those plant people." I'm pretty sure I failed that part, but I am still the fish loving aquarist. Do aquatic gardeners lose their interest in fish? Or are they initially so overwhelmed with the new plants they lose sight of the other aspect that initially got them involved in the hobby? After mastering planted tanks and aquascaping, do we only then return to fish? Are we trying to force our taste to change away from the fish and towards a larger holistic ecosystem? Perhaps so. I've seen very few top rated planted tanks with large communities of fish. A small school of midwater tiny fish all artificially pointing one direction, tank is packed to the gills full of weeds.
This is intimidating to non planted aquarist. They like the idea of natural live plants, they like the idea of hiding places for the fish, the removal of nutrients by plants and the production of O2. They do not like the idea of one single small group of fish that they will likely not see much of and a weed choked glass box. Plants or no plants, a good well balanced stocked aquarium is still something that takes personal discipline( curing oneself of dreaded disease "fish collectoritis") on both cases. The same is true for planted gardens and their selection of plant species. So why not apply both ideas to both the aquarist aspects and fish keeping along with aquatic gardening? Do we really need to master each or one before moving on to the other parts of the hobby? Or can we master them both together?
Do we "love the planted tanks more" because we add few fish and thus are not concerned at much, adding fish as a mere after thought?
I have to wonder myself. In some aquariums, the fish where after thoughts or few where added. I simply did not care much at that time. Today, most every tank focuses of a good sized nice fish community and plant community together. In top rated ADA and Dutch aquariums, each lacks fish by most any aquarist standard that keeps fish. There are exceptions, but we all know there is certainly a high percentage that have very few fish.
Is this an aesthetic aquatic gardeners feel is best or better? Why? It seems to me that the love of both aspects should weigh equally, and the scurge of "collectoritis" should be applied to both plants and fish species.
Many fish only and planted only hobbyists I think have the same goals, but are scared of the other.
Some planted hobbyist feel the system is too unstable and "against the rules" to have more than a few fish. Many fish only hobbyists are unsure how to go about managing the jungle, many having terrestrial brown thumbs.
Should such rules be broken? Should we focus more on bring these two goals together as we gain competence? We 1st mastered fish, next the plants, now both? Many planted hobbbyist do good sized frequent water changes, this is similar to fish keepers and breeders with good balanced communities. That's where I got the idea from after all, not from planted hobbyist! Discus breeders mostly.
Is this a good direction to go?
Does this same philosophy also apply to the aesthetics of the aquarium set up itself and the placement in the home where it will be best enjoyed? Is this not also part of being an aquarist and aquascaping? In otherwords, does all design and aesthetics apply from the aquarium ...to the living space? It's often like a messy home with a few nice well done aquascapes that adds contrast? Many of the nicer examples of planted aquariums also have nice design placement and integration into the home itself.
Of course for most of us, we lack such permanent living space, or the economic means to have a design based around the aquarium or general theme, we may collectoritis in other areas, like knick knacks, old cars, books, cats, dogs, computer equipment or other hobbies. Still over time, I have sought to apply both aspects to my hobby and use the ideas I've gotten from aquariums to apply to many other aspects beyond the aquarium itself. This is not a sudden process, rather, a more gradual process of growth and integration. Piece by piece, step by step, question by question.
Regards,
Tom Barr
In that perspective I'm not surprised that our focus goes to plants, as this is partially unavoidable. But is this out of worry or out of interest? Maybe one is consequence of the other, at least for some of us.