Graham
Community Member
The 200 gallon jungle has been a work in progress since the start of 2009. While there is a great deal to say about how I arrived at my present understanding, most of which is probably relevant but would be uncompromisingly tedious, I have no intention of treading worn ground. I can boast that what I've learned about aquatic gardening I learned on this tank build. I paid my dues in real time, failures and successes coming in equal shares for the most part. Those whose interest I manage to hold will likely have sufficient experience to track my process to the conclusions at which I arrive. I will very much appreciate questions and comments. It is not possible to lay the whole scheme out in one go, so this post is only a starting place. I plead your patience; all will be revealed.
While this aquarium is certainly of the high-light/high-tech school (hereafter HLHT), the original, really meaningful influence on my thinking about planted aquariums was - and is still - Diana Walstad's Ecology of the Planted Aquarium 1999 [2nd Ed 2003]. Walstad is a proponent of the natural method, and the aquaristics she promulgates are not wholly consistent with HLHT practices, to say the least. But those ideas are at the core of what aquatic plants and their culture are all about. That is where the basic science begins. From Walstad I went to my limnology, ecology, and environmental engineering textbooks with a whole new lens through which to look at this, and that is what sparked my serious interest in this hobby.
The "jungle style" is a category most akin perhaps to Amano Nature. It verges on Dutch style but eschews the "formal garden" discipline. It is decidedly not diorama, but could share certain features with it. The jungle style's defining characteristic is that it is wild. It looks like an assemblage of opportunistic plants competing for space and light, because that is essentially what it is. Given space restrictions, certain rules do apply. Tall plants at the back, less tall plants at the front. Density is a key feature, but congestion is unhealthy; it takes some practice to get that one right. A first principle in the philosophy of the jungle style is to give the ecosystem freedom to express itself. Give plants their head. They go where they go for a reason. The aquarist should not interfere until necessity dictates. A lotus volunteer pops up in the foreground, which is the last place you'd ordinarily plant it, but that's interesting. Seeing that is why I do this. Life making its way is a profound thing. If I create a world where nature is happening, that's gratifying beyond words.
These are pics of the jungle today. I have been rescaping and pruning, and am in the middle of some larger maintenance procedures a bit overdue. So this tank is not looking its best just now.
SWCR is Streaming Water Change Regimen. This is a method I have been experimenting with for the past two years and am confident now that I have proof of concept as to its utility. It necessarily requires a high degree of automation in system functions, especially supplement auto-dosing. I will describe it in detail, but I do not necessarily advocate it. It's definitely not for everybody. Neptune Systems Apex makes this method possible.
While this aquarium is certainly of the high-light/high-tech school (hereafter HLHT), the original, really meaningful influence on my thinking about planted aquariums was - and is still - Diana Walstad's Ecology of the Planted Aquarium 1999 [2nd Ed 2003]. Walstad is a proponent of the natural method, and the aquaristics she promulgates are not wholly consistent with HLHT practices, to say the least. But those ideas are at the core of what aquatic plants and their culture are all about. That is where the basic science begins. From Walstad I went to my limnology, ecology, and environmental engineering textbooks with a whole new lens through which to look at this, and that is what sparked my serious interest in this hobby.
The "jungle style" is a category most akin perhaps to Amano Nature. It verges on Dutch style but eschews the "formal garden" discipline. It is decidedly not diorama, but could share certain features with it. The jungle style's defining characteristic is that it is wild. It looks like an assemblage of opportunistic plants competing for space and light, because that is essentially what it is. Given space restrictions, certain rules do apply. Tall plants at the back, less tall plants at the front. Density is a key feature, but congestion is unhealthy; it takes some practice to get that one right. A first principle in the philosophy of the jungle style is to give the ecosystem freedom to express itself. Give plants their head. They go where they go for a reason. The aquarist should not interfere until necessity dictates. A lotus volunteer pops up in the foreground, which is the last place you'd ordinarily plant it, but that's interesting. Seeing that is why I do this. Life making its way is a profound thing. If I create a world where nature is happening, that's gratifying beyond words.
These are pics of the jungle today. I have been rescaping and pruning, and am in the middle of some larger maintenance procedures a bit overdue. So this tank is not looking its best just now.
SWCR is Streaming Water Change Regimen. This is a method I have been experimenting with for the past two years and am confident now that I have proof of concept as to its utility. It necessarily requires a high degree of automation in system functions, especially supplement auto-dosing. I will describe it in detail, but I do not necessarily advocate it. It's definitely not for everybody. Neptune Systems Apex makes this method possible.
