Natural: Method vs. Style

[davemonkey]

On APC, I started a thread about how the word "natural" is interpreted in the planted tank hobby. I got some great feedback from people all around the globe, but I'd like to get the thoughts of the local Houston Area.

Just for background, HERE is the link to the thread/comments (mods, if this against any rule, please let me know to remove it).

And here are my initial thoughts:

When you hear or see the words “El Natural”, or “Walstad”, or “natural method”, what do you think of? What do you see? Is this a style of aquascaping,…or simply a method to fit ANY style,…a combination of those?

What about “Nature Aquarium”? What comes to mind?

Often, when newcomers enter the planted tank hobby, I’ll hear comments like “I’m on a tight budget” or “I don’t have time to devote to water changes or fertilizing”, or "I'm not ready to make the ADA plunge" etc… and I suggest "El Natural" to them as an option. But what am I REALLY suggesting? Am I recommending a low-light tank, with soil capped by gravel, and filled with crypts and swords? Or am I simply recommending using natural ingredients to achieve the same aquascape they would want if they chose a “high-tech” method?

Can you have both? Can you have a “natural” tank (set up using what we have come to know as “El Natural” or “Walstad” methods) that is also a “Nature” tank (the term we use to describe ADA-style) or a “High-Tech” tank? Can we blur the lines? Can we mix and match? Is there a limit?

-Dave

[Tetranerd]

Is there enough technology in Liberty to even have a fish tank?


I think of Amano whenever I hear "natural".

Low light and yeast bottle for low tech.

High light and pressurized co2 with Lilly pipes and rimless tanks for high tech.

I think the simple system with a landscaping that mimics a real underwater area would truely be "natural"

Just my two pennies

[davemonkey]

Is there enough technology in Liberty to even have a fish tank?

Barely...but yes.

Yes, most people want that "Amano" look, but there seems to be a misconception that the look/style cannot be achieved using natural methods (like NPT or El Natural).

I think there are more and more aquascapes today that prove that wrong. My 125, for example, is El Natural (soil substrate, relies heavily on soil and bioload for ferts, plants do most of the filtering, etc... ) and I think it still holds more to the style that people think of when it comes to "Nature Aquarium".



(Let me be more honest with my 125, though. It WAS El Natural for the first few months of its existence. It is now actually a full-on high tech tank that just happens to have a soil substrate.)

Are there any here in Houston with low-tech or NPT's that would like to share their tanks as example to this?

[Tetranerd]

I currently use a minimalist effort with my plants and tank.
I use a sand bottom. Two t8 four foot normal output flouresent tubes. And two spiral compacts. Seachem Flourish is the only suppliment I add. I feed the fish quite well, so they produce some fertilizer themself. I use one 2 litre yeast bottle for CO2. I think its way under dosed for co2, but the plants seem to grow quite steadily.
I came home today to see this giant sword (leaves grow to at least 12 inches long, and 4 inches or so wide), with a new leaf growing out of the water. It has about 4 leaves floating at the surface.


And this anubias seems to be happy enough that it streams bubbles all day.

[wesleydnunder]

Dave, like you, I've seen these terms bandied about the hobby for decades. My opinion? NOTHING that we do in a glass box is within screaming distance of natural. With that said, I'm as partial to a well-scaped tank as the next guy. I would lean more toward a Walstad system as being MORE natural than the carefully-manicured Amano or European tanks. Back in the day I did a lot of diving and snorkeling. Most of the natural scenery in the lakes and rivers I've dove bear little resemblance to the "natural" scapes we try so hard to arrange in our aquaria. Your tank is a good example, IMO, of one that is aesthetically pleasing to the eye but with the technology and work involved couldn't be considered natural.

Mark

[davemonkey]

Mark, I agree that no tank is truly natural. I use that term loosely as in the sense of the hobby's "El Natural" method (soil substrate, few if any electrical components, little or no ferts, using a lighted window for much of the light, etc... ). A more accurate term would be" very low tech", but since people use the words "El Natural" or "natural" to give a name to the method, that's the term I'm using.

The misconception I wanted to address was that if a tank is set up using that "El Natural" method then it won't be aesthetically pleasing. One person had said of these low tech tanks that they were a jungle of crypts and swords creating a lot of shade below them. (Not an exact quote, but close enough. )

Here's another "El Natural" that is far from a jungle of crypts and swords in my opinion:

[davemonkey]

And another:

[Tetranerd]

Dave,

I have heard many catch phrases since being involved with the hobby. Most seem to be an idea or a marketing scheme. And it was akways trendy to say you have a "such and such" styled tank. My favorite one to hear was "berlin style reef tank". Not one tank that I have ever seen looked like a true berlin tank.

My attempt at a planted was for south american plants and fish. Did well until I found some nice anubias. Well now my catch phrase was ruined. So now its a planted tank with no design, and no style. But my wife (who usually doesnt like fish tanks) loves it, and both of my kids love it too. I am constantly unhappy with it, so I guess I am doing something right 8^)
I am not using soil, I do suppliment with sunlight whenever I can (heating of house with blinds open is not desireable), and simple light-ferts-co2 was all by design as I ran a reef aquarium from 1991 to 2005. I wanted something easy with good greenery, and happy inhabitants. I think it makes no difference what title you add, its the end result speaks for itself.

Let me know when your tank needs a trim from overgrowth of all that "undesireble" anubias.
Tony

[mnemenoi]

I have heard the terms amongst planted tank enthusiasts as a means of distinguishing styles and isolating whatever equipment and tech was used to achieve that exact effect. Seems to be recently an advent of copyright and branding then any real difference.
"El Natural" brings to mind biotope type tanks that are often quite pleasing to the owner, but few else. Usually overgrown and allowed to sculpt themselves. I myself like these tanks, but they can be a bit wild and cater to specific species the aquarist chooses.
"Walstad" immediately conjures the Dutch style tank that is manicured, but lush. Tanks that have many different plant types that flow together, but never seem to mix amongst themselves.
"Natural Method" is more vague, but low tech using various alternatives to the marketed manner in which to maintain planted tanks.
"Nature Aquarium" brings ADA and Amano style minimalist high tech tanks to mind. Very stunning and gorgeous, but more symbolic and feng shei then natural in my opinion.

I myself mix and match products and equipment in my tanks and I have had to learn lessons to achieve affects through different methods. I started with 72 watts on my small 10 gallon and quickly learned to pull a bulb and love floating plants. I have never used Co2 on any of my tanks, but with other equipment and choosing plants and times correctly I am very pleased with the effects.

[davemonkey]

Yeah, I think these catch-phrases and style names can get rahter confusing and mixed up. The term "El Natural" is the name people starting associating with Walstad style tanks. I think the reason for this is that Walstad does not prescribe to any particular "style". If you read her book, you'll notice she nevers says anything about the style or layout or technique of aquascaping. She only describes a "method"...soil, heavy rooted plants and various other plants to serve a function, using the soil and fish food as the nutrient source for the plants, etc... She gives a method for establishing a planted aquarium, but mentions nothing of how to set it up in terms of layout, design, etc...

I think people get confused because they think of "El Natural" as a style, when in reality it is only a method that can be used in many different styles.

The other terms (Dutch, Nature, Iwagumi, etc... ) refer to actual styles. And if you ever read any of Amano's books or ADA catalogs, there is very little, if any, mention on "method", but rather he stick to style, design, layout, technique. The only method you'll see mentioned in ADA catalogs is where they tell you to use Aqausoil and Beetle-Glass, etc...

My point is, "El Natural" or "Walstad-style" are terms that actually describe a method and can be used in conjunction with ANY style or technique. On the other hand, "Nature" is referring to the style of Amano's tanks, and more than one method can be used to achieve that style.

The aquariums I posted pics of in this thread were all set up using the "El Natural" method, but represent different styles (Nature Aquarium and Dutch, for example).