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The X recently gave me her aquarium. It’s mainly the same fish I was taking care of last summer, but she upgraded to a much larger tank.
This put me in a conundrum. Exactly how elaborate and expensive should I make this aquarium setup? It’s one of those things where there’s an unlimited reservoir of complexity accessible to the hobbyist.
Case in point, the natural aquarium movement, as pioneered by Japanese Aquarium artist Takashi Amano.
His tanks employ a zen garden aesthetic, which favors asymmetrical framing and an implied sense of depth.
Now, the plants themselves aren’t too expensive, but they don’t grow that way by themselves. If I were to try and replicate something like that (and I’m not saying I won’t) I would need four times the wattage of light that I’m currently using (at least) and a CO2 drip apparatus. Much of this equipment can bought through the SF Bay area retailer of Amano materials. Not only do they sell the CO2 apparatus, but they also sell the necessary fertilizer, aquarium filters made from blown-glass, and German surgical steel pruning scissors that cost about $100 a pair.
So, no, I don’t figure I’ll be dropping $500 on a really neat fish tank anytime soon.
Instead, I created a reaction to Amano’s natural aquaria style, what I call unnatural aquariums. It cost me about $7 at the dollar store.
My housemate said that the aquarium is now the nicest thing in the house, which is surely an exaggeration, but damn if those fish aren’t engrossing.