October 2019 Meeting
A special thank you to Will Tarry, who stepped up to host our October meeting! Twenty two people came to hear Jeff Michaels of AquaticClarity.com talk about Ultima Elementum (the final element): Adding life to your aquascape.
First, he talked about how he prefers semi-biotope aquascapes (keeping plants and fish from the same region). He stressed the importance of planning, researching, and picking a theme before you start setting up your aquascape and how the process is similar to terrestrial gardening. He also said to buy plants you like!
So, what is the “final element”? Fish, of course! Adding fish to an aquascape is “the crown molding in the formal dining room; the missing piece that makes the picture whole”. You can add fish for a variety of different reasons. You can have fish for their behavior, work (algae eaters, keep substrate clean), movement, or display/colors.
Fish add a decorative element to your tank. They can either be an accent color, mostly blending in to their surroundings, or a focal point with a pop of bright, contrasting colors.
Then, Jeff went through pictures of gorgeous fish from different geographical regions. When setting up a tank, you can pick fish from the same body of water, river system, lake, or backwater. The type of fish you add to your tank also depends on your tank parameters (water flow, hard vs. soft water, fresh water vs. brackish, etc.).
Here are some common types of fish from different regions:
-South America- tetras, pencil fish, cichlids, catfish
-Central America- cichlids, tetras, live bearers
-West Africa- cichlids, “barbs”, tetras, anabantoids, killifish, catfish, gobies, pufferfish
-East Africa- cichlids, killifish, catfish
-India and Asia- rasboras, barbs, antabantoids (gourami and bettas), catfish, loaches
-Australia- blue eyed rainbow fish, rainbow fish
Jeff says to take a risk on a fish. If you see something you’ve always wanted to keep… go for it! There’s no right or wrong and have fun!
Here’s Jeff giving the talk: