I’ve mentioned before that aquariums have been a lifelong hobby. I’ve had tanks ranging in size from 2 gallons to 55 gallons. Glass and acrylic. Freshwater and even, briefly, saltwater (beautiful to look at but too expensive and labor-intensive).
One thing I had never tried was live plants.
Instead, I gravitated toward artificial plastic plants in gaudy colors you’d never find in nature. Some even glowed in the dark. The rest of my decor was just as tacky. I probably hit a new low when I added the ceramic pink flamingo.
But a funny thing happened last month. I was staring at the aquarium one day and realized I hated the way it looked. All that fake stuff wasn’t me! When I worked at a tropical fish store in high school (my first-ever job), I laughed at the people who bought tacky crap like plastic treasure chests with lids that open and close, skeletons manning the ship’s helm, mermaids riding seahorses, and intentionally ironic NO FISHING signs. Somehow, all these years later, I had morphed into that very guy I pitied.
So, I decided to completely redo my aquarium. My new mantra? Au naturel, baby! I’d recently discovered a great tropical fish store in Madison called Big Kahuna; from the outside it’s a very unassuming warehouse in an industrial park, but step inside and you’re greeted with seemingly endless rows of tropical fish, tanks, stands, supplies, and plants. I loaded up on natural rocks and driftwood, which then had to soak in water for 2-3 weeks to leach out all the tannins. Once that was complete, I replaced my gaudy collection with the new stuff before moving on to stage two: live plants.
As knowledgeable as I am with aquariums, I knew next to nothing about plants. But I figured, we already have one green thumb in the family. Maybe we could have two! Though mine would be more of a wet thumb.
I spent a couple of weeks learning all I could about aquascaping through online articles, blogs, and YouTube videos. Familiarized myself with different types of plants, learned how to care for them, and – much like Tara plots out her garden beds every year – came up with a diverse grouping that my research promised would be fairly low-maintenance and beginner-friendly.
(Unlike my wife, I did not draw diagrams on graph paper, though it’s awfully cute that she does.)
Saturday was the big day. I drove to Big Kahuna, stocked up on plants and tools and supplies and, what the heck, a gorgeous koi angelfish that would serve as a beautiful centerpiece. I filled my first-ever 10-gallon tank with angels back in the day, but hadn’t owned any in decades. I guess you can say I’m taking this whole going-back-to-my-roots thing seriously.
I came home and got to work. One of the coolest things about creating an aquascape? The roots of some aquarium plants, like java ferns, don’t get buried; you can attach them directly to rocks and driftwood with aquarium glue, which is exactly what I did. Others, like swords, grow very tall; you plant them in the back and nourish with root tabs, which are basically tiny fertilizer pellets buried in the substrate. Whew; so much to learn! But I feel reasonably knowledgeable now.
Ninety minutes later, my tank was completely transformed. Here’s a before-and-after: Nov. 2023 (left) and today (right).
I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out! Once these plants grow and fill out (fingers crossed!), they’re really going to look impressive. And they make the fish happy, too. I’m already itching to add more.
“Now you know how I feel,” Tara said. Which I think is really just a subtle play to prevent me from bitching when she comes home with a pickup bed full of yet more flowers and herbs and vegetable starts and shrubs, but I gotta admit – ulterior motives aside – she’s right. I do.
Have you ever owned tropical fish? How green is your thumb? Got a fun hobby?
Mark My Words 
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