Rhythm of Nurture

[Fish Folk]

At a club meeting presentation this past year, Dr. Ted Coletti pointed out the great distinction between a hobby governed by “nurture” and one ruled by “nature.” He was talking about outdoor water gardens, and trying to simplify — for beginners — how you need to shift your thinking about caring for fish outdoors versus indoors. Of course there’s a lot more nuance to this discussion. But the thought was well-crafted, and stuck in my head.

When our first child was born, we determined to establish a rhythm for him, and not be totally ruled by his every outburst. “Let the baby cry a little while…” might seem outlandish to some, but believe me, it’s defined a lot of good over the many years since. There’s a good rhythm to nurture.

As an aquarist, I’ve determined never to be ruled by the fish so much as the fish are governed by sound, rhythmic nurture indoors. Outside is another matter! For example, I refuse to be suckered into water changes more frequently than I sense is right for each tank. For this one, that’s about once a week. And my, how we all love the rhythm together…

 

Hope you’ve all got a Nurture-Rhythm down! 

[xXInkedPhoenixX]

Lovely post friend. 

...and so very very true. 

[Anjum]

It's my goal with my tanks to work towards a state of equilibrium that emulates nature as closely as possible. But since they're in glass boxes in my house, they require some nurturing from me to get there. It doesn't happen overnight, so it's a process of watching, waiting, testing & tweaking. Over time, hopefully less & less of that nurturing will be needed as nature takes over. 

Beautiful tank Fish Folk ☺️