There is a lot of confusion in the mainstream aquarium hobby about the long-term maintenance of botanical method aquariums. A certain pessimism or fear, which leads some to believe that these aquariums are teetering on the bring of failure, flirting with disaster. Must be all of those leaves and decomposing botanicals, right? The reality couldn't be more different: These tanks run remarkably stable, even when "benign neglected for periods of time. Why? Because they run on ecology!