Moon

While I haven't heard of this incarnation of natural aquariums I have been keeping what I call natural aquariums for many years. I use a special potting soil mix that I make up my self covered by three to five inches of fine sand. I prefer black sand like "Tahitian moon sand" but any kind of sand will do. My potting soil consists of ground up lava rocks, ground into four like dust and sand sized particles. organic pet, earth worm castings and ground up oak leaves. Here are the mix ratios

2 parts ground lava rock
1 part earth worm castings
4 parts composted peat
1 part ground leaves

I put down a layer of this about one inch deep and cover that with about a layer of fiberglass screening. then I put down one quarter inch of whole oak leaves. I then cover that with my sand. It works great and all my plants grow great. Next time I start up a new tank I plan to add about 1/4 part coral sand with the bottom mixture.

I grow not only a lush layer of plant growth but I also grow swamp trees trimmed back like bonsai with the foliage out of the water. The tree roots make for an interesting effect in the tank. Trees are also heavy feeders and draw lots of nutrients out of the water. I have also grown moist soil trees with the roots hanging in the water with the trunk and foliage out of the water. I also count the animal inhabitants of the aquarium when I say natural. I like to keep lots of small fishes and freshwater invertebrates like shrimp, crabs, and various snails and clams. There are lots of unusual invertebrates out there. All we have to do as hobbyests is to ask for something other than the common everyday snails and such we have seen all our lives. There are snails that look nore like marine snails than the smooth boring snails we have seen over the years, freshwater limpets as much as one and a half inches across, as well as many different types of shrimp, crayfish, and crabs. A natural aquarium should have as many different animals as possbile and they should all be small along with small fish. These small animals along with as lush plant growth allows the veiwer to see something different everytime they look with something coming out of hiding all the time.