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Background
1990s to 2020+
Our story is a simple one. The last 20 years has been a golden age of transformation for the planted aquarium hobby. Critical enablers- CO2 and lighting- became cheaper and radically better on the back of mass production. Plant varietals rode the tide of globalisation and proliferated like never before: newer, more colourful plants, with more complex needs. Aquarium accessories (filters, pumps, tools) expanded in range and sophistication.
Laggards & Extremes
However one area- fertilisation- remained a laggard. Conventional fertilisers were largely developed in the 1980s for 'fish tanks' and simpler / hardy plants. They were inadequate for the newer and more complex plants that had proliferated. Hobbyists responded by creating their own DIY mixtures such as the 'Estimative Index' movement, but tended to overcompensate, resulting in fertilisers that were powerful but often impractical or inconsistent.
Mavens & Rebels
That is where we came in. One of our co-founders, Dennis, had spent the last decade perfecting a set of formulas that combined the best of both worlds- agricultural science that informed conventional fertilisers, and 'real world' data from his circle of 'mad scientists' / plant mavens who were grooming the newer, fancier plants. The result was something that could 'grow anything'- enabling consistent, high-probability results when supported by certain practical routines-now all part of 'The 2Hr Way'.
Now here is our marketing talk for you:
Our Story
The 2Hr Aquarist is perhaps best known for its Nitrate Limitation CapstoneTM methodology which unlocks richer coloration and stronger growth in aquatic plants. It is an active thought-leader in planted aquarium science. It serves aspiring hobbyists through a suite of high performance products backed by an integrated success system: The 2Hr WayTM.
It started with a small group of passionate tinkerers and experimenters linked by the internet across 3 continents who were dissatisfied with the available options on the market.
"APT" shorthand for 'Advanced Planted Tank' started as a website to share findings and connect with like-minded aquarists. It made small batches of custom-blends for its own use. Requests from friends for these custom-blends quickly grew larger than it imagined, and The 2Hr Aquarist as a company was born in 2019.
It is headquartered in Singapore, one of the world's largest trading hubs of aquatic plants from Indo-China / Southeast Asia. It leverages Singapore’s unparalleled infrastructure for research and quality manufacturing.
OUR PRINCIPLES
Better Everyday
We are closely connected to the pulse of the global planted community, and constantly improving. If the finer details of our products or instructions seem different from the last time you encountered them, it is because we are not standing still.
Professional
While we are a young company, our diverse team has over 20 years of combined experience in product development, international sales and distribution, marketing and branding, drawn from stints across Fortune 500 MNCs. We pride ourselves in thinking big, acting small and moving fast.
Grow Together
We believe in growth through sharing and collaboration. That is why we operate the world’s most comprehensive resource on the planted aquarium, which started even before we launched our first product. We continue to develop this free resource.
