The Tint

Everything in our aquariums changes over time. This is especially true in our botanical-style aquariums. How we accept it and embrace it is an important factor in how happy we are with our aquariums.

You can be a very responsible fish owner without obsessing over making every micro-semion of conductivity, or every ppm of phosphate in your tank match that of your fishes’ wild habitat.

We in the aquarium hobby need to let go of our long-held beliefs about what is truly “beautiful.” We need to study and understand the elegant way Nature does stuff- and just why it is that natural aquatic habitats look the way they do. Let’s celebrate aquariums which depict Nature as it really is...

One of the “best practices” for using natural botanical materials in our aquariums is proper preparation. In today’s podcast, we review those basic prep steps and answer some common questions on this process.

Leaves, seed pods, and botanical materials are “ephemeral” in nature. When we place them in our aquariums, they begin to break down, recruit biofilms, fungi and other organisms. They ultimately become “detritus.” Is there a benefit to letting detritus accumulate?

As aquarium hobbyists, it’s been drummed into our collective psyche that regular, diligent maintenance is essential to creating a successful aquarium. What would happen- particularly in a natural, botanical-style aquarium if we let go?