The Tint

We have been collecting fishes for the aquarium hobby form Amazonia for over century. However, did you know that there are significant populations of little SHRIMP there? Yeah, and they live I. LEAF LITTER! You know where I’m going with this...

Occasionally, those of you who are interested in starting your own aquarium-related businesses ask me to share various aspects of the business that might be challenging or scary. I’m happy to oblige...here’s some hard facts, encouragement, and motivation for you- the aspiring aquatic industry entrepreneur!

After the establishment of a botanical style aquarium, a certain set of predictable occurrences happens- and how we accept them can dictate the further evolution of our tanks.

It has been a long time coming. A tank “refresh” in time for Fall. Always run! And when you’re coming out of a “funk”, as I was- it represents a chance to bring back a missing element- FUN!

In an episode that is as much about philosophy as it is about execution, Johnny Ciotti, Tannin’s Creative Director, and world-class aquascaper, shares his thoughts. Filled with insights, stories, and humor, this episode has something for everyone!

It’s amazing how a serious of events, and being on the receiving end of attitudes- can take you into the darkness- and back into the light- better off for the journey..

When our fishes “spontaneously” spawn in a botanical style/blackwater aquarium, it’s easy to rush to the conclusion that it was “something” released by the botanicals. I mean, sure- it could have been.. could there be “something” In the water? Or perhaps...a,combination of factors?

When we relax a bit in our aquarium design and aquascaping- and allow Nature to do some of the work- we can create works which are as compelling, intriguing, and beautiful as any “high concept” ‘scape around.. We just need to get out of the way, right?

Nature is an imperfect place...And our interpretations of Nature involves making some mental shifts and adjusting our aesthetic expectations. It’s a quantum shift in our hobby...it compels is to find the beauty in things that we previously might have looked at as “dirty”, “unkempt” , or just plain “ugly.” It makes us review what we’ve previously thought about as “Authentic” in this regard...

Ever wonder why we don’t see rock in igapo habitats? Are any rocks found in blackwater habitats? Well, they are, but the rocks likely didn’t form there.. the story of their formation and how they arrived in these habitats is a fascinating tale of incongruous elements coming together... so, yeah- You CAN have rocks and leaves together and be faithful to Nature...in context.

All of the processes which occur in our aquariums are dictated by Nature- yet comprise a sort of “dance”- a combination of moves that require our monitoring, understanding, and on occasion- intervention. But, how much?

Like most of you, I’m set in my ways in some aspects of the hobby. I have a definite “comfort zone”, and when I’m forced to make quick changes.. well, it can be “challenging.” Yeah, we’re all like this....

What would happen if you let your natural, botanical-style aquarium “go” for a bit.? You know, skip a water exchange or two, etc... would it “crash”, or simply continue to operate? Well, a lot of what happens during such periods of time is predicated upon how you set up the aquarium in the first place...

The bodies of water collectively known as “streams” are probably one of the most fascinating, diverse, and ecologically complex habitats that we can replicate in our aquariums! Let’s think about them a bit differently!

We love utilizing natural materials in our aquariums. However, we try not to get too carried away at making sure that every item in our biotope-themed aquarium is the EXACT material found in the habitat we seek to represent. Rather, we rely on the power of “Generic Tropical!”

Arguably one of the aquarium hobby's most dynamic personalities, Rachel O'Leary has cemented her place as an icon. Whether it's traveling to a local club or conference, crushing it on her YouTube channel, or just hanging out in her amazing fish room, Rachel has been an inspiration to thousands of hobbyists worldwide. We were fortunate enough to grab her for about an hour and just talk "fish stuff....

I’ll be first to admit it- our tanks look entirely different than many we’ve come to expect in the hobby. And it’s largely based on the very materials which we employ in our aquariums. Periodically, we need to remind the “mainstream” hobby that there IS a reason why... and that it’s pretty cool!

Preserving and building upon existing materials within our aquariums is a fundamental practice we can do to to more realistically emulate Nature. And what kinds of unique results can we expect by playing with this idea?

As we get ready to say our farewells to our venerable office botanical-style brackish water aquarium, it’s fun to reflect on some of the lessons learned, the dynamics of the system, and the potential for future breakthroughs using a more evolved approach.

After several years of being pretty loud about all sorts of topics related to botanical-style aquariums, I still see a fair number of misconceptions and outdated misunderstandings- and even myths- about these systems tossed about in the hobby. Time to “keep it real” and clarify a few of the more common ones!

An aquascape requires a plan, the right pieces, and execution on the part of the aquarist. A botanical-style aquarium requires all of those things- and the passage of time, to fully set the stage and create something special..

The amazing interdependencies between land and water create fascinating aquatic habitats. If we study these unique relationships, we can learn a tremendous amount about how our fishes thrive in them..

I have a weird hang up about aquariums. It caused me to take a perfectly good, potentially interesting aquarium idea recently and just... kill it. Help me solve this issue, okay?

We have a whole lot of opinions, discussions, and ideas in the idea of “Nature” in our aquariums. It’s an interesting- even decisive topic, that everyone seems to have a point of view on. Understanding the function of Nature is every bit as important as ascribing a “label” to our aquariums.

An increasingly accepted part of the aquarium hobby is the fact that botanical materials- and the biofilms which they recruit- are an excellent food source for many aquatic organisms. Now, which ones are best? Which are the most “usable” for our fishes and shrimp? And what benefits do they offer?