The Tint

“There’s some stringy stuff growing on my leaves..” if we had dollar for every tine we heard that.. yeah. Well, guess what- you have BIOFILM! And you should be stoked! We’ll talk about the slimy, gooey, and entirely misunderstood biofilms in today’s podcast.. and you might just come to love ‘em after all!

Our world is one of constant change. And just occasionally, breakthroughs are achieved. Botanical style aquariums are a literal “proving ground” for all sorts of cutting edge hobby ideas. Especially when we move forward...boldly.

Like any other aquarium, a botanical-style aquarium requires us to observe, understand, and maintain what we’ve created. We are very much creating a little “microcosm”, and need to respect the checks and balances which Nature imposes upon it.

Killifishes are a large and diverse group of fishes. They’re super colorful, interesting, relatively easy to breed- and they come form all sorts of fascinating habitats ripe for replication in our aquariums! So what aren’t they more popular? I think I know why.. and how to fix this!

There is something special that occurs when you take a so-called “common” fish and provide it with conditions similar to those in which it’s evolved for eons.. in this episode, we discuss this simple concept, through some personal examples. Perhaps it’ll inspire you to see your “common” fishes in a whole new light!

Water levels in Nature ebb and flow. The angles of the sun change. Fishes face constant challenges, evolving over eons to meet them via evolution, adaptation, and behaviors. How can we apply these seasonal changes to our aquarium world?

The key to long-term success with natural, botanical-style aquariums is to go slowly, deploy patience, observation- and consistent maintenance practices... in this episode, we talk about the long-term husbandry of these unique aquariums.

I can’t help but wonder what it is that brings various fishes to a certain location of niche within an environment. In this episode, we contemplate stocking of our aquariums in a more natural sequence. Blurring the lines, for sure!

It’s time to push out our botanical aquarium “practice” and express Nature in a more “literal” way. That means not-so-spotless aquariums, turbid water; more decomposing materials. It’ll challenge our aesthetic sensibilities, our skills, and our patience. However, the potential benefits of this “blurring of the lines” between Nature and aquarium are manifold and exciting! Go next level!

Sure, it’s hardly a mystery that Nature offers tons of materials that we can play with in our aquariums. In this episode, we get into the basics of “doing it yourself”- and Scott delivers a bit of “tough love” on taking the responsibility to research...

I love looking at aquarium “movements” and techniques. I love seeing them rise to prominence and being embraced in our work. The so-called “Walstad Method” provides an amazing context for our botanical-style aquariums- and we need to study it more closely....

The philosophy of meeting Nature where it is, and appreciating the constant changes occurring in a natural aquarium is fundamental to what we do. No where in the aquarium world is this more evident than in the botanical-style natural method that we love...

Let’s be a bit more accurate- less “superficial”- in our interpretations of the natural aquatic habitats of the world! You might just fall in love...

The continuous replacement and supplementation of leaves and botanicals as they break down is a sort of process...it not only creates a continuously evolving aesthetic- it helps maintain biological diversity and stability in the aquarium...

It’s logical to imply that botanicals, wood, and other materials, which we utilize in our aquascapes not only have an aesthetic impact- but a consequential physical-chemical impact on the overall aquatic environmental, as well. Could the concept of “terroir”, which applies to wine or coffee, apply to botanicals?

For some reason, the “myth” exists that simply adding a bunch of catappa leaves or botanicals to your aquarium filled with hard, alkaline tap water will create instant, nature-like conditions. Hey, I hate to be the buzzkill, but...Let’s talk about how this process really works- and how you CAN get there...

If there’s one thing that lovers of the botanical-style aquarium can’t seem to agree upon, its whether or not to remove botanicals as they break down. Today, a little breakdown on stuff that breaks down- and the case for leaving it in your tank!

The term “Nature Aquarium” pervades well- everything in our hobby-or so it seems. It’s an homage to the great Takashi Amano, who coined the term years ago. Yet, I think we might have veered off a bit; pushed into “artistic interpretation”, and lost sight of the origins... are we, the lovers of the natural, botanical-style aquarium, an offshoot of this? Could we be “The Lost Tribe of Amano?”

As enthusiasts of natural, botanical-style aquariums, were very accustomed to the brown color of our water. And we have a different definition of “clarity” than a lot of the aquarium-keeping world...and there is some confusion about this stuff.. let’s clear it up!

Are you they type of aquarist who insists that EVERY fish, plant, rock, piece of wood, or leaf come from the same geographic location in Nature? Are you obsessed about imposing rules about what “belongs” and what doesn’t? Does it matter? My thoughts, of course. And a confession!

In our pursuit to create unique aquariums, I think we often overlook the amazing inspiration offered up by Nature herself. Today we discuss a few niches which we thing deserve more representation in aquariums...

Although there is a good amount of information on brackish water habitats, as a hobby, aquarists have distilled their aesthetics down to white sand, a few rocks, and maybe some Java Fern...and it’s pretty much been mired in that aesthetic HELL for decades. Time for a change, right?

Those of us who play with natural, botanical-style aquariums are sort of “outliers” in the aquarium hobby. There are certainly some limits to what we can do- but few limits to what we can attempt with research, discipline, diligence, patience...and work.

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.