The Tint

A new botanical method aquarium goes through some unique stages as it establishes itself. It challenges our expectations and aesthetics sensibilities. It defused us to a Indian what we know and to embrace a process.. can you do it? Do you have the patience and the mental toughness to persevere?

Let’s face it, substrates have never gotten the attention that they deserve! As botanical method aquarium enthusiasts, we’re really into the idea of a substrate “enriched” with botanical materials. Let’s revisit the “hows and whys” of this idea!

The “botanical method” is a little bit different from virtually every other approach to freshwater aquarium keeping. We value stuff, like fungal growths and biofilms, to power the ecology of our tanks. How does it all work?

Okay, I’m on a roll about starting new tanks for some reason. Today, can we just talk about our collective obsession with “clean” in our tanks. Like, if you don’t rinse your sand thoroughly, or soak your driftwood for weeks before adding it to your new aquarium, what will happen? Is it a food day scenario? A recipe for failure? Or a “hack” on the way to a biologically diverse, ecologically stable...

The earliest phases of our botanical method aquariums play a profound role in determining how well they’ll function over their lifetimes…

The “botanical method” aquarium follows a certain predictable path as it evolves. Yet, to many who are new to this approach, it can be a bit confusing and so different than what the hobby labels as “normal.” Let’s take a brief look at what to expect in the art days of your botanical method aquarium…

Part of what we do in the botanical method aquarium world is to accept Nature’s work- even the parts which may not look the way we might like them…accepting this is one of the first “mental shifts” we need to make…

A botanical method aquarium “evolves” over time. In its own way, it establishes an ecological system which supports the life forms within the aquarium. It matures amd thrives…with a little help from you!

Botanicals and botanical method aquariums are the very definition of “ephemeral”, aren’t they? Let’s talk about this idea, in the context of managing a botanical method aquarium…

There is a lot of cool “citizen scientist”-type observations that we can do in our botanical method aquariums. Observation which correlates what ecologists observe in the wild aquatic habitats we love so much. Yeah, time for us as a community to do a little “indoor field work!”

Yeah, I’m going to get some hate.. but someone asked about what I think the worst piece of gear in the hobby is. Those of you who are fans of “The Tint” will know the exactly what I’m going to say- “glassware!” This won’t be pretty. Pour yourself a cocktail as I bring on the hate!

An industry friend, perhaps a bit caught up in the day to day running of his aquatics business, asked me how I stay “in the game”- how you can be a hobbyist when you’re so immersed in the biz.. it made me think- back to a time-just for a while- when I was more of a “clinical” hobbyist- not actually keeping my own tanks, but active in the hobby- and how lost that felt.. and how I got it back!

Well, some of you have asked about my fave suggestions for successful (botanical method) aquariums, so I thought I’d drop a few today! Many are practices and ideas you probably already employ, but it’s never bad to review some of our hobby “best practices” from time to time!

We seem to love “rules” in the aquarium hobby. Hard stops. Checklists.. I say that the only real “rules” applicable to the hobby are those created-and enforced by Nature. But he’ll, what do I know? We’ll, let me tell you…

The lessons of our elders in the hobby teach across the ages. They help guide us in our efforts even today. Don’t ever discount the teachings of those early hobby legends…

A lot of newcomers to our world of botanical method aquariums ask us “Why?” Like, what are the benefits you can how to achieve when you add leaves and seed pods and stuff to your tank? We’ll, let’s talk about it really quickly!

Oh, I’m thinking about reefs again…and I wanted to juts give a tiny bit of advice about my approach- might help a few of you who are thinking of jumping the salinity line!

We get a lot of questions about that “hazy”or slightly cloudy water that often accompanies the tint in botanical method aquariums. It’s often in the early days of the aquarium’s life; but it can happen any time. Let’s try to (metaphorically!) clear things up!

After many decades, I’ve finally gotten comfortable with the idea of changing up tanks more frequently to try new ideas. It was hard for me to make this switch from never touching a tank to rapidly iterating one. Here’s a little info on my rationale….

There is always a lot of confusion and misconceptions about the color of water in botanical method aquariums. And it’s easy to understand why- there is a sort of disconnect between the hobby perception of blackwater habitats and the ecological definition and characteristics of it. Let’s talk a little bit about some of the visual aspects of water in our tanks!

Those of you with talent in the “aquascaping game” amaze me. But I think that some of you could do more. Do better. Do “different.” I think it’s about taking inspiration from Nature, instead of last month’s “Tank of The Month.” Let’s discuss…

Every want a new tank… but you don’t have a new tank? What do you do? You change things up! That’s a tough thing for me to do sometimes- we’ll, it WAS- until I had a little epiphany.

With all of our talk about going beyond the conventional, people still ask us about contests..like, what our opinion is about them, and why we don’t have one. Let’s talk about this…

I’ve spent plenty of time over the years observing how other people enjoy their hobby. And, it’s often different than how I might enjoy my aquarium hobby experience… amd it’s pretty cool to reflect on this; to understand that we are all aquarists, despite how we choose to enjoy the hobby…

Over the years, I developed this strange analysis “paralysis” thing with the hobby…juts over thinking and over planning everything. It was a real pain. I’ve finally learned to overcome it. Maybe sharing my story will help you along?