thE TINT

the art and science of botanical method aquarium keeping.

  • RETURN TO THE IGAPO

    As we’ve discussed so many times here, the idea of mixing of elements- soils, roots, and seed pods is a fundamental aspect of the botanical-method aquarium. If there’s one consistent lesson that we keep returning to, it’s that land and water are inexorably linked together. And I think that when we contemplate the dynamic of…

  • ELEGANCE AND SIMPLICITY.

    I’ve been hanging out with, talking to, and absorbing a lot of ideas from my friends in the reef community lately. It’s gotten me to think through a lot of the approaches and ideas which I’ve had in my head about aquarium management over the years. Yesterday’s piece about the perceived “messiness” of our botanical…

  • A VERY “MESSY” BUSINESS. OR, IS IT?

    Okay, we need to talk about something…again. There is this mindset in the hobby that aquariums which embrace the use of natural materials like leaves and seed pods are somehow “messy” or “dirty.” I hear this a lot from hobbyists unfamiliar with our little niche. It annoys me, to be honest. This is not only a…

  • GHOST STORY.

    I’m a big fan of the group of fishes collectively called “knife fishes”- those ones with the muted colors, strange body shapes, and equally odd behaviors. These are epic fishes, with all sorts of fascinating ones. Now, the “rap” on most of the Knives is that they get really large, are nocturnal, cryptic, predatory, etc……

  • BIG IDEAS FOR A TINY FISH!

    One of the things I enjoy most in the aquarium hobby is studying the ecology of the natural habitats of our fishes. and figuring out how to replicate them from a functional standpoint. I’ve found over the years that you can find out so much about the fish by understanding a bit about where it…

  • “Weird” SUBSTRATES: THE NEXT FRONTIER IN BOTANICAL METHOD AQUARIUM KEEPING?

    ne of the “cornerstones” of our botanical-method aquarium practice is the use of substrate. Specifically, substrate materials which can influence- or make it easier to influence- water chemistry in the aquarium, as well as to help foster a “microbiome” of small organisms which will provide ecological diversity for the system. Substrates, IMHO, are one of…

  • INTO DARKNESS…

    Okay, that sounds a bit- well, dark. However, it’s an apt title for today’s topic: How to get- and keep– your water as tinted as possible. Or, at least, what materials would do the best job in terms of “color production.” Yes, admittedly superficial…I’m talking about the “look.” We as a group are kind of obsessed…

  • “OPERATING” YOUR AQUARIUM. EMBRACING THE SEASONS.

    One of the great joys in creating and working with botanical method aquairums is that we have such a wide variety of natural habitats to take inspiration from. And, as we’ve discussed here over the years, it’s not just types of natural aquatic habitats or specific locales- it’s seasons and cycles that we can emulate in our tanks as well. I…

  • CURING WOOD “IN SITU.” YES? NO? MAYBE?

    I talk incessantly about the “preparation” of botanical materials for use in our aquariums. It’s become part of our hobby “ethos”; a practice that we hardly even question anymore these days. It’s a safe, efficient, and practical approach to utilizing botanicals in our tanks. Now, with twigs and branches, that idea of practicality comes in. Most of…

  • FORMULA.

    As I plot my next botanical method aquarium, I’m thinking about all of the different ideas I want to incorporate in it. Actually, it’s more about what ecological niche I’d like to try to replicate. A submerged log? A flooded varzea meadow? A temporal pool? A leaf-choked igarape? And then there are the botanicals themselves.…