thE TINT

the art and science of botanical method aquarium keeping.

  • UNCOMMONLY “COMMON:” THE ALLURE OF THE ZEBRA DANIO AND OTHER HOBBY STAPLES.

    As a kid, I think one of the most memorable sights in my first aquarium, complete with blue gravel and plastic plants, was my group of 8 Zebra Danios  (Danio rerio) racing at high speed around the tank in a furious fashion, as if they had to get somewhere in a big freaking hurry…only to reverse course, and…

  • Your Tank Isn’t Dirty: It Just Has “Flavor”

    We walk a line between function and aesthetics in our world. A world which demands mental shifts, adoption of new techniques, and a love of a certain “look.” And, one of the big discussion points we have in our world is about the color and “clarity” of the water in our botanical method aquariums. I…

  • THERE IS A “METHOD” TO ALL OF THIS…

    I make it no secret that the botanical method aquarium is unlike almost any other approach to aquarium keeping currently practiced. Not better. Not the “coolest” (well, possibly…)- just different. To parse all of the many reasons why this approach is so different could literally take years… Although aesthetics are not the primary reason I…

  • WHEN FUNCTION CREATES THE AESTHETIC

    After decades of playing with Botanical Method aquariums, I’ve arrived at a conclusion that seems almost obvious in retrospect: Botanical Method aquariums naturally resemble many wild aquatic habitats because they function in ways that resemble them. That’s more important than simply making an aquarium look natural. When we add leaves, wood, seed pods, bark, and other terrestrial…

  • PITY THE “FOOL”?

    Today’s post came about as a result of listening to a member of our community- a very successful, highly accomplished aquarist who has done some amazing stuff-having shared his aquarium on an online forum and gotten roundly thrashed by a couple of armchair critics for no apparent reason. He was dumbfounded.  Fortunately, he had a…

  • USING WHAT YOU’VE GOT!

    As more and more hobbyists venture into the botanical method aquarium world, it’s only proper that more and more of us experiment with different things. Being both a hobby-level “power user” and a former vendor of botanicals, I certainly consider myself fairly well-versed on a lot of this stuff (okay, as “well-versed” as one can be about…

  • REEFING LIKE IT’S 1999: PICKING THroUGH THE RUBBLE: UTILIZING A HABITAT, AND FINDING AN APPROACH THAT WORKS FOR YOU.

    I’m only a couple of weeks into establishing a “rubble margin” zone in my reef aquarium at the time of this writing, but Im already seeing some interesting things. Now, I’m taking you on this journey not because I’ve stumbled upon some groundbreaking idea that no one has ever accomplished. People have been playing with…

  • OVER THE RAINBOW? NOT A CHANCE!

    Yes, I admit a tiny bit of obsession about botanical-method brackish water aquariums. Like my freshwater botanical method tanks, I’m constantly thinking of different iterations and configurations for different systems. I spend a lot of time working through ideas and occasionally actually following through on creating them! Although there is a good amount of information…

  • The Living Foundation: Rethinking the Role of Substrate in the Modern Reef Aquarium, WHILE RE-DISCOVERING MYSELF IN THE PROCESS…

    As most of you know by now, I started Tannin Aquatics after decades of serious hobby and professional work in the marine side of the hobby- specifically the reef  aquarium sector. Although I started in the freshwater side of the hobby, I “crossed over” to a full-time marine hobbyist as a teenager and didn’t look…

  • YOUR BEST VERSION…

    As you know by now, I’m pretty much obsessed with the “cultural” aspect of aquarium-keeping. I’m fascinated by what makes us do what we do, cling to other beliefs that we have, create and/or follow techniques, and embrace the styles and trends that we do. It has me studying the work, ideas, and aquarium “cultural…