thE TINT

the art and science of botanical method aquarium keeping.

  • CRACKS IN THE PAVEMENT: THE TENACITY OF LIFE IN THE NICHES…

    I don’t know about you,  but I find myself coming up with new aquariums ideas all the time.  Now, I’m not talking about new “aquascapes”, mind you. Rather, I”m talking about  different ideas for recreating various features I see in the wild habitats; figuring out how to model their function as well as their form,…

  • A LAND DOWN UNDER…SUBSTRATES THAT DO WHAT NATURE DOES…

    One of the most overlooked truths in fishkeeping is that the substrate is not merely the bottom of an aquarium—it is a habitat. In Nature, tropical fishes interact continuously with the materials beneath them. Sand, leaf litter, branches, roots, and decomposing plant material provide food, shelter, spawning sites, and refuge from predators. Countless species sift…

  • YEAH, YOU’RE A REEFER: BOTANICAL METHOD AQUARIUMS ARE THE “FRESHWATER REEF SYSTEM!”

    One of the central ideas behind botanical method aquariums that is often overlooked is the “filtration” system that the aquarium essentially becomes. I’ve espoused this idea for years, and I believe in it more than ever. The leaves, seed pods, wood, and other botanical materials are not the “filter” themselves, however. Rather, they are the “substrate”…

  • GOING AFTER THE GOAT…

    GOAT- adj./ – Sports acronym for “Greatest Of All Time” We’ve all heard that term, applied to just about anything. Today, however, let’s appropriate it for our own little review here of the greatest aquarium gadgets of all time…. Our hobby has undergone continuous changes over the generations. Technology, technique, education, and experience have all impacted the way…

  • THE IMPACT OF RESTRAINT.

    I have been reflecting lately upon my aquarium hobby philosophy. Thinking about what it is that drives the kind of work that I do with my tanks. And I’ve started to arrive at a definitive way of looking at things after a lifetime of playing with aquariums: I believe that we, as aquarists- when at…

  • KEEPING THE FLOODED FOREST TOGETHER. THE BEAUTY OF ROOTS.

    There is something incredibly compelling about the way terrestrial trees and shrubs interact with the aquatic environment. This is a surprisingly dynamic, highly inter-dependent relationship which, until recently, has rarely been discussed in aquarium circles. Roots are structures which are so important in so many ways to these ecosystems, in both their terrestrial and aquatic…

  • CROSSING THE “SALINITY LINE.”

    I haven’t just crossed the salinity line- I’ve erased it!” It’s no secret that many of us have our “roots”, so to speak, in saltwater aquariums. We have played with corals, flirted with invertebrates, and kept many colorful and unique fishes. It’s part of who we are. That’s who I am. My recent hobby/industry background…

  • MOVING ON. OR, JUST MOVING? MY PLEA TO CONTENT CREATORS, “INFLUENCERS”…AND EVERYONE ELSE!

    Okay, I know it’s a bit weird to say it, but as fish geeks, I think we’re never completely satisfied with our aquariums. I mean, yeah, we love them, and we pour everything we’ve got into them (literally and figuratively!), However, we’re just never content to say, “That’s it. Done! Perfect!” One of the things…

  • SLIPPING THROUGH THE SEASONS…

    As you likely have figured out by now, we have a certain obsession here with replicating the form and function of Nature, to the greatest extent possible. And of course, the “function” part is often more of a challenge than the “form”, so any processes found in Nature that we can replicate to some extent…

  • THE HANDOFF…

    It’s fun to experience new things, right? Or, even old things in a new situation! Like, shortly after you start up a new botanical method aquarium, you’re already feeling it…You’re past that initial “What will this look like?” phase, the “Ohh…got the wood arranged just like I wanted!” phase, and now you’re in the “Time to add a few details”  phase and…