thE TINT

the art and science of botanical method aquarium keeping.

  • EVOLUTION IN AQUARIUMS AND OUR PRACTICES…

    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…Oh, wait, it HAS..like 10 years, to be exact! …

  • “WHAT FILTER DO YOU USE?”

    People often ask me, “What filter do you use use in a botanical method aquarium?” My answer is usually that it just doesn’t matter.  You can use any type of filter. The reality is that, if allowed to evolve and grow unfettered, the aquarium itself– all of it– becomes the “filter.”  You can embrace this philosophy regardless of the type…

  • “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…

  • The STUFF WE’VE BEEN TOLD TO BE AFRAID OF…

    A couple of days back, I was chatting with a fellow hobbyist who wanted to jump in to something a bit different within the aquarium hobby, but was afraid of the possible consequences-both socially and in his aquariums. He feared criticism from “them”, and that just froze him. I felt bad that he was so afraid of…

  • THE “FERMENTATION FACTOR” AND OTHER MUSINGS ON LEAF LITTER BEDS IN AQUARIUMS.

    It would hardly be a stretch to state that I’m about as geeked-out about  leaf litter habitats, and creating aquariums that replicate this unique habitat as anyone on the planet. And of course, when you’re creating such a habitat in your aquarium, it makes sense that you’d want to give a lot of thought to…

  • NATURE WILL SORT IT OUT.

    I think that there is something inherently wonderful about doing the aquairum hobby on a “basic” level. You know, real simple approaches.  One of these is the idea that excessively intervening in your tank’s function, or even looking at every deviation from what you’d consider to be “acceptable” is somehow a “problem” that we need…

  • TREES OF LIFE? THE “FUNCTIONAL AESTHETICS” OF WOOD IN OUR AQUARIUMS

    Just about everything that we play with in the botanical method aquarium world- leaves, seed pods, bark, stems- has its origin in…trees. And trees, of course, yield wood. Trees are perhaps one of the most important influences on the dynamic tropical habitats we are fascinated by- perhaps second only to soils. Virtually every time we plan…

  • WHEN THE FISH HOOKS THE MAN…

    There are numerous approaches to utilizing botanicals in our aquariums, ranging from the purely aesthetic idea of “tossing in a few leaves and seed pods”, to a full-blown biotope-inspired aquarium, painstakingly thought-out to recreate the function and form of a specific habitat. Of course, we’ve talked a lot about creating aquariums to replicate specific habitats…it’s kind of…

  • THE UPSIDE OF DETRItUS?

    Detritus. The very mention of the word can send most aquarists into a cold sweat. The definition of this stuff, as accepted in the aquarium hobby, is kind of sketchy in this regard; not flattering at the very least: “detritus is dead particulate organic matter. It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms, as well…

  • THE BIOME

    As we’ve all started to figure out by now, our botanical-influenced aquariums are a lot more of a little slice of Nature that you’re recreating in your home then they are just a “pet-holding container.” Our aquariums are actually a form of biome. BIOME: (bi·ome) : A large naturally occurring community of flora and fauna…