thE TINT

the art and science of botanical method aquarium keeping.

  • TOUGHER THAN YOU MIGHT THINK.

    Isn’t it funny how, in our own minds, we tend to overthink some aquarium-related stuff? Okay, maybe it’s just ME; however, perhaps you can relate? An example? I recall not too long ago, when I would work on my aquariums and needed/wanted to do something that would be sort of disruptive to the tank, like…

  • THE JOY OF TRANSIENCE

    With our aquarium work, we marry art, science, and, yeah- philosophy. An important mix, really. In its most simplistic and literal form, the Japanese philosophy of “Wabi Sabi” is an acceptance and contemplation of the imperfection, constant flux and impermanence of all things. This philosophy was been embraced in aquascaping circles by none other than the late, great, Takashi…

  • “PROBLEM?” OR, OPPORTUNITY?

    I’ve been asked a lot lately to comment on my philosophical position here ; a sort of rundown of what makes me tick, and how I arrived at my overriding approach and mindset. And, looking back on decades of playing with botanical method aquairums, it’s interesting for me to reflect upon, too. If you haven’t…

  • NEW ADVENTURES WITH OLD FRIENDS.

    So, I’ve been getting ready for working some new aquarium projects for the past few weeks, and not too long ago, I needed a specific part for some application that would work perfectly…Something I KNEW I still had…somewhere…  You know that feeling? Well, part of the process for me involves going through that big ‘old…

  • IT MUST BE THE WATER…

    The number of mental shifts that our community has made in regards to operating botanical method aquariums is remarkable. We deal with things like unusual aesthetics, acceptance of natural processes which previously horrified everyone in the hobby, and we celebrate adding stuff to our tanks which most hobbyists would simply laugh at! When it comes…

  • TERROIR…NATURE’S SECRET?

    To me, perhaps one of the most elegant and compelling aspects of Nature is how the aquatic environments we love are so profoundly influenced by the terrestrial habitats which surround them. There is a remarkable similarity between this intimate land/water relationship, and the world that we can create in our aquariums. Every aquarium that we assemble is not…

  • A SALTY CICHLID.

    No brackish water aquarium is complete without brackish-water fishes…And traditionally, that has been a bit of a challenge, in terms of finding some  “different” fishes than we’ve previously associated with brackish aquariums. I think that this will continue to be a bit of a challenge, because some of the fishes that we want are still elusive in the hobby.…

  • SMALL Talk ON LARGE AQUARIUMS…

    You hear me talk about this idea all the time…keeping small fish in large aquariums. Now, this is not some kind of unique, revolutionary position in the aquarium hobby. However, I think it’s something we take for granted at the least, or simply assume is  more-or-less common practice. It isn’t, IMHO. I was inspired to write this…

  • WHAT EVERY TETRA KNOWS…

    I suppose I am a deeply philosophical hobbyist.  The other day, a fellow aquarist and I were talking about managing our aquariums, and the conversation turned (as it inevitably does when my friends talk to me) about the idea of utilizing natural materials (ie; leaves, botanicals, etc.) in our aquariums, and where the practice fits…

  • THE THRILL OF DOING NOTHING.

    Starting up a botanical method aquarium is a pretty easy process, really. We just need to let Nature do most of the hard work. She’ll take that seemingly “unsexy” piece of wood or rock or bunch of dried leaves, and, given the passage of time, the action of gravity and water movement, and the work…