thE TINT

the art and science of botanical method aquarium keeping.

  • ROLLING IN THE DEEP (LEAF LITTER BED, THAT IS…)

    If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know that I’ve been throwing out a lot of crazy ideas. Some seem to come up more often than others. Case in point: I periodically discuss the idea of creating a really deep litter bed in an aquarium, to more accurately replicate some of the litter beds found in South…

  • GONE.

    Our botanical-method aquariums incorporate rather complex- often intricate- ecological elements. Fishes seem very comfortable living within these dynamic systems…Sometimes, perhaps too comfortable… It’s one of the the most “human” things that happens to us in life- and likely one of the most annoying.  Ever just lose something? I mean, not misplacing your car keys, cell phone, or…

  • SLIGHTLY SALTY. ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.

    As if you don’t know by now, I’m pretty thrilled to play with just about any type of aquarium that embraces decomposing leaves, sediment, and root tangles. My “mission” is to encourage my fellow hobbyists to give brackish a go..err, my concept of brackish a go, that is! I think you might like it! Despite…

  • WAY TO GO, DANIO!

    As a kid, I think one of the most memorable sights in my first aquarium, (complete with sky blue/pink 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,…

  • TRUE CONFESSIONS OF A TRAUMATIZED FISH BUYER…

    Are you one of those hobbyists who’s pretty easygoing when it comes to purchasing, acclimating, quarantining, and adding new fishes to your aquarium? Are you just sort of “systematic”- with a set procedure that’s almost automatic (“Open bag, pour fish in bucket, drip, add to tank…”)? Or, is each time sort of a unique, highly…

  • 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…