About

My name is Scott Fellman. Lifelong aquarium hobbyist, self-appointed aquatic hobby philosopher, coral propagator, wannabe writer, and all-around fish geek.

This is my blog… An exploration of what I feel is important in the aquarium hobby. Some of you might have followed me previously with my aquarium hobby endeavors via my former company, Tannin Aquatics. “The Tint” is my collection of musings, thoughts, ideas, and occasional bitch sessions about the aquarium hobby. A celebration of a particular speciality and obsession I have for using terrestrial materials in aquatic environments.

Materials which, if left to Nature, impart a certain color- a “tint” to the water. Part of the basis of my entire hobby obsession..hence the name.

Yeah, I have a very specific set of beliefs and opinions about aquariums, and I’m not afraid to share them. I hope that they will inspire, challenge, and move you in some way. My philosophy is actually pretty simple:

I believe in representing Nature in our aquariums as it exists in both form and function, to the greatest extent possible- without removing the very attributes of randomness and resulting function that make it so amazing.

There is an interface between the terrestrial and the aquatic environments, and how the two complement each other.

I’m utterly inspired by this dynamic.

I’m all about the cultivation and preservation of fungal growths, biofilms, decomposition, and that “patina” which develops when terrestrial materials contact water. Understanding that these materials break down and influence the environment…and that this process doesn’t always conform to our hobby interpretation of what is “beautiful” is fundamental to my aquarium hobby belief system.

I have an appreciation for the ephemeral, the transitional. A love for the transformation of terrestrial habitats into aquatic ones, brought about by rain and seasonal inundation.

I believe that it’s essential to take inspiration from the reality of Nature, not just its distilled “essence.”

Yes, it’s time to look at Nature as an inspiration for our aquariums again- but to look at Nature as it exists– not to sanitize it, or to “clean it up” to meet our expectations of what an aquarium is “supposed to look like.”

There is a “middle ground” of sorts, where Nature is the primary influence, and accepting it, embracing it- and attempting to replicate it “as it is” -becomes as much the journey as it is the goal.

So, yeah- that’s what “The Tint” is all about.

I hope it appeals to you. I hope it encourages you to move out of your comfort zone and to embrace a rather different approach to aquarium keeping.

Scott Fellman