Today, Eric delves into the world of high-end freshwater aquarium installations with guest Mark Chen—a renowned aquarist from TMK Aquarist. The two explore the intricacies of creating awe-inspiring aquarium setups that go beyond the ordinary. Topics covered include aquascaping, plant selection, fish species, and more.

In this episode, we talk about:

• Mark's passion for freshwater conservation and his approach to "conservation by appreciation" through his aquascaping work.

• Mark's journey of starting TMK Aquarist and how he found his calling in freshwater conservation.

• Using wood in aquariums and ponds, and how to deal with tannins leaching from the wood.

• Mark's journey to becoming an influencer on social media.

• The challenges of content creation and content creation strategies.

• Mark's plan to start an aquarium podcast called "The Aqua Naturalists" focused on aquarium-related topics and natural habitats.

• The enjoyment of observing interactions between different fish species in a tank.

• Observations of behavioral differences in cichlids when kept in larger tanks and in colonies.

• The importance of spending time in nature.

• The challenges of turning a hobby into a business and balancing the business demand with maintaining passion.

• The differences between aquascaping small tanks and designing larger ponds.

Mentioned

TMK Aquarist - YouTube

TMK Aquarist on Instagram (@tmk_aquarist)

TMK Aquarist on Facebook

Links to resources:

The Pond Digger - https://theponddigger.com/

You can also check out The Pond Digger's products at:

http://helixpondfiltration.com/

TWT Contractor Circle

TWT Contractor Power Circle

And follow his adventures in the pond world at:

Instagram

Facebook

TikTok