The Tint

“Biotope Aquarium.” A term which shouldn’t rally any hard feelings among hobbyists. But, you know.. it does. And sure, I need to chime in with my two cents worth…a rant for sure..

As you know, I come from the alluring world of reefkeeping. Before there was a Tannin Aquatics, that was my main jam. And in decades of playing with corals and reefs, I learned a few “sacred truths.” Stuff that I really need to share with you before you give in to the social media hype and jump in to the splashy world of reefkeeping. It’s fun, and rewarding.. but it’s also humbling. Just like botanical method aquariums, a successful reef experience starts with the right mindset…Let’s talk about this…

Botanical method aquariums offer us a lot as hobbyists- challenge, education, interest… and they ask us to make mental shifts to accept the work of Nature. Yet, the also provide some unique benefits for our fishes- benefits which we may not have previously thought about….

Sometimes, we look at things that happen in our botanical method aquariums with the wrong point of view- out of context. And we convince ourselves that there is something wrong with our tank. The reality is it’s usually just a case of “Nature being Nature…”

We love technology. And we love using tech to make our hobby easier.. but does it? In our quest to employ technology to make stuff easier- have we actually made it more complex and difficult? Let’s look at the “art” of making things more simple…

The idea of working with natural materials to “operate” our aquariums is very appealing and interesting...And it can lead us to replicate some unique aquatic habitats that we may not have considered before. Let’s look at how what we do as part of our process replicates the dynamics of some interesting aquatic niches in the wild!

We can plan, execute, and manipulate our aquariums all we want, but the reality is that Nature is in charge. Wether you like it or not, She calls the shots. She can teach you, challenge you, and flat-out school you. Yet, she’s the best partner an aquarium hobbyist can have…

There are so many things that we can learn from simply observing the way natural aquatic ecosystems and their processes work. There are so many different approaches we can try to replicate them in our tanks…so many philosophical revelations. Let’s review some fundamentals of the botanical method, and even draw on some grand experiments with corals to drive home the point that the aquarium is “the filter”- and the ecosystem…

One of those “reviews” we get into now and again- taking into consideration how we keep our fishes- as solitary specimens, small groups, schools, or shoals-and what the distinctions between them are…

We can and should cross over the “salinity line” in our hobby. Both fresh and marine sides of the hobby benefit from the skills and experiences of the other. There’s never been a better time to “cross train” in both worlds!