The Tint

It’s important to research, ask questions, and ponder. To push beyond our own self-imposed boundaries.. here’s why.

Yeah, it’s editorial time again. I’ve been talking to a lot of “hobbyists” lately who seem to be enchanted with the idea that they can “bypass” Nature’s rules and hobby fundamentals in their quest to achieve a “finished” aquarium as quickly as possible. You know where this is going- but it’s worth a listen!

The often mis-applied label of “blackwater aquarium” is something many of us would do well to learn more about. Just because our botanical method aquariums have deeply tinted water from an aesthetic standpoint, they’re not “blackwater” in the ecological sense. And that’s okay, but we all need to understand this. However, if you’re really wanting to create a blackwater aquarium, you’ve got some studying to do. Let’s talk about it just a bit…

As experienced hobbyists, setting up a new aquarium is an exciting time…yet, it’s easy to overthink, over worry, and stress out over ridiculous things. After all, we have all of that past experience and knowledge to draw from- stuff that, for better or worse- influences how we do stuff. Perhaps- maybe- beginners in the hobby have it better. Maybe we know too much?

You can’t always have what you want in this hobby- despite your ability to pay for it. A little lesson from my aquarium industry past…

As aquarists, we really tend to hyper focus on a few things in our aquariums- we know what’s “normal” for them. And we often freak out at any deviation from what we consider “normal.” It’s a mixed bag of emotions- and something that we should think about more closely now and then

As we dove deeper and deeper into the world of botanical method aquariums, it’s more important to understand a little more about the botanicals themselves, and what it is about them which influences the environments they’re found in…

The tiny Otocinculus catfish is an outstanding consumer of algae. Yet, it’s much more of a fish than just a “utility player.” Unfortunately, it’s been relegated to this unfair role for many years. Too many years- with the unnecessary loss of too many of these fishes in aquariums. Let’s rethink this one…

Oh yeah, it’s time to talk more about brackish water aquariums and the fascinating wild habitats they can replicate. It’s time once again to look at brackish differently. It’s time to push further on the call we first made to you back in 2017 for our re-imagined interpretation of brackish. Let’s throw it out there and get back at it!