I live annual killifishes. Why? Well, one reason is that they are so intimately tied to their aquatic habitats. And the aquatic habitats are so profoundly influenced by the surrounding terrestrial habitats. Yeah, you know where I’m going. We need to question some things we’ve been doing forever with killies. Maybe we can do them better?

I hate shortcuts, workarounds, and so-called “hacks”- for lots of reasons. On the other hand, there is a certain value in alternative approaches to how we do things for some hobbyists: have I softened a bit? Perhaps...

A botanical style aquarium is not just a display. It’s a diverse, biologically rich ecosystem, filled with life. It’s important to understand the processes which make our systems so unique. Meet the players behind the process!

In this special edition of "The Tint", Scott and Johnny Ciotti talk about some of our fave esoteric topics, like decomposition, biotope aquariums, and tease on a few new products. And of course, we take on several excellent questions from our community! Something for everyone in this typically irreverent and provocative episode!

Mud holes are amazing, ephemeral aquatic habitats. And they’re beautiful, because they get us out of our comfort zones and challenge us to try new stuff in the hobby- unconventional stuff we might never have considered before....

There is a certain mystique about botanical-style aquariums, isn’t there? Like, how do we run a tank full of decomposing leaves and such over the long term with success? It’s simple. It’s starts with the basics. With a focus on quality...water quality.

Change is inevitable in the botanical style aquarium. However, we can set up our tanks with an initial set of materials and or conditions which form a “baseline”, anchoring, yet setting the stage for a constantly evolving aquatic microcosm.

We gain tons of inspiration from Nature. And, the fact of the matter is that Nature often bears little resemblance to what we see- or want to see- in our aquariums. Let’s discuss this!

We all know by now that the surrounding land influences aquatic habitats...so what can’t we incorporate this knowledge into our aquariums when we’re starting them? We can.

Okay, we offer a ton of different botanicals at Tannin Aquatics. Yet, when you see our tanks, we often only use 2-3 types of botanical items in them- if that! What gives? Allow me to explain!