The Tint

The flooded forests of South America give us enormous inspiration to create the ultimate biotope aquarium. And it all starts with- you guessed it- a dry forest floor!

As we’ve been saying for years, there is a lot more to botanicals than just their pretty looks! Hers the most tentative and brief look at what these botanicals actual provide to the aquatic environment!

Isn’t it amazing to see all of the crazy things we obsess over in the hobby? It is! Yet, it’s easy to get into some unhealthy hobby obsessions, too.

Seems like most of what we do in the aquarium hobby requires us to get out of our own way and accept challenges. When we look at some of the things that we need to do to be successful in the hobby- and accept them- it gets real good! We make mental shifts that push us forward.

The idea of food production taking place within our botanical-style aquariums is irresistible to me. Our dishes can readily assimilate materials like biofilms, fungi, and detritus into their diets- and it all starts with leaves and botanicals!

Today we’re joined by author, traveler, importer and all-around fish geek, Mike Tuccinardi! Mikes images, videos and writings are well known to readers of Amazonas magazine and “The Tint!” Today, he joins myself and Johnny Ciotti for almost 90 mins of pure fire on all sorts of fish-geek topics!!🔥

As we delve further into the idea of representing flooded forests and grasslands in our aquariums, we need not be discouraged because we can’t find the EXACT species found there. Yes, we can utilize analogs, terrestrial and aquatic- to fill the role in our aquatic displays! Let’s talk about a few possibilities!

It’s the little things that we as aquarists can take so much joy in. Another “tank side chat” with Scott and Johnny. Raw, engaging, and thought-provoking!

As our practices of the botanical-style aquarium evolve, it’s important to take an approach that gives us more than just a superficial understanding of our game.. an approach that lets us appreciate the balances found in Nature- the subtle nuances and complexity processes...These are the keys to a more successful botanical-style aquarium...

There’s nothing cooler than finding inspiration for your aquariums, wether it’s from a fellow hobbyists work, your own past work... or Nature itself.