The Tint

It starts with an innocent question: “What are the best fishes to eat algae in my aquarium?” And then it snowballs from there- culminating in an interesting ethical argument and questions about who’s really in charge of your tank!

In the botanical-style natural aquarium, faith and patience are some of the most important “components”- things you need to have an abundance of. What happens when a botanical- style aquarium evolves, and how do we react to the changes which inevitably will occur...?

Like many of you, I love playing with aquascapes. However, UNLIKE many of you, I suck at incorporating rocks into them! What is this? Do I have some bias against rocks? Hmm..

Perhaps our most controversial and passionate podcast yet. An open plea to the accomplished aquascapes of the world to open your minds to a different way of doing things. It might catch your attention. It might piss you off.. or it might just motivate you to get out of your comfort zone and change the hobby in a most profound way. Just listen...

On a practical level, how can we recreate the seasonal changes that occur in Nature, and what impacts can we expect on our fishes? Let’s get after it!

One of the most obvious, yes least-tackled aspects of Nature in our aquariums is...change. Specifically, seasonal changes, which impact wild aquatic habitats. What types of secrets, discoveries, and breakthroughs will come to the aquarium hobby if we approach this dynamic a bit differently?

Some of us crave those seemingly obscure-in-the-hobby, yet abundant-in-Nature fishes. We wait. We search.. and we dream. Why aren’t some of these fishes common in the hobby?

With all of the variables in our aquariums, is there some “grand recipe” for achieving the perfect conditions in your botanical-style, blackwater aquarium?

We’ve all had that ONE “it” fish.. you know- the one that keeps us engaged, actively searching for; inspiring us to create an entire tank for. Here’s a story of my personal “It” fish- Chrenuchus spiritus.. the “Guardian of The Spring.”

I used to be one of those fish people who would simply freak out at every speck of algae; every leaf that was slightly askew...that sort of stuff! Then, I found myself attracted to the “earthy” vibe of natural, botanical-style aquariums, and those little things bothered me no more...