PODCAST · leisure
The Tint
by Scott Fellman
"The Tint" is a podcast dedicated to lovers of natural aquariums. A place to discuss unusual aquarium concepts and ideas; a jumping-off point at the aquarium hobby's "bleeding edge." Join us for inspiration, ideas, and a sometimes provocative point of view!
Episodes
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Doubling Down on Detritus…Again!
To truly understand the botanical method aquarium, you have to look at detritus not as “waste”, but as a highly sophisticated biological matrix, literal “fuel” to power your aquarium. Yeah, it is not something we’ve been accustomed to love- but love it we should..
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It’s my Fault..
Okay, I need to confess a bit. I never should have come up with the term “botanical style” aquarium to describe what we do. It’s a misleading term that undersells what we do, and it hung around too long! Today, let’s talk about how worlds matter in the aquarium hobby, and how all of the cool…
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A Shot at “Immortality?”
The idea of utilizing some biological material from an existing aquarium to help “inoculate” the biology of a new tank is as old as the modern hobby itself. And the botanical method aquarium lends itself particularly well to this sort of practice.. let’s talk about how our botanical method...
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In Situ…
One of the long held “best practices” in aquarium keeping is the idea that you need to “cure” wood that you use in your aquascape before adding it into your display aquarium. While the idea behind this practice seems sound to many- perhaps it’s not all that beneficial to those of us who play with...
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Becoming an “Operator.”
Among the many skills we can learn as practitioners of the botanical method aquarium is to become what I call an “operator.” An aquarist who works with and manipulates various factors of the aquarium ecology to create dynamic seasonal changes which mimic those found in Nature. The possible health...
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The Unexpected.
As hobbyists, we plan for and worry about every possible contingency in our aquariums. And when something DOES go wrong, we consider it “unexpected”, or “anamolous”, when the reality is that the cause is out there, somewhere. I personally think that we need to relax about stuff, roll with it. We...
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The “Light Stuff”
Today, let’s touch on a topic that we welcome hit on here in “The Tint.” Let’s talk about lighting your botanical method aquarium- specifically for growing aquatic plants. This is the mere “opening salvo” in what I hope to make a more in depth look at this topic- one which many of you ask about!...
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The “P” Word…
If there is one fundamental that I wish I could teach to every aquarist, it’s patience. Botanical method aquariums run on the stuff…Patience is a core principle of what we do, and it’s an essential skill for every hobbyist to have. We need to eschew “hacks” and “shortcuts in favor of a longer…
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The “Stuff” That’s in The Water…
We postulate and theorize a lot about what botanicals do for aquariums. We are beginning to understand some of their implications and impacts in our aquariums. However, we won’t talk about lot about their impact on wild aquatic habitats… Let’s have that talk- and think about the implications for...
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Food From Above, Below, and Within…Natural Foods Revisited…
If we observe what our fishes feed on in the wild, we might be pleasantly surprised to find out that we can (and in some instances, already do) provide these same foods in a botanical method aquarium. Let’s take a fresh look at the foods we can produce in our tanks, and the potential benefits…
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Feedback From Our Aquariums…
Our aquariums tell us a lot of things. They literally “speak” to us. By observing, testing, and analyzing the feedback we receive from our tanks, we can set ourselves up for long term success. And often, it’s not as simple as just looking at numbers on a test kit. We need to look at things in...
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Beyond “Realism”- Or, How Scott can get Multiple Hobby Groups to Hate Me in One Episode!
Yeah, it’s time for my semi annual ass kicking of the contest aquascaping world. Another of my irrational yet passionate rants asking us to do better! Guaranteed to offend a lot of people!😵💫
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What are We Doing Here? Well, I’ll Tell You…!
What is this whole botanical method aquarium thing about? Well, my philosophy has evolved a lot over the years. I think a lot of what we are doing with our botanical method aquariums is simply setting the stage for Nature to do something that She does best… create an ecosystem. This philosophy...
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Is It The “Golden Age” of the Aquarium Hobby?
The history of aquarium keeping is a mix of amazing people, cool ideas, and of course, fascinating fishes. Many of the ideas we take for granted in the hobby have their roots in the 1950s and 60s- arguably the hobby’s “Golden Age.” However, there are all sorts of new ideas percolating in-..…
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Is That Fish REALLY “Difficult” to Keep, Or Do we Just Need to Create The right Environment for it?
After a lifetime in the hobby- I’d venture to say that there are no really “difficult” fish. Here’s why: it’s not that a fish is inherited “difficult”- it simply means that we as hobbysits, if we want to be successful with a species- need to meet its needs. A fish doesn’t arrive in our aquarium...
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Keeping a Good Thing Going: The Art and Science of Botanical Method Aquarium Maintenance
Embracing the botanical method aquarium means adopting a “low intervention, high control “ philosophy. It requires thoughtful maintenance- perhaps a lot less than you’d expect. Why? Becuase we rely on the population of microorganisms and other life forms to provide the “filtration” for the…
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Reefing Like it’s 1999- My Continuous Journey into Alternative Substrates!
Let’s talk more about establishing a “benthic habitat” in our reef aquariums via rubble! My continued evolution of an idea that I’ve played with for decades is getting me pretty excited- and giving me a lot of great lessons on how to evolve my reefkeeping! Hopefully some of the lessons I’ve…
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Your Aquarium isn’t “Dirty”- It Just Has “Flavor.”
We walk a fine line between aesthetic and function in our world. A world which requires mental shifts, adoption of new techniques, and love of a certain “look.” One of the big discussion points that we have is about the color and “clarity” of the water in our botanical method aquariums…Let’s…
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Fish Stories
Sometimes, it’s fun to consider some of the absurdities in the aquarium hobby. Like, how some fishes are just ordained by the universe to be a pain to keep.. or how we select our fishes for our aquariums. Today is a light-hearted excursion into the world of fishes that were so obsessed with, and…
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Use What You’ve Got!
I have a hunch that pretty much all botanical materials from all over the owls pretty much perform the same when submerged in water! So it’s my opinion that you can and should use all sorts of materials that you can collect locally- with a few caveats- because “exotic” doesn’t have to be the only...
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The Living Foundation: Rethinking Substrates in the Reef Aquarium, While Rediscovering Myself…
Let’s settle into my salty side today. Substrate is sort of out of favor with the reef aquarium hobby, for reasons which are remarkably similar to some of the ones we encounter in the botanical method aquarium world. We’llthe role which subsystems play in both natural reefs and home aquariums… a...
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The Nursery You Didn’t Build: Raising fry With The Botanical Method
Fish fry love to eat. What if we could provide them with an almost unlimited supply of natural food, with minimal effort? Well, we can… It’s called the Botanical Method aquarium… And we all know how to build one already! We might just have one of the greatest “nursery tanks” ever!
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Free Your Mind and the Detritus Will Follow…
Few things in aquarium hobby husbandry freak people out like detritus. Vilified, feared, and for too long, simply misunderstood- detritus is not the “bogeyman” we think it is. In botanical method aquariums, detritus is an integral part of how things work!
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Cracks in The Pavement: The Allure of Ecological Niches in the Botanical Method Aquarium
A sort of “companion” to our last piece- in this episode, we examine how there is a beauty in randomness within our aquariums!, and how we can foster it for our fishes’ advantage!
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Natural “Architecture”: Letting Botanicals Do The Work!
Instead of viewing botanical materials as “decorations” to be arranged into some sort of “composition” in the aquarium, we should see them as active participants in building the habitat itself! In Mature,,botanical materials don’t simply occupy a habitat- they help create it!
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Chasing the GOAT
Sport has its heros. Music has its legends. Hollywood has its idols. The aquarium hobby has…gadgets. Gadgets which transcend time and have made generations of hobbysits have a better experience! Let’s take a quick look at some of my fave all-time aquarium gadgets- including the one that I think…
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Curator. Botanical Method Aquarium Geek. Reefer. They’re All Sort of The Same!
One of the central ideas behind botanical method aquariums is that the aquarium itself becomes the “filter.” Hers a fresh look at this idea, and why you might actually have more in common with a reef aquarist than your “ run-of-the-mill” freshwater aquarist!
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It Must be the Water!!
A little discussion about water quality, pH and other water manipulation frontiers in the botanical method aquarium!
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The Hobby is not THAT difficult. But it’s not simple.
Today is one of those days that I just need to rent a bit. We-especially content creators- have a responsibility to share deeper information instead of drivel. There, I said it. 😆
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Any Way You Want It
We all enjoy the aquarium hobby for different reasons t reasons. It took me decades to realize this- and when I did, everything got a whole lot more fun!
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Slipping Through The Seasons…
We set up aquariums to represent all sorts of natural habitats… Yet, we seldom see aquariums set up to replicate seasonal aspects of these habitats. Why not? I think the benefits of doing so would be incredible!
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Terroir…Nature’s Secret? Or, The Key to EVERYTHING?
Wine has it. Coffee has it. Terroir- Environmental conditions- specifically soil and climate, which give grapes and coffee beans unique flavors and aromas. Does this same idea apply to the aquatic habitat which we admire- and to the botanical method aquariums that we create to replicate them? I...
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Just Add Salt!
In this installment, another plea to get you to consider a botanical method BRACKISH WATER aquarium! A little rant about why most current brackish water aquarium ideas suck, and other stuff likely to piss you off!
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Getting Away With It…Or Not!
The aquarium hobby is filled with risks. Aquarists who take calculated risks are often rewarded, and those who flagrantly ignore Nature’s laws get spanked.. sometimes!
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The thrill of doing…Nothing!
Welcome back to The Tint podcast! Let’s ease back into things with a little discussion about something I’m really good at: Doing NOTHING when your tank doesn’t quite look the way you want, or as it’s evolving…Let’s get into this and celebrate patience and observation!
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The continuing allure of “blackwater livebearers”- if they exist, that is!
Yeah, another obsession of mine... I’ve poured through scientific literature, hoping to find a live bearing fish which naturally comes from a blackwater habitat... and here are some of my top candidates! This was the last “Tannin aquatics”-branded episode of “The Tint”! My New “v2.0” episodes…
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The Romance of the Aquarium Hobby
There is something amazing about going to the LFS and stumbling upon fishes that you’ve read about for years, but have never seen.. or just acquiring that fish you’ve been coveting for so long.. hers to the “romance” of our hobby…
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When is Enough, “Enough?”
When we create aquariums based on that idea in our heads- or that natural ecosystem that we’re enthralled by, we sometimes need to grasp restraint. We need to hold ourselves back.. let’s discuss this and other great ways to bring your dream tank to life!
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The journey is the fun part…
We as a hobby don’t do enough to share the basics.. there, I said it. We’re too caught up in making cute social media posts without disseminating more than superficial information. There’s a real hunger- and need- for us to go beyond the basics…
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Changing Course or Staying Put?
Reversing course, changing direction, and rethinking our aquariums are par for the course in the hobby. When is it appropriate to hold on.. or to switch direction?
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Tanks…A LOT
I have thousands of tank ideas. Why am I not able to find execute on them?
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“Lessons learned on the road to global domination…”
People ask me all the time how Tannin started; what the ideas that drove- and do tie to drive it- are. How lessons I’ve learned along the way validated thoughts I had, and challenged me to improve. And we look at how the mindset I’ve learned on my journey can help you with yours..
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Where the magic lies…
As botanical method aquarium fans and vendors, we tend to speculate quite a bit about what exactly is in those botanical we use. One thing we don’t speculate about is what they do ecologically when they’re in our tanks…
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Streaming along…
Of all of the habitats we play with in botanical method aquariums, few are as compelling as tropical streams. Let’s take another look at streams and the opportunities they offer to replicate them in aquariums..
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Ecology First.
When we eschew ecology, we’re setting ourselves up for difficulties with our aquariums. It’s a lesson learned throughout hobby history. One which, as botanical method aquarium lovers, we need not be destined to repeat!
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The Risk of the New?
There is always risk to trying new stuff in the hobby. There is risk in collecting your own botanicals. Hell, there’s risk in keeping an aquarium, for that matter. Don’t be overly risk adverse!
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Like What Nature Does
I’ve pounded it into your heads before: Our botanical method aquariums are little microcosms; beholden to Natural processes just like their wild brethren. And how we manage them and indeed, perceive them, is as important as anything else we do in the hobby.
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It’s not “dirty”- it’s Perfect!
Your botanical method aquarium is an elegant, simple to manage, yet complex ecosystem. It can run with a minimum of intervention on your part. They key is to understand what’s happening, why it’s beneficial- and to make the mental shifts necessary to make it all work.
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IS bigger “better?”
For some reason, a lot of people in the aquarium hobby seem to feel that you need to have a large aquarium to be considered a “serious” hobbyist- or a “successful” one. Where the hell did THIS idea come from? Let’s discuss…
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The Change is Here..
How do hobby practices develop? What makes us do things the way that we do? And why are we sometimes hesitant to change, to learn, to evolve? What kinds of changes have we made in the hobby- and what kinds of changes will we do tie to make?
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
"The Tint" is a podcast dedicated to lovers of natural aquariums. A place to discuss unusual aquarium concepts and ideas; a jumping-off point at the aquarium hobby's "bleeding edge." Join us for inspiration, ideas, and a sometimes provocative point of view!
HOSTED BY
Scott Fellman
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How many episodes does The Tint have?
The Tint currently has 718 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is The Tint about?
"The Tint" is a podcast dedicated to lovers of natural aquariums. A place to discuss unusual aquarium concepts and ideas; a jumping-off point at the aquarium hobby's "bleeding edge." Join us for inspiration, ideas, and a sometimes provocative point of view!
How often does The Tint release new episodes?
The Tint releases new episodes frequently with a large back catalog of 718 episodes. Check the episode list for recent publication dates.
Where can I listen to The Tint?
You can listen to The Tint on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts The Tint?
The Tint is created and hosted by Scott Fellman.
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