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All Episodes

The Tint — 718 episodes

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Title
1

The Romance of the Aquarium Hobby

2

When is Enough, “Enough?”

3

The journey is the fun part…

4

Changing Course or Staying Put?

5

Tanks…A LOT

6

“Lessons learned on the road to global domination…”

7

Where the magic lies…

8

Streaming along…

9

Ecology First.

10

The Risk of the New?

11

Like What Nature Does

12

It’s not “dirty”- it’s Perfect!

13

IS bigger “better?”

14

The Change is Here..

15

What we do is cool.

16

A big idea for small fishes?

17

Keeeping a good thing going: Thoughts on Long Term Management of Botanical Method Aquariums

18

Wherever Nature Takes Us…

19

Beyond the “sexy looks”…again!

20

Who’s accommodating who?

21

“Project 18”: The Turning Point

22

A Steady diet of…

23

The “Acid Trip”

24

"The Tint" Special Edition with Mark Chen of Nature Design Studio- "The Ultimate Beauty Resides in Nature"

25

Letting Nature Sort it Out

26

More wood in our aquariums? Why not?

27

Fools rush in…

28

Origins and Evolutions…And You.

29

Of Mangroves and Macroalgae with Tyler Wells (aka "Inland Reef")- EXTENDED SPECIAL EPISODE!

30

It’s a “Jungle” in There! (And What’s Wrong With THAT?)

31

Existential Crises… of My Own Making?

32

Past Perfect. Future Fantastic!

33

The Wisdom of the Ages

34

Events which Shape Us

35

Considering the “a biological Operating System” of our Aquariums…

36

The “Expectation Refresher”- Yet Again…

37

Good Clean Fun?

38

Tempting Fate…Rolling the Dice..Trying to Beat the Rare “Sure Things” in our Hobby!

39

“Attitude Adjustments?”

40

Power from the Palms!

41

Constantly Changing. Persistently Evolving.

42

My confusing delusional obsession…

43

The Intersection of Function, Form…and “Weird” Ideas…

44

Just…Don’t…

45

Steps along the way…

46

Yes, you can! But, should you?

47

Call it what you want to Call It…

48

So, you’re thinking of starting a reef tank? Can we talk first?

49

More than just the obvious…

50

“Fixes” for “Problems” that are Not Problems!

51

The Complexity of making the Hobby “Simple”

52

Playing with the Dynamics of Botanical Method Aquariums

53

Nature… Your Partner

54

Grand experiments, revisited. Ideas which create “unlocks…”

55

One fish, two fish…Or, is that fishes?

56

The benefits of aquarium “Cross Training”

57

Why we question things…

58

Thwarting a regrettable hobby “trend…”

59

Stumbling in the dark: Facing our fears while learning the ways of “blackwater!”

60

The burden of knowing “too much?”

61

The man who Brought Darkness Into the Land- And What We Can Learn From Him!

62

Focusing…and Freaking Out! Or not.

63

“Environmental impacts” and Botanicals

64

Wake me up before you “Oto”- The case for caution with a so-called “algae eater…”

65

Where DO all of the fishes go?

66

A slightly salty obsession of mine…

67

Leaving safe harbor…

68

A reasonable facsimile, indeed!

69

Treasuring every fish…

70

Bringing it home?

71

Bringin’ it home.. deeper dives into creating for functionally realistic aquariums…

72

Disrupting the Fish Food game.. A Plea to Budding Aquarium Industry Entrepreneurs!

73

Yay! You just purchased some new fishes! Now what? Confessions of a Traumatized Fish Geek…

74

Oh, those stupid names…A little story from Tannin’s history…

75

Full stop? Or just a little detour?

76

My greatest mistake?

77

This is how I do it ( Pt.3) : Establishing a botanical method aquarium- mindset and methodology

78

Green Meets Brown.

79

Botanicals: “Classified”

80

Serendipitous Spawning? Or, simply approaching fish breeding from a different angle?

81

Only the bold move forward.

82

Fishing…

83

A quick thought for rainy days.

84

What’s the rush?

85

“Operating” your botanical method aquarium to simulate seasons…an idea whose time has come?

86

Working the web of life…

87

Thinking like a fish; thinking about fishes…

88

Let’s hear it for… algae!

89

When we start…

90

Something old. Something new. Something…Gone.

91

The”rock question” again!

92

“Opportunistic Habitats”

93

How much of…What? The befits and pitfalls of “speculative biochemistry”

94

Set and Forget?

95

A return to the flooded forest: A review of the “Urban Igapo” approach

96

A “Shot across the bow..”

97

We “wood” eat it if we could!

98

In the mix…

99

Shattering a Botanical “Myth”- and Shaping The Future…

100

It’s all gonna be okay… With the amazing Jennifer Williams!

101

The outer limits…

102

An easy partnership

103

The mood and the mindset…

104

Beyond the Superficial

105

Brown Crush

106

Hahnel knew it…

107

Oak:The “one stop shop” for botanical method aquarium enthusiasts!

108

The "Detritus Dilemma"- again!

109

Waiting for "the quiet storm" of life...

110

Life is too short to compromise.

111

As the seasons pass…

112

“Geographic transgressions” and other Forgivable Sins…

113

“Blackwater Livebearers”: My obsessive search continues…

114

Relationships

115

Inception.

116

Back…From Nowhere…

117

Starting at...The beginning?

118

The ones which take you back…

119

All of that “stuff…”

120

Letting go…For a while, anyways!

121

Thwarting a chilling hobby trend..

122

Nature takes Her course…

123

The “Through Line”

124

At the bottom of tropical waters…

125

What's it mean to "fail" in the hobby, always?

126

“The evolution will be…managed.”

127

Compensating Factors

128

The gooey, slimy, and sometimes wowed-looking cycle of life in our aquariums…

129

Inspiration.

130

Staying the course…

131

We DO “dream in water…”

132

“Weird” done well…

133

How Soon is "NOW?"

134

Before you hit “return”: The importance of being thoughtful in online discourse!

135

Living color…

136

Why you should be playing with “alternative substrates” in your aquariums…

137

“The Light Stuff…”

138

Leaves..Again!

139

“Operating” your botanical method aquarium….

140

The “art part” of the equation…

141

Addition by subtraction…

142

“The operating system…”

143

Into the niches and backwaters

144

At the bottom of tropical streams…

145

The worlds we create.

146

The Power of “aquatic Cross-Training”, and a call to be Better…

147

The whole picture…

148

Your fishes call it…food.

149

Thinking like a fish!

150

The really long game…

151

Welcoming the unexpected…and Resisting the urge to Overthink!

152

“Perpetual Darkness?”

153

Fresh and New…And YOU.

154

The “Crowd?” or, just the Community?

155

Finding your own lane: The real “mental shift…”

156

The filter you use…The filter you have.

157

A fine “mess.”

158

Is it “good enough?”

159

Quick Hit: The “School of rock?”

160

Working with “The Establishment”

161

Walking Away- a Study in Mental Toughness

162

Heading to the bottom.. again!

163

How it all works.

164

A “Clean Start?”

165

More “early days” musings…

166

Your first look at the botanical method…

167

Evolution. Patience. Time. The first Mental Shift.

168

Growing, maturing…Evolving!

169

“The ephemeral pace…”

170

“Field Work”

171

Because you asked…Stuff I despise in the hobby…

172

How Scott got his groove back…

173

Tips and tricks? Sure, why not!

174

Bending the rules?

175

Hahnel knew it.

176

Tangible benefits?

177

Everything you need for your reef tank?

178

What causes that “haze” in botanical method aquariums?

179

“Permission” to evolve?

180

The color of water…

181

Tradecraft.

182

Changing it up…

183

The function. The form. The contest?

184

Any way you want it…

185

The craziness of planning?

186

Who is the best “aquarium designer?”

187

Subtle “suggestions” and “rhetorical questions” from non hobbyists!

188

What’s so “radical” about patience?

189

Random- or not?

190

What’s going on? Some of the “expectations” to have when starting a botanical method aquarium

191

Quick tint tips!

192

Just…maintain!

193

10 common traits among successful hobbyists- and their aquariums!

194

“Transitioning” a botanical method aquarium: A case study

195

The Process: The “how? and why?” Of Botanical Preparation..Again!

196

When I’m asked to just talk about fish stuff…

197

A beautiful Mess: Detritus and its role in aquariums…AGAIN!

198

The common thread of my “fishy obsessions!”

199

Along the way…

200

For the love of weird substrates…

201

Botanical method musings- the startup and beyond…

202

The beauty of “the ignorance bubble”

203

On to the next?

204

Specialized diets, “Leopard Frogs” and rethinking assumptions.

205

The “Fungal Filter!”

206

Aquarium practice rooted neither in culture nor tradition…”

207

On occasion, I get restless…

208

Why leaves make lousy “hardscape pieces!”

209

The”meal plan.”

210

What we’ve been told

211

Don’t keep up the fight!

212

Easy Going

213

The importance of doing…Nothing.

214

Approaching brackish water aquariums with a different mindset…

215

The Joys of Allochthonous input!

216

A World Full of Botanicals

217

"The Tint" Special Edition with Thomas Minesi: An Expedition to the River Fwa

218

Just can’t stay away… Or can I?

219

The breakthrough.

220

The mindset behind the aquarium: One-on-one with Alex Franqui

221

"The Tint" Special Edition with Jen Williams: Exciting developments in the aquascaping contest world!

222

Throwing more light on blackwater!

223

The “Nutritional Dynamic” of Botanical-Style Aquariums

224

The hobby is easy, right?

225

Accumulating Botanicals- And Mental Toughness!

226

The Benefits of Disruption?

227

Pushing Through

228

The Dynamics of “The Urban Igapo”

229

Yeah, THOSE people!

230

Susceptible to manipulation…”

231

The “Unholy Trinity” and the mental shifts we need to make in the hobby…

232

Under the Influence?

233

Fuel

234

Methodology

235

Inspiration from the Morichal

236

“Functional aquascaping” and the feeding habits of our fishes: A different direction?

237

Debunking the “Reef Mystique”

238

The Commendable Power of Restraint

239

When in the jungle, act like a monkey! Well, sort of…

240

Reefkeeping Reality: Because You Asked!

241

What’s the alternative?

242

“Extended Operations…”

243

Fishing Around…

244

Stying on course.

245

“Trash” or “Treasure?”

246

The “diagnosis” of what’s wrong with the hobby? Or just a biased observation?

247

Let go.. it’s okay!

248

Eliminating the “Positive?”

249

Blowing up Brackish!

250

Radical approaches, risk, criticisms, and the challenges we take on…

251

Botanical expectations…

252

Does your “blackwater aquarium” contain “blackwater?” A case study in hobby responsibility…

253

“Environmental Intimacy” and The Case for Killifishes

254

What’s the big deal about substrates?

255

“Filtration” and The Botanical-Style Aquarium

256

Nostalgic thoughts- or a nod to the Future?

257

“The Cure”

258

What Nature Does…

259

To the “creators”

260

Say “Hello” to our little friends!

261

The Game of Change…

262

When the waters get tough..

263

What’s the problem?

264

Accumulation.

265

Risk.

266

Movement.

267

The Mangrove Mystique- Mud and Mental Shifts

268

Tangled Twigs, Strange Substrates, and Dynamic Processes!

269

The Tint Special Edition: Jake Adams of Reef Builders: “Aquarium hobby ‘Cross-Pollination”

270

Ideas that move us forward: A personal journey of sorts..

271

"The Tint" Special Edition with Jennifer Williams: Jen and Scott talk about Everything!

272

The Tint Special Edition with Chris Englezou: Aquariums and The Natural World

273

"The Essence"

274

The Best- Not the Brightest!

275

What every Tetra knows

276

Botanical prep…AGAIN!

277

Where’s all the algae?

278

The fishes that hook the human: A couple of my faves!

279

The Slow(er) road to Success with Fish Stocking.

280

Letting go.

281

Expanded Ecology?

282

Fostering a relationship.

283

We dream in water..

284

The Elegance of Simplicity

285

Don’t Fear the Reefer!

286

Edits, iterations, pivots, and detours!

287

The “Immortal Aquarium?”

288

Clouds on the horizon...or in your aquarium?

289

Behind the Botanical: Meet the Kielmeyera Pod!

290

What’s the problem with “realism?”

291

Stuff we need to do...

292

Risk.

293

It’s only a “fail” if you make it one!

294

Sorting it out...Naturally

295

Fish, fish, and more Fish! A "tint" Special Edition with Scott, Johnny, and Special Guest Sumer Tiwari!

296

“The Curse of the Kissing Gourami”- a Tale from My Youth...

297

“To Bee or Not to Bee?” The Surpriskg Bumblebee Goby!

298

(Almost) everything I learned about life, I learned from my aquariums!

299

The Tint with Special Guest, Thomas Minesi of Congo Nature Photography- "Aquatic Habitats of The Congo"

300

“Situational Awareness”: Understanding some of those crazy hobby personalities!

301

The Endless Dance

302

“Weird” Done Well: A Challenge

303

Mentally Shifted

304

The adaptability of mangroves- A key player in unique Botanical-Style Aquariums!

305

The botanical-style aquarium: A Brief introduction.

306

“Off the Grid” with The Zebra Danio

307

The botanical-style aquarium: A “filter” of its own, and other biological musings

308

A slice of the bottom? Or a figment of our imagination?

309

Botanical Materials in The Wild- And in The Aquarium

310

Supplemental? Primary? Or both?

311

"The Tint" Special Edition with Scott Fellman and Johnny Ciotti

312

"The Tint" Special Edition with Tai Strietman!

313

Evolving techniques

314

Transitioning.

315

When dreams come alive...

316

Baggage?

317

So, what really happens when a leaf falls into a stream?

318

Natural habitats that we should replicate more!

319

Blackwater in theory and in practice

320

Aquarium “Yoga”, Session #5

321

Degrees of Difficulty: Working with “Challenging” Fishes...

322

The aquarium as an ecosystem: An old idea that’s somehow always new.

323

Cool Places

324

In celebration of the Ephemeral

325

The “Scavenger Syndrome”: it’s about “Otis” and more...

326

What our fishes eat: The wonder of food webs

327

It’s okay to let go.. for a while, anyways!

328

Attacking the accommodation approach!

329

Just read the instructions...Sort of.

330

The natural “intangibles” of botanical materials...

331

The right fish for the right aquarium: A case study of sorts...

332

The mystique of the “Salty Cichlid” - The Orange Chromide.

333

Stuff we’ve been told to fear...

334

Transitional Habitats- A new aquarium hobby frontier?

335

It’s about wood. It’s about form. It’s about function.

336

Someplace like...home?

337

Fun with Filtration!

338

No expiration date.

339

Evolving with your aquarium on the long road to success

340

My Mangrove Obsession. Could it be YOURS, too?

341

Hell? Or High water? Questions and answers about the “Urban Igapo” concept...

342

The contrarian embrace of decomposing “stuff” in our aquariums...

343

Blowing up the Barbs! The hobby’s most under appreciated fishes?

344

The philosophy of transience..

345

The Joys of Randomness

346

“R” is For Risk

347

Absolutely...Not?

348

The Bloom

349

Natural processes and the mental shifts we need to make!

350

Keeping it together- the beauty of “buttress roots” and their function in the flooded forests...

351

It’s kind of my fault. The power of words- and the need to THINK more!

352

My fave fish for botanical-style tanks- part I of like, many!!

353

New Start. New Approach.

354

Getting to the bottom of the “sedimented substrate thing!”

355

The BIG arguement for smaller aquariums!

356

From the depths of our imaginations to the shallows of streams.

357

The surprising benefits of being flexible...

358

Piling up.

359

Where no one has gone before?

360

“Operating” our aquariums- replicating Nature!

361

Our friends, the fungi!

362

The “Utban Igapo” in practice

363

The abundance.

364

Challenge

365

Nature’s got our back

366

“This is How I do it” (Pt.2): Botanicals

367

Why it’s okay to go slowly

368

This is how I do it. Pt 1: Substrates

369

Fun with water chemistry- Part 1,500!

370

The call of leaves.

371

Hobbyists who can steer you wrong?

372

“The Score”- An “urban aquarium myth?” Or just part of the game?

373

The continuing saga of my salty obsession!

374

“In between days”

375

Realizations, affirmations, interpretations, and the way I create aquariums

376

It’s okay to question things...

377

Changing your water- and your mindset

378

The continuing sage of my search for a blackwater livebearer. Episode III: A New Chance

379

The romance and allure of “casual fish breeding”

380

You’re still using sand for your aquarium substrate? How passé!

381

How long do leaves last underwater?

382

The ever growing inspiration of the Morichal!

383

Catappa leaves, botanicals, and the stuff they can-and can’t do!

384

Filled with inspiration- The many wonders of stream habitats.

385

Trees of life.. literally!

386

From the bottom up: Living with your substrate.

387

Building Blocks to "The Big Idea"

388

Tough questions and interesting answers with Scott Fellman and Johnny Ciotti

389

Making a scene: The subtle players

390

Land and water, working together: Embracing the transformation

391

Food production: The ultimate “collateral benefit” of the botanical-style aquarium?

392

U-turns, detours, and changes in direction.

393

The same old song: The “universality” and “reliability” of botanical materials.

394

Too much is never enough...or IS it?

395

Edits, iterations, and big moves: Evolving your aquarium over time.

396

Look out below!

397

What’s so funny about peace, love and tinted water?

398

Now the Future starts... The 2021 Preview with Scott and Johnny

399

The sheer audacity of it all.

400

Notes from The “Idea Shelf”

401

The experimental mode.

402

“That pH thing” again, and the annoyance of assumptions

403

Amateur geology, sand, rocks, and blackwater. And putting it all together.

404

Streams- in form and function

405

Letting go, intentionally?

406

Getting to know “old friends.”

407

Beyond the micro biome.

408

“The Tint” Special Edition with James Sheen of Blackwater UK- “Aquatic Inspiration and More”

409

The legacy of leaves.

410

Beyond the tint: Working with water in the botanical-style aquarium.

411

Thought leadership and the responsibility that accompanies it.

412

Chasing numbers.

413

What we do?

414

The pace.

415

Sustenance- Where the food comes from

416

Transforming the biotope aquarium.

417

Do you “Igapo?” Or, are you more or the “varzea” type?

418

Excuse our dust! Well, not! The sedimented substrate thing is here!

419

The little Tetra that can.. a deeper dive into the habitat of the “Green Neon Tetra”

420

The “Pasta Sauce Analogy” and Aquarium Substrates.

421

Approaches. Observation. Management. Algae?

422

Fishes of my childhood: The Kuhli Loach

423

Permission.

424

Exercises in functionality- making a mess- or building a microcosm?

425

Under Cover? Or all over? Meet the Karsts!

426

The usual suspects? Doing “common” fishes in an “uncommon” way!

427

Chasing The GOAT

428

Fueling the process...

429

Explaining the Swamp!

430

Embracing the “natural” part of Nature. Rebellion? Or philosophy?

431

Lessons Learned as the waters recede...

432

Tint Special Edition with Scott and Johnny: Maintenance of the botanical-style aquarium- and More!

433

Transitional habitats-from the underwater perspective.

434

Learning curve.

435

A brackish water trip...

436

Embracing the few. And the influential.

437

From the woods...

438

Shrimp and “Anecdotal Nutrition”

439

The start of the journey...

440

When you’re stuck...

441

Real “natural foods”- Epiphytes, Macrophytes, and Mental Shifts

442

Back to the “C” word!

443

Mixing it up in the leaf litter...

444

The smallest allies...

445

Under Cover...

446

Holding the line...simple thoughts on evaporation, and strategies to counter it...

447

Eschewing the prep process- and the audacity of stubbornness.

448

Mixing it up- going against what we know: The “substrate edition...”

449

Doing Nature more Naturally- A "Tint" special edition with Tai Strietman

450

Disruption? Or simply a nature’s process for change?

451

Killifish and their terrestrial connections- questioning convention.

452

The only “hacks” worth doing!

453

The “players” behind the process...

454

Another "botanical-style aquarium cocktail" with Scott and Johnny!

455

Back to the mud holes!

456

A certain (water) quality...

457

The “baseline”

458

Roads less travelled: A different take on the “same old thing?”

459

The “terrestrial approach.” A different sort of start?

460

Variety: The stuff of...confusion?

461

Love, life...Leaf litter...

462

The real “live stream!”

463

From “idea mode” to the long term.

464

The “end of the beginning...” Where the magic really begins!

465

When fanboys attack!

466

The danger of “over-specialization...”

467

Just breathe...

468

Close ties...

469

Do it yourself. FOR yourself.

470

Is there an “upside” to detritus?

471

The allure of “throwback” consitions

472

Building a microcosm, starting from the bottom!

473

Common threads and functional aesthetics!

474

The Substrate you stick with...

475

A combination of elements

476

There’s beauty in the details

477

Life in many levels

478

The Tint: Deep Thoughts with Scott and Johnny

479

An idea that’s been floating around in my head...

480

The waiting game.., part of the journey.

481

The value of ideas.

482

The fishes of our childhood.

483

I dare you

484

The Tint special edition with George Farmer and Johnny Ciotti!

485

“Green water”. Meets brown water! The idea of botanical- style fry rearing- revisited!

486

Why you won’t find everything on our website!

487

Evolution- a most important concept in the hobby

488

The hobby is pricy.

489

A "Tint" Special Edition with "The Aquarium Guys!"

490

Transitioning to “The Tint”- Slowly!

491

The worlds we create.

492

"The Tint" featuring Special Guest, Jen Williams!!!

493

You’re not just an Aquatics businessperson- you’re a “bricoleur!”

494

“Passive Management” amd the evolving aquarium.

495

Considering the Seasons

496

The impact of The Land. The concept of terroir- and the Nuances of Nature.

497

“Any old Log...”

498

Don’t even think about it!

499

We told ya...Really! Or DID we? I THINK so!

500

Q and A with Johnny and Scott, and exciting news about “Shade!”

501

A good facsimile? The value of “aquatic analogs”

502

“Guarantees” in the aquarium hobby- and dissing the “Aquarium Gods”- Some words you the wise!

503

Going BIG! Well, “bigger”, at least!

504

Stocking “in sequence?” An approach to creating more natural aquariums...

505

Talking “tint” with James Sheen of Blackwater UK!

506

Water, soil, weather, fishes.

507

How to succeed at botanical-style aquariums without really trying....

508

Brackish water beckons....

509

Really- we can explain!

510

Fortune favors the bold.

511

What goes down must come...out? The imperfect art of leaf litter bed maintenance.

512

What goes on down there?

513

From idea to microcosm

514

Beyond the tint: Clearing the waters about botanical-style aquariums

515

Another place and time...

516

“Substrate Confidential!” Another look at the “stuff on the bottom!”

517

During the dry season

518

Just what makes those botanicals tick?

519

Healthy obsessions- unhealthy Detours, and the joy of New Experiences.

520

Breakthroughs? Or mental shifts?

521

Contributing to the abundance of the “aquarium biome!”

522

It’s all about the fishes! With special guest Mike Tuccinardi!

523

“Cheating?” Or simply working with what you’ve got?

524

Tank side Chat: Found Joy in the Aquarium, with Johnny Ciotti!

525

The complexity of “nuances”

526

Replication...or inspiration?’

527

Is THIS the true “Golden Age” of the aquarium hobby? Scott and Johnny chop it up!

528

Homage to a beloved botanical- The Cariniana pod!

529

No magic here.

530

Opposite directions: Two little “case studies” on the influence of underwater nuances!

531

The difficult decision to make decisions...

532

The breakdown on...The breakdown!

533

You’ve got the look. What about the function?

534

Bringing up the biome.

535

Startup and beyond.

536

The continuous evolution of aquatic habitats in Nature and the aquarium...

537

Water quality, botanicals, and the outer limits of our abilities...

538

Brown water and red flags...

539

Splitting hairs and pushing boundries

540

Laying it all out...

541

The beauty of humility in the aquarium hobby...

542

Welcome (Back) to “The Jungle!”

543

The best version of yourself

544

Pushing Twigs

545

Bending the rules?

546

“Mulm’s” the word. Or, is it “detritus?” Or is it food..or?

547

Editing, iterating, and refining the “functional aesthetics” of our aquariums.

548

The allure of ephemeral aquatic habitats- and the fishes which reside in them.

549

The transition-The approach, process, the myths, the unknowns, and the “art...”

550

Tint, turbidity, mental shifts- and that certain “look” we all want...

551

Stuff I suck at...

552

Where we are: Innovation, patience, and enlightenment.

553

Wading into the “Urban Igapo...”

554

Africa- a case for compelling niche habitats and killifishes!

555

No “magic elixir...”

556

The “Dynamic Botanical Substrate”- Nature unleashed!

557

Shortcuts, “hacks”, and processes...

558

The opportunities of “micro habitats...”

559

Brackish water aquariums- from the bottom up!

560

Falling trees. Rising ecosystems. New approaches.

561

The botanical-style aquarium “conversation starter!”

562

The mystique of Mollies...

563

The annoying thing about “labels”, “rules”, and overly-rigid thinking...

564

Free your mind and the detritus will follow!

565

The benefits of a “mental rewind”

566

The wonder of the weird. The Tannin 2020 mission.

567

A leap of faith...

568

The “art” and science”- or is it the “science and the art...?”

569

Radical departures. Interpretations of Nature. Mandatory mental shifts.

570

The “bottom up evolution” is here!

571

The “continuous” aquarium...

572

Going long. Really long.

573

Density. Diversity. Function.

574

The elusive goal of “perfection...”

575

Respect for the decomposers!

576

The aesthetics behind “natural...”

577

Faith in Nature. Sustenance from within.

578

Tinted shortcuts? Or just “shortcuts?”

579

Botanicals and their “environmental impact”: A closer look...

580

The “wood” part of the natural aquarium “equation”

581

All that sparkles: Notes from my “Sparkling Gourami” tank ideas...

582

The “why” part of the botanical equation, and the importance of “firsthand” observations...

583

The perfect blend...

584

The details of decomposition...

585

Getting real. Like, REALLY real...

586

“Aquariums are awesome, Scott! I want one!” Oh, sh-t- now what?

587

My personal Hell- The fish selection process...

588

Crossing “the gauntlet...”

589

The “cerebral side” of botanical-style aquariums...

590

Compelling questions...detailed answers

591

Like- just going for it!!

592

Permission to have...Fun?

593

Returning to the beginning...

594

Immerse yourself.

595

What about the function?

596

The “startup phase” and it’s natural analogs...

597

Botanical nuances-keys to replicating wild habitats on a deeper level? Or just really good guesses!

598

That certain “something...”

599

Let’s get real...

600

The tale of the Tucanos

601

Not in too deep.. the allure of shallow stream habitats...

602

On the hunt...

603

Getting away with it...

604

Water quality and the botanical-style aquarium: Practices, potential...and speculation.

605

Mad about... Magnolia!

606

Are you up to the challenge?

607

Nature’s “Operating System”

608

Homage to an old (botanical) friend...

609

The “Tinter’s Palette...”

610

Going, going...Gone

611

The stability factor.

612

An “embarrassment of riches?”

613

What’s better for Bettas?

614

“Spontaneous miracles”, hacks”, comprehending- and evolving patience!

615

On the trail of the Amazonian Shrimp!

616

Yeah. We sell “lawn trash...”

617

“The First 48” and beyond...

618

Something old. Something new. something...tinted!

619

Johnny Ciotti: Do what you love. The inner game of aquascaping.

620

Not so fond farewells. Bad places. Honest confessions. Realizations.

621

There must be SOMETHING in the water, right?

622

Ceding some of the work to Nature..

623

“”Authentic” Nature?

624

“so, a rock and a leaf fall into a stream...”

625

Part of the dance...

626

When we’re forced out of our comfort zone...

627

Short-term lapses...Long-term successes!

628

Downstream thinking!

629

The Power of “Generic Tropical”

630

Hangin' with a legendary fish geek: Rachel O'Leary!

631

The “Aesthetic Primer” revisited...

632

Continuity, renewal, stability...and evolution...

633

A salty “sayonara”- or a shift to the future?

634

Keeping it real...

635

Setting the stage...

636

A most intimate relationship

637

I killed it.

638

The nature of “Nature” in our aquariums...

639

Let them eat...botanicals!

640

“Bottom-up evolution!”

641

The dynamics of the Botanical-Style Aquarium

642

Beyond coincidence?

643

Beating the $&@# out of an old friend...

644

It’s the one thing

645

The strange phenomenon of “cyclical occurrences”- “Quirks”, processes, and mental shifts...

646

Social Media for Aquatic Industry Brands and Influencers with Kat Dhawan (aka MetroKatNY)!!!

647

Letting it breathe

648

“Suggestions” from the uninitiated...

649

“Botanical Baby Food”- evolving a classic approach!

650

“A most unconventional way...”

651

All in all, it’s a good idea NOT to kill your fishes!

652

Seriously...Why?

653

Aquascaping from a different perspective with George Farmer (2 parts)

654

The scary hypocrisy of regurgitation...

655

Those “domestic issues”...again!

656

Bouncing off the bottom- my continuing geeky obsession with “substrate enrichment!”

657

“Try SCE to AUX”- or, the power of remembering obscure stuff in the hobby!

658

“The music of aquascaping” with special guest, Cory Hopkins!

659

Replicating Nature via “Selective Aesthetic Diversity”

660

Points of failure- and how to counter them!

661

“Fishes don’t break so easily..”

662

Accumulating “detritus” , “mulm”- or whatever the hell you want to call it!

663

Changing for the better? Or just... changing?

664

Weather? Or not?

665

Inspiration from The Pantanal, with special guest, Tai Strietman!

666

A push towards The Pantanal...

667

Contemplating the stereotype of “the scavenger...”

668

Faith in Nature

669

For the love of rock...

670

Tradecraft.

671

Shifting with the Seasons, Pt.2

672

Slipping through the seasons...

673

The REAL “one percenters...”

674

How many leaves does it take? Hint- we’re f——ing CLUELESS!

675

The “Guardian of The Spring”

676

Easing into it...

677

Can you begin in the hobby with a botanical style aquarium?

678

Waiting for... The package!

679

The “art” of the art- Easing into blackwater, botanical-style aquariums...

680

The “physical/structural” aspect of aquascaping (Or, “thinking like a fish!)

681

Tinting the world with special guest, James Sheen of Blackwater UK!

682

Deeper, Stronger, Longer- Working on your “tint!”

683

Saving the local fish store.. or just giving it the credit that it deserves!

684

Beginner’s luck?

685

Celebrating the transience of Nature.

686

To those drifting in the current...

687

It’s raining life in “the urban igapo...”

688

Can’t there just be an “owners manual” somewhere?

689

Filtering through the facts on filtration!

690

Back to biofilms.. again!

691

Moving forward boldly.

692

A word to the unwise

693

The killifish conundrum

694

In a whole new light...

695

It’s a seasonal thing...

696

The long term...

697

Living off the Land...Sort of!

698

Next Level.

699

Grab n’ go! Collecting your own botanicals...

700

“Low tech?” Or “high concept.?” The “Walstad Method” rides again!

701

Philosophy, tint, and transience

702

Lost in romance?

703

Something old. Something new. The concept of “Sozo Haishoku” and the botanical-style aquarium...

704

The concept of “terroir” in our aquariums...

705

“A most persistent myth...”

706

Stay...Or go?

707

“The Lost Tribe of Amano?”

708

Clearing up some stuff...

709

A world of Confessions.

710

Natural aquatic features that we don’t replicate enough!

711

Interpreted Nature- A different approach to brackish aquariums.

712

The limits to what we can do.

713

The First Mental Shift.

714

Do your Tetras know?

715

Unfiltered Nature.

716

Cooking with Botanicals: The art of Botanical Preparation, Part 236...

717

One Person’s “Trash...”

718

Nature at The Controls...