The Tint

How many leaves does it take..? Hint? We're $#@&ing clueless...

What a cheerful, confidence-building title, huh?

Well, it's honest, at least!

I suppose one of the most commonly asked questions I get here is, "How many ________ does it take to tint my water?"

And my most common response?

"I have no idea!"

Pretty much NOT the response that you'd expect from someone who curates, obsesses over, and sells leaves for a living, I know. But here's the thing: There are a ton of variables, such as the composition of your water, the size of the aquarium, water movement, where you incorporate them in your system (i.e., in a filter chamber, canister, reactor, or the display itself), and wether or not you utilize some form of chemical filtration (such as activated carbon, etc.), and exactly WHAT your goal is for using them in your aquarium, just to name a few.

Leaves are really tricky little bastards, when it comes to "how many?"

I can tell you, as a sweeping generality, that it typically takes me at least 2-4 ounces of Texas Live Oak leaves, Yellow Mangrove Leaves, or a dozen or more Guava and Jackfruit Leaves to get a decent level of "tint" in an aquarium of say 30-50 U.S. gallons, when simply placed in the tank. Catappa leaves? Well, it typically takes about 10-12 medium-sized ones to do the job in my tank. 

Guava, Jackfruit, and some other leaves tend to impart a less significant tint to the water in my experience- an almost yellowish-gold color, so you can use more of them, especially in conjunction with Catappa, to achieve a great affect!

And the pH thing?

Now, I"m starting with RO/DI water with essentially no carbonate hardness and a very "flexible" pH. Not only do the botanicals influence the color, but they can influence the pH under these circumstances. Simply adding catappa or other leaves to your hard, alkaline tap water will have little to no effect, other than to impart some color and maybe increase your TDS a bit.

However, the tannins, which are the substances which tint the water, cannot "overcome" the Calcium and Magnesium ions, and drive down the pH significantly in water with high levels of these carbonate hardness present. It simply is putting more materials into the water (which are often detectible by TDS meters in aquariums).

Remember, there are multiple factors in play, and multiple goals you might have for adding leaves to your tank. If it's just about the aesthetics of having leaves in the tank, and you want clear water, use activated carbon in your filter and call it a day! If you're all about a deeply tinted and low pH environment, you need to eliminate activated carbon in large quantities, employ RO/DI water, and likely use quite a bit more of these materials than I am talking about here.

You have to experiment. There is simply no "recipe" out there that can give you "Instant Amazon" conditions by adding "a little of this and a bit of that" to your tank, despite what "experts" or vendors will tell you. There just isn't. Period. 

I could talk until "the cows come home" about how much of this and that I use in my tank- but I may have a combination of factors that are vastly different from the environment in your aquarium. Sure, you can get a general idea- but your results will vary. Every tank is different. I think it's more about understanding the general "practices" involved versus how many of whatever to add.

In my display tank in my home, I use a rlot of Yellow Mangrove and Texas Live Oak, with a bunch of Borneo Catappa Bark and Oak twigs to achieve a nice color that I like. I also have a pH of around 6.6 and undetectable carbonate hardness; a TDS of around 10 (interesting....). Oh, and I use a hardscape comprised of "Spider Wood", which, especially when "fresh", imparts hella tint to your water! I'd almost call the use of wood a "hack" when it comes to visual tinting of water...

But that's me.

Back to the subject of chemical filtration in blackwater tanks for a bit...

Now, I've already touched on the issue of chemical filtration and its impact on removing the tint and tannins associated with leaves and botanicals. It's entirely possible to minimize or render the ph-lowering and water-tinting capability of tannins released by leaves with activated carbon, Purigen, or other chemical filtration media. Tannins are rather weak acids, yet they can lower the pH of water when their is less "buffer" in the system (i.e.; lower general hardness). Just how much tannins can lower pH in a given system depends upon how much buffering capacity the water has. 

With "harder" water (i.e., water with a greater buffering capacity), you can have the tinted water look from leaves and wood, without the pH reducing effects, particularly if the tannic acids are absorbed by the aforementioned chemical filtration media. So, in other words, you can have the aesthetics of blackwater while running your aquarium at a higher pH if the hardness is sufficient. Once you remove tannins in a lower hardness system, your pH should rise, too, since you're removing the acids.

Woah. Head spin time. 

Bottom line is this: You can use chemical filtration media in "tinted" tanks. However, depending upon the amount of media, quantity of tannin-producing items (leaves, wood, botanicals, etc.) and the capacity of the aquarium, the impact will be variable. I run chemical filtration media (Purigen and activated carbon) in my tanks, and I still have nice tint and pH relatively stable, as mentioned above. It's a fine line between "too much" and "too little", and you will simply have to experiment to find what works best for you!

And more water chem talk?

Again, I attribute my relatively stable soft, mildly acidic conditions to the use of reverse osmosis/deionization (RO/DI) to pre-treat my tap water. RO/DI units are a bit pricy at first, but IMHO, they are an essential piece of a equipment and a very wise investment for the aspiring BWBS hobbyist!

Remember-  Botanicals and leaves will NOT soften your water. It's perhaps the most misunderstood thing of all about botanicals? Maybe. I think it's easy to see how this one got started and tends to hang around a bit. Most botanical materials contain tannins and humic substances, which can drive down the pH in water with little to no carbonate hardness.  And of course, the tinted, soft acidic water in many natural habitats often has an abundance of leaves and botanicals present. I think that this gave a lot of hobbyists the impression that you could simply add some of these materials (leaves, etc.) into your tap water and create "Rio Negro-like" conditions easily!

This can only be accomplished with reverse osmosis or ion exchange( a process in which calcium and magnesium ions are "exchanged" for sodium or potassium ions.)

Reverse osmosis is a water treatment process which relies on a membrane which has pores large enough to admit water molecules, yet "hardness ions" such as Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ remain behind and are flushed away by excess water. The resulting product water is thus called "soft water"-free of hardness ions without any other ions being added. 

Get an RO/DI unto and be done with it...

And it is now widely accepted by science that humic substances (such as those present in botanicals) are thought to have a wide range of health benefits for fishes in all types of habitats. We've covered this before in a great guest blog by Vince Dollar, and the implications for the hobby and industry are profound. Although they are not the "cure all" that many vendors have touted them as, leaves and other botanicals do possess a wide range of substances which can have significantly beneficial impact on fish health.

How often do you need to replace your leaves and botanicals  Well, another great question for  which there is no "rule" involved. The reality is that you can simply add new leaves on a regular basis, so you'll always be making up for the ones that have decomposed. Some hobbyists like to remove the decomposed leaves, preferring a more "pristine" look.

It boils down to aesthetics, really.

This tinted world we play in, with its cool aesthetics, confounding chemistry, and abundance of assumptions and "aquarium hobby urban myths" is really something, isn't it? You just read almost 2,000 words telling you that there is no single way to achieve your goal...not exactly earth-shattering, but entirely symbolic of this fascinating world were in!

Be bold and experiment...find your path to tinted Nirvana!

Stay curious. Stay diligent. Stay engaged. Stay skeptical. Stay excited. Stay open-minded...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Little shrimp. Diverse botanicals. Lots of assertions. A lot of possibilities.

It probably didn't occur to your that many of the botanicals which we offer are not only attractive to use in Aquascaping- they just happen to be really tasty to a lot of animals as well!

In particular, shrimp. 

Yeah, the Neocaridina, Halocaridina, etc.

Those guys.

Now, many of the shrimps that we keep in the hobby come from streams in Southeast Asia, an environment that has significant tree growth and overhead foliage. Naturally, leaves, seed pods, and fruits fall into these streams and begin to decompose, creating blackwater conditions, with humic and tannic acids building in the water, reducing the pH and hardness in the process.

These materials are utilized by the shrimp as a grazing "substrate"- they will rasp epiphytic matter, such as algal growths, biofilms, fungal filaments from the surfaces of the leaves and such. In addition, many of these materials will be consumed directly, such as leaves and some seed pods with softer interiors. 

And of course, along comes little old us and our collection of leaves and twigs and stuff, and you find yourself faced with an array of materials to keep your little shrimp pals happy!

This wasn't a coincidence! 

The real "limiting factor", in my opinion, with the use of botanicals in a shrimp aquarium is the issue of creating stable environmental parameters and maintaining high water quality. In smaller aquarium, such as are typical for shrimp, the impact of ANYTHING we place in them on the environment is potentially critical. Go slowly and monitor.

In a small shrimp aquarium, the influx of a large amount of organic material into a small, but established, stable environment can degrade water quality rapidly, and create a possible ammonia spike or other nasty problems! Again, it's about going SLOWLY!

As far as what shrimp will consume, my experience with my own shrimp and aquatic botanicals is that they will graze on ANYTHING that recruits biofilm and/or algae, and actually physically consume many of the botanicals which have softer internal components to them. 

There are literally dozens and dozens of products, including things like dried leaves and other botanicals (some of which we carry), marketed as (supplemental) shrimp feeds...and I think it's entirely correct and accurate to label them as such.  Granted, it's hard to say what exactly the shrimp are consuming of the actual botanicals, and what nutrition they're deriving from the various seed pods, etc. that we offer. 

The "shrimp side" of the hobby reminds me in some ways of the coral part of the reef keeping hobby where I spend considerable time (both personally and professionally) working and interacting with the community. There are some incredibly talented shrimp people out there; many doing amazing work and sharing their expertise and experience with the hobby, to everyone's benefit!

Now, there are also a lot of people out their in that world who make some (and this is just my opinion...) some "stretches" about products and such and what they can do and why they are supposedly great for shrimp. I see a lot of this in the "food" sector of that hobby, where manufacturers of various foods extoll the virtues of different products and natural materials because they have certain attributes, such as vitamins and amino acids and such, valuable to human nutrition, which are also known to be beneficial to shrimp. 

And that's fine, but where it gets a bit anecdotal, or - let's call it like I see it- "sketchy"- is when read the descriptions about stuff like leaves and such on vendors websites which cater to these animals making  very broad and expansive claims about their benefits, based simply on the fact that shrimp seem to eat them, and that they contain substances and compounds known to be beneficial for shrimp health.

I just wonder if we stretch and assert too much?

I'm not saying that it's bad to make inferences (we do it all the time with various topics- but we qualify them with stuff like,  "it could be possible that.." or "I wonder if..."), but I can't stand when absolute assertions are made without any qualification that, just because this leaf has some compound which is part of a family of compounds that are thought to be useful to shrimp that it's a perfect food for them.

I hope I'm not out there adding to the confusion!

All is not lost, of course...

Here's the deal. 

Leaves like Guava, Mulberry, etc. ARE ravenously consumed by fishes. It's known by scientific analysis that they do contain compounds like Vitamins B1, B2, B6, and Vitamin C, as well as carbohydrates, fiber, amino acids, and elements such as Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc, Iron, and Calcium...all important for many organisms, including shrimp. 

The thing that gets me curious is that most leaves and botanicals contain compounds like those; the real question I have is exactly how "available" they are to shrimp from a nutritional standpoint. And how "nutrient dense" these leaves and botanicals are? Do shrimp easily assimilate all they need in every bite, or do they have to eat tons of the stuff to derive any of these benefits? I mean, we as hobbyists sort of figure that if these things are present in the botanicals than the shrimp get a dose of them in every bite, right?

And that's the part where I say, I don't know. I mean, it seems to make a lot of sense to me...However, is there some definitive scientific information out there...

I did some research online (that internet thing just might catch on...) and learned that in aquaculture of shrimp, a tremendous variety of vegetables, fruits, etc. are utilized, and many offer good nutritional profiles for shrimp, in terms of protein, amen acids, etc. In fact, other than sorting through mind-numbing numbers ( .08664, etc) on various amino acid concentration of say, Mulberry leaves versus say, Sugar Beets, or whatever, there are not huge differences making any one food superior to all others, at least from my very cursory examination!

What is interesting is that some foodstuffs, such as various seeds, root vegetables, etc. DO have different levels of elements such as calcium and phosphorous, and widely varying crude protein. Now, I have no idea what some of the seed pods we offer as botanicals contain in terms of protein or amino acids, but one can make some huge over-generalizations that one seed/fruit is somewhat similar to others, in terms of basic amino acids, vitamins, trace elements, etc. (gulp).

So, the bottom line is that,  if you're into shrimp, you'd be in pretty good shape to utilize most of the botanicals we offer, as long as you go slowly, prepare them for use, and apply a healthy dose of common sense and environmental parameter monitoring during their use.

And one "assumption" you probably can safely make..If you shrimp are consuming them, they must at least like the taste of 'em, right?

At the end of the day, it's all about our experimentation and use of the many botanicals available to us that will help us determine our hobby "best practices." We can infer a lot from nutritional profiles of various greens and such, but in the end, it will only be through this use in the "real world" that we'll be able to definitively know which botanicals really work best for our little shrimp!

Stay curious. Stay experimental. Stay resourceful. Stay skeptical. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics  

Baby Steps and giant leaps..

It's pretty apparent to me that the burgeoning interest in blackwater, botanical-style aquariums isn't jus some passing "fad" anymore.

It looks like there are so many "crossover" hobbyists looking to utilizing botanicals and leaves to foster more natural condtions in their aquariums- be they soft and acidic, alkaline and "tinted", brackish, or otherwise.

As we've discussed before, you can use botanicals simply to provide a unique aesthetic in your aquarium- or take it into a whole different direction and explore some new environmental conditions and their impact on your fishes.

That being said, I'm totally aware that not everyone wan't to jump in, "lock stock and barrel", as they say and just create a big ol' botanical style aquarium from the start. You want to ease into it... Maybe you want to experiment a bit with something really exotic...Perhaps an extreme type of environmental simulation (a desiccating temporal pool, peat bog, etc..) and you just don't want to commit to a 50 or 75 gallon tank to do the job...

Enter the nano tank!

I can't think of a better way to execute "proof of concept" ideas than with a little 1 to 5 gallon aquarium, Sure, you might have some issues in terms of scale, the number of fishes you could add, etc...but from a purely "test the idea" standpoint, utilizing a little tank makes a lot of sense. 

You can keep the expense down, the focus tight, and the observations simple in one of these little guys. Sure, you need to understand the limitations, as mentioned above, but the idea of being gable to go from concept to execution quickly and with a minimum of expense, space, and let's be honest- commitment (in terms of a long-term use of valuable space/resources on an idea that has a good chance of bombing..), you can't beat a nano tank!

So I say, build that bog! Flood that forest! Manage that Mangrove! Ideate, contemplate...execute!

Take baby steps that can be scaled up to "giant leaps", which will benefit both you and the hobby for decades to come!

To that end, we're going to announce soon some stuff that we hope will enable all of you tweakers, experimenters, idea fiends, closet "mad scientists", and world changers to take on and execute some of these exciting challenges.

Dream big. Execute small. 

Stay focused. Stay excited. Stay innovative. Stay innovative...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Decomposing Botanicals and the case for keeping them in...

A common question we're asked by neophyte "tinters" is if they should leave their leaves and botanicals in their aquariums until they break down.

And my simple answer, based on my personal experiences is..."Yes!"

Of course, that deserves some explanation, so here you go:

We love the idea of decaying leaves, botanicals, wood. We love the influence that these materials have over the aquatic environment. It's earthy, organic, and natural. 

Natural.

As in what nature looks like. Functions like…

When I first started playing with blackwater tank almost two decades ago, I began wondering why these types of tanks were seen in the hobby as a "novelty"; why every "blackwater biotope" tank shown on the forums was greeted with both accolades for being different, and polite, but reserved discussion about the aesthetics being a bit "odd." About the difficulties and "maintenance liabilities" of such a tank.

"Messy." "Dirty." “Dingy."

I heard those terms all the time in the context of blackwater aquairums. I get it. On the surface, this looks like you're always one step from disaster and mess..

And of course, that's no different from any type of tank we play with, when you think about it.

I love the fact that these types of systems need to be managed; they're not a static, "set-and-forget-", aquascaping-contest-type of aquarium. They're  every bit as dynamic as a "traditional" high-tech, "Nature-style" planted aquarium, reef tank, or good old fashioned community tank. You need to monitor, observe, react, tweak, etc. Bioload, pH, and other environmental parameters dance together to make it work...just like any other aquarium.

And the “mess?”

"Mess" is actually a vehicle to propel us in different aquascaping/experimental directions. It actually is the embodiment of Amano's wabi-sabi philosophy, which embraces the transience of nature- and celebrates it. It appreciates and understands the beauty in the ephemeral aspects of nature.

It requires some study, appreciation, and yes- mental adjustments.

And the biofilms, which make their appearance on our botanicals after a few weeks of submersion?

They are not only typically harmless in aquariums, they are utilized as a supplemental food source by a huge variety of fishes and shrimps in both nature and the aquarium. They are a rich source of sugars and other nutrients, and could prove to be an interesting addition to a "nursery tank" for raising fry if kept in control. Like, add a bunch of leaves and botanicals, let them do their thing, and allow your fry to graze on them! Don''t believe me? Ask almost any shrimp keeper-they'll "sing the praises" of biofilm for the "grazing" aspect!

And the botanicals themselves, as they break down, serve as "fuel" for the growth of fungi and microorganisms...which, in turn, provide supplemental food for our fishes. 

Pieces of leaves and botanicals fall to the bottom of the aquairum, and form a bed of…detritus. Yes, I said detritus. In the aquarium world, we've long vilified the stuff as “a destroyer of water quality”; an impediment to successful aquariums. And the reality is that, in a well-managed aquarium, "detritus" is an essential food source for many organisms and plants. 

Like anything else in a closed system, if it's not allowed to accumulate unchecked, I personally believe its benefits for the animals we keep far outweigh any perceived disadvantages of having it present.

I know that uneaten food and fish poop, accumulating in a closed system can be problematic if overall husbandry issues are not attended to. I know that it can decompose, overwhelm the biological filtration capacity of the tank if left unchecked. And that can lead to a smelly, dirty-looking system with diminished water quality. I know that. You know that. In fact, pretty much everyone in the hobby knows that.

That's not the issue, really, IMHO.

The issue is that we as a hobby have sort of heaped detritus into this "catch-all" descriptor which has an overall "bad" connotation to it. Like, anything which is allowed to break down in the tank and accumulate is bad.

I'm not buying it.

Why is this necessarily a "bad" thing?

Check out he definition of detritus: 

"detritus is dead particulate organic matter. It typically includes the bodies or fragments of dead organisms, as well as fecal material. Detritus is typically colonized by communities of microorganisms which act to decompose or remineralize the material." (Source: The Aquarium Wiki)

I mean, even in the above the definition, there is the part about being "colonized by communities of microorganisms which act to decompose or remineralize…"

Hmm...

It's being processed. Utilized. What do these microorganisms do? They eat it...They render it inert. And in the process, they contribute to the biological diversity and arguably even the stability of the system. Some of them are utilized as food by other creatures. Important in a closed system, I should think.

It's not all bad, right?

And it's fueled by stuff like decomposing leaves and botanicals.

So, yeah- I let my leaves and botanicals stay in my aquariums until they completely break down, only removing them if they become an annoyance (ie; every time a fish moves, a pile of the shit gets stirred up, or its accumulating on my driftwood, etc.)- but it never gets to that point in my tanks.

It’s being processed. Used. Colonized. Consumed. 

It's not an excuse for sloppy husbandry, or neglecting the removal of offensive materials. However, it IS a sort of acceptance of the fact that "stuff happens" in nature- and in aquariums- and that many of these things are simply not worth getting upset about. I mean, if you have an aquarium with brown water, and substrate dominated by decomposing leaves and softening botanicals, it shouldn't come as any surprise, right?

Decomposition is not something to freak out about. Rather, it's something to celebrate. Life, in all of its diversity and beauty, still needs a stage upon which to perform...and you're helping provide it, even with material changes taking place daily.

Again, it's a real mental shift that we as hobbyists have to make. Sure, there will always be a lot of people that don't like the look of brown water, decomposing leaves, biofilms and fungi in their aquariums. It's a radically different look than what we've come to accept an aquarium "should" look like for the better part of the century.

Initial responses by the uninitiated who see a botnaical-botanical-style tank for the first time are  usually filled with stuff like, “Damn, that tank is kind of dirty, huh?” 

Now, I certainly cannot fault anyone for not enjoying the aesthetics of our aquariums...It's not for everyone. However, an interesting observation I've made over the years by both "uninitiated" hobbyists and non-hobbyists upon seeing a blackwater, botanical-style aquarium for the first time is an amazing appreciation for "how natural" they look. 

I’ve heard this over and over an over again! 

The real the key here is that pace- and an understanding that the materials that we add need to be added-and replaced- at a pace that makes sense for your specific system. An understanding that you'll have a front row seat to the natural processes of decomposition, transformation, decay...and accepting that they are part of the beauty of this style of aquarium, just like they are in nature.

So, consider keeping those botanicals and leaves in your aquarium until they become…detritus. 

You just might enjoy watching the process.

Stay bold. Stay curious. Stay open-minded. Stay engaged…

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Botanical preparation. Revised. Reconsidered. Reimagined?

It seems like not a day goes by when we're not learning something new in this blackwater, botanical-style aquarium world. I guess I should really start calling it something like "Natural Botanical Style" aquarium, because it's more than just blackwater- one thing I know is that not everyone loves the tinted water, but a growing number of hobbyists are loving the idea of incorporating seed pods, leaves, bark, and other natural materials into their aquariums.

And of course, with all of the new interest, more and more people are utilizing botanicals and including them in their aquascapes, breeding aquariums, nursery tanks, vivariums, paludariums, brackish tanks, etc. etc., we have an ever-expanding "body of work" and experience with this stuff to call on.

One of the things I like to revisit (like, all the time) is the "art and science" of botanical preparation. Now, we all kind of "know the drill" by now- you likely could simply toss leaves into your aquarium with a little rinse in fresh water, assuming they were collected from a non-polluted/contaminated source. 

You could...

That being said, I'm a big one for steeping them or even briefly boiling them. Despite the initial and obvious concern among people that a brief boil or steep in boiling water will remove "all of the tannins" from the leaves, I'm inclined to say that this concern is largely unjustified. I steep or boil most of my leaves- have for years- and my tanks are as "dark" as anyone's, and I don't think that the long-term "loss" of tannins is negligible. 

To me, the benefits of steeping or boiling leaves outweigh any of the loss of tannins you might think is happening. First, leaves have surface dirt and pollutants in their outer tissues, and the boiling releases these materials. In addition, it breaks down these layers, saturating them with water and allowing the leaves to sink to the bottom more quickly and easily than if you just toss 'em in.

So- my quick recommendation for leaves: Boil briefly or steep in boiling water for about 10-15 minutes or so.

Now, what about botanicals like seed pods and such?

Well, the reality about preparation of the other botanicals is that you almost HAVE to boil them. For all the reason above (helping to remove surface dirt/organics and break down outer tissues), and for the simple fact that most of them simply won't sink unless they are boiled for some period of time. Botanicals like "Jungle Pods" and "Savu Pods" take a considerable amount of time to saturate and sink- sometimes an hour or more!

Again, it's not really a problem, IMHO, about losing some of the tint-producing botanicals or humid substances via the prep process...I mean, sure, you will likely lose some of these compounds, but I think that over the long term, as these materials break down, you'll realize a lot of this material relative to what you might lose.

In the end, the practice of preparation of botanicals is really about embracing a procedure or set of practices to "crack off" any surface pollutants or contaminants present in the tissues of the botanicals, and to break down some of the external tissues and lignin in heavier seed pods, facilitating saturation and easier submersion.

Of course, there is always the argument that suggests, "Nature doesn't wash or boil leaves before they fall into water..." Yeah, but nature isn't a closed glass or acrylic box...and...dilution...and...okay, you get my point. It just make sense to embrace some preparation protocol here.

This is nothing really new, right?

We've been a preaching, "Rinse. Prep. Add Slowly." mantra for the three plus years of Tannin's existence. And it just makes sense, right? I mean, you're adding biological load to closed system aquariums...and taking measures to control the input of these materials, as well as the conditions in which they are prepared. 

And the process is evolving. The more experience we have with this stuff, the easier it is to create effective "best practices!"

And the greater the probability for success for the greatest number of hobbyists.

Couldn't ask fo much more than that!

Stay smart. Stay diligent. Stay curious. Stay effective...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Conundrum? Or opportunity?

You've just stumbled on our site- maybe for the first time; perhaps you've been lurking about for a while...and you're fascinated by this blackwater/botanical thing we keep rambling on and on about...

Time for a new tank!

This obsession we have about replicating some of the factors of our fishes wild habitats that we can- even if it's a bit different and challenging at first-is not just about a cool look. It's about demonstrating to others how different and amazing  things can be when we adopt a different mindset, learn more about the world, and the needs of our fishes.

What if we adopted a mindset that said, "We're all about accommodating the organisms we want to keep. NOT the other way around, as is so common?

That could be a valuable lesson that the entire aquarium community could learn from. And it’s just “the way we do stuff” around here. The cost of admission. No other way is considered.

Stubborn, perhaps. 

Now, I am the first guy in favor of captive bred fishes and propagated corals. It's super important and vital to the future of the hobby and to the natural environment. However, I also think understanding where they come from and why they come from specific environmental conditions is equally important- and interesting. The last thing I'd want to see is the sort of cliched' mindset that we apply to food: "Where do those carrots come from? The supermarket!" 

Yeah.

The idea of "repatriating" fishes which come from soft, acidic blackwater habitats from our "tap water" conditions back into the water in which they have evolved, and learning how to manage the overall captive environment is by no means new or revolutionary.

Lots of fish keepers have done this for decades.

It's just that the hobby has sort of taken a collective mindset of "it's easier/quicker for US" to adapt them to the conditions we can most easily offer them. Just because they can "acclimate" to wildly different conditions than they have evolved to live under doesn't mean that they should.  

I mean, it's not about us. Right?

I think it's something we should all explore more.

Simple thought for a (pre- sale) Monday!

Stay thoughtful. Stay open-minded. Stay thorough. Stay creative...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Beyond the good looks...

Botanical-style aquarium keeping is more than just a "style" or look. It's an approach that recognizes that there is an interdependence between the materials which comprise our aquatic habitats and the animals which reside in them. The connection between the terrestrial habitat and the aquatic one are fascinating.

One look at our friend David Sobry's pics of the Amazon region will launch a million ideas for your next aquarium! 

As we know now, the influence of factors like soil, and the presence of terrestrial materials like seed pods, leaves, and branches play a huge role in the chemical composition and, yeah- the appearance of the water. This is true in the wild habitats and the aquarium  A different "look" for sure- but also a different way of looking it how our aquatic habitats function.

Tannins from wood and botanical materials will leach into the water, providing the characteristic "tint" that we've become so accustomed to in our little niche. And that's just fine with us. You can easily have very high water quality (ie; low in nitrates, phosphates, and other substances) and still have a 'tint." In fact, water can be of very high quality and have an almost "patina" of finely dissolving materials in it and still test at high water quality levels.

In our type of aquarium, the color is no indication of the quality of the water. We've hit that topicals like 100 times in the past three years. For some reason, those unfamiliar with our practices might make a determination that these systems have lower water quality than their crystal-clear counterparts.

Not true...

Now, that being said, it would be utterly irresponsible of us to say that you can simply "add stuff" to an aquarium- specifically one that has been in a stable existence for some time- and not be concerned about any impact on water quality. That's part of the reason why we plead with you to go slowly when adding these materials to an established tank, and to test and gauge the impact on your water quality.

I can't help but reiterate once again that blackwater, botanical-style aquariums are no more difficult to set up and maintain than any other type of aquarium, despite their unique appearance and the "mystique" which surrounds them in the hobby.

They do require understanding of what's going on and what is involved, observation, and upkeep...And, like with any type of aquarium , if you're not careful about following good common sense procedures, you can have a bad outcome. Stuff happens. It's the reality of forging into new territory, but it contributes to the body of knowledge that is the aquarium hobby.

Why am I mentioning this negative stuff?

Well, because as this approach becomes more popular, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that simply adding botanical materials to a closed aquarium environment is adding to the bioload of the system. It's important to remember that this is more than just an "aquascaping approach", as we've reiterated before.

Adding lots of leaves and botanicals can certainly have an impact on the water quality if you don't go slowly, observe carefully, and execute standard aquarium husbandry procedures (e.g., water exchanges, use of chemical filtration media, proper stocking, feeding etc.).

Going slowly not only allows you time to react- it gives your bacterial and fungal population the opportunity to grow and adjust to the increased bioload. These organisms can go a long way towards creating a stable, healthy botanical aquarium environment...But they can't work miracles- and they can't do it alone.

A healthy dose of common sense and judgement- along with time-honored aquatic husbandry techniques goes a long way towards a successful outcome! 

Remember this is you plow forward...into the darkness!

Stay excited. Stay informed. Stay confident. Stay diligent...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Taninn Aquatics 

Friday Philosophy: "Functional Aesthetics"

Part of what I love about the aquarium hobby is the many different directions that we can choose to take. And, with so many hobbyists starting to get into this dark and earthy world that we play with, it's important to look at what we do in the context of aquarium hobby overall, and how this affects our understanding and expectations of this approach.

I think it starts with looking at the current "rules" of the aquarium game, and what their implications are.

As long-term readers of "The Tint" know, I tend to take an extremely dim view of "rules" that nature herself hasn't laid out. People ask me why this is, and I think it comes from my deep distrust of "them", and an overwhelming respect for the way Nature has created her ecosystem.

Some of the most offensive "rules", IMHO, tend to be those which dictate the way materials need to be laid out within an aquarium in order to conform to some sort of "style." Now, before you go on and rail on me, I'm not saying that you shouldn't take into consideration some artistic norms, with due consideration that we are working in confined spaces, etc. I'm not saying that utilizing some guidelines from the art world or design is a bad thing! There is a lot of very good stuff we can grab from that world. It's not "us versus them" by any stretch.

That being said, I can't help but think about how Nature forms the ultimate "prototype" for almost everything we do. And how we as a hobby seem to have sort of turned the other way for a long period of time and embraced a more "artistic" style as opposed to a purely "natural" one.

Don't get me wrong- I love artistic 'scaping, and like to incorporate it in the work that I do.  I'm not advocating that you go 360 degrees in the other direction and become obsessively "biotope-centric", either.

It's just that I have looked at the botanical stuff with more than just a nod to how they make the aquarium look, and I think we all need to understand that it's more than just about the pure aesthetics here. I understand why aquascapers embrace some of the theories of color, style, etc...but sometimes wonder if the "pervasiveness" of this mindset  in the hobby has prejudiced us to the point where we have created a "standard" for what we think nature looks like: Orderly, neat, colorful, proportioned.

As we know, Nature couldn't give a $%#@ about our perceptions of her work! 

Is there not also beauty in "randomness", despite our near-obsessive pursuit of rules, such as "golden ratio", color aggregating, etc? Surely there is some happy medium here?

I think so.

Just because last year's big 'scaping contest winner had the "perfect" orientation, ratios, and alignment of the "(insert this year's trendiest wood here) branch" within the tank, doesn't mean it's a real representation of the natural functionality of "randomness." 

In other words, just because it looks "good", it doesn't mean it's what nature looks like.

Or acts like, for that matter.

One of the things that we've noticed lately in the hobby, particularly in our sector, is a trend towards more "realistic" aquariums. Not just systems which look like natural environments; rather, systems which are modeled as much after the function of them as the aesthetics.

"Functional aesthetics."

A less rigidly aesthetically-controlled, perhaps less "high-concept" approach in the eyes of some- setting the stage for...Nature- to do what she's done for eons without doing as much to "help it along." Rather, the mindset here is to allow nature to take it's course, and to embrace the breakdown of materials, the biofilms, the decay...and rejoice in the ever-changing aesthetic and functional aspects of a natural aquatic system- "warts and all" -and how they can positively affect our fishes.

We're seeing that not only do botanicals, leaves, and alternative substrate materials look interesting- they provide a physiological basis for creating unique environmental conditions for our fishes and plants. We're seeing fish graze on the life forms which live in and among the decomposing botanicals, as well as the botanicals themselves- just like in nature...And we are seeing the influence- aesthetically and chemically- that these materials assert on the aquarium's environmental parameters.

Some of the "next" things that I see our community working on are further explorations into understanding and replicating natural water parameters and what the implications are for our aquariums. I also see more developments in trying to recreate some aspects of natural "food chains" in our BWBS aquariums, by facilitating the growth and reproduction of fungi, microorganisms, and small crustaceans within our botanical "beds" and leaf litter.

"Functional aesthetics."

It's really great to see our community exploring some of these ideas that may not tie to any specific "type" of aquarium. In other words, the lessons we're learning from botanical-style aquariums can apply to a variety of aquarium endeavors, like breeding, biotope aquariums, rearing of fry, and oh yeah- aquascaping. We're moving beyond the "will it work?" mindset we collectively had about these tanks just a few years ago, and moving into a "what can we do with what we're learning" era! 

Yeah, for a good part of the first couple of years of Tannin's existence,  I spent a great deal of time worrying about how the idea of a carefully conceived hardscape slowly transforming by the actions of fungi, bacteria, and decomposition would "play" to my fellow hobbyists.  I was worried about potential mistakes and disasters that would befall fellow hobbyists if they pushed too hard, "freelanced" it a bit.

If they ignored the processes behind the aesthetics.

Fortunately, it hasn't happened all that much.

Yes, some of you may have experienced some disastrous results experimenting with botanicals- particularly when adding them en masse to an established, stable aquarium. I had a few bad outcomes in my early days of experimenting with this stuff, myself. There IS a learning curve- even now. Botanical-style aquariums are NOT plug-and-play systems. You can't simply dump a bunch of prepared seed pods and leaves into an established aquarium and expect "Instant Amazon." 

It doesn't work that way. 

And we're learning that, just because the water has a "tint" to it doesn't mean that you're achieving "natural" environmental characteristics in your aquarium. 

This is a concept that we need to embrace. There is a lot more nuance- a lot more things you need to do, observations you need to make, and stuff to learn in order to get there.

Really- there are no shortcuts. 

Now, all that being said, it's not just one big "science experiment", and that there is no room or "tolerance" for the "art" of it all. Absolutely not. 

You can enjoy botanicals and blackwater aquariums in as much or little "detail" as you care to venture into.  You can enjoy this or any approach however you want. I just think that there is a lot of misinformation about blackwater aquariums, botanicals, and their associated use, and I'd hate to see that taint the real enjoyment you can achieve by exploring in a more uninhibited fashion (with due respect to Nature's "rules" about the nitrogen cycle, stocking, etc., etc.- the basics of aquatic husbandry...

It's about expectations and understanding. If you're just looking for a cool aesthetic, that's okay. You simply need to understand what happens to botanicals when they are submerged in water...how they break down, what they do to the appearance and environmental parameters of our tanks. 

It's the era of "Functional Aesthetics"- and yeah, you're right in the thick of things.

Enough philosophical ramblings for today...

Stay inspired. Stay excited. Stay curious. Stay diligent. Stay observant...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Filtering through the filter process...

We spend a great deal of time contemplating the look and feel of our botanical-syle aquariums, and wrapping our head around the various "mental shifts" necessary to really appreciate and embrace this approach...You know, learning not to fear the tinted water, decomposing botanical materials, biofilm, detritus, etc. 

And that's really great. It's foundational.

However, one of the things we don't talk about as much as we should here is actually another foundational aspect of our aquarium practice: filtration.

Yeah, the ubiquitous, necessary, and highly important function of filtration in our aquariums is definitely something we as lovers of leaves and botanicals need to give a little thought to when we set up our systems. 

Of course, I could launch into a boring, been-there-done-that review on the various filtration types available in the hobby and what they do and blah, blah, blah...However, you wouldn't read it and you'd be yawning the whole time. I mean, there's a 50/50 chance you might be anyways, but hey...

Now, first- my "disclaimer" of sorts: I'm no filter "expert." I'm not an aquarium "gearhead." My thoughts on this topic are based, like everything I write- on my personal experience and ideas, laced with a healthy dose of "opinions" and stubbornness... 🤔

So, here's the "long and the short" of this topic:

You can use just about any type of filter available on your botanical-style blackwater/brackish aquarium. The real considerations, IMHO, are a) where in the water column you are bringing in water, and b) where the outputs are aimed. Oh, and c) what media you're using in the filter.

So, let's look a bit closer. 

I have used all sorts of filter systems on my BWBS style systems over the years, but the ones that I tend to use will surprise you...maybe. Maybe not.

As a reefer, I love my tanks with built in overflows and sumps.

(My friend Marc Levenson makes all sorts of badass sumps, btw...so look him up.)

I love sumps. I love them because:

a) You don't see any of the ugly shit (heaters, etc.) in the tank proper. Oh, and even those freakin' "Lily Pipes"- yes, I know that YOU may not think they're ugly, but I"m no fan of them as they are now. Why? We can have that discussion some other time, okay?

b) Sumps add water volume to your tank

c) Sumps provide an area where you can keep filter media, biological media, botanicals, wood, etc. to influence water conditions in the display. Like, if you hate the look of leaves and decomposing stuff in your display, but love the blackwater look and biodiversity, sumps are a good choice.

d) They rely on surface overflow weirs to supply water. Overflow weirs skim water from the surface, removing the film which accumulates and can interfere with gas exchange...Important when you have lots of botanicals in your tank breaking down, right?

"All in one" tanks, like my Innovative Marine "Fusion Lagoon" system, offer a great "hybrid" of a sump and an external filter, making an affordable, simple, aesthetically clean, easy-to-maintain-and-operate system.

Now, I realize that not everyone wants the logistics, challenges, and additional considerations (return pumps, space under the tank, etc.) which go along with the use of sumps. I also realize that the majority of freshwater hobbyists utilize glass aquariums without overflows and such, so there are numerous other options.

Enter the canister filters!

Where would the hobby be without Eheims, Fluvals, and all the other canisters out there? These are wonderful choices because they provide you so much flexibility. 

Flexibility is really important in what we do.

As is the ability to hide the "visuals" of ugly canister filters for obsessive types like me...there are plenty of approaches you could take...

And of course, they offer "functional flexibility"...You can keep botanicals, like various leaves, cones, catappa bark, "Fundo Tropical", etc.  in filter media bags/cartridges, again giving those of you who like the tinted water but not the botanicals and their associated decomposition, biofilms, and detritus- the ability to keep them outside of the display proper. 

Oh, and where the water comes back into the tank is pretty important.

IMHO, you should direct the return from canister filters near the surface, to create agitation and to facilitate gas exchange. Unlike pure planted aquariums, where there is a definite benefit from using those $&%#@@ "Lily Pipes" and such to return water well below the surface to preserve CO2, I personally believe that heavily-stocked botanical-style aquariums benefit from this surface agitation.

I mean, you can return some of the water towards the lower levels of the tank to keep things "stirred up" just a bit, without blowing shit all over the tank. (that's a technical term, by the way).

And of course, outside power filters do the same thing- keep everything relatively neat and tidy, and potentially outside of the tank if you like.

Oh, and sponge filters are great- and those Matten Filters- because they are primarily biological filters and are relatively easy to hide in displays...

Now, I have spent a fair amount of time alleviating the fears of you weirdos who don't want to see leaves and pods and such in your tank physically by explaining that you can just toss these things into your filter or sump! And of course, it goes without saying that you can utilize all of these filters with the botanicals present in the display. Like, duh.

The real "issue", if you want to call it that- with filtration vis a vis our BWBS-style tanks is what media you utilize. Again, I call on my reef keeping experience to tell you that I am a huge fan of activated carbon. I use it on every tank I set up- even the ones with the gnarliest (yes, it's a word- I'm from L.A.), darkest "tint"  imaginable. 

Yes, carbon can remove some of the tint and probably even some of the valued humic substances and other beneficial compounds exuded by botanicals. It's not selective. That being said, it all can remove impurities, like volatile dissolved organic compounds, urea, some metals, etc. It's valuable stuff. The key is to just not overdo it. Of course, if you want leaves and such in your tank, but not the tint- as we've discussed many times- just use the 'typical" dose of carbon and you have the best of both worlds- at least aesthetically.

(Yes, I stole another pic from our good friend, George Farmer, of his latest tank which demonstrates this beautifully!)

Better as chemical filtration media would be stuff like specialized ion-exchnage or "organic scavenger resins" and zeolites- stuff which requires more research, trial and error, and testing. But it is possible, at least in theory, to incorporate filtration media which removes the undesirable pollutants and retains the desired humic substances and tannins. Oh, and proper biological function in low pH systems, fostering the "biome" of these tanks.

These things are are all something we will see more of in the future...trust me.

In the mean time, you can use materials like carbon, Poly Filter, Purigen, etc. to do the trick; just be aware of the way they work and what they will do. If you go "full power" (ie; the typical manufacturers' recommended "dose"), you'll have a clear tank- if that's what you want.

And of course, we recommend mechanical filtration media, like "noodles", filter pads, floss, etc., and of course, biological media.

In summary- my advice is to use whatever type of filter system you like. The key is how you utilize it- what media you employ, where you draw the tank water into it, and where it's returned.

And, like with everything else we play with in this arena, there is plenty of room for experimentation, innovation, and even breakthroughs in regards to filtration in our BWBS systems. 

This is a real "open source" component of what we do. An invitation and opportunity for YOU- the working aquarist- to make a big impact on the hobby, fostering benefits perhaps as yet not understood...

So, yeah- use what works for you, benefits your fishes, and creates the best outcomes. At its best, this is a summary of ideas and hopefully, a brief dossier on potential things to do in the future.

Stay engaged. Stay bold. Stay curious. Stay inquisitive. Stay innovative...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

There will be decomposition.

Our crowd thinks a bit differently than most in the hobby, I'd venture to say.

We're advocating the addition of botanical materials to our aquariums as a matter of course, for the everyday purpose of replicating, to some extent, the natural processes which occur in the wild habitats of our fishes. 

And we spend a great deal of time examining the processes which occur when leaves and other botanicals are added to the aquarium. This is important, not only from an aesthetic standpoint, but from an ongoing functional/operational standpoint.

It definitely differs from our practice in decades past, where the idea of throwing in materials that affect the water quality/composition was strictly a practice reserved for speciality hobbyists, like killifish breeders, Dwarf Cichlid keepers, etc., who wanted to create special conditions specifically to facilitate breeding.

We understand- or are attempting to understand- the impact on both our aquariums' ecology and the husbandry involved. It's the idea of creating an aquascape that is not only good-looking and interesting, but one which provides environmental enrichment and ecological advantages for its resident fish population.

It involves change.

It involves decomposition.

Yeah, it's sort of a different approach.

And I think we can embrace it further by considering how the botanical materials we select for our aquariums "behave" upon submersion into water. A carefully constructed botanical hardscape, IMHO, should have some-more-or-less "permanent" things, like rocks and driftwood, complemented and be enhanced by "degradable" items, such as Catappa, Guava, and other leaves, as well as the "softer" pods and such.

And of course, these botanical materials not only offer enhanced aesthetics- they offer enrichment of the aquatic habitat through their release of tannins, humic acids, vitamins, etc. as they decompose- just as they do in nature.

Leaves and such are simply not permanent additions to our 'scapes, and if we wish to enjoy them in their more "intact" forms, we will need to replace them as they start to break down. 

This is not a bad thing.

Much like flowers in a garden, leaves will have a period of time where they are in all their glory, followed by the gradual, inevitable encroachment of biological decay.

At this phase, you may opt to leave them in the aquarium to enrich the environment further and offer a new aesthetic, or you can remove and replace them with fresh leaves and botanicals. Again, this is very much replicates the process which occur in nature, doesn't it? Stuff either remains "in situ" as part of the local habitat, or is pushed downstream by wind, current, etc.

Pretty much everything we do in a botanical-style blackwater aquarium has a "natural analog" to it! 

Some hobbyists have commented that, as their leaves and botanicals break down  the scape as initially presented changes significantly over time. Wether they know it or not, they are grasping "Wabi-Sabi"...sort of. One must appreciate the beauty at various phases to really grasp the concept and appreciate it. To find little vignettes- little moments- of fleeting beauty that need not be permanent to enjoy.

And, despite their impermanence, these materials function as diverse harbors of life, ranging from fungal and biofilm mats, to algae, to micro crustaceans and even epiphytic plants. Decomposing leaves, seed pods, and tree branches make up the substrate for a complex web of life which helps the fishes that we're so fascinated by flourish.

And, if you look at them objectively and carefully, these assemblages are beautiful.

This is not something new or previously unconsidered by the hobby, but it's something we don't give much thought to, I think.

We just plug along, feeding our fishes, doing water exchanges, and growing plants. We tend to our aquascapes, and watch things grow. And, over time, even the most diligently-maintained aquariums tend to look significantly different than when they did when they were first assembled.

It's how natural systems go.

There will be change. There will be decomposition.

Stay observant. Stay diligent. Stay curious. Stay in synch. Stay thoughtful...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics