October 17, 2017

The course that lays ahead!

We talk a lot about simulating many aspects of nature here at Tannin Aquatics. We love to share the cool pics of natural habitats taken by our friends like Ivan Mikolji, Mike Tuccinardi, Chris Englezou, David Sobry, and Sumer Toward, among others- and we all become more inspired. It's really amazing to research the natural habitats of our fishes, and to really do a "deep dive" into understanding exactly what makes these habitats so unique- and so compelling to replicate in our aquariums!

As a company, Tannin was conceived and has been guided to create an experience for a variety of different hobby interests. And of course, we embrace all sorts of hobby interests. However, the reality is that our goal was never to be "all things to all people", and you've probably already surmised by now that we tend to focus on a few tight segments of the hobby- mainly, the support of hobbyists who are interested in and inspired by the natural habitats from which our fishes come. Largely encompassing- but not limited exclusively to- blackwater and brackish habitats. This focus has enabled our community to sort of "find us", and collectively, we've evolved. While I hate stereotypes and such, as a marketing person, it's always important to think about who our customers are and what they need.

I was looking at some old notes from when I first formed the company; kind of reflecting on our target market and how we've done to serve it. And I think we've pretty much stayed on our course! And we can do even better.

And we will!

Tannin will continue to refine our offerings, share more ideas, and support clubs and hobbyists to the greatest extent possible. We've dropped some products along the way that didn't fit the direction- and more will be dropped- and new ones added- as we continue the journey. More and more content and inspiration will be coming your way from "Estuary", and in the next several weeks, we'll be adding some new segments to our catalog, and make it easier and more interesting to find materials for more specific aquatic purposes. You're going to see some extremely exciting and exclusive collaborations with some of the best-known people in the aquarium hobby, as we bring together unique talents, skills, and excitement!

We'll start with an exciting collaboration with renowned explorer/artist/photogrpaher/author, Ivan Mikolji in just a few days! It's a marriage of art, hobby, and science. And we're honored and excited to work with Ivan on what we hope will be the first of many successful collaborations with him!

And we'll continue the collaborations with the launch of a new line of biotope specific botanicals ("Biotope by Tannin Aquatics") anchored by botanical variety packs selected and curated by noted aquarist/explorer/photographer/biotope expert, Chris Englezou, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to the Freshwater Life Project! This is a truly unique and exciting project that will evolve into what we feel will be one of the most special parts of Tannin Aquatics!

We will see the launch of Tannin Live!- our foray into offering high-quality, carefully sourced, uniquely curated tropical fishes intended to compliment the types of aquariums and conditions that the majority of our customers work with!

Our fishes will be carefully handled and acclimated by one of the talented people in the industry (we'll reveal who it is really soon!). We'll feature short supply chains, conscientious, responsible sourcing, and diligent care. We won't be a colossal, discount-price vendor of every type of fish under the sun. We're not trying to take over the aquarium livestock world. Rather, we'll focus on offering the livestock which we feel will be of interest to you- our devoted "Tint Fans", who will appreciate and enjoy them the most. And we'll provide you with a level of information and transparency about the sourcing, handling, and care of these fishes that's consistent with what you have come to expect from Tannin Aquatics.

Like everything we do, we'll back up our offerings with a robust guarantee, excellent service, and thoughtful support. We will never be the least expensive vendor out there...rather, we intend to excel at what we do, and bring high quality and great value to our customers. Our pricing will be fair, our shipping fast and reliable, and the amount of content and useful information about our fishes will be significant! We will take the time to hone our offerings, give value, and refine our policies and procedures. This will be a U.S.-only launch initially, although we hope to eventually offer these fishes worldwide...First things first. We'll need to perfect our craft at home before we consider taking it abroad!

Oh, and the "Igapo Challenge" in support of Project Piaba- which I've been teasing and taunting you with for so long? Well, I promise- PROMISE we will launch it soon. (Yeah, you've been hearing that all year, huh?) With some major customer-focused initiatives in the works for some time, and all coming to a head soon as you can see, we need to get them up and running well before we can give the contest the attention it deserves. However, it IS an integral part of our 2018 plans, and we intend to begin the contest period in January. We have lined up some world-class judges and some great prizes. It will be very exciting! We'll begin updating regularly on this in late November/Early December.

Yeah, it's been a rather busy year for us!

As you can surmise, all of these seemingly diverse projects are actually very closely aligned, and tie in perfectly with our overall mission and goals to strengthen our commitment to the natural aquarium/biotope community. As we launch these new projects, each one will enhance the "whole" that is Tannin Aquatics!

Now that I've pretty much given you a vague tease of part of where we're heading in 2018, we're looking forward to growing with you, refining our customer experience, and maintaining focus on what's most important- YOU, and the animals we keep, and the precious natural habitats from which they come.

We will never lose sight of the fact that it's all a hobby. A wonderful, engrossing, enjoyable one. And that the people which make up this crazy, diverse community are the foundation of it all.

Here's to you- "Tint Nation"- and the support, love, and inspiration you provide every day!

Stay devoted. Stay excited. Stay curious. Stay obsessed!

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics