The Tint

Yeah, you can collect those leaves....

You know...

You can use leaves and botanicals which you can collect yourself. 

We have a lot of people ask us if they can use "such and such" a leaf or seed pod, or whatever they collected nearby -in their aquarium. And quite frankly, for many items, my thinking is that you should give them a try...conditionally.

(Woah, he's advocating collecting your own stuff? Doesn't he have a business? What? Why would he do that? ) Well, yeah, I DO have a business...but why not collect some stuff if you can, right? Sure, when you get stuff from me, you don't have to go tracking through the woods or get wet and dirty, but hey- that's fun for a lot of people! And this is nothing new...people have been collecting various leaves and other botanicals for years. It's kind of fun if you have access to it, and the time and inclination to collect.

Now, first off, you should get an identification about the item(s) you're collecting. You can either look 'em up online ("Did you know that there's now this incredible web page on the 'information superhighway' called Google! It can get you answers for lots of stuff quickly! Try it next time you're on the world wide web!") or purchase a nice field guide to plants native to your region.

Sarcasm aside, there is no excuse for not doing your homework here.

The first, and perhaps most important of these aforementioned  "conditions" is that the plant you're thinking of trying is not a known toxic plant to humans or animals. Yeah, I know we're talking about fishes, but this is really a consideration. If something is known to be poisonous, I'd steer clear. You'll need to do your homework online, or speak with a botanist or someone well-versed in the native flora of your region if you're not sure.

The other "condition" with a lot of self collected botanical items is that they are not sourced from areas with agricultural pesticides, serious pollution, etc. In other words, if their not subjected to contaminants where they sit. You know, laying on oily highways, or fallen into obviously polluted water, etc.

Many items are easy picking, and have proven to be safe and useful almost year-round.

For example, Alder Cones and Birch Cones, which are found in many parts of North America and Europe, are perfectly safe to use, as long as they are from the aforementioned clean areas, and are properly prepared for use.

And then, of course, the leaves...

Oak trees of various types yield nice leaves that, when dried, have been a mainstay of hobbyists in North America and Europe or years, as have been Beech and even Alder. They work great in aquariums, in my experience, although my biggest personal "complaint" about them is that they look...exactly like Oak leaves...not the sort of aesthetic you're looking for in a tropical South American, African, or Southeast Asian aquascape! 

(Image by Aleksander Kaasic- used under CC BY- SA 4.0)

And, this brings us to our third "condition" which applies specifically to leaves. When you collect these leaves, it's important to collect naturally fallen leaves, ones which have depleted their stores of sugar and are already sort of brown and crispy. This being Autumn and all in the Northern Hempishere, the timing couldn't be better for this kind of fun!

Yeah, dried and crispy is the call here.

My one exception is for Magnolia leaves. While you can use them nice and crispy, I personally prefer them when they're recently fallen and not quite dried up. In this particular state, they're not only more attractive, I think they tend to last a bit longer and prepare better...and they recruit biofilms nicely.

And, just like the botanical materials you'd purchase from us or other sources (Really? You'd do that after all of the free information I offer daily? Arrghhh... LOL), you need to employ common sense, an abundance of caution, and take the time to prepare them before utilizing in an aquarium. And of course, test and add things very slowly, knowing that there are always risks associated with this stuff. 

Nothing really new here, right?

Identify, verify, collect, prepare, test.

Stay adventurous. Stay intrigued. Stay cautious. Stay patient.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

It IS all about the fishes...

I don't know about you, but I've always been a bit of a "contrarian" on stocking a tank. What do I mean? Well, I am pretty patient about setting up and cycling my tanks, waiting for the environmental parameters to fall in line where I want them, and the tanks to aesthetically appear as I'd like them..before ever even thinking of adding the fishes. And sometimes, this can take months.

And it seems to me that, on occasion,  I have almost taken this viewpoint in recent years that my tanks are "Awesome until the fishes come and ruin everything.."

OMG, that's so weird, huh? Perhaps, even heretical!

I'm not sure where this comes from.

I'd like to think that my roughly 30 years of keeping reef aquariums- where the corals, live rock, and the system itself are as much a part of the hobby (if not more) than the fishes are- has put this weird sort of "operating system" in place in my mind. It's as if I feel that the environment is every bit as compelling- if not more so- than the fishes which reside in it.

And maybe that's it.

With interest in the botanical-style blackwater aquarium starting to rise in the hobby, I guess there is so much to experiment with, refine, and learn, that the "hardware" (i.e.; the tank and associated environment) is as compelling as the "software" (our livestock).

Of course, all it takes is a few minutes of staring at my tank full of carefully selected fishes, perfectly suited for their environment, and then I start down the road of "The fishes are the stars of the show for sure!" once again! And feeding and interacting with my fishes is one of the true joys of the hobby. Could I be one of those guys who's goal is to breed fishes, and will happily keep them in a bare tank with a spawning mop or whatever, and be satisfied?

Nah. Not me.

If you notice, I've written plenty of pieces documenting my research and experimentation with breeding fishes and rearing their fry in more natural settings...to the point of even suggesting simulating natural desiccation and re-filling of annual killifish aquariums to replicate the natural habitats! (of course, removing the fishes before "totality")

My whole agenda about creating "functional" blackwater/botanical-style aquascapes plays off of my "thesis" that fishes will present more natural behaviors, colors, and demonstrate overall health and consistent spawning occurrences when they are housed in aquariums which represent their natural habitats in multiple ways...to the point where I have this theory that even species which have been "adapted to" and bred commercially in hard, alkaline tap water conditions for a few decades could benefit from being "repatriated" to conditions which more closely resemble those that they evolved to live in for, oh- I dunno- eons!

So I'm totally obsessed with the fishes!

Yet, if I look at where I spend the largest part of my hobby time, it's in the creation of the ecosystem in which the fishes will reside. It's about researching, devising, and implementing the approach to create optimum conditions for them. It's about understanding the wild habitats from where they come, and figuring out ways to make their life in my systems great.

And then I tell myself, "What is the point of creating this amazing environment for fishes if you aren't gonna obsess over them...?"

I mean, could I actually have more in common with those contest aquascaper-types that I tease than I do with hardcore fish keepers? Have I really become desensitized to the joys of keeping the fishes themselves?

Of course not.

And that's when I realize that I'm NOT! And, it is ALL about the fishes, really. It never was about anything less than that. "Setting the stage" for fishes is so important, because to me, there is nothing better than seeing your precious animals living and thriving under optimum conditions. I realize that I may never be one of those master fish breeders or club BAP (Breeder's Award Program) people, because I kind of emphasize a different angle of fish keeping. 

And that's okay. 

The hobby needs all sorts of people with various interests. We all have different angles we play- different areas that we are strong in; interested in.

Everyone should find their area of interest and play in it.

However, you need to have skills in multiple areas of disciplines in the hobby, IMHO. And I think that you'll find, upon careful reflection, that you DO have multiple interests...

And if you analyze them carefully enough, you'll discover that, even though you are totally into programming your controller, playing with the fertilizers for your plants, or designing a multiple tank filter system...that it's all about the fishes.

And that's a pretty cool thing!

Stay engaged. Stay excited. Stay open-minded. Stay obsessed!

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Learning, adjusting, tweaking...searching for "The Blackwater Recipe..."

Now closing in on three years in operation here at Tannin Aquatics, we're seeing a lot more experimentation and applications of botanicals in blackwater aquariums. And we are seeing a lot of hobbyists new to the concept starting to try this stuff.

Some of the most common questions we receive lately are "How much _______ do I need to get my water to look like________?" or "How much_______ is needed to lower the pH in my tank?" Or, "How much do I need to get a good amount of humic substances and tannins into my aquarium?"

I usually respond with a simple, "I don't know."

These are all really good questions. Logical. Important.  I kind of feel like many hobbyists are looking for a plug-and-play "formula" or "recipe" for how to accomplish certain water-conditioning tasks.

I totally get that. But the reality is...there IS no "recipe" for how to do this stuff.

And it sucks, I know.

Oh, first off- I don't see any way that you can take your hard, alkaline tap water, throw in a bunch of leaves and cones or whatever, and soften the water and drop the pH to Amazonian levels. Let's just take that off the table right now. That task requires a process of deionization, which I don't see happening by just using botanicals in tap water! If you want to significantly affect the pH of your water with botanicals, you need to start with RO/DI water, in my opinion and experience. 

Yet, we do have questions about altering the pH, etc. of our aquarium water with botanicals. 

And they are legitimate, IMHO. 

However, the problem, as I see it, in answering these common questions generically is that there are so many variables in the equation that it's almost impossible to give a definitive answer. Over the years, those vendors who sold catappa leaves, for example, would recommend starting amounts ("three leaves per 15 liters of water" or whatever...) of botanical materials to use in our aquariums. Now, this was all well and good, but it's based on....what? I mean, is this based on how many leaves of _______ size that a typical hobbyist with a 10 gallon aquarium needs to get the water looking brown? Or to lower tapwater with a starting pH of 7.4 and a KH of ___ to pH of 6.9? Or to impart "x" ppm of tannins or humic substances into this given quantity of water?

See?

It falls apart from there. I cringe when I see seemingly authoritative recommendations from vendors (myself included, lol) about how much of what to add. It's really a matter of basing this on our own (and increasingly) your experience wth using botanicals to influence the pH and visual tint of the water.  (Oh, and remember, "tint" is not an indication of the pH or alkalinity...) And that's okay; we have to start somewhere. But I think that we need to be realistic with our expectations about what information we can glean from our experiments.

First off, there is no practical and easy "off the shelf" way, short of some pretty intense scientific testing on individual specimens of various botanicals- to know exactly how much of what color-producing and pH reducing tannins, humic substances, etc. are bound up in the tissues of a given botanical item. I mean, I am sure there is a legitimate way to test batches of leaves and botanicals of a specific size, for example, and come up with an average quantity (in what measure, I wouldn't be certain) of how much of "what" compounds are present.

There are ways to test for concentrations of tannin. For example, the "Stiasny method", in which "a 100 mg of sample tannins are dissolved in 10 ml distilled water. 1 ml of 10M HCl and 2 ml of 37% formaldehyde are added and the mixture heated under reflux for 30 min. The reaction mixture is filtered while hot through a sintered glass filter. The precipitate is washed with hot water (5x 10 ml) and dried over CaCl₂. The yield of tannin is expressed as a percentage of the weight of the starting material." Straightforward for a scientist in a lab, exceedingly difficult for the average hobbyist. 

And what are you starting the test with? "Sample tannins" means what, in our context? Sounds discouraging, at first. Now, the good news is that there are actually test kits out there to do it. Hach, for example, makes a Tannin/Lignin test kit! And I think that will be a good starting point for many of those interested in finding out just what's going on in their aquarium. Knowing that you have a 20 US-gallon tank filled with RO/DI water, a non-buffering substrate, and "12 Magnolia leaves, 12 Catappa leaves of 3"-4", 12 Coco Curls of about 4" in size, and 20 small Alder cones"- or whatever, yielding a tannin reading of 15 mg/l of tannic acid in the water (or whatever) will at least help establish some sort of very crude, yet aquarium-relatable guidelines.

And we need a reference- a baseline comparison to natural waters, like the Rio Negro, Atabapo, etc. for these numbers to have any real meaning, IMHO. Sure, I have studied the water chemistry composition of some major blackwater rivers based on work done in scholarly research, and much of this data is based on things we could test for in the aquarium (like TDS, pH, dissolved metals, conductivity, etc.), but something like "tannic acid expressed as mg/l" is not something we've seen. Now, if some of my friends and colleagues who travel to regions like the Amazon and other blackwater habitats invest in one of these $160 tannin test kits, run some samples and record tests from various sites and at different times of the year, etc. we at least have a baseline for the concentrations of tannins in natural water- another target we can shoot for when trying to replicate natural conditions!

Of course, even knowing that, there are problems. First off, just knowing how much "tannins" are in natural water, although helpful, is simply a starting point. And if we did have numbers of how much of this stuff is bound up in the tissues of the various leaves, pods, etc., -while interesting to know- it's really not all that useful when we really don't have a guideline as to how much of what specific compound or compounds are needed to create the specific effects we are looking for in our aquariums! And of course, even knowing that- would this be based on how much of _______ you need to achieve a pH reduction or tannin/humic substance ppm of _______ in a given sample of RO/DI water with ____starting pH, TDS, and KH? Or...?

Oh, and being natural items, wouldn't the levels of these compounds within the leaf or seed pod tissues themselves vary from batch to batch, season to season, and be affected by preparation, age of the materials, how they are stored, etc. etc., etc?

See?

Although there may even be breakthroughs in terms of backwater extracts and additives coming to market, there are still a lot of questions that would have to be answered before we could simply state that "X" drops per gallon of such an such a formula would yield a specific outcome. This reminds me of the reef aquarium world more an more, lol.

So, if I've made any "argument" here, it's that this stuff is every bit as much of an "art"- in terms of aquarium keeping- as it is a "science." We will, at least for the foreseeable future, have to use the data we have available and formulate a best guess as to how much of what can give us some of the impacts we are interested in for our aquariums. We simply can't authoritatively make blanket statements like, "You need to use "X" catappa leaves per gallon in order to recreate Rio Negro-like conditions in your aquarium!" Marketing hyperbole aside, we really are sort of...guessing.

And that's certainly nothing to be discouraged about!

We, as a community, are getting deeper into the functional aspects of blackwater, botanical-style aquariums than ever before. More light is being shed on what's going on in both our aquariums and in the natural habitats we desire to replicate. We are learning more every day about how the presence of tannins and humic substances in our aquariums is affecting the health, longevity, and spawning behaviors of our blackwater fishes. We're learning about the challenges and realities of managing blackwater systems over the long term- understanding the good, the bad, and the dangerous possibilities that are present when we experiment with these ideas.

Yes, blackwater aquariums have started to move out of their long-held status of "side show" and onto the "main stage" of the freshwater aquarium hobby- attracting new hobbyists not only with their unique aesthetics- but with the promise of tangible benefits for the fishes which we love so much. And most important of all- this interest is throwing more and more attention to amazing wild habitats that we seek to emulate...and gives us all the more reason to protect, study, preserve, and treasure them for our children's children in centuries to come.

Yes, there is way more to this stuff than just tossing some leaves into your aquarium. Much more. There is no "recipe" for this stuff. Not yet, anyways. We're all still learning how to navigate this dark, compelling, fascinating aquatic world.

We're happy you're along for this never-ending voyage of aquatic discovery,

Stay curious. Stay bold. Stay excited. Stay engaged...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

On that idea of "authenticity" in the hobby...

"Authenticity." 

We hear that term bandied about in many things- Fashion, media, material goods. It sounds pretty cool- pretty important- to intimate that something is "authentic." On the other hand, if something is NOT "authentic", does that mean that it's "phony" or contrived? Is a "You Tube Personality" any less "authentic" a celebrity than say, a Tom Cruz or Katie Holmes? Is Kim Khardassian less "authentic" because she's the daughter of someone famous, or can it be argued that she's "famous" on her own merit?

Does anyone really care?

Are the "ice dunk" challenges that we saw all over Facebook  a couple of years back to raise money for charity less "authentic" because people garnered a certain amount of notoriety for themselves, or was it just a way to encourage people to donate money to a very worthy cause in a rather fun manner? Would it have been more "authentic" to simply quietly right a check to the charity in question, and encourage friends to do the same? Are these "challenges" somehow pandering to the dumbed-down social media masses, or simply a wonderful manifestation of our generosity as a species?

And who is the "judge" of "authentic", anyways?

I bring this subject up because, lately, I've been having lots of discussions with hobbyists who tell me about stuff like their searches for the "real" ________ rock, and that it's important to have the "real" one from this or that supplier. We see it in the reef-keeping side of the hobby non-stop.  Okay, I also hear from hobbyists following such-and-such a new husbandry regimen because "(insert favorite famous hobbyist here) runs his tank that way and will be talking about it at the next conference."  And I think to myself, "The hobbyist who's bringing this up has a great tank already. Why does he need to mimic that other guy?"



Who IS the mysterious "Guardian of Authentic" for the aquarium hobby, and why does this person (or persons) seem to have so much influence on what hobbyists do?

Okay, so just because "someone" says something is the "authentic" rock or piece of wood means that it's somehow automatically better than the other one that looks awesome and doesn't have a name attached to it? I know we've talked about this topic ad nauseum on this blog before, but the topic keeps popping up in our "culture." 

Look, I think it's great that people seek the "real deal" rock, wood or coral because they love the way it looks, or has other attributes that make it a great thing to use or keep. However, when it's accompanied with an attitude that implies somehow the "named" rock or coral or whatever is somehow superior to the "generic" equivalent (that sounds ridiculous, doesn't it?), and that owning said rock, wood, or coral gives you instant "street cred", it is a bit troubling. Why?

Is it better because it has a name? Haven't we gotten beyond that?

Well, because, as they say in advertising, that "cool" can be bought, regardless of your level of experience, husbandry skill, or even appreciation for the needs of the animal or use of the product in question. We've all seen examples over the years of (let's be honest) incompetent hobbyists who have every gadget, use every popular "system" to maintain their tank, and acquire every "name brand" product available, in a feeble attempt to "buy" acceptance from their peers. 

And their tanks still suck.

 
A well-equipped system without results is just..a well-equipped system...

The sad reality that these people don't understand is, that as fish geeks- we all love this stuff, and are remarkably accepting of almost everyone's sincere effort to enjoy their hobby the way they want to. No one is judging - and if they are, it shouldn't matter. Don't apologize for aquascaping your tank the way YOU want to, even if it's "not exactly" the way "they" say it should be run. There is no need to conform to someone else's standards of "cool", or to gain approval of "them" whoever "they" are.

It sounds nuts, but I literally hear this "apologetic" attitude all of the time, and I hate that we feel that we "must" pander to everyone else in order to be considered a "successful" hobbyist. Every hobbyist can learn something useful from every other hobbyist. Thats a fact. Something can always serve as an example of what NOT to do, right? So, nothing is ever wasted in the aquarium-keeping universe.

The takeaway from all of this isn't about us being judgmental, or negative. It's about being ourselves.

It's your hobby. You're not on trial, right? Enjoy it!

Every day, little victories are won by ordinary every-day hobbyists like you and I, who set up amazing tanks and accomplish things with them that provide them and their family with hours of pleasure. That's what it's all about. In fact, that's the ONLY thing that this is about.

What I think the aquarium world needs is simply for you, me- all of us- to be ourselves; march to our own drummers, and to share our experiences. Not in a dogmatic way, mind you- but in the spirit of sharing hard-won knowledge, for the benefit of all. Sure, our efforts may make our aquariums "aspirational" for someone, but they should not be presented to others with an attitude of undisputed authority, nor with the aforementioned apologetic attitude. It's far more important for us to do things the way we believe they should be done, consistent with humane, acceptable standards of animal husbandry. You don't need to do something a certain way just because someone tells you that theirs is the best way, or that it's the hot new trend.

The best discoveries and breakthroughs come from people who do things because they want to.  

That's being "authentic."

Enough said. Enjoy your day, and your hobby.

And stay wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

A fish geek just won't tell you that...

Let's face it. If you're in this crazy hobby world long enough, you start discovering things. You start doing stuff a certain way, acting in a certain manner. And you start believing some of your own rhetoric. But the reality is, there are things that you simply won't do or even say as a hardcore fish geek. A real fish geek won't ever tell you certain things... Here are a few of my personal faves which come to mind:

“I’m done adding fishes to this tank”- I mean, seriously, when was the last time you EVER heard ANY aquarist tell you this, and then really not add any more fishes to his/her tank? I don't care if there is no more than 4 inches of free real estate in that tank, the hardcore fish geek will find a way to get another one in there.  Let’s face it- we just seem incapable of saying no. Even if it means relegating a once favorite fish to another tank (Oh, THAT’s why he was shopping for an “extra” light fixture last week!), or asking another hobbyist to “fish sit” a specimen for “a while.” These desperate actions are often accompanied by much behind the scenes negotiation with his/her significant other for a new tank, as the hobbyist attempts to overcome what one of my fish pals properly calls “The Spouse Factor.”

“I’m fine with a little algae in there.”- Oh, come on. You know as well as I do that, even though our rational mind tells us a little algae is a natural, almost unavoidable part of an aquatic system, almost every hobbyist is obsessed with eliminating visible algae from his/her tank. I mean, we spend hours and hours, and collectively, thousands of dollars per year on products that promise to remove algae from our system forever. No one seems to want to see even the slightest amount of nuisance algae in their tank, despite any cherry proclamation to the contrary. An algae problem- and most hobbyists will tell you that even a patch of isolated algae is a “problem”- will result in sleepless nights, vast internet searches for algae control techniques, and investment of money into their removal/elimination from said tank. Now, those of us who are hardcore biotope-themed hobbyists are an anomaly -, perfectly okay with it...but, we're kinda weird...

“That _____________ doesn’t nip at my plants”- Let’s be honest with ourselves for a minute. We’ve all made that bad call, where we’ve taken the chance with a known “plant nipper” in our tank under the assumption that tons of algae and enriched frozen foods will keep her from picking at our precious plant collection, only to have been burned by continuous minor damage to said plants. We’ll try to rationalize it to our fish-keeping buddies, telling them that “this is the FIRST time I’ve seen him do that!” when one of them points out that your beloved fish is carefully (ok, not so carefully) picking at your prized Bucephalandra. Despite rationalizing with yourself that it’s only picking at biofilm on the surface tissue, you know that the reality is that the plant is not looking is good these days, and that: a) you have a long and arduous task of removing the fish from the tank, and b) You’ll have to put your pride on hold and admit that you were…wron- ….okay, “not entirely correct”  in your call. 

“I love my aquascape. Wouldn’t change anything!”- If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard this, only to see an aquarist modify, tweak, or otherwise completely tear down his or her rock and wood work because they weren’t really happy with it, I wouldn’t have to sling leaves and pods for a living! I can literally count the number of aquarium hobbyists who truly “set and forget” their rock work on the fingers of one hand, and their names were: Steve Weast., Steve Weast, and Steve Weast.  One of the greatest reef aquarium aquascapers of our time, he is my inspiration (much like Amano is to freshwater planted aquariums). He thought through every possible permutation of every rock before setting it in his tank, trust me.It was one for the ages.

Let’s be perfectly frank- you may SAY that you love your aquascape, but the minute you see that cool tank down the road, or that incredible “tank of the decade”, or worse, see an empty aquarium with perfect proportions at the LFS with your name on it, you’ll start picking apart your aquascape like  an overeater at a free buffet. It won’t be possible not to at least “imagineer” a modification to your rock and wood work to look “more open” or “more like that formation in ___________’s tank.” I submit that we are never really satisfied or completely content with our aquascaping. Unless our name happens to be Steve Weast….

“I re-did my fish room plumbing scheme to make things easier.” - Are you KIDDING me? When was the last time you ever heard that? It’s generally the other way around, and you know it: “I’m adding a new carbon reactor, so I replumbed a section of the feed line to my trickle filter, via the shared line that it has with my automatic water change system. This will free up the other 7 lines back to my Discus refugium, Daphnia propagation tank, and mechanical filters. Now, I just have to turn this valve, shut off this feed line, turn off the pump, take out these two reactors, remove the fitting, and I’ll easily be able to change the media whenever I want!”

Huh? I mean, seriously, we laugh at how complex people in other hobbies make things, but the reality is that we are the “Kings of Complication”, forever tweaking our systems to add more devices, more options, under the guise that we’re making our lives "easier." Hah, who are we fooling, right? We love solving simple problems with more complexity. Even a simple connection can be made more complicated, right? It’s what we do. It keeps the aquarium gadget industry working, keeps home depot staffed, and keeps the credit card companies happy. I guess “making things easier” in the aquarium hobby has broader macroeconomic implications than we could ever imagine, right? Um, yeah.

Okay, so there are five of my favorite things that you’ll never hear an aquarist say and really mean it. I think we’ve almost all been guilty of a few of these, and we can pretty much take it to the bank that there are dozens more of these “absolutes” that hold, well “absolutely” no meaning. Let’s hear ‘em! 

We’re fish geeks. We are constantly evolving, improving, tweaking. We love to talk the talk, walk the walk, spin tall tales, share our success, fry, and laugh at our foibles. Another thing that you’ll never hear from an aquarist: “I’m not having any fun.” I think THAT is a near impossibility!

Another absolute statement:

I’ll always sign off like this…

Until next time.

Stay wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

Endless editing...a hinderance, or part of the process?

Like so many of you, I love thinking about ideas for unusual concept aquariums. I like to look at things a bit differently. Tannin was founded based upon looking at things a bit differently; helping create a different sort of vibe and aesthetic with different types of natural materials.  I think I have a strong sense of  the kind of aesthetic that I find attractive, like many of you, and sort of "stay in my lane", so to speak. I try to stay true to my vision.

However, occasionally- I get these bouts of what I call “aquarium indecisiveness.” Do you ever get that? I've touched on this before, but it's really become a predictable habit with me. Let me explain. It’s like, I’ll have this awesome plan for stocking the aquarium I've been working on for a while; I get this vision of executing on the plan and ending up with an aquarium that looks just like I imagined it would, aquascaped exactly how I envisioned, stocked exactly how I envisioned, and running just like I expected. So, I tediously conceive, design, build, and equip the system. When I finish setting it up, the concept that I spent countless sleepless nights conceiving comes together. Then…I stare at the promising, yet unstocked new tank and…edit.

Huh? 

Yeah, you heard me, I’ll “edit.”, gradually dissecting my beautiful concept and morphing it into something else. Moving this. Re-positioining that. Taking out an element, A lot of people will call this process “evolution”, or view it as a necessary stage in the development of an aquarium. I call it “ADD” or something! Not sure.  It's like  all of the sudden, I’ll see an article about "ephemeral floating leaf litter beds" or a dive video of an Amazonian igarape, and my carefully conceived African River biotope goes out the window.

Off we go into a totally different direction!

I think I’m what I like to classify as a “Perpetual Editor” -type of aquarium personality.

Now, don’t get me wrong. My core beliefs about aquarium keeping are typically unchanging..well, they evolve, as you've seen on these pages, based on experience-like everyone else. And, like you, I am always open to suggestions to do something better. Sometimes, this is a good thing. I mean, if your idea was to develop a Knifefish community in a 50-gallon tank, and you "pivoted" to a 700-gallon tank after running it by some friends, that’s a very good thing! “Coming to your senses” is what it’s called.

However, my changes are often more subtle: For example, I was planning on stocking an all-South-American characin system, but ended up creating a Rasbora-dominated biotope instead.

You know, that kind of thing...

Totally different part of the world and all.

Or I'll tell myself that I don’t want any cichlids in this tank, until I run across an amazing Apistogramma…you know, a chance meeting that throws the whole plan into disarray! Sounds oddly romantic and exciting, only we’re talking about an aquarium, not meeting the girl or guy of your dreams, ya know?

Yeah, it’s a burden, this endless "susceptibility to suggestion", right? Perhaps it’s an advantage, because it gives me the chance to correct things that would otherwise be disastrous, shortsighted, or just..stupid. Or, perhaps it has stifled some brilliant work. I’d like to think not, but you never know. I greatly admire those of you who can create- and stick- to a plan for your tanks.

I can think of a couple of examples from fish keeping history where hobbyists have executed exactly what they intended- with amazing results and surprisingly influential impact on the hobby.

Probably the first that comes to my mind is a reef system. It's the awesome “Drop-off” reef system of Philippe Grosjean of Belgium, which I’ve featured in writings before. Philippe is a marine biologist by training, and wanted to develop a system that simulated a ledge where the shallow reef structure drops off. This necessitated, among other things, the development of a custom-shaped aquarium, and solving a few other problems, such as lighting, creating adequate flow, etc. Pretty amazing, and The purpose of this piece is not to analyze these tanks, merely to discuss them as this tank configuration has since led to the design of several mass-produced, commercially-made versions that are proving to be quite popular! Talk about influencing others!

Another one that I've fell in love with much more recently would be the amazing blackwater tank of Tai Streitman. This beautiful  aquarium combined functional design and interesting technique with an aquascape that took into account the biotope it was trying to replicate, as well as ratio, perspective, color balance, and viewing angles, to form what I feel is one of the most aspirational biotope-style aquariums I've ever seen. Tai started with a plan, and executed to the letter. No real deviation from plan. None. The result was truly a tank that scored on all levels.



Look, I’m not saying that you need to have architectural renderings, a monumental checklist, and never deviate for a second in order to have success. Rather, I’m suggesting that conceiving- and sticking to- a plan for your aquarium is never a bad thing.

Yeah, like I can take my own suggestion so well, right?

On the other hand, being a “Perpetual Editor” archetype of fish keeper also has his/her advantages. mainly, the ability to modify a plan as he/she goes if he sees a better way. Almost categorically, the “Perpetual Editor” has a looser, more flexible approach to  aquarium planning, construction, and management, and is perhaps more in tune with the latest and greatest trends, techniques, and philosophies of the aquarium game. (and of course, more susceptible to being influenced by a lot of stuff!)

However, there is a sort of “sub-category” in the “Perpetual Editor” classification…well, actually, two: The “Trend Jumper”, who, as the name implies, switches direction at the drop of a hat in order to capitalize on the latest trends, fads, or ideas. The other, what I call an “Active Listener”, will make changes based on discourse with other hobbyists, who share ways to do the thing that you’re trying to do in a different, or perhaps, better, more efficient manner. 

One thing about being a “Perpetual Editor” is that you are constantly availing yourself to the latest information, and, in the case of the “Active Listener”, probably having great dialogue with other hobbyists who have more experience doing what you’re thinking of doing.

The online world and social media have enabled the “Active Listener” to develop his or her idea to the ultimate degree. Although, the "danger" of being an “Active Listener” is that you can easily “lose control” of your plan by listening to every critique, suggestion, and opinion out there.  And the "trend jumpers?" Well, e-commerce has completely enabled these people, right? Regardless of your aquarium-keeping philosophy, a certain degree of independence and individuality is a key requirement to be happy, I think.



And in a way, being a “Perpetual Editor” is not really a bad thing. I mean, you’re always aware of what’s going on in your tank, you’re constantly thinking of improvements, you're totally aware of the “Latest and Greatest” in the hobby, and you are “nimble”- able to change directions "on a dime", as they say. So, don’t despair, sufferers of ADD (Which, IMHO is pretty much everyone in the aquarium keeping world, IMHO...a thesis I'll have to revisit at some point), it helps you be a better, more “agile” hobbyist.

And the great 'scapers, like Jeff Senske of Aquarium Design Group, listen to what's in their heart- pull inspiration from the world around them- and execute based on their instinct and aesthetic. They approach it with an almost yoga-esque calm and vision that comes from being totally in touch with their feelings. It's amazing to see the work that comes from guys like Jeff, Johnny Ciotti, Luis Navarro, George Farmer, Oliver Knott..They do it with real "soul."

So being a "perpetual editor" is an interesting burden- or blessing, depending upon how you look at it. And I've just looked at it from the tank design and 'escaping perspective! I’d like to hear from those of you out there who “suffer” from this double-edged sword, and how it impacts your hobby experience.

Let’s hear your stories, your feelings. Are you a “Perpetual Editor?”

Ponder that…And until next time…

Stay inspired. Stay true to yourself. Stay open-minded. Stay creative.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics

The value of detours...

We always refer to the new, empty aquarium we have sitting in our office, living room, etc. as a "black canvas", ready to come alive with whatever awesome ideas we have in our head. And I love that reference. And there is a lot of anticipation to fill it! However, every once in a while, you have one of those situations where you're forced to look at that "empty canvas" for a more extended period of time than you originally anticipated. And during that time period, it's amazing what you end up doing. It's interesting to reflect upon what you want to do for that tank, to almost go through a mental "proof of concept" in your head as you wait to finish the project.

This has happened to me recently, with a new brackish-water system I've been teasing you with for a few months. This tank started off with a burst of excitement and ideas, and the installation of a pretty cool hardscape idea. I was all ready to run fast- ready to document what should have been a very quick build process. Of course, then various factors conspired to "hit the brakes." First, I discovered a disturbing hairline fracture in one of the seals, which, after much assessment and discussion with those more experienced at tank repair than I, was repaired in situ.

Of course, this had to be done without disrupting what I felt was a really great hardscape. And of course, that simply isn't possible, and I had to photograph the damn thing from every angle before I disassembled it, as I tried to document how I would re-set everything once the repairs were made and the tank was filled and leak tested. And that wasn't an easy process, let me tell you! However, I managed to get it within a very close proximity to what I had before- extraordinary for me!

And then, there were those "minor technical things"- like trying to replace the noisy,  under-powered pump which came with this all-in-one tank with a more reliable, powerful, and quiet Eheim. And of course, the damn thing didn't quite fit in the compartment available, necessitating  modifications to the pump and developing a set of procedures to create proper access. That took a while- like, way longer than I thought. And then, there were those issues trying to find parts to create perfect plumbing connections between to varying metric/US sized parts. And then there was the auto top-off reservoir that I needed to get made to fit the stand...and then there was an issue getting the ATO system (was out of stock for a while).

And then there was...well, you get the picture. 

Now, I don't know about you, but of course, there reaches a point when you start looking at how ridiculous it is and want to just get the damn thing up! I mean, since I wasn't making this the highest priority in my life, it simply took a back seat to other things. And this was a really new experience for me in the aquarium hobby, because I was always hell-bent on just getting my projects done.

And this is a very basic, off-the-shelf "all-in-one" tank that should be ridiculously simple to get up and running (like, the same day you take it out of the box, right?). I mean,  I have friends who have set up and broken down several tanks in the time it has taken me NOT to get this one up and running. It became a bit of a joke around here about how this tank, with it's remarkable "low concept", was being treated as if I developed some sort of breakthrough work or something! I mean, even Space X has launched four or five rockets since I've started my project!

Crazy!

So, now we're on our way again with this project. The only delaying factors have been simply prioritizing time to work on it. And that's funny, because being a fish guy, I've always had a lot of impatience about every project I've worked on...Yet, for some reason, this time, I've managed to restrain myself from the usual desire to fast-track this. I developed some sort of genuine patience about getting a tank up. Very different for me!

However, during my "waiting period", I kept myself busy researching, thinking, scheming about how I wanted to proceed.  I changed a few ideas within the overall project. And I told myself that I should use this delay as an opportunity to document the process of building this tank- something I have constantly told myself that I would do "one day." And I think this might be a lot more helpful than me simply showing off the finished product like I always do.

Now, don't get me wrong. I know it's possible to push things along more quickly. I could have fast-tracked most of the things which delayed the project. None of these were insurmountable.

But I didn't fight it.

So, my thesis of late is that not rushing to completion of your tank build- for whatever reason- is a really good thing. It gives you opportunity and context. It gives you the chance to share, iterate, research, change, and evolve the project. And staring at an empty tank for a long period of time is sort of like looking at a vacant plot of land or a empty place in your garden: You get intimately familiar with the tank, even in it's barren, unfinished state- during this time.

You can visualize how it looks in the overall room setting. You can contemplate how to install the lighting system in a way that optimizes aesthetics for both the tank and room. You can get really down and dirty into the process of creating the world within tank. You know, the mindset. Contemplating how the tank will function when you execute your aquascaping plan and stocking. You might even change and reverse direction. You might realize that what you are contemplating for this tank- this "blank canvas"- might not be the right execution for your vision. And you'll really learn patience on a different level.

The real value of "detours" in our world?

It's that they provide us a different view- a chance to really get to know our project on a different level.

Stay patient. Stay curious. Stay creative.

Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics  

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

In other words, aquascaping your tank to support the various feeding adaptations of different fishes!

If you think about it, a typical tropical stream has a variety of different feeders. Many of our favorite fishes may be classified as "periphyton" grazers, which have small mouths, fleshy lips, and numerous tiny teeth for rasping. "Periphyton", by the way, is defined as "...freshwater organisms attached to or clinging to plants and other objects projecting above the bottom sediments."  Ohh- sounds good to me! This stuff is abundant in all sorts of streams, but can be limited by availability of light and solid substrates.

Stay creative. Stay curious. Stay studious. Stay innovative.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Mixing of the waters...and ideas...

So many of us are obsessed with the soft, acidic, botanical-influenced blackwater habitats that we study and work with that it's important to remember that there are many interesting rivers which which have clear water, mildly acid conditions, and some botanical influence. And some have intermediate characteristics which are even more interesting! Science since the 1950's has classified Amazonian rivers into three rather broad categories (whitewater, clearwater, and blackwater). And there are those which are influenced by multiple sources, and are sort of "mixed" waters.

The famous confluence of the Amazon and Rio Negro near Manaus, Brazil. (Pic by Mario Roberto Duran Ortiz, used under CC BY 3.0)

Fore reference, "Whitewater" rivers have a higher nutrient content than the blackwater and clearwater rivers, and the pH of water in turbid rivers is often near or above neutral (7.0). FYI don't confuse the local term "whitewater" used to describe these rivers  to mean that they have lots of rapids- that's not what it's about, lol. It's really about the color and clarity in this instance.

"Clearwater" rivers typically have minimal loads of suspended sediments, low concentration of major nutrients, and a chemical composition similar to rainwater in many respects. The majority of clearwater rivers and streams in the central and eastern Amazon Basin are known to be slightly acidic, with pH values varying between approximately 6.0 and 6.8. However, these values may be higher in the western tributaries closer to the Andes.

And of course, our much-loved "blackwater" rivers need almost no description at this point, but for sake of completeness, we'll simply say that this term describes tea-like water in which plant and botanical compounds are not completely decomposed, or as scientists would state, "Water in which rate of carbon fixation (photosynthesis) and its partial decay into soluble organic acids exceeds its rate of complete decay to carbon dioxide."

Yeah.

And, as we already know, the substantial concentrations of organics in blackwater rivers renders them quite acidic, ranging in pH from 3.8 to 5.4.

And then there are those rivers which, although classified primarily into one of the descriptors, are influenced by varying sources to the point where one might even dare call them "mixed" waters...

One such river is the Tapajós, and the other minor tributaries in the Tapajós River Basin. Standing in sharp contrast to our beloved Amazonian blackwaters, which, as we know, have pH values well below 5.0, very low electrical conductivity, and general lack of carbonates, the Tapajós may be loosely characterized as a "clear water" habitat, with a greater electrical conductivity, pH around 6.5 or above, and more richness of carbonates. The lower Tapajós demonstrates really high transparency because there is not a major current, and the sediments brought in have already been deposited.

Now, as we alluded to above, scientists who research this stuff will tell you that many rivers and streams of Amazonia have to be considered as "mixed waters" of intermediate, resulting from the influence of tributaries with different chemical compositions, and the Tapajós definitely falls into this category. Differences in nutrient levels in these rivers and the tributaries which feed them also impact fish species composition, richness, and growth. It's a rich area for fishes, with about 325 fish species are known from the Tapajós River basin, including 65 endemics.

The Tapajós in the "grand scheme" of Amazonia (Map by mussier, used under CC BY-S.A. 3.0)

One of the major influences on the Tapajós is a what is known as a "Ria Lake", formed by the eroding of the river valley due to aggradation processes that occurred during the Holocene Period. It's a large mouth lake, surrounded by relatively high cliffs and low-lying beaches. The beaches are inundated for around six months each year and support sandy-flooded-forest species of plants in large numbers. This obviously has some influence on the composition of the water during the inundation. In many regions of the Tapajós, turbid water, clear water and black water actually exist in really close proximity. The blackwater rivers nearby drain sandy soils and flow into the clearwater Tapajós near its confluence with the Amazon River, so you can see this whole "mixing" thing in action!

And, like so many rivers and waterways in Amazonia, seasonal rains have a huge impact. Because of it's sheer geographic size and range, different areas of the Tapajós experience rainy seasons at different times.  The rainy season in the upper Tapajós Basin begins in late September, while in the lower basin, the rain begins in late December or January. The peak of the annual inundation in the middle and upper Tapajós Basin is typically around March. In the areas nearest to the  Tapajós River mouth, the months with the highest water levels are normally  May or June, because the water levels in the lower river are controlled by none other than the Amazon River, which has it's own "schedule" to keep!

So much influence from so many different sources. Rivers and streams in general are impacted by many other habitats, and this is what creates these "mixed waters" that we're talking about. And, as hobbyists, such variations and influences create unique opportunities to replicate some interesting aquatic habitats in our aquariums!

(Amazon and some tributaries meet near Manaus. Pic by Neil Palmler, used under CC BY-S.A. 2.0)

Now, in our aquarium practice, many of us would be hesitant to explore pH levels much below the "mid fives", although there are a number of intrepid aquarists who do experimental work with very low pH waters with certain fishes (i.e.; wild Angelfish). And, there are a fair number of hobbyists out there who like the idea of utilizing botanical materials and leaves in their tanks, but are simply not big fans of the tinted water. Replicating a habitat like the Tapajós or it's minor tributaries might be a nice compromise!

This necessarily general, short visit to the concept of mixed waters will hopefully stimulate you to do some research on your own, and to consider that there are environments out there for just about everything you'd want to play with, aquarium-wise! Aquascaping, selection of substrate and other materials, as well as the choice of aquatic plants- not to mention, our fish selections- are all influenced by the composition of the water, and we should take these factors into consideration when planning our aquariums. 

Now more than ever, we have lots of good scientific data on many of the areas from which our fishes come from. We have not just water chemistry information- we have information about the influencing soils, climate, plants, and associated fauna to work with. Yes, you can be as hardcore biotope-driven as you want, or can simply take some major cues and go from there. The choice is yours, and you can enjoy attempting to replicate the aquatic habitat of your choice to as great an extent as you'd like. 

It's an amazing time to be an aquarist, and there has never been a better time to take another look at the natural world when contemplating our next aquarium.

And it all starts with looking at the magic that happens when the waters mix.

(The Madeira River and the Aripuanã River mix. Pic by Neil Palmler, used under CC BY-SA 2.0)

Until next time...

Stay curious. Stay resourceful. Stay inquisitive. Stay creative...

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics 

Points of origin....

This is sort of one of those exciting developments that happens after you've been around for a time and start developing a devoted following:

We have more and more customers asking about botanicals from specific geographic regions, because you're looking to create a "Southeast Asian" or "Amazonian", or "West African"- themed tank.

This is a really big deal for us, because it shows that you've already been kind of comfortable with the whole idea of using botanicals in your tanks, and understand the basic "mind set" that we deploy (ya know, stuff makes the water brown, begins to decompose, etc.) and are now more focused on the implementation of botanicals for specific purposes.

And we're super happy about this "maturing" of the botanical craft as it pertains to our "twigs and nuts!"

Now, the important thing to know is that many of the botanicals we offer are found in various parts of the world, and can sort of "represent" materials found in specific geographic environments. We've kind of made that argument that, once leaves are submerged and starting to break down and such, one would be hard-pressed to make the call and state firmly that a given item somehow looks out of place from a geographic standpoint (unless, of course, one happens to be a botanist!).

That being said, we have started to indicate the origin of many of our botanicals in the product description pages, which we hope will provide both context and ideas for you. I think we will start featuring this more and more in both our writings and on the site itself, to really help you make better decisions. I know that many of you who are really into biotope aquariums need more geographic specificity for many components, so this might help. One customer made a great suggestion that we should be able to create some sort of geographic sorting capability on our site, and I will definitely speak to our tech people about the feasibility of such an idea!

Today, let's feature some of our items that come from Asia and the Sian sub-continent, for those of you who are playing with Asian-themed biotopes. Here are the botanicals which specifically come from Asia:

"Carambola Lixo"

"Coco Curls"

"Flor Rio Pods"

"Jungle Pods"

"Lampada Pods"

"Rio Fruta"

"Rio Passaro"

Guava Leaves

Teak Leaves

Banana Stems/Stem Pieces

Jackfruit Leaves

Cutch Bark

Catappa Leaves

Catappa Bark

Yellow Mangrove Leaves

Now, again, it's always been my personal opinion that you can utilize whatever items you want in virtually any situation, because even an Asian botanical perfectly represents a botanical item from say, Africa or South America. If you need to be geographically specific, than I'm sure you'll be happy to refer to this list now and again! We'll do the same for South America and Africa in coming installments.

Until then, thanks for your support, suggestions, and friendship. We're really excited about the many interesting things our community is working on in the botanical-styl, blackwater aquarium world! This Fall will see some of the biggest, most exciting developments in Tannin's history, and we can't wait to share them with you!

Until next time...

Stay creative. Stay enthusiastic. Stay progressive. Stay inspired.

And Stay Wet.

Scott Fellman

Tannin Aquatics