The Tint
722 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 months ago - ★★★★★ - 24 ratings"The Tint" is a podcast dedicated to lovers of natural aquariums. A place to discuss unusual aquarium concepts and ideas; a jumping-off point at the aquarium hobby's "bleeding edge." Join us for inspiration, ideas, and a sometimes provocative point of view! Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
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Episodes
The outer limits…
March 16, 2023 14:44 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBNature provides us with everything we need to manage our aquariums successfully. Let’s talk about ways to embrace natural processes and mechanisms to create amazing natural “filtration systems” within our aquariums! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
An easy partnership
March 14, 2023 20:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MB“Embracing Nature” sounds like typical aquarium hobby/industry marketing hyperbole, I know. However, truly embracing the function of Nature- NOT just the appearance of Nature- is the key to an incredible hobby experience. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The mood and the mindset…
March 10, 2023 00:18 - 9 minutes - 8.89 MBPlaying with leaves and botanicals in our aquarium is fundamental. It’s a new era of understanding aquatic ecology and it’s impact on our aquariums. It requires some mental shifts, doesn’t it? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Beyond the Superficial
March 09, 2023 17:12 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBAs I return from my self-imposed aquarium industry “exile”, I once again am taken by the decidedly superficial approach to “natural” aquariums that has overtaken the popular hobby consciousness. I’m back, and it’s time to keep fighting “the good fight” to convince you to interpret Nature in our aquariums on a deeper level… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Brown Crush
January 19, 2023 16:18 - 10 minutes - 9.76 MBYeah, as I jump back in to sharing ideas on botanical method aquariums in 2023, it’s good for me to just take one more opportunity to discuss the color of the water in our tanks, and what it means… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Hahnel knew it…
December 14, 2022 02:39 - 9 minutes - 8.98 MBThe legends in the aquarium hobby have provided us with everything that we need to know to be successful. Their knowledge, passed down over the decades, helped foster and refine the techniques which have evolved into the modern aquarium hobby. Simple truths, shared freely… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Oak:The “one stop shop” for botanical method aquarium enthusiasts!
November 29, 2022 16:55 - 20 minutes - 19.2 MBWhat’s my all-time fave botanical for use in aquariums? Some exotic South American seed pod or rare tropical leaf? Nope! It’s oak branches and twigs ( oh, and leaves). Let’s talk about oak, and it’s use and benefits in our aquariums! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The "Detritus Dilemma"- again!
November 02, 2022 19:24 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBEcologists define detritus as, "... partially decomposed organic matter from plant and animal tissues, in addition to microorganisms and minerals." Note that nowhere in either definition do you see references to the stuff being "dangerous" or "detrimental" to fishes or aquariums. Now, look, having an excess of just about anything accumulating somewhere in the closed environment of an aquarium has an impact that you'll have to deal with somehow, or at the very least, have an understanding ...
Waiting for "the quiet storm" of life...
November 02, 2022 18:10 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBThere is something truly remarkable about natural processes playing out in our own aquariums, as they have done for eons in the wild. Understanding, accepting, and celebrating "The Bloom" (that explosion of fungal growths, biofilms, and the process of decomposition) is all part of that "mental shift" towards accepting and appreciating a more truly natural-looking, natural-functioning aquarium. The "price of admission", if you will- along with the tinted water, decomposing leaves, etc., the...
Life is too short to compromise.
October 18, 2022 17:22 - 11 minutes - 10.9 MBThe hobby can be a pain sometimes. It can be expensive, challenging- difficult. And so we often take shortcuts or make compromises to make things easier; more affordable. These are not panaceas.. they often don’t work out. Life is too short to compromise! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
As the seasons pass…
September 30, 2022 17:37 - 17 minutes - 14 MBSeasons come and go. Water levels in aquatic environments ebb and flow. Planet Earth goes through cycles. Fishes face constant challenges, yet have evolved over eons to adapt to them. Seasonal changes influence so much of our fishes’ life cycles.. what about approaching the “operation” of our aquariums based upon seasonal changes? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“Geographic transgressions” and other Forgivable Sins…
September 27, 2022 02:42 - 16 minutes - 15 MBI have this thing about mixing fishes from different geographic locations. It’s a really stupid thing…but let’s talk about it! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“Blackwater Livebearers”: My obsessive search continues…
September 22, 2022 01:41 - 12 minutes - 11.8 MBThe latest on my multi-year obsession for live bearing fishes that come from blackwater habitats. We look at a few promising candidates, and muse on the geekiness of my obsessions… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Relationships
September 20, 2022 17:50 - 11 minutes - 10.4 MBLand and water are ridiculously intertwined in the natural world. The physical, chemical, and ecological interdependencies between these two habitats is incredible. We should spend a lot more time studying this stuff. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Inception.
September 14, 2022 18:14 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBThe beginning. The startup. The earliest phases of our botanical method aquarium’s existence- is a fascinating, wonderful time. And we have to opportunity to create a magical, productive habitat for our fishes by just deploying a few simple tricks and a whole lot of patience! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Back…From Nowhere…
September 13, 2022 15:22 - 26 minutes - 21 MBYeah, it’s been a few weeks since we’ve had our last episode of “The Tint.” What have I been up to? What’s Tannin up to? Why have we been so quiet lately? What are we going to do and say in 2023 and beyond? What do I think needs to happen in the aquarium world this year? The answer to these and other questions are laid out in this “comeback episode!” Yeah, the usual opinions and hypocrisy that characterize many of my rants are included! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify....
Starting at...The beginning?
August 19, 2022 22:11 - 9 minutes - 8.37 MBWe're often asked if it is possible for a brand new aquarist to create a botanical method aquarium as his/her first tank. After playing with this stuff for decades, and seeing lots of other hobbyists doing it, too, I think that it IS possible...if you make an effort to understand aquarium fundamentals, manage expectations, and employ patience... However, it requires a community effort from all of us to keep pushing out good information on this stuff... --- Support this podcast: https://po...
The ones which take you back…
August 17, 2022 22:49 - 13 minutes - 12.8 MBIt’s kind of fun to see those fishes, plants, and corals which you kept as a kid, still playing a prominent role in the hobby. They are more than juts nostalgic to us- they transport us back to what made us fall in love with the hobby in the first place! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
All of that “stuff…”
August 11, 2022 16:14 - 14 minutes - 11.5 MBYeah, we talk about aquariums as a little microcosm of life- a place where ecological processes play out to the benefit of our fishes. Yet, I think we need to do more than just give in “lip service…” we need to REALLY make the effort to understand why our botanical method aquariums look and function the way they do.. it’s the “secret” to big progress and evolution in the aquarium hobby. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Letting go…For a while, anyways!
August 10, 2022 16:45 - 8 minutes - 7.57 MBWhat happens if you miss a water exchange or a filter media replacement once in a while in your botanical method aquarium? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Thwarting a chilling hobby trend..
August 03, 2022 15:39 - 20 minutes - 16.3 MBYeah, I noticed something not so good again: A stunning lack of patience in the hobby. It’s been evident in the reef world for a while and it’s creeping into the FW world as well. We can and should stop it. By examining how it’s occurring, how it manifests, and what the results could be, I think that its time for a renewed effort to teach the fundamentals in our hobby- along with a healthy dose of patience… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/sup...
Nature takes Her course…
July 28, 2022 18:24 - 6 minutes - 5.06 MBA little “quick hit” addressing the dilemma many hobbyists face- wether they should intervene or not when something seems “different” in their tank.. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The “Through Line”
July 28, 2022 17:23 - 8 minutes - 6.85 MBOne of the things that we’ve noticed over the years is how our aquariums embrace common elements from Nature- a literal “through line” from Nature to aquarium- one which, if we make the effort to understand- has profound implications for us as hobbyists. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
At the bottom of tropical waters…
July 27, 2022 16:17 - 21 minutes - 17.1 MBYes, we keep coming back to the bottom… The incredible influence of substrate on the overall aquatic environment is endlessly fascinating. The wild aquatic habitats of the world are filled with compelling, highly functional substrates comprised of all sorts of materials. They’re ripe for replication in the aquarium.. let’s discuss these natural features and their potential in our tanks! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
What's it mean to "fail" in the hobby, always?
July 25, 2022 23:30 - 12 minutes - 10.1 MBThe idea of "failing" at something in the aquarium hobby sounds so horrible, doesn't it? The reality is that what we deem "failures" are actually some of the most valuable experiences that we can have as aquarists. Really! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“The evolution will be…managed.”
July 15, 2022 23:00 - 23 minutes - 18.6 MBThe idea of changing our tanks up periodically is as old as the aquarium hobby itself. However, you don’t always have to make big changes to evolve your tank… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Compensating Factors
July 13, 2022 15:34 - 8 minutes - 5.74 MBThe aquarium hobby is filled with opportunities, challenges, and chances to develop breakthroughs. However, to get through many things in the hobby requires us to educate ourselves; to understand what’s going on in our tanks, and to tolerate things that might make us uncomfortable. To draw parallels between what we’re seeing in our tanks and what occurs in Nature. How do we do this? We need to compensate… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The gooey, slimy, and sometimes wowed-looking cycle of life in our aquariums…
July 04, 2022 13:00 - 10 minutes - 8.63 MBYeah, every once in a while, with so many newcomers to our world- it’s important for me to touch on some basic stuff. Today, let’s talk about the elegant, under appreciated biofilms-one more time! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Inspiration.
July 01, 2022 13:00 - 9 minutes - 8.63 MBInspiration in the hobby takes many forms. It comes from many sources. I think that we as a group tend to take more inspiration from other people’s tanks, and not as much from Nature. We need to flip that around a bit… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Staying the course…
June 28, 2022 12:30 - 9 minutes - 8.83 MBPatience is one of those “intangibles” that is incredibly important in the aquarium hobby. It’s something not all of us have in droves, but we should. It’s something that helps us all have to best possible outcomes when we apply it… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
We DO “dream in water…”
June 25, 2022 12:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBWe’ve been obsessed with botanical method aquariums for decades. We’re collectively, as a hobby, advancing the study of these aquariums more than ever. Yet, a lot of people will ask “Why do you do this stuff?” Today, a simple bunch of talking points for you to share with others when asked this question. Or, perhaps it’s the push that YOU need to try one? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“Weird” done well…
June 17, 2022 22:30 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBAs everyone gets ready to enter those international aquascaping contests, or to contemplate what they’ll do next year, it’s time for me to get on my soap box and trash conventionality- again. Time to urge you to act on the craziest of the ideas floating around in your head. Time for “weird”- done well! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
How Soon is "NOW?"
June 15, 2022 21:14 - 11 minutes - 8.11 MBWhen does a botanical method aquarium reach a "finish line?" When does it start looking "mature?" Why do hobbyists even ask this question? We spend a lot of time pondering when our tanks will hit some magical point where they have "arrived." I think that we need to focus on a different part of the equation here... --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Before you hit “return”: The importance of being thoughtful in online discourse!
June 13, 2022 22:40 - 8 minutes - 7.63 MBEver gotten into one of those online disagreements about some hobby topic? Was it an all-day, tit-for-tat drag- out? A thoughtful debate? Was it just plain nasty? And did it even matter? Here’s a story from one of my “online discussions” that may make you chill a bit.. or not. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Living color…
June 12, 2022 17:02 - 10 minutes - 9.73 MBPerhaps in no other aquarium hobby speciality other than the botanical method do we even think much about the color of the water in our tanks. And that means accepting not only a different function- but different aesthetics… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Why you should be playing with “alternative substrates” in your aquariums…
June 09, 2022 18:27 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBUtilizing different materials in our substrates is a “foundational approach to botanical method aquariums.. we need to keep working with them and pushing the limits! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“The Light Stuff…”
June 08, 2022 15:58 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBWe don’t talk enough about light and it’s importance to our aquariums. And, although we’ve shared a lot of planted botanical method aquariums with plants, there is still a lot of confusion and trepidation about keeping plants in tinted, botanical method aquariums…Let’s talk about light, plants, and botanicals! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Leaves..Again!
June 07, 2022 17:28 - 25 minutes - 17.5 MBYeah, we’re talking about leaf litter in the aquarium yet again. Why? Because there’s a bit too much talk lately about leaves as “set pieces” for creating “cool looking aquascapes!” And that is selling them sooo short- missing all of the ecological benefits of using leaves in aquariums. They’re not aquascaping props… they are a huge and important part of the ecological system in our tanks… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“Operating” your botanical method aquarium….
June 03, 2022 19:00 - 9 minutes - 7.98 MBWe do a lot of things with our aquariums, but the idea of literally “operating” them to replicate seasonal and other changes which. Occur in the wild habitats is a fascinating one. What kinds of things can we “operate” in our tanks- and what will the positive impacts on our fishes be as a result? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The “art part” of the equation…
June 02, 2022 15:19 - 15 minutes - 12.4 MBBotanical method aquariums are not a “style of aquascaping.” They are systems which utilize natural materials to foster functions similar to those which occur in wild aquatic habitats. They’re about ecology. Yet, they do have a certain “look”, right? Let’s talk a bit about the “art part” of the botanical method aquarium… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Addition by subtraction…
June 01, 2022 17:02 - 7 minutes - 6.37 MBThe art of “editing” your aquarium is something that we all should be familiar with. Sometimes, by removing elements from your botanical method aquarium, you actually end up with something that’s exactly what you dreamed of in the first place…in this episode, I share a personal example of this concept and how I got to where I wanted to be! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
“The operating system…”
May 31, 2022 21:55 - 25 minutes - 20.7 MBA little “refresher” on the basics of the botanical method aquarium. A look at some old friends- detritus, decomposition, fungal growths, and biofilms- and how they help facilitate a more natural, successful aquarium. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Into the niches and backwaters
May 27, 2022 15:59 - 11 minutes - 9.3 MBDon’t be afraid to leave what you know. Experiment. Share. Try. Push out of the ordinary and share your experiences. Get into those weird little hobby niches and learn all you can about them…It helps the hobby progress. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
At the bottom of tropical streams…
May 27, 2022 00:40 - 17 minutes - 14.4 MBThere is so much information for the botanical method aquarium geek to gain form studying streams- and stream bottoms- that it’s worthy of a two part episode! Here’s part one! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The worlds we create.
May 25, 2022 16:23 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBAn aquarium is not just a glass box filled with water, sand, plants, wood, seed pods, and fishes. It’s not a disconnected, clinical, static display containing a collection of aquatic materials. It’s a microcosm. A vibrant, dynamic, interconnected system, influenced by the materials and life forms within it, as well as the external influences which surround it. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The Power of “aquatic Cross-Training”, and a call to be Better…
May 24, 2022 22:36 - 14 minutes - 12 MBIf you’re a hobbyist who dabbles on either side of the “salinity line”, you’ve got amazing skills that you can bring with you.. don’t be so locked into your own niche at the exclusion of everything else. See what you could bring to the other side. We call it “aquatic cross-training”, and it might just take the hobby to a new and exciting level. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The whole picture…
May 24, 2022 01:14 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBI admit, we talk an awful lot about the philosophy and the minutiae of the ecology of botanical method aquariums.. today, let’s focus on a few practical aspects of them! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Your fishes call it…food.
May 24, 2022 00:58 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBAs a botanical method aquarium fan, you’re used to biofilms, decomposing leaves, fungal growths, and detritus in your tanks. Some hobbyists call this a mess… Your fishes call it food! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
Thinking like a fish!
May 19, 2022 16:04 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBWe love to create aquariums and aquascapes based on what we love and what makes us feel good. However, I sometimes wonder if there is a disconnect between what WE love and what the fishes want… my solution? Think like a fish when designing your next aquarium! It’s not as crazy an idea as it sounds, and it might just open your eyes to some entirely new approaches to creating and managing aquariums… --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support
The really long game…
May 16, 2022 22:45 - 23 minutes - 18.6 MBWhat happens to the little microcosms that are our botanical method aquariums over the long run? How does Nature manage the ecology that we’ve fostered in those little glass or acrylic boxes. It’s a long game, filled with subtle evolutions, gradual progressions, and change. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/scott-fellman/support