The

Aquatic Gardener

Journal of the Aquatic Gardeners Association, Inc.

Volume 23 Number 3
www.aquatic-gardeners.org

July Sept 2010

Ole Pedersen, Freshwater Biological Laboratory, University of Copenhagen Photos by the author.
InterZoo in Nuremberg, Germany is Europes largest aquarium exhibition. The trade show is not open to the public, and yet, it is able to attract more than 10,000 producers, wholesalers and shopkeepers from all over the world. In May, I joined Tropica Aquarium Plants to help set up their stand and maintain the tanks during the show. We transported three 250 L grown-in tanks almost 1000 km from Denmark to Germanya nerve-wracking experience on the old bumpy German autobahns. This article describes the new plants that were revealed at InterZoo 2010 and there is hope that aquarists in the U.S. soon will be able to buy Tropica plants as the new 1-2-Grow tissue culture plants that are free from algae and other pests are now ready for market. cided that this required some kind of celebration. Why not do something that no one has done before? And then the idea matured that the InterZoo show should be the place to demonstrate that the company still belongs among the worlds top aquarium plant nurseries. Hence, Oliver Knott was contracted to set up a 250 L [66gal.] tank three months before the show. He now has his own studio in Germany, and he agreed to do his best and to deliver the tank at the show. That was easy but one tank would not be enough to impress the demanding audience at InterZoo. Thus, the people behind the fasting growing aquatic plant forum in Europe (UKAPS; see article page 16) also came over to set up a tank and so did the owner of Green Machine (a UK high-end shop). Troels Andersen of Tropica and I also volunteered to set up a tank. We knew that we had to do

New Plants at InterZoo 2010

Preparations

Tropica Aquarium Plants was founded 40 years ago and it was de-

Oliver Knott, probably Europes best aquascaper, had created a tank for the Tropica stand. Oliver set up the tank in his own showroom and delivered it to the venue three days before the show started to allow the fragile stem plants to recover from the transportation. Olivers tank was the only to show all eight new plants in the same tank. As always, Olivers tank was the subject of much discussion; either you love his layouts or you dont.
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(driftwood and rocks) was fixed to the bottom of the aquarium and sliding substrate was avoided by molding in a plastic mesh in the substrate. The tanks grew well and all developed as expected over the next three months, except for the tank set up by Green Machine, where the dense carpet of Marsilea hirsuta suddenly started dying as the roots became infected by a fungus. We pulled up all the dying plants and tried to establish a carpet of Glossostigma elatinoides. The Moss bridge aquascape created by Troels Andersen of Tropica and the author. Please note the dense carpet of Helanthium tenellum (previously Echinodorus tenellus). The plant in the back (both left and right) is the new Myriophyllum mattogrossense. our very best so as not to set an embarrassing example in this famous field of internationally recognized aquascapers. Some initial tests were performed because we have always been told that you cannot transport a grown-in tank over such distances (it is nearly 1000 km [621 miles] from Tropica in Denmark to Nuremberg in Germany where the InterZoo show takes place). Troels Andersen came up with a solid solution where all decoration material

fresh rolls and cheese in the car so we felt invincible. Whoops! After the first 100 km, we realized that we had forgotten one tankthe small grown-in tank with the new 1-2-Grow plants that had turned into a magnificent tank over the past three months. We had to turn around. We managed to sneak into the lab and pick up the tank without anyone noticing. How embarrassingespecially for someone who thinks he is normally very well organized.

The Trip to Nuremberg

The tank created by the people behind the United Kingdom Aquatic Plant Society (UKAPS), currently the fastest growing forum in Europe. George Farmer and Dan Crawford came to Tropica three months before the show and created the tank, which was then transported as a grown-in aquascape nearly 1000 km to Nuremberg in Germany.

The day came and it was time to pack up all the tanks and leave for InterZoo. Troels and I met at Tropica at 5am. Sunday morning and a couple of drowsy staff showed up to help us get the tanks into the van. We worked like mules for a couple of hours and then we were ready to go. Off we went! When we switched on the GPS, we were disappointed that there were almost 100 km more than expected but Troels and I were excited and we had

Unpacking the Tanks at the Venue

The next day, we unpacked the tanks at the venue. They all looked very good indeed and both shrimps and fish were still alive although we had removed most of the water and only kept the aquascape wet with moist newspaper. We had brought with us 1000 L of Tropica watera mixture of tap water and reverse osmosis water. We wanted to make sure that we would not cause

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Volume 23 Number 3 9

any stress to the plants by providing water of unknown chemical composition. Thus, all we had to do was to fill the tanks and remove a few bad-looking leaves. What a fantastic feeling. We had moved three 250 L tanks more than 1000 km along old bumpy highways and we didnt even have to correct one single piece of driftwood or rock; it all looked exactly as when we emptied the tanks 36 hours earlier. Later the same day, Oliver Knott arrived with his tank. He was much more relaxed and asked us to fill it up using plain tap water. The tap water in Nuremberg is quite soft compared to Danish tap water but Oliver had used similar water so it should be okay. Monday night at 8pm all of the tanks were ready and it looked very promising given the fact that the tanks had two more days to recover before the show started.

The following day we set up an additional two 250 L tanks with extra large plants and plants on driftwood and rocks. It was decided that these tanks should be newly established to demonstrate that it is possible to set up a tank so that it looks nice from Day 1, provided that you are willing to invest a little extra in more mature plants or plants on driftwood and rocks. Also, the 300 L Malawi cichlid tank with Anubias, Crinum and Vallisneria was set up just prior to the show. The new tanks proved to be a real challenge. The water became milky the day after; especially the Malawi tank and the tank with XL plants looked pretty sad the following morning. However, we had brought two custom built diatom filters with a capacity of 3,500 L per hour and after just half an hour of filtration, they looked like a million bucks. But we had to filter those tanks

every morning before the show started, as they continued to become milky throughout the show. Troels is planning an article for the new Tropica website (www.tropica.com) to show how these filters are constructed and how effective they are. Green or milky water is history!

The New Plants

Tropica presented eight new plants at InterZoo 2010. The most popular was without any doubt Hygrophila pinnatifida. Both Tropica and the upcoming Italian aquarium plant nursery, Anubias, showed this plant and it was used in practically all major show tanks at InterZoo. Hygrophila pinnatifida is from Goa in India and was brought to Germany in 2008 by Alfred Waser. The plant is easy to culture and it spreads almost too well once introduced to the tank. It attaches to all sorts of surfaces

and can be used equally well growing in the substrate as well as on driftwood and rocks. Hygrophila pinnatifida is attractive because the leaf shape is different from all other plants in our hobby, and it is my experience that it grows well even in a tank without CO2. Also Pogostemon erectus turned out to be a real attraction. At first sight, it may look like a species of Eriocaulon but is in fact a Pogostemon. Pogostemon erectus comes from India and it forms compact groups of bright green, conifer-like stems. It is suitable as a background plant and creates a wonderful focal point in both smaller and larger groups (see the photo of the UKAPS tank). It is more difficult than Hygrophila pinnatifida and needs intense light to stay compact for a longer period. Another new plant that presented itself really well during the show is the Polygonum sp. In Christel Kasselmanns

Hygrophila pinnatifida and Vesicularia ferriei Weeping in Oliver Knotts tank at the Tropica stand. Hygrophila pinnatifida was perhaps the most popular plant at the show and it appeared in numerous aquascapes created by Jan Ole Pedersen and Oliver Knott.
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Hygrophila pinnatifida showing its epiphytic capabilities. The plant is fast-growing and spreads all over the tank, and it is able to get a foothold on almost any kind of substrate. Tropica as well as the Italian aquarium plant nursery, Anubias, are currently selling it.
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The new Aponogeton crispus Red (with beautiful floating leaves) and Pogostemon erectus (to left behind the dense Eleocharis parvula).

A new Microsorum pteropus variety? The plant was shown in one of the Indonesian stands but no one was able to supply us with a scientific name. It looks a little like the Microsorum pteropus Trident but the filaments are much coarser. new book [see TAG 232], she confirms that the species has not yet been identified although it has flowered on several occasions both in her aquarium and at Tropica. The plant has relatively short internodes and shows a much more compact growth form than is common within the genus Polygonum. The plant developed in a magnificent color during the show; when we left Tropica, the leaves were much less colored. Myriophyllum mattogrossense from Brazil is a new water milfoil with coarse and strong filaments in the dissected leaves. It survived the transportation quite well and I believe it is an attractive plant both in Oliver Knotts layout and in the Moss Bridge that Troels and I created. Myriophyllum mattogrossense is relatively easy to grow and is suitable for the background. It needs to be pruned frequently to maintain its bushy form. It is fast growing and requires a good deal of nutrition. Colored plants are always attractive, and Aponogeton crispus Red is no exception. Aponogeton crispus Red is an interesting culture with purple curly leaves. Its moderate height makes this Aponogeton eye-catching and the most decorative effect is obtained with a bright green background. It is moderate- to slow-growing and it creates relatively few leaves on the water surface as compared to the common Aponogeton crispus; the many floating leaves in the photo are due to the relatively shallow tank (35 cm; 14 in.). To achieve the desirable deep purple leaves it requires high light and plenty of nutrients. Tropica presented an additional three new plants: Echinodorus Vesuvius, Lindernia rotundifolia and Vesicularia ferriei Weeping. I like the weeping moss in particular as it is different from most other mosses in our tanks; it is a fleshy, hanging moss with teardrop-like bright green shoots. It needs to be tied onto driftwood or other decoration material as the rhizoids it develops do not
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Polygonum sp. with very beautiful red leaves. The leaves had not yet achieved the desired intense red color when the tank was moved to Nuremberg, but during the show it developed into a magnificent plant. The plant in the foreground with the odd-looking leaves is Hygrophila pinnatifida.
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The Tropica product 1-2-Grow. The plants are sold in small cups free from any pests such as algae, snails, nematodes and fungi. The plants come directly from the tissue laboratory and may thus be exported all over the world since pests and soils are no longer an issue. The tank to the left shows 3 month old 1-2-Grow plants from only one cup each, whereas the tank to the right shows how the tank looks just after set-up. The lights are 7 Watt diode lamps from the Italian company CEAB. attach very firmly to the either wood or rock material. Weeping moss is believed to originate from China and has previously been distributed by Oriental Aquarium Plants. agents have to worry about is whether the plant is on the invasive species list. There is no soil nor pests of any sort. We should also see a cheaper product, as the production costs are significantly lower; there is no need for a space-consuming nursery anymore. However, this product will probably never replace the kind of plants we know as they are small and often dont look like the adult plant at all. But for rarities, this product promises a new era.

The new 1-2-Grow product attracted much attention. Here, Troels Andersen of Tropica explains the benefits of the new product to AquaNet TV (see the web site address below). The feature is in German only but it is definitely still worth watching. some great products to display. All their lamps use high-output LEDs and they come with and without reflectors with various angles. The price is high but the design is extremely attractive; take a look at the companys website where the complete product range is shown. I cannot imagine a greater light source, particularly if you are looking for light for your nano aquarium. Elos is another Italian company that offers great LED lights. However, their high-output LEDs produce a lot heat and they use active cooling (a little fan) instead passive cooling as used in CEABs products and this makes them less attractive. The fan is noisy and I could not imagine using an Elos LED lamp in my living room because of the constant humming. In summary, InterZoo 2010 was a huge experience and it was great to see that product development within our hobby is as fast as ever and new technologies are constantly being implemented to the benefit of the aquarist. Next years show at Aquarama in Singapore will probably reveal that LED technology has already got a firm hold in the market and then we can look forward to a much more carbon-friendly way of illuminating our planted tanks.

1-2-Grow Tissue Culture Plants Directly from the Lab

1-2-Grow was perhaps the attraction of the show at Tropicas stand. 1-2-Grow is tissue culture plants sold directly in small plastic cups free from algae, fungi, nematodes, snails and other annoying pests. There is another player on the European market, Anubias from Italy, who sells a similar product. Their tissue culture plants are sold under the name Linea Cup. Tissue culture plants sold in this way offer many advantages for the aquarist as the plants are easily shipped all over the world. The only thing that customs
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Other News from InterZoo 2010

Plants were not the only news at InterZoo 2010. Lighting means LED these days and things are developing fast. The price is still high though and it will probably be another year or two before we see LED light completely replacing metal halides and fluorescent light. The Italian company CEAB had

Tropica Aquarium Plants www.tropica.com Ole Pedersen www.aquatic-plants.dk Olver Knott www.oliver-knott.com Green Machine www.thegreenmachineonline.com AquaNet TV INTERZOO 2010 - 40 Jahre Wasserpflanzen von Tropica aus Dnemark www.aquanet.tv CEAB www.ceabacquari.it Elos www.eloseurope.com/en Aquarama www.aquarama.com.sg Volume 23 Number 3 15