# UKAPS @ Interzoo 2010



## George Farmer (20 May 2010)

Earlier this year UKAPS and The Green Machine were honoured to be invited to Tropica in Denmark.  http://www.ukaps.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=10103

The aim was to set up some display aquascapes to help celebrate Tropicaâ€™s 40th Anniversary, as part of their Interzoo 2010 exhibit.

Fast forward to mid-May and it was time to visit the Interzoo in Nuremberg, Germany.

Graeme Edwards travelled over earlier in the week with The Green Machine, and Dan Crawford and I went over with Roy Devani from Unipac. 

The place was amazing!  An unbelievable amount of exhibitors, most of which were aquatic-related, packed into nine huge halls.  This is the biggest and best pet trade show in the world and there was no shortage of interesting new designs and innovations for the hobby.  The sheer scale of the event was overwhelming, but so well organised.

Lots of open-topped tanks with LED lighting were there as well as a huge influx of new nano aquaria.  Interestingly there was very little in the way of glassware.  The marine hobby was well represented with some amazing displays including SPS.  Interesting to see Dennerle and Juwel going into the marine sector too.  A lot of the displays around the show were very impressive with some being aquascaped by Oliver Knott.  The Elos stand was very nice with some cool light units, one of which had transparent flaps that you don't notice, so you get the benefit of open top without the evaporation or jumping fish.

Other highlights include meeting up with our Hungarian friends from UKAPS!

Some exhibits were better than others but the Tropica stand was a class above the rest with mature planted aquariums aquascaped by Tropica, UKAPS, The Green Machine and Oliver Knott.  The water clarity was the best on the whole show too, with 90% water changes being carried out each morning with Tropica's own water.  CO2 was dosed via carbonated water, a technique commonly used for short-term planted display tanks.

The display tanks were a brilliant advert for the hobby and allowed the Tropica staff to perfectly illustrate various points to their potential customers.

Tropicaâ€™s new 1-2-GROW potted plants proved a hit and it will be interesting to see what impact they have on the hobby.  Some pots boast a 12 week shelf-life (remember with no need for water, light etc...)  

You never know, one day UKAPS may have its own stand at the Interzoo...


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## George Farmer (22 May 2010)

*Re: UKAPS @ Interzoo 2010 report and photos*

Video clip of the Tropica stand -


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## zig (22 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

Brilliant stuff George great report. 9 halls, sore feet Im sure and thats only from the first time around  

The tanks are really great, I see what Victor means with Olivers tank now, just a little overgrown


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## Mark Evans (22 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

quality guys. 

George, Dan...the best tank i've seen from you 2! and IMO the best tank on show by a long way....judging by the images shown


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## glenn (22 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

looks amazing, tropica have a very professional looking stand!
are my eyes playing tricks on me   please explain this photo?



and these look cool built in to the bar   



                                                                                                                             and is that a pink suit ^^    haha


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## Kosh42-EFG (22 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

The planted tanks really look amazing... Those marine tanks are a bit of a poor show though, but the LED lighting units on them do look fantastic...


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## LondonDragon (24 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

Great stuff George, sounds like you guys had a lot of fun! Next time take me along haha
That new tropica plant looks amazing!!! I want some! hehe



			
				glenn said:
			
		

> are my eyes playing tricks on me   please explain this photo?


Cut the wood, place a magnet in each end and voila


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## George Farmer (24 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

Thanks, all!

Interzoo 2010 was an amazing experience, and to be associated with Tropica who had one of the best stands there was a real honour.  The amount of attention the display tanks received was very rewarding.

Talks are in progress to potentially get another UKAPS team over to Tropica in Denmark at some point.  We also discussed the idea of helping out with future plant hunting expeditions...  Vietnam anyone!?

We'll keep you posted!


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## Garuf (24 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> Talks are in progress to potentially get another UKAPS team over to Tropica in Denmark at some point.


Ooo, pick me. I'm only half as abrasive in real life.  

Veitnam/Papua and Myanmar are all hyperdiverse areas I'd love to go collecting in any of them, not sure about all the injections though.


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## bigmatt (24 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

Free jollies with two mates to Germany and beyond.  Must be awful being you ....


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## Dan Crawford (25 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*



			
				bigmatt said:
			
		

> Free jollies with two mates to Germany and beyond.  Must be awful being you ....


It wasn't free mate, these things never are  It is tough being me though, i keep breaking my stick trying to bat all the hot chick away, especially when i look like this after 20 jagerbombs and 3hrs sleep


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## James Marshall (25 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*

It all looks fantastic, so many excellent scapes there.
IMO best in show goes to George and Dan, when up against the likes of Oliver Knott that's no mean acheivement.
Top quality scaping there chaps   

Cheers,
James


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## George Farmer (25 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*



			
				James Marshall said:
			
		

> It all looks fantastic, so many excellent scapes there.
> IMO best in show goes to George and Dan, when up against the likes of Oliver Knott that's no mean acheivement.
> Top quality scaping there chaps
> 
> ...


Thanks mate! 

Credit has to be given to Mick from Tropica for maintaining the tank(s) so well too.  

What I also find interesting about our particular set-up is that turnover was low (1x Eheim 2026 in a 300 litre tank), a completely inert substrate (not even Tropica Plant Substrate or Capsules) and only dosing TPN+ twice per week...  I'm not sure on CO2 but imagine it wasn't much over 20ppm.

The low turnover is particularly interesting, especially as the planting is so dense, restricting circulation further.  

And not a scrap of algae to be seen, even on the oldest leaves.

I personally think the Tropica water must be magic.  It must be good, because they brought their own water with them to the Interzoo...

Certainly some food for thought.


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## zig (26 May 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> James Marshall said:
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Food for thought indeed, would you know any details on how much light they used over the tank George during the growout stage, the clue is more than likely in the carbonated water though like you say, it might need another trip to Tropica Denmark to find out!  it is interesting though.


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## John Starkey (1 Jun 2010)

Great report George & Dan,great scapes all of them but i think the uk came out on top in my opinion   ,the things that interest me most now i am getting older and wanting to keep doing planted tanks,are the smaller acrylic tanks and the new slimline Led lighting,they look really nice and modern and would complement most modern homes in my opinion,
Thanks for showing us the pics,
regards,
john.


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## flygja (2 Jun 2010)

*Re: Interzoo Report (New!!)*



			
				George Farmer said:
			
		

> The low turnover is particularly interesting, especially as the planting is so dense, restricting circulation further.
> 
> And not a scrap of algae to be seen, even on the oldest leaves.



It's probably due to the maintenance. A low-turnover tank can be algae free if its maintained religiously on a daily basis. Maybe the lights don't even go on a timer... manually turned on and off everyday  8)


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## Ricardo Monteiro (5 Jun 2010)

Hi folks! This is my first at UKAPS.

 George, I was amazed when I saw TropicaÂ´s video from Interzoo. This tank pops out to the eye like soda in the middle of the desert.

 If it isnÂ´t asking too much, could you specify some more data? - tank size, lighting...

 Cheers


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## ukco2guy (6 Aug 2010)

Guys, that must have been a fantastic day out! I`m so jealous  My last visit to Kolding was to APC head office looking at boring UPS`s and the like, oh and a trip to Lego land but i would definately prefer to see those display tanks any day!

So did you get any freebies? 

Cheers,


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