# Aquascaping meetup - Norwich 26.01.2020



## Jake Richardson (22 Jan 2020)

Aquascaping meetup

Where: Scaped Nature, 60 St. Giles Street, Norwich, Norfolk, NR2 1LW
When: 5pm, Sunday 26th January 2020

Hello Everyone,

I have organised a casual get together for anyone with an interest in aquariums, fish keeping and aquatic plant husbandry to meet, chat and enjoy a coffee/tea with like-minded individuals. Scaped Nature in Norwich are hosting the event and anyone willing to make the journey is welcome.

This is the first meetup and has no set structure however I will be introducing myself to everyone who comes, and I would find it extremely helpful to hear people’s ideas on the format of future meetings.

If you are a complete novice or seasoned veteran to this hobby it would be lovely to see you on Sunday. The store itself is owned and run by a lovely couple, Gill and Ray, who together with Joe their employee have an extensive knowledge on how to keep your terrestrial and aquatic plants happy.

No need to sign up, please just turn up on the day.

More about Scaped Nature can be found here: www.scapednature.com

Any questions about the event please feel free to email me norwichaquascaper@gmail.com

See you there,

Jake


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## Tim Harrison (22 Jan 2020)

Hello Jake and welcome 
I hope you get some takers from UKAPS, and your meet up is a success.
I'd have liked to go myself but it's a fair old schlep from Leicester...perhaps next time.
Maybe you could let us all know how it went


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## castle (22 Jan 2020)

A bit too short notice for me, maybe next time, for sure. Plant swap would be a nice thing to have.


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## Jake Richardson (22 Jan 2020)

Thank you all for your comments on my first ever post. I will admit I was busy trying to sort out local adverts and general planning that I forgot about casting the net further afield on here. I’ll certainly report back how it went and I do hope it develops into an event which includes swapping plants. Future events will be advertised with more notice!


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## Gill (24 Jan 2020)

If I were not busy helping my son move house this weekend would be there.have wanted to make the trip up there for a while. 
Maybe next time with more time to arrange and maybe carpool with other locals. 

Sent from my SM-G970F using Tapatalk


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (24 Jan 2020)

Great stuff Jake. I would like to see more gatherings like this, but unfortunately can't make this one. (unless I can think of a cast iron excuse for wifey).
It's a long way for me, but I'm a big fan of Scaped Nature, which I only get to visit when I'm in South Norfolk.

On that note, are there many aquascapers in the Bromley/South East Area?


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## sparkyweasel (24 Jan 2020)

I'm another one that can't make it this time, unfortunately.
I wish you well and hope it's a great success and leads to more meets.
If so, you might like to consider a more mid-day time for some of them. It could help some of those with a long journey to get home at a reasonable time. When you thought of the idea, you probably never thought there would be people who live three hours' drive away who would be interested. 
hth


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## Jake Richardson (30 Jan 2020)

Hello Everyone,

I thought I would give you all an update on the event that took place last Sunday and provide some information about future meetings.

Eight people turned up to the very first event, not including the staff of Scaped Nature or myself. I am very pleased with the turnout as the advertising was limited and I believe the future growth of this community will come from hobbyists talking to one another about the meetings. A range of aquascaping experience was present on the evening, ranging from those preparing to set up their first tank to those who already have many. This fuelled great conversation that spanned a range of topics; everyone asked questions and the group had lots of advice and recommendations which was great to be apart of. Having scaped tanks surrounding us really helped the group communicate much better as we could point to species of plants and fish, styles of aquascapes, types of rock, etc.

I prepared an email after the meeting which had a summary of the topics we spoke about, both as a whole group as well as the ones I was apart of in smaller break-off groups. I included links to YouTube channels and websites but also spelled out Latin named of plants we had mentioned whenever possible and I hope this is particularly useful for people new to the hobby. 

For the next meeting, date to be confirmed, we will keep it relaxed like the first with plenty of tea and coffee available. We had seating set up which allowed me to address the group for introductions but in the future, this will provide a stage for people who would like to give short presentations on projects they are working on or have completed as well as any other business. We are fortunate to have some aquatic-based businesses located around Norwich and moving forward I hope to invite their staff to the events and have guest speakers. 

Once I have arranged a date for the second meeting with Scaped Nature I will post a new event with as much notice as possible for those of you traveling from further away. 

Thank you for all the support,

Jake


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## mort (31 Jan 2020)

Great to hear it was a success. I ran a marine based lfs and our first anniversary meeting had a modest gathering but the next was, quite literally, standing room only. People travelled from hundreds of miles to us which was a humbling experience and I'm sure people will flock to you after discovering more about the shop. So keep us all up to date.


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## The Accidental Aquascaper (31 Jan 2020)

That's great news, well done to all involved. I was in South Norfolk that Sunday too, but I had a 3hr drive and I would have been getting back in the early hours on a school night!
Anyway, hope to be able to make the next one.


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