Alex looks back on what was a fantastic day. He showcases the aquascape build process in the new display Fluval Visi-White aquarium.
Numerous people mentioned that events like this do not happen in Cornwall, or the Southwest in general. This is one of the key reasons I wanted to start the On The Road events. I want to bring the social side of the hobby to those that may normally miss out.
Before I tell the tale of the day, I think it is important to thank everyone involved that helped make this fishkeeping event possible. Firstly, the team at Fishkeeper Southwest for hosting us in their wonderful shop. The store was definitely a perfect place for fish geeks to congregate.
Also, thanks to Fluval for sponsoring the event, providing prizes, goodie bags and products for the tank build. To one of our contributors, Matt Hayes (Fish Shop Matt), for coming along to share his incredible knowledge of the hobby. And last but by no means least, to Steve Bell (who has a great last name). He created such an epic display and helped with your aquascaping questions.
Congratulations to Steve Field and Andrew Godfrey for winning the Fluval U2 filters!
Fishy introductions.
I arrived at the Cornish Maidenhead Aquatics store 15 minutes before the start of the event, the staff and Steve were already there. Matt was just a couple minutes behind me, it must have been a rather early start for him to get here at this time.
After some quick introductions and house keeping, we got to work. Well, not before we admired the epic Hunton Oak cabinet of the Visi-White aquarium set. It definitely stood out on the shop floor, and that was with just an empty tank sat on top!
The day started and ended with us staring at the Fluval Visi-White aquarium. I decided to include the photo with the finished scape as it looks even better!
The cabinet is also available in a dusty grey here in the UK. While a nice walnut finish is available in North America.
Matt and I wanted to film the introduction to the YouTube video for the event before it got too busy. You can watch this at the bottom of this article. Or visit: https://youtu.be/tRPqaCJQPqk. So we searched for the perfect background and opted for the entrance by the award winning pond section.
Meanwhile, Steve began to dig around in the hardscape section to work out a plan for the scape. It looked likely that he would go for the black spiderwood. I would have too, as I had immediately had my eye on a couple pieces for my tanks at home. Those same pieces ended up in Steve's scape- I should have hid them!
People had already began to arrive and we soon found ourselves in deep conversations about the hobby. Including a thorough discussion on whether pulsing xenia is a great beginner coral or a pest. I think the conclusion was that it is six of one, half a dozen of the other.
Tank build step by step
I briefly spoke to Steve about his vision before leaving him to do what he does best. He pictured a classic nature aquarium with either a concave or triangular layout. He had a box of Aquafleur plants to pick from, including plenty of stems and epiphyte plants.
Below you can witness how he brought this tank to life:
The first job was to install the Fluval Plant 4.0 LED light that comes with the aquarium set. This light is fully controllable using the new FluvalConnect mobile app.
Steve added Fluval Bio-Stratum, which is a mineral-rich aquarium soil. This will help support healthy aquatic plant growth. Here you can see he sculpted the aquarium substrate to be a concave layout.
Next, he added the black spiderwood to the right hand side. The layout began to morph into a triangular composition because of the shape of the hardscape pieces.
Steve then levelled the substrate to the left to follow the natural triangular scape that evolved. He added more wood and some black crater rock to finish the hardscape.
Scaper Steve, as I named him, then began planting with epiphyte plants, including Bolbitis, Java fern and various species of Anubias.
The aim was to carpet the foreground with Micranthemum "Monte Carlo". Plus, he utilised various crypts to blend up to the hardscape, filling gaps.
Steve then planted the background with a variety of stem plants. These would grow quicker, helping to compete with algae in the early stages of the aquascape.
We slowly filled the tank so as to not disturb the plants. Steve installed the powerful Fluval 407 filter with glass lily pipes once the event had ended. As time got away from us, the Fishkeeper Southwest team volunteered to add the CO2 and M series heater the following day.
Related article: 5 easy and beautiful stem plants for your aquascape.
Busy, but the best day
The shop soon filled up, one moment I looked and it was 11am, the next time I checked it was 4pm! During the day I managed to meet and speak to so many wonderful people.
Families that all shared an interest in the hobby came to join in. You could see and hear how much they enjoyed their aquariums at home by their excitement and passion. Brilliant fish breeders, like Wilde Shrimp, drove down from what I class as "Up North" (anywhere beyond Bristol). We spoke about the upcoming Fish Fête, which promises to be another exciting in person event for the hobby.
I also got to meet people who I have emailed and messaged but never met in person. A well known name by anyone who reads Practical Fishkeeping, Bob Mehen, popped by. Plus, British Killifish Association chair Steve Davidson came to say hello and have a look around.
I also found immense joy in serving customers again after an almost 8 year hiatus. Bagging up radiant rams, terrific tetras and glorious guppies or helping to pick out potted plants for customers.
During that time I barely saw Matt or Steve. I assume they too were loving getting to speak with those of you that managed to attend the On The Road event. Whether that was helping to find the cause for algae issues or brainstorming different tank set-ups.
Having a look around the fish room
Towards the end of the event, I took the opportunity to walk around the fish room to see what remained. Camera in hand, of course, so that I could show you some of the fish that would pose for me.
The team here do a great job ensuring there is something for everyone. Immediately, a wall of tanks housing livebearers hits you with their colour and activity.
In the centre of the room, tanks and tanks of incredible marine fish, corals and invertebrates dazzle. On the day, it was the wrasses that caught my attention the most. I remember half way through the day Charlie, one of the team here, walked by with a huge snowflake moray in a bag. A proper chunky eel and it was incredibly eye catching even in a bag.
Mandarin dragonets curiously pecked over the substrate for tiny foods. Pistol shrimps maintained their burrows for their goby room mate. Larger tangs, angelfish and triggers patrolled their tanks awaiting some food.
Around the outer wall of the fish room stood the other tropical fish. Here, any freshwater aquarist would be able to find something they liked. Rare tetras dazzled, including morse code and cherry red tetras. Tiny rasboras and shrimps were difficult to spot but covered those wanting a nano planted aquarium.
Community staples, including the likes of red robin gouramis, pearl danios and albino corydoras, were present in good numbers. Sharing the tank with some of these fish hid cryptic catfishes, a staple of any store that has anything to do with Sophie Washer.
Wild scalare angelfish lurked in tanks decorated with oak leaves, and strawberry leporinus took cover around some bogwood. For those wanting something predatory, there was a tank dedicated to the ravenous bucktooth tetra. These feature in the October issue of the magazine as a great alternative to the shy piranha.
At some point you have to leave a fish shop
An hour after the event finished we all finally called it a day and headed home. A day's rest before it was time to start editing the photos and videos from the day. I thoroughly enjoyed the first On The Road event, and I hope those that joined us did too.
We aim to host more of these all over the country so that everyone has an event close to them. Get in contact with us, or a shop you think would work great for a PFK On The Road event and you never know, we might be near you soon!
But, before I can start planning the next one I need to deal with some huge changes not involving fishkeeping. Oh, and we need to announce the winners of the two U2 filters that Fluval Aquatics kindly sponsored.
Watch PFK's On The Road event with Fish Shop Matt!