Mega interview
Pasquale Buonpane - Oriente e Occidente (East and West)
Pasquale Buonpane is an Italian aquarist and plant collector, and recently, well known aquascaper, both in Italy and worldwide. His "East and West" aquascape in 2009 has achieved the following positions in competitions:
- AAC (Acuavida Aquascaping Contest) – 2nd Place
- AGA Aquascaping Contest - Honorable Mention
- IAPLC (The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest) - World Rank #22
AQUASCAPER
Dear Mr. Pasquale, thank you for volunteering your time to this interview so you can share your aquascaping knowledge and techniques with us. Here are the questions I would like to ask you.
Before we get into your aquascape, tell us a bit about yourself. How did you become interested in the planted aquariums? How long have you been in this hobby?
I’ve always been an aquarium hobbist, my first tank goes back to my childhood but I made my first aquascape only in 2006.Plants are my greatest passion, I’m a carnivorous and succulent plants collector, so I think it was inevitable for me to get involved in planted tanks.
Many new comers have no idea where to begin when it comes to aquascaping. How easy is it to learn how to aquascape?
Nowadays, thanks to the web, it is very easy to acquire information on the management of planted tanks. However, the only technical aspects are not enough to became a good aquascaper: you need the right artistic sensibility and above all, you have to be a good observer of nature.
Do you follow any particular artistic style or philosophy when creating your planted aquarium layouts?
No, I only try to follow my instinct and my aesthetic sense.
If you would have to describe your own unique aquascaping style, how would you describe it?
I think my style can be described as a continuous search for simplicity: it is not a coincidence that in my tanks there are always a few elements and usually only 2 or 3 plant species.
From where do you draw the inspiration for your aquascapes and what are you usually trying to recreate?
I think I’m a lucky man because I live near a magnificent mountain range. In my scapes I try to recreate the atmosphere and feelings of “my” mountains.
AQUARIUM
Pasquale Buonpane - Oriente e Occidente (East and West)
Tell us about your award winning "East and west“ aquascape. How did you come up with the idea for this layout? Did inspiration come from a real world landscape or just Your imagination?
”East and west” was my first pure iwagumi style tank. The original idea came from a place I often visit where the beech trees, under the weight of snow ,never become tall trees but growing they only form small rounded bushes. In that tank I tried to imitate those bushes using Fissidens fontanus.
What type of stones did you use and what was the most difficult part of the design?
I always use to personally collect the stones in nature: I think it’s the only way to get exactly what you need for a particular aquascape. The hardest part was keeping the difference in height between the front and the back side of the tank: the first few weeks I had to pay a lot of attention during the water changes to prevent the substrate to collapse.
Plants used in this layout are slow growing plants. How did you manage to control the algae?
The best way to avoid the growth of algae is to fertilize considering the amount of plant mass. In this tank I added some fertilizing tabs only in the areas covered with H. callitrichoides. Fissidens is a very slow growing moss, so the small amount of fertilizer coming from the substrate to the water column was enough for a good growth.
Pasquale Buonpane - Oriente e Occidente (East and West)
Could you please describe your fertilization and maintenance routines for this aquarium? How often are water changes performed and in what amount?
I’ve just told about the fertilization. I use to change about 40-50% of water every week.
Hemianthus callitrichoides carpet looks amazing. How long did it take to grow it and what is the secret of a successful non-algae carpet?
As I said it is very important a balanced fertilization to get rid of algae. I also use to add a good number of Crossocheilus siamensis (Siamese algae eaters) as soon as possible. H. callitrichoides is certainly my favorite foreground plant, in this tank I think it took at least two or three months to form a dense compact lawn. One of the secrets to get a perfect lawn is to prune very often. Usually I try to never exceed the thickness of two centimeters.
| TANK SIZE: | 160 x 52 x 60 cm |
| TANK VOLUME: | 400L |
| LIGHTNING: | 4x58w T8 (6500°K) |
| FILTRATION: | External filter |
| SUBSTRATE: | Akadama substrate, sand |
| FERTILIZATION: | Tropica capsules |
| CO2 ADDITION: | about 20mg/l |
| PLANTS: | Hemianthus callitrichoides, Fissidens fontanus |
| FISH AND INVERTEBRATES: | Paracheirodon innesi, Crossocheilus siamensis, Otocinclus sp., Caridina japonica, Neocaridina "Red Cherry" |
GENERAL:
What do you enjoy most about designing and creating aquariums in this hobby?
I really like the creative part: aquascaping is an amazing way to express the admiration and love for nature and all the living beings.
You are currently a proud owner of more than a few tanks. After creating an aquascape, when do you decide to take it down and why?
Each layout generally does not last for more than a year or two: sooner or later I start thinking of some new ideas and so I start working to let them come true. In addition I have to say that to participate in the contests often is necessary to have new works every year.
What is the secret to being a successful aquascaper?
A lot of passion, a little bit of luck and the courage to follow your instinct trying not to imitate the “famous” tanks.
Where do you see the aquascaping hobby going in the next 10 years?
I think it will be increasingly difficult to be original and be able to create something of “never seen before”.
Is there any particular advice you would give to a hobbyist creating his first planted aquarium layout?
Be patient, follow your instinct and try to be a good observer of nature.
Foto from the IAPCL competition (The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest)
Pasquale Buonpane intervju - hrvatska verzija ovdje!
