Aquascaping Interview with Jurijs Jutjajevs

Following our assortment of aquascaping interviews, we simply currently had a chat with Jurijs Jutjajevs, the face of German Aquascaping, and talked about his current actions as educated aquascaper, his future plans and rather more.

1. Hey Jurijs and thanks for accepting our invitation to endure this interview. For starters, can you inform us a bit about your self?

I’m 32 years earlier and I’m throughout the ardour for 20+ years. I’m a self-employed full-time aquascaper, freelance Social Media Supervisor for Tropica Aquarium Crops, Podcaster and YouTuber.

2. How did you get into the fishkeeping ardour and what was your first contact with Aquascaping?

I obtained into fishkeeping 20+ years up to now with a 60cm beginner tank and shortly started using CO2 and rising underwater crops.

First contact with Aquascaping was 10+ years up to now by way of aquascapingworld.com dialogue board. I shortly turned a moderator and later admin, which most definitely helped and even pushed me with making my ardour a occupation.

3. There are completely several types of Aquascaping in the marketplace (Dutch, Nature Aquarium, Iwagumi and so forth.), what’s your favorite one and why?

I identical to the Iwagumi for its simplicity. Nonetheless, good rock positioning simply is not simple and requires loads of apply.

My very personal kind I would describe as Nature Aquarium with consideration to particulars. By means of the years, and significantly doing aquascaping for purchasers I try to create good scapes, that are simple to maintain on the equivalent time.

Nature Aquarium Mannequin supplies the right devices for it. Ferns, Crypts, Anubias and Bucephalandra blended with each magnificence sand or a carpet are pretty simple to maintain, whereas stems throughout the once more develop fast and help compete with algae.

4. Please describe basically essentially the most tough setup that you just’ve made up to now.

240x30x30/40cm DBL bottom river stream construction for Tropica Aquarium Crops Interzoo 2018 gross sales house.

Scaping such an prolonged and shallow aquarium is an issue by itself, nonetheless this one was constructed to be transported about 1.000 km to the exhibition, and to have a 100x turnover circulation cost inside.

Plus all crops solely had 2 months to mature prior the current. And having this tank because the precept attraction of such an enormous mannequin locations a bit little little bit of pressure on.

5. What’s your main provide of inspiration to your aquascapes?

Accessible hardscape. Do you have to go into nature or try to get inspiration from someplace, you sometimes get pissed off about not with the flexibility to find the correct picket or stones.

what you’ll have obtainable and making the right out of it, is a creative course of.

For optimistic it is advisable to observe rock and picket formations in nature, nature photographs or one other individual’s aquascapes, nonetheless to not some extent of replicating them, nonetheless to seek out out about composition and combination.

6. Do you’ll have a favorite species of aquatic crops or fish which you want to work with additional sometimes?

Not too way back Bucephalandras are my favorite crops. They develop sluggish, they join themselves to decoration, they’ve good vivid colors and if you happen to’re lucky, they produce flowers underwater.

7. Many people starting with Aquascaping complain about algae bloom and they also typically give up when that happens. How do you keep your aquariums algae-free and what suggestion would you give regarding this matter?

Algae bloom is common to begin with, significantly in case you may have additional nutritional vitamins throughout the water.

The Filter simply is not working accurately however, the Crops are often not rising however and by no means consuming the acute nutritional vitamins and the latest Soil is just overloaded with nutritional vitamins and is often leeching them into water.

Every single day 50+% water changes help fairly a bit.

I moreover recommend conserving the sunshine interval temporary for the first couple weeks (4-6 hours/day). Extreme CO2 ranges (30 mg/l) will help crops adapt sooner.

Extra I add floating crops, they develop the quickest because of “limitless” CO2 from the air and string mild and help eradicate excessive nutritional vitamins.

Extra I exploit RO water, that helps me eradicate silicates and phosphates that all the time embody faucet water. I moreover use Energetic Carbon and Purigen as filter medium to take in pure matter from the water column and finally Algae inhibiting items paying homage to Twinstar Nano sterilizer that may cut back the amount of algae spores.

I moreover add filter micro organism to the water and Algae eaters as rapidly as potential. With all above I usually (not always) have algae free begins. This is not a blueprint, nonetheless it positively helps.

Oh and I don’t add any liquid fertilizer for the first 2-4 weeks or until I see first indicators of nutrient deficiency.

8. What was the longest that you just saved an Aquascaping aquarium? What variety of tanks do you keep correct now and what variety of hours per week do you spend doing aquarium repairs?

Longest was most definitely 4-5 years. It was the dentist aquarium, a room divider shopper aquarium.

I’ve 3 Aquariums working at residence and a number of other different empty able to be setup.

At peak events I’ve had 10-12 Planted Aquariums working. Majority of them has been short-term for initiatives solely. Moreover I used to have 15-20 shopper aquariums beneath repairs, nonetheless this amount has decreased over the earlier years.

Maintenance on overage I would say half an hour per week per tank. Like I acknowledged sooner than, I make them to be simple repairs.

9. Inform us a bit regarding the technical side of your aquariums, like filtration, mild objects, CO2, fertilization packages.

Most importantly I exploit RO water 100% on majority of my aquariums. The reason is simple. We have got completely totally different faucet water in all places. Using RO and together with minerals equivalent method, I can have water parameters in all tanks. My very personal and purchaser aquariums.

Other than that, I exploit Canister filters, ideally with in-built heaters and pressurized CO2 Strategies.

All new setups run on RGB led mild. I truly identical to the Twinstar merchandise, they’re good top quality for an inexpensive value.

10. How a number of an artist do it is advisable to be with a view to create aquascapes like these you see inside the principle Aquascaping contests? What skills do you suppose differentiate an excellent Aquascaper from the right?

Some aquascapers put loads of stress of their works. Others merely experiment and hope for the right. The result’s sometimes a lucky incident.

I do not recommend scaping for a contest. On a regular basis scape on your self and enter your best work proper right into a contest, in case you may have a lot of aquariums.

OK, you’ll be able to do that individual contest aquarium in case your really want and observe as many traits as potential. Nonetheless guess what, the winner is the one who’s contemplating exterior the sector and probably it’s the lucky incident one.

11. Is aquascaping an enormous consider Germany?

Within the meantime it is. Aquascaping is popping into additional of a normal issue, identical to the evolution of planted aquariums. It’s not a sample anymore, it’s mainstream.

All important producers have aquascaping devoted merchandise of their differ and such merchandise are extensively obtainable. One simply is not searching for Soil anymore.

In any case if you happen to want the latest mannequin of XY lilypipes or devices, it is advisable to go to a faithful retailer, nonetheless the basics like Soil, NPK fertilizer, frequent devices, CO2 diffusers, you should purchase in every frequent retailer.

This truly makes it simple for the novices to get started. Moreover there’s a great deal of digital content material materials obtainable as of late. YouTubers do a terrific job educating the novices.

12. Can you inform us additional regarding the work you are doing now as educated Aquascaper?

I setup and hold private purchaser tanks, I perform workshops and demonstrations, 1:1 instructing courses for private purchasers or educating retailer staff the precise technique to greater search the recommendation of purchasers.

An infinite half in my every day routine is the work for Tropica Aquarium Crops. Taking excellent care of their social media channels take a lot of hours each single day.

The rest of the time is filled with totally different initiatives, podcasting and making YouTube motion pictures.

13. The craft of Aquascaping is definitely getting rather more media safety at the moment, how do you see it evolving by way of the years?

I like the reality that it is now present and further seen. I would like it to develop to be rather more seen in mainstream media. Boards > Fb > Instagram > YouTube.

14. What are your plans regarding your future as an Aquascaper?

I’m wanting forward to share my info on as many channels as potential. I’ve started developing a workforce that helps me create additional content material materials.

First member of the workforce is Logan who’s modifying my YouTube motion pictures. Undoubtedly wouldn’t have the flexibility to do it with out his help.

Other than developing a workforce and rising on completely totally different platforms, I’m attempting to journey additional exterior Europe and go to the right retailers on the planet, go to all completely totally different kind of events and go to spots in nature to see the origin of our crops and fish species.

Jurijs could be the co-founder of Mosscotton, promoting the art work of aquascaping by the use of premium life-style merchandise.

He often posts on Youtube and if you happen to want to carry on observe with all points aquascaping, ensure that to look at him on Instagram @juri_js.

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