Jan Simon Knispel and Aquascaping
Jan Simon Knispel is a highly successful aquascaper who has won many prizes with his layout designs. In the live aquascaping contest of "The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2011", Jan made first place in the XL category. In "The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2010" he was first runner-up in the XL category and second runner-up in the nano category. Jan Knispel is 26 years old (2011) and is working as a design engineer in the field of fire extinguishing systems. He is from Schneverdingen in Luneburg Heath.
The Aqua Rebell team interviewed Jan, asking him how he got to know about the fertilizers by Aqua Rebell.
"I saw the great scapes at www.flowgrow.de."
We were of course also interested in learning if Bruno keeps using Aqua Rebell fertilizers.
"I will, because they simply work best."
1st Place The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2011 - XL
"The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2011" jury verdict was:
"Well-balanced with high-quality plants. Great use of space."
The Aqua Rebell team agrees. Especially the vast lush patches of Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" (Makro Spezial N is especially suited to meet its requirements) give this tank a very vital touch. The placement of the driftwood and the other plants underline the notion of a green underwater dream.
Nowhere fast - 2nd Place - The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2010 - XL
This tank layout caused no small sensation at "The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2010". Jan just had some rocks with him, and his very well-prepared plants. The layout was done absolutely spontaneously and convinced the jury with the perfect stone placement and the healthy waterplants. This tank was chosen first runner-up for a reason.
Machu Picchu - 3rd Place - The Art of the Planted Aquarium 2010 - Nano
This nice 20-litre nano tank convinced the jury with its vibrant plants and its very natural design. A large patch of Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba" guides the eye through the tank and is livened up by Marsilea crenata in the foreground. In the background we can see some delicate stem plants.
Small dragon stones structure the tank. Very healthy moss patches round off the picture.
Rocks
Very simply planted with only three species, which gives the tank (40×x25×25 cm) a very calm air. Again, Heminathus callitrichoides "Cuba" is prominent in the foreground, elegantly growing in the rock crevices. The delicate form of its leaves makes the tank look far larger than its actual size. The layout is rounded off by the use of Riccia sp. "Dwarf" in the background and by Taxiphyllum sp. "Flame Moss".
A Certain Shade of Green
The motto of this tank might be "species diversity on a small area" (60×40×55 cm). Hemianthus micranthemoides forms a large bush in the back and its effect is even furtherly enhanced by ferns, Anubias and colourful stem plants.
In the middle ground, Blyxa japonica adds some variety to the picture, livened up by Ranunculus inundatus and various mosses. Driftwood and rocks extend the design to the rest of the tank and give the overall layout a very natural look. The foreground is partially planted with Helanthium tenellum "parvulum" with a meadow-like growth. Small Boraras maculata fish help create the illusion of a very large tank. Despite its relatively compact dimensions, this aquarium looks much larger, thanks to the plant and fish choice.