# Live Blogging AGA...



## Tex Guy

Tex Gal and I are in Ft Lauderdale for the AGA convention. I'll post some pics and commentary along the way. So far we have run into lots of folks that we recognize from the last meeting and whom you all know from this forum. I'm going to hold off on names for now in order to avoid embarrassing myself with poor spelling. But here are a couple of intro pics from the hospitality suite...


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## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi Tex Guy,

Have a great time, we are looking forward to the pics!


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## fishyjoe24

have a great time, behave yourself-------> I know it will be hard to stop drooling over all the awesome plants... oh and if you see any one taking photo of the iron man scaping contest can you please tell them to post it here or on youtube if you remember THANKS!.


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## vancat

hey don't forget a pic of Texgal and yourself!


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## Tex Guy

OK, my iPhone is working overtime taking pics that I can quickly upload. Here is a link to my Flickr set for the aga conference. I will keep it updated with pics and will add commentary to them as I can.

We went to Florida Aquatic Nursery today and it was really something to see. It was amazing how many of the plants we are used to seeing submerged are actually propagated in an emersed form.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected]/sets/72157625365261744/


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## Tex Guy

Tex Gal hanging with Cavin Allen


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## Tex Guy

A previously unknown (to us) floater fern called Azolla...


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## fishyjoe24

vancat said:


> hey don't forget a pic of Texgal and yourself!


last photo is texgal I think bill is hiding..


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## Tex Guy

Tex Gal with APC founder, Art.


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## Tex Guy

Miles of tanks like this...


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## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi Tex Guy,

Great shots, thank you so much for sharing the fun with us!


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## Tex Guy

I am managing the registration desk right now, which gives me access to a computer. The cognoscenti are involved with a class on tissue culture propagation with Michael Kane, Ph.D. of UF. http://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/plant-restoration/kane-lab/research.shtml


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## Tex Guy

Dr. Kane waxing eloquent.


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## Tex Guy

Lunch or tissue culture? You decide.


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## Tex Guy

Tex Gal either eating her seaweed salad at the sushi restaurant or working on her tissue culture.


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## Tex Guy

The famous Luis Navarro working on his tissue culture.


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## Tex Guy

I don't know, but it looks important.


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## bigstick120

Looks like a great time! Thanks for blogging the event for all to see. Nice for us that waited to long to find airfare!


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## fishyjoe24

Thanks that link made me go crazy, I love science. now I'm almost crying because I can't be there .


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## Tex Gal

9am- Jason Baliban - Photography and Aquascaping Contest Preparation

10:30 - Claus Christensen - How To Make Plants Happy and Avoid Algae

1pm - Michael Kane - The Secret Lives of Amphibious Plants

2:30 - Karen Randall - Modern Aquascaping Design

4pm - Ghazanfar Ghori - Cryptocoryne

6:30 - Banquet - Claus Christensen - From The Amazon to the River Kwai


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## fishyjoe24

sounds like you are having a lot of fun...


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## Tex Gal

photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

This guy came from India just for the purpose of attending the conference. There are also people from Denmark and Australia in addition to folks from all over the states.


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## Tex Gal

photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

Bagging party in preparation for plant auction tomorrow.


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## Tex Gal

photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

At the aquascaper contest each contestant is given a selection of rocks, driftwood, and a tray of plants like this.


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## Tex Guy

photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

These are the two entries in the aquascaper contest. Guess the winner.


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## Tex Guy

photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr

Judges prepared for commentary on the AGA tank of the year contest.

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2010.cgi


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## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi Tex Guy,

I can name three of the individuals in the last picture.

Second from left = Ghazanfar Ghori
Center = Karen Randall
Far Right = Erik Olson


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## MiamiAG

Jason Baliban in the shorts and Claus Christensen are the other two.


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## Tex Guy

Auction...


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


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## Tex Guy

The action is crazy at the beginning. Many plants going for 25 or 30 dollars. An hour from now these things will be going for a few bucks.

In case the link above doesn't work, here is the raw link to the video. It's only a minute.


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## Seattle_Aquarist

Hi Tex Guy,

I see a plant auction; plants make excellent Christmas presents BTW! LOL!


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## Ricky Cain

Tex Guy said:


> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LoJZcCw7kTI&sns=em
> 
> The action is crazy at the beginning. Many plants going for 25 or 30 dollars. An hour from now these things will be going for a few bucks.


Did they ever get down to bucks a bag? There were still healthy prices going when I had to leave for the airport.

. . . sitting in another airport (Tampa) waiting on a plane . . .


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## Tex Guy

Crazy cheap at the end.... Assortments of 4 or 5 different crypts for a buck. Madagascar lace for a buck. Boxes of assorted ferts and buffers and feed for 1 or 2 bucks.

Larry Lampert, Bob Alston, Tex Gal and I are doing a postmortem at the airport right now.

My next post will have my last pics...


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## Tex Guy

photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


photo by Bill, just Bill, on Flickr


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## MiamiAG

Oh man! I could have restocked my tank for $20!

It was great meeting you guys at the convention! I hope you see you again at the next one!


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## fishyjoe24

Aquarium Design Group It was Frank Wazeter vs. Luis Navarro.
6 hours ago this was a question about the iron man scaping challange. who won, does any one know? got any photos of there scape. is it okay for me to post this link and on the adg (aquarium design group) page on facebook.com


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## Tex Guy

Post it anywhere you like. 

But you need to guess which tank one the contest. (Yes, I know which one won.)


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## fishyjoe24

Tex Guy said:


> Post it anywhere you like.
> 
> But you need to guess which tank one the contest. (Yes, I know which one won.)


Bill, which tank am I trying to guess on where are the photos. I don't think adg has posted any photos yet.


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## Tex Guy

fishyjoe24 said:


> Bill, which tank am I trying to guess on where are the photos. I don't think adg has posted any photos yet.


http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...lub/74669-live-blogging-aga-3.html#post565401


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## fishyjoe24

I just those where normal tanks some one did. um was it the first photo who won?


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## Tex Gal

Just thought I'd show a px of my AGA acquisitions! Not sure where I'm going to put them but I'm excited to grow them out. I really exercised restraint! Do I see a new tank in my future?


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## Ekrindul

You might have caught MTS in Florida from one of the other attendees.


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## bigstick120

Tex Gal said:


> Just thought I'd show a px of my AGA acquisitions! Not sure where I'm going to put them but I'm excited to grow them out. I really exercised restraint! Do I see a new tank in my future?


Nice! What did you get?


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## fishyjoe24

navarro won? which scape was his? oh and just look at all those grab bag good plants tex gal brought back from us. -- just kidding. what are the name of the plants you won?


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## niko

Drinda's new aquarium and all of us at a meeting at her house:










--Nikolay


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## fishyjoe24

niko said:


> Drinda's new aquarium and all of us at a meeting at her house:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> --Nikolay


:yield: when do we start climbing in and aqua scaping it?


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## Tex Gal

Bigstick - tntm.... If I'm successful with them you may be seeing them online..... 

Niko - thanks for posting. As you can see I have the hardscape worked out. I just need to decide what plants to use....


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## digital_gods

Keep us posted with new photos as you update your tank with your new plants so we can live vicariously through you.


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## Ricky Cain

What a haul!


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## niko

I don't know what plants Drinda got at the AGA, but in the last few years she has been the one to get unheard of plants to DFW.

Some time ago we compiled a list of all the plant species we have as a club and it came up to about 108 species I think.

One plant that I'd really be interested in seeing (and maybe Drinda got it) is the dwarf Hydrocotyle (dwarf umbrella plant) that Jeff talks about in this video (at abt. 6 min and 45 seconds)






Pedro had it before in a high light, AquaSoil, CO2 supplied tank and it wouldn't grow at all. In the search for new and easier to maintain groundcovers that one maybe interesting.

--Nikolay


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## Ekrindul

I have a hydrocotyle in one of my tanks that Drinda gave me, but it's very weedy. Very similar looking, though. Could probably achieve the same effect, but it would require frequent pruning, or lower light to control it's growth rate maybe.


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## Tex Gal

I think it's the hydrocotyle that you're looking for Niko.


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## ghostmonk

Great pics. I wanted to attend this year but could not make it due to work pressure. Next year for sure.

Sent from my DROIDX using Tapatalk


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## Ekrindul

Tex Gal said:


> I think it's the hydrocotyle that you're looking for Niko.


I have a few runners moving into an area of the tank I don't want it growing into, so I will prune those Saturday and bring them to the meeting.


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## Michael

Tex Gal, you gave me a start of that plant, but it disappeared when the floating driftwood disaster occurred right after I planted my tank.

I still can't figure out what happened to it! It was there before the wood floated, and gone when I got the wood back down. Maybe it wound up underneath the wood.

In any case, I now have Brazilian pennywort as a foreground plant in that tank. Not as nice a texture, and a bit of trouble to keep pinned down to the substrate, but it looks pretty good.


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## niko

But of course, she has the plant already. Even before going to the AGA.

So what magic plants did you get from the AGA, Drinda?

--Nikolay


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## fishyjoe24

Tex gal did you make lunch for everyone at AGA.










I found more ADA photos. 
http://www.aquascapist.com/


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## niko

I just read this thread from a year a half ago about Hygrophila pinnatipida:

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/...aquariums/62716-hygrophila-pinnatifida-3.html

http://www.tropica.com/plants/plantdescription.aspx?pid=051A#

http://www.tropica.com/images/uploads/Miljo/051A.jpg

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=9127&d=1244761949

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=9128&d=1244761972

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=9129&d=1244761989

http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/attachment.php?attachmentid=9080&stc=1&d=1244097683

The guy at the end says he got some of that plant at this year's AGA.

Drinda did you get it too?

--Nikolay


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## Jason Baliban

Check out my journal from the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) Convention 2010!!

*Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) Convention 2010*

jB


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## Ekrindul

Jason Baliban said:


> Check out my journal from the Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) Convention 2010!!
> 
> *Aquatic Gardeners Association (AGA) Convention 2010*
> 
> jB


Great pics. Thanks Jason.


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## Tex Gal

No, Niko. I didn't get that one. I thought I had it in a trade but I guess I was wrong. I might be getting it in May. I guess we'll see. I will bring the names of the plants I got to the meeting. I need to work on growing some out so that I can share them around.  I'll bring some clippings of some of my current plants.


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## niko

Ive started to clean my 180 to make it beautiful for the first time in its existence (I've had it 8 years now).

So I'm interested in crazy plants.

--Nikolay


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## Tex Guy

fishyjoe24 said:


> navarro won? which scape was his? oh and just look at all those grab bag good plants tex gal brought back from us. -- just kidding. what are the name of the plants you won?


Yes, Luis Navarro won with the tank that had no wood.

Sorry for not responding sooner. Life intrudes.


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## fishyjoe24

Tex Guy said:


> Yes, Luis Navarro won with the tank that had no wood.
> 
> Sorry for not responding sooner. Life intrudes.


BOO, I just don't like the rock one. just my opinion but the one with the wood looks better.


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## Tex Gal

Did anyone get a px of Christel Kasselmann's new plant book?


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## Francis Xavier

I have the hydrocotyl that Amano uses for sure. One of the wabi-kusa I have now has it growing on it. It will be a little while before there is enough to propagate though.


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## Tex Gal

Francis Xavier said:


> I have the hydrocotyl that Amano uses for sure. One of the wabi-kusa I have now has it growing on it. It will be a little while before there is enough to propagate though.


Does it look like the one px'd above?


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## Francis Xavier

It's kind of hard to tell from that picture, but it's -kind- of similar, but inherently different looking in growth patterns and leaf size. This hydrocotyl kind of grows in like glosso, just thinner and with more height.


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## Jdinh04

From the looks of it that plant is very easy to grow. I had a bunch of it growing back last year around that time and no one really thought much of it. And now that Amano uses it, I guess people are crazy about it now?

Check it out.


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## AaronT

It's called Hydrocotyle sibthorpiodes. You can find it at Lowes or Home Depot in the spring in the pond section. You can also find it in nature if you have a keen eye.


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## Tex Gal

Plants I got from AGA and their sellers.

Ammania Seneglaensis - Cavan
Lilaeopsis chinesis - foreground, Aaron
Limosella australis- foreground, Aaron
Acmella americana - red veins, green leaves - Cavan
Eriocaulon comporessum - Aaron
Echinodours "Deep Purple" - Aaron
Crypt - nurri - Gahanzafar
Staurogyne repens - Claus Christensen
Ludwigia Pilosa - Cavan
Rotala Rotundifolia (Karen Randall and Christel Kassellmann from Khao Yai, Thailand)


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## jerrybforl

Tex Gal said:


> Did anyone get a px of Christel Kasselmann's new plant book?


Tex Gal I wish I had. That book looks flippin awesome. Did you sign the sheet that they asked if anyone would be interested in a translated copy? I did! Hopefully they will get that done.


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## Cavan Allen

Tex Gal said:


> Plants I got from AGA and their sellers.
> 
> Ammania Seneglaensis - Cavan


? That wasn't from me. You'll like the others though. The compressum looks promising. Not the greatest root grower though.


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## Tex Gal

@Cavan - I thought that was from you Cavan.

@Jerrybforl - Yes, most everyone there signed the sheet to get the book translated into English.

Yes, Hydrocotyle sibthorpiodes is what I have. It's the plant I pictured. Obviously in my px it is floating, but it will grow along the foreground in the substrate. It's a really nice plant. It grew fast and well for me.


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## jerrybforl

Cavan Im the guy who had the Tropica catalog that you was looking at the back table during the auction. I feel that I was a little rude when I took it from you. Im sorry as I was looking at it to identify plants. I wish I had the knowledge that you possess.


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## Cavan Allen

No problemo! It's your book.


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## jerrybforl

Thanks! Was nice meeting all you guys there at the convention...


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