Competitive Spanish Aquascaper, Juan Puchades, Retires

[Art]

In surprising aquascaping news, competitive Spanish aquascaper, Juan Puchades, has decided to retire. Here is his Facebook post just hours ago:


He cites wanting to rest and seek new horizons, while thanking his 15 years of aquascaping competitively.

I realize the world of competitive aquascaping is a very niche area within a niche hobby, I can't help but feel it's in a bit of turmoil. ADA recently made some changes to how they will announce the IAPLC winners that disappointed many.

Is it just too demanding? Not enough interest?

 

[Noahspapa]

Bummer. Juan is a very positive person and was very imaginative and creative. I wish him well and hope we’ll hear & see more from him in the future.

 

[Dennis Wong]

They have scaled down their event probably due to money issues. Their hardware line has been replaced by cheaper Chinese copies, while many alternatives now exist for their consumables such as ferts/soil. Some planted tank shops in my country do not even stock ADA products, something unheard of 10 years ago. Their once proud distributors who used to exclusively sell ADA products and nothing else, now import rival brands readily, even ones that directly cannibalize their ADA offerings. Even in Japan, shops that once sell ADA products exclusively now feature lights, tanks, fertilizers imported from overseas.

 

[Tim Harrison]

Do you ever retire from scaping? Probably not.

It’s a bit of a precious statement.

Perhaps a protest statement given the direction of the professional scene. But it’s been a long time coming.

And in any business if the creative and operational vision/direction is lost it may survive for a few years, especially if it’s been set up well. But eventually it’s starts to fail.

I can’t help thinking aquascaping sometimes takes itself a little too seriously.

But then maybe I’ve got the wrong end of the stick entirely.

 

[Noahspapa]

It was so strange to see this post because this morning YouTube jumped to a video I had seen months ago with Josh sim in Spain doing a presentation on how he viewed Spain as a contender in international aquascaping and clearly Juan is a huge part of that.

 

[techman81]

I realize the world of competitive aquascaping is a very niche area within a niche hobby, I can't help but feel it's in a bit of turmoil. ADA recently made some changes to how they will announce the IAPLC winners that disappointed many.

What changes were announced?

 

[BigWave]

Cant say Im supprised. Literally witnessed the downfall of the Aquascapers Collective here in the USA.
We really noticed things changing and people boycotting the IAPLC several years ago when they changed the rules and seemed to favor certian individuals over others. Then the whole photoshopping extravanza didnt help any either.

 

[Jeff Miotke]

Cant say Im supprised. Literally witnessed the downfall of the Aquascapers Collective here in the USA.
We really noticed things changing and people boycotting the IAPLC several years ago when they changed the rules and seemed to favor certian individuals over others. Then the whole photoshopping extravanza didnt help any either.

Yep. This. And so many incidents of shenanigans they either pulled or ignored on their contest destroyed the integrity. I Stopped submitting years ago as I wasn’t willing to look the other way. But TAC is still around and is missing the solid group of senior leadership from accomplished scapers it once enjoyed. I pop in once in a while still but Ive moved on for the most part when it comes to mentoring.

 

[techman81]

Yep. This. And so many incidents of shenanigans they either pulled or ignored on their contest destroyed the integrity. I Stopped submitting years ago as I wasn’t willing to look the other way. But TAC is still around and is missing the solid group of senior leadership from accomplished scapers it once enjoyed. I pop in once in a while still but Ive moved on for the most part when it comes to mentoring.

Well, this all sounds unfortunate. I had heard some others on other sites making vague complaints but I wasn't sure if there was any validity to it or if it was just sour grapes. I have wondered, while looking over photos of past winners what really goes into all the scoring because, as I mentioned in another post, I think there are many scapes outside the top 10 that I think are worthy of much higher rankings.

What do you feel are the most fair and above-board competitions going? I get the impression AGA is still regarded highly.

 

[Jeff Miotke]

Well, this all sounds unfortunate. I had heard some others on other sites making vague complaints but I wasn't sure if there was any validity to it or if it was just sour grapes. I have wondered, while looking over photos of past winners what really goes into all the scoring because, as I mentioned in another post, I think there are many scapes outside the top 10 that I think are worthy of much higher rankings.

What do you feel are the most fair and above-board competitions going? I get the impression AGA is still regarded highly.

AGA is up and down I think. They do there best for a small volunteer team at a non profit. Id say KIAC that I did the last film on. I think the whole concept where it is by aquascapers for aquascapers is critical. Judges were accomplished and the scoring is more transparent than most other contests.

 

[Art]

I think that contests will always have an uphill battle, especially the main ones. How do you judge a Van Gogh against a Dali against a Picasso?

I think that the Dutch had it right. Set standards for a style and judge who executed it best. Otherwise, impossible.

 

[BigWave]

The good news is there are tons of regional new contests taking its place. More centralized, per country only. I dont believe here in the USA actual aquascaping has really taken off like we see in Europe, Asia, South America and even the Middle East.

 

[Capraquaria]

...I dont believe here in the USA actual aquascaping has really taken off like we see in Europe, Asia, South America and even the Middle East.

I have pondered this a number of times since trying to get back into this. During the entry run-downs with the IAPLC announcement videos, I have always been stunned at the lack of entrants from US, compared to other countries. Why is this? I am British by birth, and growing up there, decades ago as a child, aquariums in homes were not uncommon, and aquarium related stores were not hard to find, but seem comparatively rare here. I can’t tell if it is the lack of quality stores/suppliers/access here (beyond big box stores), or a general lack of interest as a whole in the aquarium/aquascaping hobby here. When I came to the US, I was fortunate when I lived in California to have close access to two sizable outlets in Sacramento, where I lived for several years. O Street Aquarium, and Capital Aquarium (sadly now closed, and Capital I think was founded in the mid-1950’s). I purchased my first tank at Capital years ago, in person, and if I needed something, materials, fish, etc., they always had it, or could order it, and the place was always hopping. There was something for everyone, and the freshwater side of the hobby was as well represented there as salt water.

I have subsequently relocated to the east coast, and while I can find several reef stores near here, the freshwater side of the hobby is practically non-existent. Most stores appear to be either primarily contract/maintenance services, or heading in that direction, and retail is more of an afterthought. I would DIE for a store like HEEMS, or even a small one like Fish Planet in Shoreditch, London. I would love to actually shop for hardscape in person! Instead, for the 150 I am currently, albeit slowly setting up, the majority of materials are being shipped in from California, and Colorado (pretty sure my FedEx delivery guy hates me at this point, especially the boxes of Hakkai stone). I am honestly not looking forward to sourcing plants. I can’t even find significant distributors of Tropica TC plants here in the US, without having to order from multiple sources. I tried to find some local ‘clubs’, to connect with other hobbyists, and they seem to be inactive. I would love to see a little more enthusiasm for this hobby overall in the US.

 

[techman81]

I have pondered this a number of times since trying to get back into this. During the entry run-downs with the IAPLC announcement videos, I have always been stunned at the lack of entrants from US, compared to other countries. Why is this? I am British by birth, and growing up there, decades ago as a child, aquariums in homes were not uncommon, and aquarium related stores were not hard to find, but seem comparatively rare here. I can’t tell if it is the lack of quality stores/suppliers/access here (beyond big box stores), or a general lack of interest as a whole in the aquarium/aquascaping hobby here. When I came to the US, I was fortunate when I lived in California to have close access to two sizable outlets in Sacramento, where I lived for several years. O Street Aquarium, and Capital Aquarium (sadly now closed, and Capital I think was founded in the mid-1950’s). I purchased my first tank at Capital years ago, in person, and if I needed something, materials, fish, etc., they always had it, or could order it, and the place was always hopping. There was something for everyone, and the freshwater side of the hobby was as well represented there as salt water.

I have subsequently relocated to the east coast, and while I can find several reef stores near here, the freshwater side of the hobby is practically non-existent. Most stores appear to be either primarily contract/maintenance services, or heading in that direction, and retail is more of an afterthought. I would DIE for a store like HEEMS, or even a small one like Fish Planet in Shoreditch, London. I would love to actually shop for hardscape in person! Instead, for the 150 I am currently, albeit slowly setting up, the majority of materials are being shipped in from California, and Colorado (pretty sure my FedEx delivery guy hates me at this point, especially the boxes of Hakkai stone). I am honestly not looking forward to sourcing plants. I can’t even find significant distributors of Tropica TC plants here in the US, without having to order from multiple sources. I tried to find some local ‘clubs’, to connect with other hobbyists, and they seem to be inactive. I would love to see a little more enthusiasm for this hobby overall in the US.

I think there are a few reasons for the interest in aquscaped tanks not being as big in the U.S. As I mentioned in an interview with Waterbox Aquariums last year, when I first became interested in setting up an aquarium around mid 2023, I had not even heard the term aquascaping. Last time I owned an aquarium was in the 80s, before Takashi Amano came onto the scene. As aquascaping became a bigger thing and spread throughout Asia and Europe it was slow to gain widespread attention here.

Having said that, I think aquarium keeping in general has always been big in the U.S. but more from a fish keeping perspective, than a planted tank perspective. For most people in groups like this, the plants and scapes come first, and the fish second, but it's clear that we are in the minority. When I've gone to the local club swaps here in KC, what do I see, lots of Cichlids, Plecos, Goldfish, Bettas, and as for plants, well, there's lots of Val.

I also think it's cost. When your focus is fish that need a lot of space, high end equipment becomes quite expensive. 75 to 125 gallon tanks at Petco are a lot more affordable than even a 55 gallon low iron rimless tank, and you don't need to spend much on a light for a Cichlid tank with rocks and sand.

Lastly, I think it's a bit of a cultural thing. Having spent some time outside the U.S. during my Air Force days, I perceived that people in other countries generally know how to relax and take a slower pace in life than Americans. Here, it's work, work, work, and then outside work it's go, go, go. There's little time to spend on such things as maintaining planted tanks. In this country we don't tend to slow down and smell the roses until we're older. That generally also tends to be when we have a little more money to spend on hobbies. Any guesses on the average age of people in this forum ?

 

[Capraquaria]

I think you just described me I have been out of the hobby for over 20 years because of 'career-work-life committments', and am now pushing 60. I totally agree with you on cost, too, especially tanks and tech. I didn't spend 1/20th on my last tank, as I am on this one, but that said, I do think there can be something for everyone in this hobby if you are not solely striving for top ten contest tanks. Regardless, I was saddened to read that Juan Puchades no longer finds motivation in the hobby, and perhaps that comes from the exhaustion over time of being in a competitive arena. I hope he once again can refind the joy for aquascaping that he has had previously.

 

[Koan]

I think there are a few reasons for the interest in aquscaped tanks not being as big in the U.S.

Yes to most all of the above.. Although I disagree about cost, have you priced a quad-runner lately? We love to spend money, on the things we love to spend money on.

Really I think a core issue is that gardening culture has never been a big deal in the States.

Gardening is an enormous huge deal in places like UK, Japan, SE Asia, in cultures that have grown up where the landscape is compact and people are extremely crowded together. In that context, working to build something intricate and beautiful on a very compact scale is has a big emotional draw.. It's very effective escapism when you can't easily physically escape

In the States and Canada, we have nothing but space Even in the crowded regions, someplace open and beautiful is still just a modest car drive down a big wide-open four- or eight- lane highway away.. Hunting fishing biking walking birdwatching beaches sailing hiking mountain biking paddleboarding canoeing camping RVing snowmobiling off-roading.. Even just road trips.

There are so many, many things we have access to doing outside to blow off stress, other than gardening at home.
We are the opposite of compressed together over here, so that impetus for that gardening culture is just not there.

Without that core value, there's not ever going to be as broad-based an attraction to spending the time, energy and money to learn to make and sustain beautiful watergardens inside your house

Fish now, fish are different deal North Americans love love our pets, fish snails shrimp lizards snakes turtles birds small furry creatures.. If it moves and eats, we get excited about it