AIAA Aquarium Industry Association of Australia

22/09/2022

Underwater pet expo is approaching quickly, as we are based in Perth we have been busy packing 3 pallets for the show.
It’s been two years really looking forward to it again, such a fun gathering of all things aquarium!

14/03/2021

17/02/2021

Aquascapers ARE YOU READY?

It’s that time of year again!!! We originally announced the second national event as the COVID-19 pandemic unfolded and we have had a tough call planning the next show, however we are now pleased to update you on this fantastic event.

With the first National Aquascaping competition in 2020 now behind us, we now look forward to the next National comp and crowning the 2021 champion!

The first step is to find the top 10 Australian Aquascaper’s from our states and territories to compete against the returning champion Jagdeep Singh. To achieve this, we are hosting a online qualifying round to find the top 10 Australian contestants.

Rules for Competition:
Entry must be of a planted aquarium in any style that incorporates live plants, Aquascape material and between 45 cm and 180 cm in length.
One aquarium per person per entry.
Entries are open to people from the age 15 and above, you must reside in Australia.
Starting Date: Now
End Date: Thursday August 7th 2021

To enter, private message Graeme Faulkner (chief competition organiser - profile link in comments) via Facebook Messenger with only TWO photos.

1) ONE photo of yourself with your tank and hold up a piece of paper that says "Underwater Pet Expo 2021 " to show proof that this tank is current.

and

2) ONE good photograph of your aquascape. ONE! Just ONE!! Please DO NOT send multiple shots of the same tank.

We also need your name and details of your Aquascape.
Facebook Name:
Your Name:
Email Address:
Title of Entry:
Tank Size:
Lighting:
Co2:
Substrate:
Plants:
Hardscapes:
Livestock:

Judging Process:
After the 7th August 2021 the entries will be judged by our 3 international aquascaping judges. This process will take 28 days, the winners will be posted here and on the AIAA page.
The ten winners will then be sponsored to attend and compete at Underwater Expo in Melbourne (date to be announced).

We have a diverse aquascaping community, don't think about the amazing prizes, just do it and share your scape and love of planted aquaria!

For more information follow https://www.facebook.com/aquariumindustry

31/01/2021

AIAA and Underwater Pet Expo would like to introduce our third judge for the national aquascape qualifying competition:

Dave Chow

Mr. Chow was the Grand Prize winner of ADA International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest 2007, the first ever Hong Kong person to receive such honour. Starting from 2003, he has been participated in IAPLC year after year, not just for the prizes, but also for the experience, as well as to spread the concept of aquascape being a piece of living art. He introduced “NA concept” to Hong Kong through his company and has been bringing positive influence to the traditional market. Mr. Chow will continue to put his utmost effort in introducing this "Living Art" to the world and hold the firm belief that it will one day become a widely recognised art form, just as painting or sculpturing.

Profile:
2005 - AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 400L or Larger Category) ＿ 3rd Place

2006 - AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 400L or Larger Category) ＿ 3rd Place

2007 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest ＿ Grand Prize
AGA International Aquascaping Contest ＿ Best of Show
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 200L - 400L Category) ＿ 1st Place
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 70L - 200L Category) ＿ 2nd Place

2008 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Winning Works #49 Place
AGA International Aquascaping Contest ＿ Best of Show
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 400L or Larger Category) ＿ 1st Place
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 200L - 400L Category) ＿ 1st Place
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 200L - 400L Category) ＿ Honorable Mention

2009 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Bronze Prize
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 200L - 400L Category) ＿ 3rd Place

2010 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Honour Prize #18 Place

2011 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Bronze Prize
The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Honour Prize #14 Place
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 70L - 200L Category) ＿ 1st Place
AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 320L or Larger Category) ＿ Honorable Mention

2012 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Winning Works #47 Place
CBAP Brazilian Aquascaping Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels
VADC Vietnam Aquarium Design Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels

2013 - The International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest 2007 ＿ Honour Prize #11 Place
CAPA Aquascaping Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels
CBAP Brazilian Aquascaping Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panel
Nanfeng Cup the 3rd China Aquascape Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels

2014 - AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 320L or Larger Category) ＿ 1st Place

2015 - AGA International Aquascaping Contest (Aquatic Garden, 200L - 320L Category) ＿ Honorable Mention
EAPLC European Aquatic Plants Layout Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels

2016 - Elected as the Vice President of the China Fisheries Aquascaping Association of the China Fisheries Association
"Great Wall Cup” International Aquascaping Contest ＿ Vice Chairman of Judging Panel
EAPLC European Aquatic Plants Layout Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels

2017 - Awarded the "Title of Master in the Aquascaping" by China Fisheries Aquascaping Association
"Great Wall Cup” International Aquascaping Contest ＿ Vice Chairman of Judging Panel
CBAP Brazilian Aquascaping Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels
AQSC Aquascaping Spain Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels
EAPLC European Aquatic Plants Layout Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels

2018 - "Great Wall Cup” International Aquascaping Contest ＿ Vice Chairman of Judging Panel
CBAP Brazilian Aquascaping Contest ＿ Judge of Judging Panels

As you can see, no shortage of experience!

Now that all three guest judges have been announced, stay tuned for the competition details. This is your chance to be recognised as Australia's greatest Aquascaper and to put your work on the world stage. Details released shortly.....

30/01/2021

One of our members Oliver Hill from Reeflections aquarium in Melbourne has had a catastrophic challenge thrown at him, his wife has been suddenly diagnosed with cancer and only a short time to live, if you can offer any support please do. Anyone who knows Ollie knows he is a fantastic person and deserves any support we can offer.
David Mia has set up a go fund page

28/01/2021

Underwater Pet Expo and AIAA would like to introduce you to our second, highly credentialed, international judge:

Josh Sim

"I started this hobby in 2008. I was trying to keep crystal red shrimp but was unable to keep them alive. So i did some research and found out from the net that having aquatic plants in the shrimp tank can help boasting the survival rate of the shrimp. So i started to learn aquatic plants and from there, i got to know the legendary Takashi Amano and IAPLC, and the rest is history."

Josh has created countless jaw dropping aquascapes and has had not shortage of success on the world stage:

2012 - AGA 1st
2013 - AGA 1st
2017 - IAPLC World Champion
2017 - IIAC World Champion
2017 - CIAC World Champion
2018 - IIAC World Champion
2019 - IAPLC World Champion

Ready to have your own aquascape judged by Josh and our other international guests? Stay tuned for more information on how you can compete in the qualifying rounds for your shot at the national title!

25/01/2021

Let me introduce you to the first of our three world class judges for the Underwater Pet Expo National Aquascaping qualifying event brought to you by AIAA Aquarium Industry Association of Australia:

Takayuki Fukada

"I have been aquascaping from more than 15 years ago in Tokyo Japan.

Currently I‘m a judge for aquascaping contests held all over the world and conduct workshops at exhibitions.

Aquascape is a representation of the natural ecosystem in the tank.

The world of plants and fish is very beautiful and impresses those who see it.

My hope is many people around the world know the beauty of aquascape and actually enjoy it.

So I believe that this hope can be realized by continuing to work with passion for this wonderful hobby."

Takayuki Fukada's incredibly impressive list of achievements can be highlighted by his successes at the highly competitive IAPLC event:

IAPLC2013 #2 Gold Prize
IAPLC2014 #5 Bronze Prize
IAPLC2015 #1 Grand Prize
IAPLC2016 #1 Grand Prize
IAPLC2018 #3 Silver Prize
IAPLC2019 #2 Gold Prize

Ready to have your aquascape judged by one of the worlds best? Be sure to keep your eyes on the Underwater Pet Expo page for more information!

24/01/2021

Are you Australia's best Aquascaper?

The national Underwater Pet Expo aquascaping event is on again for 2021! Organised by the Aquarium Industry Association of Australia and hosted by Underwater Pet Expo, we have secured three world class international judges to crown Australia's best.

To qualify, we need to find Australia’s top 10 scapers to compete head-to-head against last years National champion, Jagdeep Singh, at the Underwater Pet Expo .

We will be holding an online competition starting in Feb 2021, being judged in June 2021 by our 3 international judges.

The top ten winners from the online comp will then compete live in Melbourne (late 2021 COVID-19 pending) hosted by Underwater Pet Expo and the Industry Association of Australia.

If you missed the action in 2020, be sure to check out this excellent video showcasing how Australia's most talented scapers went to work live in Melbourne:
https://youtu.be/1zzR600Mab8

Full details on competition to be announced very soon, be sure to spread the word with the potential national champion Aquascaper you know and ensure they follow the Underwater Pet Expo page so that they don't miss any of the information!

16/10/2020

18/09/2020

This is a very cool aquarium store in Taiwan
https://youtu.be/Pg67PMnI6a4

我們擅長傾聽客戶的需求與喜好 透過我們專業的水族經驗 創造出客戶心目中的夢想水族缸 我們熱愛水族 也希望帶你們進入水底世界 一起經歷美的奇幻旅程 五九精品水族 讓您大飽眼福 -------------------------------------------------------...

16/09/2020

Australia has very strict bio security and quarantine measures for good reason when it comes to importing live aquarium fish and we have a very small list of allowable imports, just over 300 freshwater fish on this list.
The Aquarium Industry Association of Australia “AIAA”
members are working on improving this and we have recently launched an initiative to add more fish to the list.
A quick update on funding this project and a shout out to the aquatic business’s that are aiming to make it possible to have new fish species readily available to the aquarium community.
Total contributions from AIAA business members and supporting industry business and associations

AIAA members

Aquamarine Aquaristic
Aquaristic Australia
Aquarium Gallery
Aquarium Industry Association of Australia
Aquadepot Imports
Aquatic Solutions
Aquatic Supplies Australia
Aqua Premium
Bundarra Tropical fish
Blue Cat consultancy
Catalina Aquariums
Crystal Palace Aquarium
Cade aquariums Australia
Finvision
Guppy’s aquarium supplies
Majestic Aquariums
Nano Tanks
Oz Aquariums
Premier Pet Pty Ltd/Bayfish
Reefurbished aquarium equipment
ReefPure RO
The Tech Den
100% reef safe
100% freshwater Aquariums
Northside Aquatics
Vebas Aquariums

Total of AIAA member contributions
$18950

Total contributed form non member business below

Aquarium Industries
Pet industry Association of Australia
$4750

Private individuals hobbyists $100

Grand total committed to the project to date
$23800.00

The wheels are now in motion and we are busy working on our submission, we have a short list of both fresh and marine fish.

Please support these business that support the aquarium industry😊

Aquarium Industry Association of Australia. The AiAA is the peak body for the aquarium industry of Australia.

12/09/2020

03/09/2020

Education, great stuff!

01/09/2020

Australia has a strict aquarium fish list of allowable imports both fresh and marine the AIAA have been working on adding to this list, we have come up with the most likely possible species to be approved for addition and these are the candidates below.
This process is expensive and we need everyone who would like to see these fish readily available and affordable to contribute to the fund.
We have already secured 50% of the funding needed from within the industry and now are asking for donations from aquarium keepers and and all aquarium related business and stakeholders.
Please click on the donate button here https://www.aiaa.net.au/
For complete details of the project and fish pics of interest see further posts below

Aquarium Industry Association of Australia. The AiAA is the peak body for the aquarium industry of Australia.

21/08/2020

love this industry if you have a business related to Australian aquatics please join and support our industry. https://www.aiaa.net.au/memberships/1-year-aiaa-membership

21/08/2020

The Aquarium industry association of Australia is sitting on the APAC committee to further support the Australian Aquarium Industry.
We are looking for feed back to further improve outcomes within all sectors of the Aquatic sector.

As part of APAC identifying priorities for the aquatic pet industry, please find attached template to use to submit your priorities. If you have multiple priorities, please submit these on seperate sheets so the members of APAC can assign them. APAC will next meet on Friday September 11th and they look forward to receiving your priorities before then. Priorities can be submitted via email to [email protected]

attachment 1.pdf

20/08/2020

12/08/2020

We all know now, that after mariculture corals were re-opened at the beginning of the year, wild coral collection was also re-opened right after. We can now enjoy a complete supply of corals from…