How you got inspired to create this scape? Why did you choose this name? What was the purpose?
This year my aquarium layout conveys the experience of ups and downs in our living world because of the anger of Mother Nature with a message: We own a vivid, precious and beautiful living world, but so fragile. Following this ideas, I want to create the lay out can bring to viewer both nicely and worry feeling on the same time. Nicely by concept and worry about the sustainability of them. I hope you can feel it when you enjoy my aquarium.

The name showed the ideas of my aquarium. Sentence 'Delicate world' have 2 meaning: In general everyone understand that means ' Delicate world' is, But if we consider more, Delicate world have another means is "friange world' , show the unstable, easy broken of nature.
By the both meaning of the name of my aquarium, I want to show both side of nature: beauty and easy collapse. I want to a weaken people: love nature means we must care about nature to keep it longevity with us. My senior aquascaper friend suggested this name by Vietnamese after heard my ideas. After that, and I discussed with my classmate to create the English version.

Have you prepared any kind of draft or drawing previous to set-up?
Before carry out this lay out, I have some draft drawing the general concept of my new aquariums before I start to process it. However, in setup time, or even after completed layout, I changed / adjustment this layout such as: rocks. Driftwood, plants...a lot. These changes make the final work totally different with the draft design. However, by these changes, the layout improved to become more interesting.

Which techniques you used for to make the distribution and fixation of every kind of solids?
As you see, I used a very big-plate rocks to set up my lay out. My tank quite deep (81cm), so you just see one side of the rock only, behind of the side you seen, I have a lot of rocks to keep my layout can stand like you have seen. This kind of rock quite expensive in my country, I try to minimize to use anything to damage those rocks. So, just with the rock in the middle of lay out, I do used a stainless steel bar and construction glue to hold it.
Most of my rock in 'Delicate world' is can take out one by one to rescape to another lay out.


How you prepared the stones to be used in this tank and what stone type it is?
After I have ideas choice, I went around the aquatic stores, go to the beaches nearby my city...to find rocks suitable for my lay out ideas. This year, I buy the rocks from a store, Vietnamese call it is 'Tiger rock' because the detail of the rock suitable with my concept and the quantity of this rock enough for my aquarium. This rock is very popular in Vietnam and in the world.



To arrange the distribution of solids and plants, are you following any kind of previously studied proportion or simply you improvised as you work on the scape or followed your intuition?
I follow my designed in general and adjusted it by my intuition. However, this year, I stop adjustment the rocks 2 months before IAPLC closing date to avoid the difference color of the rock. I want to keep the nature color of all concepts.

How you arranged the first planting (without water? Keeping just the soil wet?
With the aquarium full of water
I refer to planting with aquarium full of water. This way suitable with my city weather: hot and dry. In this condition, very hard to kept aquatic plants in good condition if I planting with the soil wet only

What type and amount of filtering you use?
I used 3 external canister filters. Each filter have water flow is 1200l/h

How do you add nutrients in the first weeks of set-up? Still a daily or weekly routine?
I add nutrients after 4 weeks of set up. I am following the situation of plants in aquarium to set dose and the routine.

With which parameters of water do you like to work? 
What kind of water have you used and which criteria you use for water-changes?
I used tap water from city water system. The tap water was store in a tank for at least 24 hours before I use for my aquarium. I check temperature every time before I do water change. With Ph, Kh, Gh... I check on the first time when I use new supply of water.

How and how much light you put on the aquarium? What color light do you use?
I used T510 000k x6 pcs and T5 6400k x 8pcs light
I set timer base on the growing of aquatic plants for every period.

Did you get any algae in any moment? Why you think it happened? How did you eliminate it?
From the beginning to the time I took picture for IAPLC, I am not got any serious algae at all.
Last 4 weeks, my aquarium have some cyanobacteria/cyanophyte bacteria because empty of CO2 and lack of maintenance. Now everything under control and after my Japan tour, my aquarium will be ready for my friend to take a look, took picture...
In my situation, enough CO2 supply, suitable water change routine can keep my aquarium clean of algae.


Do you have any preference for the first “pruning”? How you do the pruning (you arrange all aquariums at a time? Just partial pruning?)
I do partial pruning in most of time. I will arrange all aquarium at a time in case I am stop maintenance for a long time because my long business trip.

In any moment in the initial steps you moved the solids as you were not convinced with the result? 
I cannot remember how many times I changed my hardscape after my lay out finish planting period. However, after I set up subtract and planting aquatic plants, I minimized to change hardscape. I just makes some changes in position in the position don't have subtract.

Have you done a regular photo-follow-up of the set-up? Photography helps you to have a clearer image of the development of the aquarium?
No, I am not. I am a bad photographer. My friend took picture for me before the submission deadline 3 days only.

How old was the tank when you ran the photo contest?
3 months after I start the first planting.


Have you cleaned the stones? How?
I am cleaning the stone before I makes layout. After completed lay out up to now, I am not cleaned the stones at all. I keep my aquarium in good condition, my rock up to now (12 December, 2011) still clean without any cleaning action.

What kind of photographic equipment and technique you used for the finish picture? 
We just turn on all T5 light system of aquarium to take picture.
Actually, my picture was taken by my friend. We are now took picture for aquarium with very simple equipments, the quality of picture not so good and not expressed all details of my lay out. We are still learning to improving photographic skill.



Have you used any kind of Photoshop for this scape? Do you think image edition should be acceptable in the contests? Which limits would you fix for this, if any?
I always follow all required of IAPLC organization. I don't want to get some deduct point from them. So, I send the origin file to IAPLC organization with not any retouch, even crop picture with full exif.

Once you finished the scape and after the final picture, what do you think could be improved on the set-up?
After finish my aquarium, I always found mistakes: rock arrangement, plants, fishes... I have only one tip: take time to care to details of layout. However, with the large size aquariums, the works to care to detail of layout is a lot. Sometime, I must accepted it and learn the way to improving for next aquarium.

If we analyze the results of recent competitions, the trend of the aquascapes and the desire to innovate at all costs. Means aquascapers are doing everything to win competition. What you think about that?
Competition in any contest is an advantage to improve the aquarium quality of contestants. I have 5 times participant IAPLC and 2 times join Nature aquarium, with all my experiences, I knew IAPLC is a very good environment for aquascapers in the world join to share hobby. I am sure they try their best to improve Nature Aquarium to became the new art but I don't see evident to show the desire of aquascpers to innovate at all costs.

What do you think is what most impressed Mr. Takashi Amano of your aquarium?
I am so proud about my aquarium 2011 is Mr. Takashi Amano choice to 'best of show' in IAPLC 2011. This is my biggest achievement this year.
However, with me, Very hard to know how to get impressed from Mr. Takashi Amano as well as another IAPLC judges. We all knew that, IAPLC judges got a lot of very good aquarium of top talent contestants during 11 years, their experiences in Nature Aquarium is so large to recognized what can make them impressed. I just do my best; focus to only one aquarium each year to got the best quality aquarium for IAPLC and waiting the result.



Now as a winner of IAPLC is some kind of pressure on you, people expect a certain quality of works from you, how do you handle this?
With me, Nature Aquarium is a hobby. I am not let anything make hobby became pressure. I use all my feeling about nature to involve my ideas for new aquarium and use all my experiences and skill to express my aquarium ideas to viewer. If I feel Nature aquarium not a hobby anymore, just a pressure, My feeling in nature aquarium will be empty and I am sure, my layout in next year will be not impress anyone.
In my opinion, I am a happiest aquascaper of the world because I have a chance to enjoy IAPLC when I start my first aquarium and run my hobby step by step in year by year. I enjoy the process times from 2008 up to now with a lot of feeling up and down:
- Happy with a very first achievement in 2008 (104 ranking),
- A little bit crazy when I got 5 ranking in 2009,
- falling down in 2010 when I go a wrong way.
- Reborn feeling when receiving 8 ranking in 2010 with a very good feeling: I finding the right way to go achievement
- Blooming crazy feeling in 2011 with grand prize
The way I go from 2008 up to know with IAPLC is the most interesting I like best, not only the time I got Grand Prize. I love 5 years experiences in IAPLC with a lot of feeling and I happy because I still run my hobby in 2012 and many year more.
The way I enjoy my aquarium hobby showed the reason why I have no pressure with the Grand Prize.
IAPLC give me a chance to make friend with many people have the same hobby with me around the world. I am happy to know all of you guys in Spain and I hope my experiences share in this interview can bring to you my friendship spirit of Nature Aquarium.
Hope to see you in IAPLC and Nature Aquarium Party some day.