Sixth Place - A Passion for Dutch

[Art]

Image copyright © Flaviu Zapartan

Artist: Flaviu Zapartan
Location: Romania

Volume (liters) 429

Length x Width x Height (cm) 130x60x60

Plants 1 Clinopodium cf. brownei 2 Ludwigia peruensis
3 Eichhornia azurea 4 Limnophila rugosa 5 ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata pantanal 6 eleocharis acicularis 7 Syngonanthus macrocaulon 8 Riccardia chamedryfolia (coral moss on wood) 9 Ammania gracilis 10 Eriocaulon cinereum 11 Tonina fluviatilis 12 Ludwigia super red 13 Bucephalandra theia 14 Hydrocotyle leucocephala

Fish 50 rodostomus bleheri (rummy nose tetra), 20 white tetras (Gymnocorymbus ternetzi)
10 Corydoras panda 16 otocinculus affinis 6 Sawelia lineolata 150-200 RCS

Additional info + 1 moss log (richardia chamedrifolia)

 

[Art]

Judges Comments:​

Gregg Zydeck

A really nice presentation, very “Dutch” like. Could use some more bright colors for this category. I like the “streets” but there are too many and they all seem to flow in a similar way to similar heights. The Pantanal is the main focal point, but it is in the center and not much else to draw your gaze to the rest of the tank. The grass is a nice touch in the back but is almost hidden.

Joe Harvey

Pretty tank. Really good contrast in colors and textures. Rows and streets are a good thing and this aquascaper is clearly very good at making them. But you can have too much of a good thing and they are really overused here. There's no defined foreground and midground, just the same move (albeit a nice one) repeated over and over. Big stems like L rugosa dont really work in the foreground when you just plug in a bunch of short tops. Because it didnt actually grow that way. The whole left half would benefit by having more contrasts in height. There's no real focal point. Google 'rule of thirds' or golden ratio' to learn more about making a good one. The Ammania is trying to stunt a little bit, it's not entirely happy which really stands out compared to everything else being so thick and full and in perfect health. This is a gorgeous tank though and I hope my comments are taken as positive critique.

Marian Sterian

Although the layout falls under the Dutch category, i admit that i love how you have combined the stem plants, with moss, Eriocaulons and Bucephalandra.
As an improvement, i would have planted the background plants at slightly different heights and i would have used different types of green.
Congratulations

Dennis Wong

Good display of different color and textures. The bushes are neat and the plant bushes well manicured. Some points deducted because L. Pantanal, Riccardia, A. gracilis are not in good form.

Vin Kutty

A true garden style tank! I love it. Definitely in my Top 5. When unshackled by the rigid rules of traditional Dutch style scaping, I'm able to enjoy it so much more. Tanks like this speak to the need for a scaping contest exactly like this one. There are some minor issues highlighted by the use of indicator plants like Ludwigia inclinata and Ammannia gracilis - neither seem thrilled to be here. Using midground plants like rugoas as a foreground feels forced. The presence of E. azurea suggests this is not an American tank. It's a stunning plant, but it works better as a solitary focal point plant than as a background curtain, where its beauty is hidden.

Suggestions: remove plants that don't favor your tank conditions. Do not use midground plants in the foreground. Resist the temptation to create parallel streets that point in the direction of the top right corner.