3 Layouts in Analysis - Art of Planted Aquarium

I had been very busy last days and it was impossible to continue writing on my blog. Now that all things are settle, it is time to come back to the analysis as I promised.

More news are coming to this blog!
I’m working on a new layout and I think that on the next week I will have something to show. So, stay tuned.

I love this layout, simple and with a lot of details. Others members of the jury criticized the layout because of the use of emerged cryptocorynes; but for me it didn’t matter, because their positioning are very good and cryptocorynes are like a question mark… they can get a different size or shape depending on conditions that they are submitted, like water, light intensity… but in any case you can control them with the trimming. The unique thing that I really don’t like, is the overgrowing of the bolbitis on the background; they are too tall and not in proportion with overall composition. Maybe if the aquascaper had trimmed the bigger leafs it gave a better touch to the layout; but in any case, the layout is very good and balanced.

This layout started very well but unfortunately to the Aquascaper didn’t finish as I expected. I can say that the positioning of the rocks are good and not good enough depending on two situations. If he had planted something between the big rock and the others at the left, the layout was balanced and the rocks composition was really great; but he preferred to let that space empty, breaking the balance of overall composition. On the picture the layout is better than live because the blyxa simply hide that fail, but on live it is visible that big hole between those three rocks. If did used more Staurogyne on that side and gave more volume, like he did on the right side it was perfect IMHO.In any case, good job!

This layout, you love it or hate it! Sometimes keep it very simple makes a huge difference. It is too symmetrical IMHO but it works. Of course if the aquascaper simply extended the use of rocks and had planted more Hemianthus on the sides or on the left side, like they were mixed with the centre, it was much better. I really like it, it is simple, a few species of plants and “clean”. Congratulations.

4rd and 6th Place - Layouts in Analysis

This layout in picture seems amazing but live is much better!!! Unbelievable work...I was walking around the aquariums to see their development and I missed this layout; I really don't know what did happen... for a single moment I was passing on the hall and just faced this huge carpet of mixed foreground! I thought to myself "What a hell, from where this came from? How did he putted this amount of plants like this?" It is possible to see on the picture all the details on the foreground and the mix of plants that gives a natural touch to the layout. The overall composition is very good, excellent focal point, great depth, but too heavy IMHO. If all mixed plants give a natural shape at same time is too distracting.

Great moss scape. The positioning of the driftwood is very good but something is missing on the left side. The layout is unbalanced because the driftwood guide us from the sides to the centre, and the use of plants on the right side, just created a focal point that let me stuck over there. IMHO, it was better if the scaper didn't used the stem plants or since he did it in one side, he should use them on the both sides.

Marcel Dykierek - 3rd Place in Analisys

Marcel Dykierek - 3rd Place in Analisys

This was my favourite composition in all competition. The wood placement is very good and let us flow on the layout without distractions. It isn't full of plants (general volume) but you can see such great details in the wood and foreground. This was one of the layouts that let me speechless when it was finished. If I had not seen Marcel working, for sure I thought that he had brought the aquarium from home. Amazing work!

Jan Simon Knispel ' Lucky nº 5 ' 1st Place in Analisys

Jan Simon Knispel ' Lucky nº 5 ' 1st Place in Analisys

This layout is amazing! Seeing this picture who knew that was assembled few hours before? Jan Simon did a great work in all overall composition. The use of Hemianthus callitrichoides cuba on the wood as "moss" or even to recreate the shape as focal point was really creative. Great Job!!!

Pavel Beautin - Layout in Analysis

This is a layout with lot of details... When you look at it, you find a lot of good appointments, plants well placed and you can imagine in what will become in few months. But it isn't a finalized layout... this is the problem! This layout has the same problem of the layout of George Farmer and Dan Crawford, emmersed plants... You can have a idea in what this layout will become in a few months, but if we compare this (like it is right now) with TOP10, it doesn't has any chance.

George Farmer and Dan Crawford ' XL Competition ' Layout in Analysis

This a great work and a kind of layout that I like to see. The Driftwood is amazing and well placed and I love all the details. The plants were chosen perfectly and planted carefully on the right zones. But the problem is if we compare this layout with some of were placed on Top10 we will see that for a contest like this, this layout needs a few months to mature and get the right shape because all plants are in emmersed form. If it was assembled at home, for sure that would be a tank for follow carefully!

Oliver Knott's Avatar XL - Competition

If we see this layout like it is on the picture bellow, we will think "in what Oliver Knott was thinking?! Come on... only this?!"

But, all the hard work preparing the multimedia around the aquarium, did bring us a different feeling when we look at it on the end. It was a good suprise!!! The TV Screen as background passing images of sunrise to sunset... clouds... recreated a different environment to the aquarium. Well done!

This aquarium won the Special prize on this category because of his creativity and for being different from the others Layouts.

Obs. If he did used some moss or foreground plant between the rocks, it gave more contrast and natural look for entire composition.

2nd Place XL Competition in Analysis

This layout is really good in general. The placement of the wood is very good and the scaper gave more attention to the hardscape letting free empty areas for a better observation. Observing the pieces of wood let you flow all over the aquarium without missing the details, colours and contrasts.

BUT, there is always a but and IMHO, is a bad thing that cost him a big penalization from me. Luck for him that the other judges didn't care about this kind of things; maybe I’m too rigorous on that, but I hate to see BBA Algae and the wood was filled with them! I could understand if the layout was maturated and it was in his home; but since he did bring all the wood and settled on the tank, one thing that he should do was to scratch the wood with the use of a knife or something similar. Simply cleaned it… It gave immediately a different look and not a lazy look to the layout.

Please take attention that this is only my point of view, the Jury was composed by 4 persons with different views and criteria!

My first comment goes to...

Without any particularly order, I will start with this layout only for one reason; during the first evening when I arrived to Hannover and at dinner on the Hotel, I met Kristoffer and all Danish team. We talked about several things and Kristoffer asked me about some techniques in how could improve the depth of one layout. I remember to explain that in some layouts if we push a little bit the middle plan of the layout to the front and with a good slope of substrate on the back, it is possible to give more depth to the layout but always when we take a picture to submit for contest; sometimes the layout is much better on picture than live.

I don't know if he followed my advice on the layout below, but I'm sure about one thing... the layout is much better on the picture than live. Even without a good slope of substrate it is possible to see Eleocharis acicularis on the back and when it grow a bit more, will give a very nice touch to the layout. Unfortunately for him, this contest is not based on pictures but in what you see, so the layout lost the first impression and received some penalizations.

Obs. The layout is too symmetrical and the use of emerged plants cost him some penalizations.

Please take attention that this is only my point of view, the Jury was composed by 4 persons with different views and criteria!

Attending to some requests!

Attending to some requests, I will start posting on my blog my comments about each layout from the Art of the Planted Aquarium contest. I will not intend to post all comments at same time, so you need to be patiente... Maybe one or two layouts per day! Better than nothing, isn't it?


Jury of the Event: Filipe Oliveira, Prof. Dr. Ole Pedersen, Roland Stößner and Bartlomiej Lipczynski (from the left to right)

Picture: Jørgen Fischer Ravn

Meanwhile, I will continue posting more pictures of the event and maybe some videos that I received on my email.

TOP10 - XL Competition @ Art of the Planted Aquarium 2011

From the following order, 1st to 10th place.











More pictures coming soon!

The Art of the Planted Aquarium ' 1st Day of the Event

It was everything prepared and it was time to open the doors of the fair to public and to all participants of the contest.

Another view from the fair.

DasAquarium, Shop of Harald; person that organized the event "Art of the Planted Aquarium".

Now, it was time to Scaping...

All participants came with equipments, boxes of plants and hardscape. It was time to create the layouts... time was counting and they needed to finish the layouts until 13h of next day (Saturday), to give to the judges time to analyse and choose the best ones; to have the 1st of several meetings before announce the results on Aquascaping Party.

Polish team assembling all pieces of moss that they had brought from Poland. Nice Scape!

Kristoffer from Denmark. Great guy as all Denmark team!

George Farmer from http://www.ukaps.org/ (making team with Dan Crawford)

Working team from http://www.just-aquascaping.de/

Great scape from Marcel. IMHO one of the best layouts from the contest.

Tobias studying the rocks positioning.

Great Scape!!! Very original and a truly Danish style :-)

Plants and more plants...

Oliver Knott preparing the background for his multimedia aquarium "Avatar"

More pictures coming soon!

The Art of the Planted Aquarium ' Exhibition Centre

During 27 to 31 of January I was on Hannover for contest of the Art of the Planted Aquarium and I only have on word to describe what I saw... FANTASTIC! I was very pleased and honoured to be part of the Jury (Prof. Dr Ole Pederson, Bartlomiej Lipczynski and Roland Stößner) this year and of course, after I saw last year pictures and videos from the event, I knew that this year, it would be more difficult to judge... and I was right!
It wasn't the first time that I was part of the jury team of a contest and I'm used to judge great layouts; but only in a screen of a computer through pictures, nothing compared to this event. If I came to the fair on 29, I didn't believe that was possible to do what these participants did. Some aquariums seemed that they brought from home because of their quality and maturity!!

During those days, I met personally a lot of persons and of course really great Aquascapers that usually we only meet on internet, forums, blogs and social networks… and talk with them, see different points of view and to share some knowledge was really fantastic.
Aquascapers all over the world came to this contest not only with a mission of win, but for party; of course if they have the possibility of win, they will try because the prize is very good, but the feeling of be there, talk, drink some beers and be with all participants it is always a feeling of victory and friendship!

When I arrived (27 of January), the organization was preparing all the aquariums for the contest and I, with nothing to do... I went for a walk on the exhibition centre to take some pictures; the weather was nice but too much cold for a guy from Portugal, quite normal for this kind of season!!!

More pictures of the layouts and the event very soon.