International Aquatic Plants Layout 2007.

[SuperColey1]

Dave

I don't understand the logic there.

I though the 'nature' aquarium far from being a replica of an underwater scenen is of a landscape so surely all of these are supposed to look like an 'overwater' landscape. Threfore the one with the tree is equal to the rest with fish in the sky.

Andy

 

[Dave Spencer]

TA takes his inspiration from what he sees around him and applies it to the nature aquarium, but they still have an aquatic feel to them IMO. Iwagumis could be interpreted as grass lands, but they still have an aquatic look and are populated by aquatic plants. A tree is clearly terrestrial, and as effective and original as it may look, it looks wrong to me in an aquascape.

The same goes for the waterfall, and Gary Wu`s waterfall and seashore on CAU. Innovative and, yes, very nice, but not the way ahead for me. Mind you, I am messing about with Riccia, which everyone else seems to be abandoning, so I guess I must behind the times.

Scapes two and five do it for me. The winner looks too much like a Tarantula coming out of its hole.

Dave.

 

[SuperColey1]

As always its personal preference at the end of the day.

I think with the others I have to look twice to see the difference whereas those 2 have the 'now thats different' look to them. I'm not going to say Wow at Oliver Knotts latest creations though.. Its more a case of WT*

With the Riccia I guess its the same. Coupled with the hassle factor of having to trim etc all the time I got bored of seeing it in every tank picture. I suppose its like seeing something different and then everyone does the same and it becomes the norm and someone has to move on to have something different much like fashions do.

I'll never get bored of cardinals though. lol

Its all in the eye of the beholder I guess. You will have different taste to me and will also look for or see different things in each scape than I will.

Thats what makes life so good...different opinions and different tastes. lol

Andy

 

[Liam]

I am with llj on this I think this obsession with creating landscapes is silly. Why bother with the water and the hassle just do a bonsai type garden in a tank and put a few colourful frogs or insects in it. I cant exactly remember what Amano said but something like the human eye is not trained to appreciate underwater scenes which I don’t think is true, a beautiful reef tank is nothing like what we can see on land yet we can appreciate the wonder and beauty of a different world. The alien quality of the underwater world is part of what makes it fascinating and beautiful. What are fish doing swimming in the often seen dry riverbed.
All the tanks are great technically and are real achievements but they can feel soulless and artificial having said that I find most of these tanks really pleasing to look at.

 

[George Farmer]

Interesting comments.

I find reefs spectacular but their alien appearance does not appeal to me on the same level as a Nature Aquarium. And I'm a keen sub-aqua diver.

Of course, it's a matter of taste. Some folk are happy with fluorescent gravel and skulls underwater.

 

[Underwurlde]

fluorescent gravel and skulls underwater

What! You mean they won't enhance my aquascape??!! What about my sunken galleon & bobbing diver? Is that where I'm going wrong?

The jaw-dropper for me is the water fall one. How clever is that! I;ve never seen that before and once you realise 'hold on, it's under water, you look twice.

Absolutely stunning tanks one & all. Many thanks for posting the pics Dave.

Andy

 

[zig]

The trees and waterfalls are getting into the realm of "twee" tbh IMHO, not sure where all of this is heading but its not for me.

 

[mlawson]

I really like this one (third place), the rocks are different to the norm and I lvoe the way the moss and plants runs around the rocks, it is something that is incredibly difficult to achieve and looks natural. I also like the last one at the bottom.

 

[madgap]

In contrast to some of the remarks, I think they are all brilliant and beautiful. Some to my taste, and would be proud of in my home. Others, Just damn nice to look at. But not one of them looks stupid. I think there would be a tank for everyone right there.

Now, seeing as my comments are so kind, you can come round to my house and fix my tank. I'm free next Sunday.

 

[madgap]

You know, as creative and fun as some of these scapes are, watching this scape and then seeing fish swim through it looks kind of stupid to me. They recreate the look of land so expertly, yet when it comes time to select a fish, the logic of some of the scapes fall flat. I mean, in the real world, who sees fish "flying" through a path with a tree next to it that looks pretty inland to me? And if you do, then tell me what you are on, and where I can get me some! At least pick a fish that perhaps looks a bit more bird-like (hatchetfish, or a longer-finned species), or stick with just bottom-dwellers or inverts. In the rush to create the perfect scape, many often forget how big a part fish choice plays.

I really like the second from the top and the seventh from the top. Notice also, especially in picture seven, that the fish choice doesn't detract much from the scape. In fact, it's kind of difficult to pick out fish at all. Neat trick with the bubble wand too, really looks like a waterfall.

Otherwise, the tanks look great, better than anything I could ever come up with.

llj

I know what you mean, but consider the tanks that eople set up with bright gravel or a small ship wreck with a large skull beside it. Some decore is so increadably un-natural. And frankly, so too is the tree. Yet the tree, is un-natural in an artisc way and not tacky. I think these tanks, all of them, deserve credit.

 

[Underwurlde]

The way I see it, is this:

Has the designer obviously had a plan or an effect in mind?
Has the designer then met his requirement?

e.g. the tree: Obviously unnatural, but for the above q's, yes & definately, yes.

Andy

 

[sandfire]

The are all breathtaking! Proper sharpe intake of air when I saw them.

So beautiful, My favourite was the second in the list. I loved the bright red leaf against the green, it was just enough to draw the eye in and complimented the rock work.

But they are all truly magnificent.

 

[ICEEGRL]

I love the waterfall one.
I tried about a year ago to get something like that, but couldn't get the bubbles right. I have yet to figure out how to get it to get that look. I have tried several different wands and disks. I just can't get air to look like falling water!

They are all very nice, but I have always been drawn to waterfalls. I think it would be great to combine the things I love. I have even thought of stacking rocks under my filter and lowering the water level to get a water fall. That does work to some degree. That is what I am working on now in one of my tanks. I just can't find the right rocks to get the look I am after.

 

[Squid]

Neat trick with the bubble wand too, really looks like a waterfall.

I'm glad you explained that.. I was just about to ask the dumbest of questions... (

(doh.. just given the game away)

Squid

 

[lljdma06]

I know what you mean, but consider the tanks that eople set up with bright gravel or a small ship wreck with a large skull beside it. Some decore is so increadably un-natural. And frankly, so too is the tree. Yet the tree, is un-natural in an artisc way and not tacky. I think these tanks, all of them, deserve credit.

I'm not saying that it is tacky or unatural if you just take the scape on its own. The scape would have been brilliant save for one thing, the fish choice was poor. Why take the time that it must have taken to recreate what is obviously a terrestrial scape and then stick what looks like an abviously aquatic species for fauna. It's like singing an amazing opera opera aria and then omitting the last high note. It is unfished. At the very least, stick with the same type of fish, but add more, and take a photo in which the movements of the fish mimic a flock of birds. But that may be asking too much.

Otherwise, the effort in all the scapes are amazing. Wish mine looked a 1/100th of what their's looked like.