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AGA 2005 Aquascaping Contest Showroom
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| Entry #109: 110L (29 gallon) Biotope Aquascape: "Cross-section of a Beaver Pond" Phil Edwards, Charlotte NC USA adverts at aquatic-gardeners.org |
Full Tank Shot. The submersed portion is much brighter in person. My poor photography skills aren't up to the task of balancing the very bright emersed and not as bright submersed sections. |
Close-up of Ludwigia palustris. The spots you see are snail droppings and leaf litter. I'm constantly amazed at how little algae there is in the aquarium and attribute it to the strong emersed growth. |
Top-down photo of the tank |
Brighter picture of the submersed foliage |
A couple Gambusia relaxing in the cover of the vegitation. |
This specific image of the collecting site was used as the planting plan for this biotope. The inset shows the submersed growing Ludwigia that is not visible due to the glare. |
| First time entry. | |
| Tank Size | 76 x 30 x 61 cm (30 x 12 x 24 in) |
| Volume | 110L (29 gallons) |
| Category | Biotope Aquascape |
| Title | Cross-section of a Beaver Pond |
| Plants | Ludwigia palustris, Myriophyllum brasiliense, Polygonum cespitosum |
| Fish/Animals | 8 Gambusia holbrookii |
| Decorative Materials | Substrate is a coarse sand with small gravel. For purposes of tank hygiene the gravel was collected from the creek leading into the beaver pond where it less muddy. Natural clay and aquatic soil was added to the lower half of the substrate for enrichment. |
| Background | |
| Lighting | 2x 65w Power Compact Fluorescent 12-14hrs/day |
| Filtration | None, other than what is provided by the plants. |
| Additional Information | My intention with this aquarium is to recreate the natural environment as closely as possible for both the benefit of the fish and the interest of the viewer. Due to the nature of the location traditional aquascaping practices such as sloping substrate and well defined groups of plants are not appropriate. The main goal of the aquascaping is to give the viewer the impression that he/she has directly submerged into the middle of the location, hence the Ludwigia is planted all the way up to the glass. There is little area of the bottom of this area of the pond that isn't covered with plants. Seeing the emersed stems of Polygonum and Myriophyllum growing out of a veritable carpet of submerged Ludwigia is an inspiring sight and I wanted to capture that as much as possible.
Aside from a very occasional drop of trace elements in the beginning the only fertilization the tank has received/receives is from the fish food and what is provided by the substrate. Although not visible in the photos, much of the upper layer of the substrate is covered with, and penetrated by, a complex root system, just as is found at the type location. Watching the aging processes and organisms in the substrate are as fascinating as those going on above it. I have to admit to being inordinately proud that all of the Polygonum have flowered and are sporting beautiful pink inflorescences. It's too bad they don't have a smell. The insect fauna of this little ecosystem is fascinating too. There are small sap sucking insects colonizing the Myriophyllum that provide a nice treat for the fish when there are enough to knock off into the water. The other day I found a small damselfly sitting on a leaf and sadly watched it fly away before I could get my camera. Many other flying insects flit in and out of the tank on an almost daily basis, though most are unknown to me. Maintenance is very simple, only the occasional top-off as needed along with daily feedings. Even trimming isn't a hassle, the only thing that needs to be trimmed is the Myriophyllum and that's only been needed once in the five months the tank's been set up. With such vigorous emersed growth from the Polygonum and Myriophyllum the Ludwigia is growing slowly and hasn't yet needed to be trimmed. At this point my intent is to let everything continue to grow as tall and bushy as it will with as little direction from me as possible except to avoid damage from burning from contact with the light. |
"Although the representation of the biotope is relatively accurate, it is not exactly attractive -- it looks like a tossed salad rising from the water. Bring some imagination and aesthetic to this biotope by allowing the plants to grow out of the water but in some sort of composition with depth and beauty. " ---Carlos Sanchez
"A fun concept, and it is nice to see people using native materials. It might have been fun, and added some interest, to simulate the edge of the beaver dam, itself, perhaps as a background for the tank. While we do not judge photography, a tip for photographing this type of tank in the future would be to use a split neutral density filter to help even out the exposure between the emmersed and submersed sections. Even using your current photo, you could draw out quite a bit more detail in the dark areas by using the "shadow/highlights" command in Photoshop Elements 3. (I tried it just to make sure ;-)" ---Karen Randall
"Technicaly a good example of a "biotope". A little more emphasis on the aquascape design would have gained a higher score." ---Mike Senske
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