The contest this year shows a very high level of aquascaping skill among many of the entries. I am a bit concerned however in the trend toward spending so much time and effort in "presenting" the tanks with special-effect lighting moving water "scaring" fish into schools etc. These may make for a dramatic photo but that is not what we are judging. We certainly want a tank to be clean adequately lit for viewing and properly trimmed and maintained. However when we get beyond that these "extras" become distracting and in a few cases actually made it difficult to fairly assess an aquascape. Beautifully designed and tended aquatic gardens don't need trickery to add to their beauty. I hope that the trend toward these very stylized presentations wanes and we can get back to the pleasurable business of aquascaping!
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