#793: 284L Dutch Aquascape Through The Looking Glass

Joe Harvey Athens, AL, United States

Awards and Comments

Second Place
This really comes very close to classical Dutch Style. Good contrasts and well balanced. The lotus is a bit too far to the left to act as a good focus point and I personally would like the balsamica in a less straight line. The right side with the nymphea is a shame and not really supporting the scape.
— Marco Aukes
Gorgeous and lovely. There's so much to love here. A lot of thought and understanding of Dutch aquascaping priciples have gone into this entry. A desperately welcome relief to see a tank not overrun with red stem plants. So glad to see grasses and rosette plants. That little bit of open space in front of the the Blyxa - that much-needed 'white' space is noted and rewarded. Fighting the urge to fill every square inch of substrate with plants takes both restraint and confidence. Without a doubt the best midground execution this year. Some areas feel poorly filled in - specifically Staurogyne spatulata and Ludwigia sp Rubin. The balsamica street feels more like a diagonal divider than a street. This may be the first ever use of Blyxa octandra and Hyptis laciniata in a Dutch entry - nice! A couple of dark areas like under the Nymphaea is fine may be even desired but there are way too many here. Perhaps the photography style adds to the many unintended dark spots.
— Vin Kutty

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 122 × 46 × 53 cm
Title Through The Looking Glass
Volume 284L
Background Bucephalandra sp on plastic mesh
Lighting 4x T5HO 216W
Filtration Single Canister
Plants 1. Corkscrew Val, 2. Limnophila green wavy, 3. Myriophyllum roraima, 4. Hygrophila balsamica, 5. Hygrophila siamesis 53B, 6. Red Tiger Lily, 7. Gratiola viscidula, 8. Hyptis laciniata, 9. Lobelia cardinalis 'small form', 10. Blyxa octandra, 11. Ludwigia rubin, 12. Bacopa sp CSP, 13. Staurogyne spatulata, 14. Nymphoides Taiwan, 15. Back Wall: Bucephalandra Mini Melawi
Animals 21 Cardinal Tetra, 17 Harlequin Rasborra, 5 Cherry barb, 5 Pigmy Cory
Materials None
Additional Information BDBS Sand substrate

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