Dimensions 120 × 60 × 45 cm
Title Kaiya
Volume 324L
Background White Sticker
Lighting 2 x 2x54 watt Aquazonic
Filtration ADA ecopro
Plants Ricardia, Weeping Tropica Moss, Echinoderus Tennellus, Bucephalandra, Flame Moss, Fissiden Fontainus, Michanthemum Montecarlo, Anubias Nana Petite, Baby Tears, Rotala Rotundifolia, Rotala Green, Rotala HRA, Rotala Blooodred, Cryptocorine Parva, Hygrophila pinnatifida, Mini Chrismas Moss. Glossotigma Elatinoides.
Animals Puntius Denisonii (Sahyadria denisonii)
Materials Silica Sand, Amazonia Soil, Santigi Wood, Seriyu Stone
Additional Information I dedicated this landscape to my little girl by using her name "Kaiya". who make me so inspiring to make a wonderfull tank. every time she walks around me while i design this tank,she always stop and say "i really proud daddy could make such a wonderfull tank like this. this would be the number one!". i don't have have enought time to play with my kids, but they always have time and heart to support what i do.
Joking aside no one judge is here to say what they like or vote according their personal preferences okay?
That said let's start to comment on this masterpiece.
Very nice and harmonic layout. It's possible to clearly see the lines of forces that compose this complex "V" shape layout.
It's easy to see the two obvious positive triangles the bigger to the left and the small one to the right. But note that because the creation of the central cave there is another small triangle at the left in front of the big one. This technique offers another "invisible" layer to the layout and make the sense of perspective even bigger. Because of this this aquarium looks super wide with infinite width.
Another good move was the partial occupation of the negative triangle with "trees". They gave dynamism and movement without covering the desirable empty space.
Talking about driftwood even in this awesome job some wood is unnecessary... (i probably said this in all of the forest layouts that I evaluated...) Is the wood in front of the cave really required? Okay maybe it could be pet peeve of mine.
The selection of the plants was perfect and man... How many plants there are!!!!! Some people forget that this is an Aquatic Gardeners Association contest and PLANTS ARE NEEDED!!!
Some bushes look very rounded and that takes away sensation of naturality. A pruning more "Nature style" is needed to become perfect.
Talking about red plants apparently they are randomly scattered but the truth is they are catching our attention to important spots of the layout. In this way our eyes run through the layout to find the empty space and the important wood placed in "Golden Ratio" position. Maybe if the red was more intense in these areas with more plants this would be more explicit to everyone.
The foreground is okay perhaps a extra pruning in some parts of the carpet would give it a more natural aspect but it's okay.
The side reflections could be more worked and in this case maybe a the wider lens could improve the overall aspect... just maybe.
The "total white" path could have been worked better with more details and the horizon could be ended with some plants like Eleocharis minima or something like that because it ends very abruptly and merges with the infinity of the sky.
Well... everything that I commented was because this aquarium definitely snatched me.
Despite that it is a Forest Layout (ironic mode-on again) it is probably the best aquascaping jobs of this entire contest edition.
Thank you for sharing your passion and talent with us.
Congratulations!!!
Excellent work!