#973: 151.6L Biotope Aquascape Seahorse Habitat of the Chesapeake Bay

Nicholas Kinser FAIRFAX, United States

Comments

We acknowledge that there's a longstanding ambiguity in the contest rules regarding the biotope category and live plants. Originally written to clarify that we accepted biotope aquascapes without plants it could also be interpreted to mean that artificial plants are acceptable (which was not the intent). We will surely clarify this going forward in 2022!
— Erik
Very unique design and use of artificial materials to create the biotope that is inhabited by the seahorse. Kudos for not going out and harvesting the eelgrass from their habitat. Excellent job!
— Bailin Shaw

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 91 × 46 × 43 cm
Title Seahorse Habitat of the Chesapeake Bay
Volume 151.6L
Background painted
Lighting Kessil A160
Filtration Sump
Plants Faux eel grass (Zostera marina)
Animals 3 Lined Seahorse (Hippocampus erectus) 6 Grass shrimp (Palaemonetes sp.) 1 Long Claw Hermit Crab (Pagurus longicarpus)
Materials River sand, rive stone
Additional Information I used artificial plants in the tank for 2 reasons. The first being that I do not have easy access to this species, nor a permit to collect wild plants. The second being that seahorses require impeccable water quality. By using artificial materials if there are any water quality issues, I can pull everything out of the tank and give it a thorough cleaning. These artificial plants are not what you would find in a typical pet store. These plants where assembled by me, using high quality materials, purchased from a company specializing in making plants based on native species. I estimate it took me approximately 8 to 10 hours to trim, shape, and assemble this material into bundles mimicking the look of native Zostera marina. Great care was put into the attention to detail in order to simulate the natural habitat of the Chesapeake Bay for the sea horse exhibit at the Glen Echo Park Aqaurium in Maryland.

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