#606: 189.5L Dutch Aquascape Ainhoa

Francisco Barroso Mexico City, Mexico

Comments

The more I look at this tank the more I like it.

I like the use of Eleocharis montevidensis as a curtain plant on the right. It does the job perfectly.

I like the restraint in using red plants I like the overall health of all plants I like that the tank looks established and not recently planted or rushed for the photography.

Having said all that the photograph is underexposed.

The plants are overgrown and need a trim and some space between each other.

There is no depth perception because the background plants are overgrown and encroaching the foreground while the foreground plants have no where to go but up.

So the overall effect feels very crowded.

The yellow Bacopa in the geometric center of the tank forces symmetry and divides the tank into two.

All of these minor issues can be easily fixed - I hope you come back next year with another entry.

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PRO-TIP: there is a rarely discussed part of Dutch scaping that I call 'Days-to-Peak.' Understanding this and applying this knowledge would have greatly improved the ranking on this entry.

Days-to-Peak (DTP) is the number of days it takes for a species to grow to perfect height and volume after a trim. DTP is different for every species and every tank. Given your light CO2 and fertilizer dosing Ludwigia inclinata Pantanal may take only 5 days after a trim to reach peak appearance of perfect height and volume. Whereas Rotala may require 10 days. Knowing the number of days it takes for each of your species to reach its peak or best appearance after a trim is critical. Knowing this tells you when to trim each plant so they all reach the perfect height and volume when you are ready to photograph the tank for competition. Maintaining the same species for a few months without changing light ferts and CO2 and observing them daily while keeping excellent records will help you determine the DTP for every species. Experimenting with dosing or CO2 while getting ready for a competition means your DTP will keep changing. Without knowing DTPs for each plant entries will look too freshly trimmed or overgrown.

More scaping tips here: https://www.aquatic-gardeners.org/Articles/Vin-Dutch/
— Vin Kutty
The basics of Dutch Style are there with contrasts limitation of strong red colours. Yet the scape is lacking a clear structure and some groups going from the front to the back. You now see more or less two rows of plants; 1 in the back and 1 in front.
— Marco Aukes
The Limnophila sessiliflora is not in optimal condition. The plant groups at the back could be different in heights. Myriophyllum mattogrossense and Hygrophila compacta could change places. No fish at the surface.
— Bart Laurens

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 102 × 41 × 46 cm
Title Ainhoa
Volume 189.5L
Background black paint
Lighting Chichiros wrgb 2
Filtration SUM SUM Canister filter
Plants Limnophila Sessiliflora
Bacopa Caroliniana
Rotala Macandra Red
Pogostemon Stallata
Hygrophila Corymbosa
Rotala Macandra Mini Green
Hygrophila Compacta
Glossostigma
Ludwigia Glandulosa
Lobelia Cardinalis
Myriophyllum Mattogrossense
Blyxa Japonica
Eleocharis Montevidensis
Animals 8 Rummy nouse and 3 corydoras and 1 apple snail
Additional Information It was hard to make all the fish come out and take photo of, also Im from mexico but I live in California I want to represent mexico tho so I enter mexico as my country
thanks for reviewing my scape

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