#580: 454.8L Dutch Aquascape The Second Hand of Carew

Michael Miller Albuquerque, United States

Awards and Comments

Second Place
I miss a drawing with the plant groups and numbers to which the plants in the list refer.
I also miss some detail pictures. Was that too much trouble?
This aquarium has very nice sizes.
The soil against the front glass should be hidden but looks very clean.
The number of plant species is also in line with the Dutch Style guidelines.
The plant groups are nicely separated from each other and look healthy.
The large number of rainbowfish species makes a messy busy impression. The atmosphere in this aquarium would be greatly improved if fewer species and larger schools were chosen whereby the chosen species should differ in color as much as possible. Technology well hidden and out of sight.
— Bart Laurens
Oh my my. That is just brilliant! Wow. Wish this tank was in my house. A tank worth studying and emulating. This is in my Top 3 and as such I'll get critical. Still I struggle to find details for you to improve on but I'll try: remove about half of the fish and add a small school of bottom dwellers and some surface swimmers. The photograph does not do the tank justice. The Hydrocotyle bush could not have been easy to manage (it's often a cat-herding exercise with it) - this plant has a mind of its own and is best used as single or double stems as curtain plants. There are very small pops of red and a part of me wishes these pops were just a little bigger. Yes can you believe I'm asking for more red? I think the Hyptis fails you where placed. A red Nymphaea in place of the Hyptis and two springs of Vallisneria in front and right of the rugosa would have been great.
— Vin Kutty
Absolutely a tank with the "wow" factor and it really fits the Dutch style very well.

But where I often have to tell people to go calmer with the use of red plants I would encourage the owner of this tank to make the existing groups a bit bigger for more impact.

Nice work on the trimming/planting!
— Marco Aukes

Aquascape Details

Dimensions 180 × 61 × 41 cm
Title The Second Hand of Carew
Volume 454.8L
Background Black Acrylic
Lighting 3 x Week Aqua P600
Filtration All in one aquarium with 3 pumps (similar to a sump)
Plants Myriophyllum Roraima, Nymphoides Hydrophylla 'Taiwan', Pogostemon Helferi, Juncus Repens, Echinodorus Quadricostatus, Ludwigia Rubin, Hygrophila Serpyllum, Hygrophila Corymbosa Stricta, Limnophila Aromatica mini, Nymphaea Zenkeri green, Hydrocotyle Leucocephala variegated, Alternanthera Rosanervig mini, Blyxa Japonica, Myriophyllum Aquaticum, Hydrocotyle Tripartita, Hyptis Lorentziana, Limnophila Rugosa
Animals 11 Melanotaenia Praecox
14 Trigonostigma Heteromorpha
15 Rasbora Einthovenii
9 Otocinclus sp.
3 Melanotaenia Kamaka
3 Melanotaenia boesemani
9 Corydoras sp. CW010
2 Melanotaenia Trifasciata
10 Hyphessobrycon Pulchripinnis
9 Hyphessobrycon Amandae
Assortment of Bladder Snails
Materials Pool filter sand
Additional Information This tank features a Yugang CO2 reactor which is a horizontal reactor design.

Website problems? contact showcase@aquatic-gardeners.org | privacy policy | terms of use