Dimensions 36 × 22 × 13 cm
Title Conestee, South Carolina
Volume 3.6L
Background N/A
Lighting TWINSTAR 450EA
Filtration N/A
Plants Hydrocotyle americana
Hydrocotyle verticillata
Ludwigia peploides
Murdannia keisak
Myriophyllum mattogrossense
Animals Lymnaea columella
Materials Various deciduous and coniferous shed limbs, leaves, and seedpods from Southern Piedmont region.
Additional Information Inspired by the expansive wetlands of Conestee Nature Preserve.
Despite its disqualification I would like to leave feedback:
I commend this entry for its ambition and audacity in how it has focused on the local and minute; a somewhat obscure over-looked habitat local plant species and using very small animals.
The displays manages to look authentic and yet the composition of the wood makes it pleasing to the eye without looking unnatural.
I feel that displays like this are good at popularising nature local habitats and the biotope scene as they prove that they do not need to be complex complicated or expensive to create.
A criticism (aside from the use of non-biotope correct plants) would be the number and volume of plant species used within a small space. While they may be all representative of the habitat it feels more likely that there would be a larger volume of fewer species rather than a matrix of a many with only a few specimens.
I'm sorry to see this display fall by the wayside but I hope that the aquascaper is not too discouraged and enters again next year perhaps after ensuring all the plants used are biotope correct.
I really like that many species of plants were included in the biotope. I also like that no fish were placed in it because of the small amount of water. Having only snails and no fishes in that size biotope was a great decision. Kudos