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AGA 2009 Results - XL Category Winner

Stickleback

Stickleback

Member
Joined
12 Nov 2009
Messages
189
Location
Vietnam
Can you believe that this won in the Extra Large category?

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2 ... l=3&id=186

Am I the only one who thinks that this looks like a window box from a caravan park in Bognor.

People go to such lengths to create beautiful, natural tanks and this wins!

I would be really, really interested to know whether you share my opinion or think I'm wrong.

Thanks

Rufus
 
Re: AGA Results

Christ buddy, what do you think should have won? That is one awesome tank which very few people could execute so well IMO.
 
Re: AGA Results

:lol: Thats a stunning tank mate, the use of colour and different textures is beautiful, i didnt look at the other entrys for this category as the images take an age to download, but i rekon this is probably worth it :wave:
 
Re: AGA Results

rufus_blackwell said:
would be really, really interested to know whether you share my opinion or think I'm wrong.
Click to expand...

no ones wrong or right. it's our own choice if we like something surely? 😀

the title of the scape shouldn't be 'blooming river'...it should be 'bloomin' amazing' personally i think it's stunning, and something I'd love to have a stab at.

The trimming on the stems alone just proves this guy has major knowledge on making plants look their best.
 
Re: AGA Results

That tank has by far the best looking Limnophila Aromatica I've ever seen and overall the tank looks so well maintained and lush its really hard to fault.
 
Re: AGA Results

Hi Rufus and welcome to UKAPS!

Nothing like introducing yourself with a controversial first post...

Personally I really like the aquascape and it makes a refreshing change to the hardscape dominated styles that we often see winning.

As suggested by other UKAPS members here, creating such a stunning display with incredibly healthy and well-maintained stem plants in a large aquarium like this shows the highest levels of skill. Coping with 8 x 54w T5 deserves a medal alone!

Whilst it's not my personal favourite in this category, I understand why it placed 1st. I suspect at least one of the judges didn't rank it top, but the average scoring made it such.
 
Re: AGA Results

saintly said:
The trimming on the stems alone just proves this guy has major knowledge on making plants look their best.
Click to expand...
Exactly the first thing that crossed my mind.

The plants are incredibly healthy and grogeous.
 
Re: AGA Results

Dan Crawford said:
Christ buddy, what do you think should have won?
Click to expand...


Well it was quite a weak category, but in my opinion this is much more interesting:

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.org/2 ... l=3&id=176

With the exception of the path going from the front to the back of the tank, on the line of thirds... Yawn. But the way the plants intermingle makes it look much more natural and established.

The winning tank just seems so fake, I've never seen anything like that in nature. Nature is a harsh environment, the force the flow of the river exerts on the plants is what makes them beautiful. That just looks like it's sitting there in stasis. And the colours are so gaudy it looks like a picture from a 1970s text book.

Technically difficult it may be I wouldn't want it in my caravan.

R

P.S. Thanks for the welcome to UKAPS by the way. This place is brilliant.
 
Re: AGA Results

rufus_blackwell said:
Technically difficult it may be I wouldn't want it in my caravan.
Click to expand...

and this is why we have our own opinions. the world would be dull if we all thought the same 😀
 
Re: AGA Results

i think its not just all about the scape. i think on tanks 400L plus, its about all the maintainence time and W/C time.
i can do a 30% W/C on my 120L in about 30 mins or less.
but when you have larger tanks everything takes so much longer and it so much harder to get right. i find scaping easier in smaller tanks than larger ones. These little 60L things i see must be a piece of cake to do a W/C on. :lol:

personally, i love the second scape rufus refers to, its totally gorgeous.
 
Re: AGA Results

rufus_blackwell said:
The winning tank just seems so fake, I've never seen anything like that in nature. Nature is a harsh environment, the force the flow of the river exerts on the plants is what makes them beautiful. That just looks like it's sitting there in stasis. And the colours are so gaudy it looks like a picture from a 1970s text book.
Click to expand...

Hi Rufus
You make some interesting points, I think you are right the winning tank is not a true depiction of nature.
I am a fan of nature aquariums myself, however, IMO an aquascape does not have to be based on a natural model in order to be aestheticaly pleasing. I'm sure some guy painted some sunflowers in a vase once, and that did quite well. :lol:
Hope you stick around on UKaps, it's always good to have a friendly debate.

Cheers,
James
 
Re: AGA Results

James Marshall said:
IMO an aquascape does not have to be based on a natural model in order to be aestheticaly pleasing. I'm sure some guy painted some sunflowers in a vase once, and that did quite well.
Click to expand...

True, but that tank is no oil painting.

R
 
Re: AGA Results

I think its stunning, as said earlier its all subjective, I don't like every scape created, but in this case the skill in growing such healthy plants and the pruning skills alone are amazing! :thumbup:
 
Re: AGA Results

rufus_blackwell said:
James Marshall said:
IMO an aquascape does not have to be based on a natural model in order to be aestheticaly pleasing. I'm sure some guy painted some sunflowers in a vase once, and that did quite well.
Click to expand...

True, but that tank is no oil painting.

R
Click to expand...
Hi Rufus

You are treading a fine line between healthy debate and what could be perceived by some as antagonistic behaviour.

You have made it clear that you do not like this aquascape at all. That's fine and we are all entitled to our opinion.

I hope you contribute to some other areas around UKAPS too.

Perhaps introduce yourself in this thread? -

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=163

or here -

viewtopic.php?f=21&t=943

Perhaps share your creations with us, if you have any?

Is this yours? I'm sure we'd all like to hear more about it. It looks very interesting.

http://www.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk/p ... pload=3101

Cheers,
George 😀
 
Hi George and Everyone.

Sorry I am not trying to be antagonistic. It was all said with my tongue firmly in my cheek. If it seemed a bit dry it's because I don't to go down the 😀 route. Maybe I should reconsider that choice.

Also as I said I really wanted to know peoples thoughts and the way to do that is to start a (slightly heated) debate.

Yeah that is my tank. Bit of an old photo now, but my friends snake was looking so amazing I had to shoot it. I have been going through all the usual problems a beginner faces, but over the worst of it now I hope. It was a Vortech MP40 that broke the algaes back... Man those things are amazing, but I had to send it back because it was too noisy. Am reinstalling it today, hopefully it will be fixed, because the unusual currents it creates in reef crest mode is amazing.

In fact that's what I'm gonna do right now.

Many Thanks

R
 
The sad fate of competitions............you can never chose a winner that is not open for debate 😉

I personalle would have choosen different winners in each category. But as I judged several contests before myself, I know that probably goes when you look at each individual scores from the judges as well. However, with so many judges with great knowledge, you get the best combined score from the different insights.

Biggest thing to consider I guess is that this competition is not retricted to being a Nature Scape. And even if you have a preference for this, you should keep your mind open for other styles as well,
 
Hi all,
i can see what rufus is trying to get at nature aquarium wise,but to me i think this tanks main feature is the quality and colour of the plants,when growing red plants the dosing of nutrients has to be spot on,lighting has to be worked out to the exact levels as not to cause algae issues,red plants need more of some nutrients than others as they lack as much chlorophyll as green plants,you read on some sites that less nitrogen is bettter for red plants but the normal green plants could suffer if this is not at the correct level for them,
so if you all take that into account i think you might see what the creator of this tank has achieved,a nice colourfull pleasing setup that i wouldnt mind in my living room,
regards john.
 
Whilst this wouldn't be the style of tank I'd go for, I can appreciate the technical requirements to provide the beautiful plants in their own right.
Therefore, I can understand what rufus is saying but cannot agree 100%.

Sometimes, I even find some of the full NA style scapes ugly but appreciate the beauty in the quality of the plants.
 
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