BADC 2014 - JBL Biotope Aquarium Design Contest

[Nuno M.]

Hi guys,

As the name indicates not only planted aquariums are entitled to international competitions.

Enjoy this 4th edition of the Biotope Aquarium Design Contest, the photos are public for all to see and comment.

The contest is divided into five categories: North America, South America, Africa, Eurasia, Australia & Oceania

This September the works will be evaluated and the winners of each category shall go to St. Petersburg (Russia) to assembly a scape sponsored by JBL and find the best biotope scaper.

Any one from UKAPS having a go for it ??

This scapes are equally beautiful and they give primacy to our finned friends and their natural habitat.

Here is the link to the page and photos of competitors this year:

http://all4aquarium.ru/en/events/jbl-biotope-contest-2014/entries

Hope you all can follow this event.

 

[James D]

Cheers Nuno, some nice ones there. I'd like to set up a biotope but I've got a mixture of Asian, African and South American flora and fauna in my tank and I wouldn't want to part with any of them..... I have been dropping hints about a new tank though. 😉

 

[Chris Jackson]

I really love the idea of this but not this year for me, thanks for the link.

 

[allan angus]

some lovely biotopes i really like the south American ones wish i had the room to attempt one thanks for sharing this 🙂

 

[Stee61]

There must be someone who wants to do a UK biotope out there, and something more than the (admittedly fantatsic) Stickleback set up. I guess we struggle a bit here with the fact that a lot of our watercourses have been messed around with - dredged, full of treated effluent etc etc. I could do an (ironic) Evenlode valley one? Murky water/steep clay bank and not a lot else? It may not be easy to maintain for long periods but some sort of southern england chalk stream set up with callitriche, ranunculus some small brown trout and minnows perhaps (or a shoal of small grayling! god knows where you'd get them from though.) would be amazing. Maybe a lowland river might be more attainable. The mid to lower reaches of the thames perhaps. Im thinking nuphar and sparganium in their submersed forms, some myriophyllum and a silty/sandy bottom and some roach, minnows, gudgeon and perch. This is certainly more do-able for someone with my (lack of) skills. Or an mature gravel pit with rudd, tench and perhaps crucian carp. Clear sandy, silty or gravelly channels through banks of submerged vegetation.

can you tell im a fisherman?

 

[Nuno M.]

Hi guys,

The results are out 🙂

The competition was very strong, with stunning aquariums with very good background reaserch

We've got the 5º place with the last year setup (Claire Moreira) and 11º place (Nuno Matos) on the South American category

Besides the great ranking of Rain Forest, no jury comment so far, but I'm hopping Heiko Bleher e Aleksei Malyshev still have some words to say.

As for Fallen Tree here are some thoughts of the jury

Category general comment:

Heiko Blessin (Germany): On the first view, the picture of "Rio Nanay, Fallen Tree" looks great. But it's due to the fish and not to the decoration. "Rio Shanushi tributary near Yurimaguas, Peru" looks very natural but unfortunately the owner used oak leaves and you will never find oak trees in south america. "Flooded forest in the bend of Rio Tapajos" and "Rio Tapajos Biotope" are my favorites.

Individual comment:

11. Rio Nanay, Fallen Tree

Michael Salter (Canada): It is great to see an explanation of the thinking behind this biotope, and thoughts as to what specific area it is meant to be based on – Iquitos. Thought has gone into creating a credible narrative to support what we are seeing. Beyond this, the overall impression is very appealing. Nature is not always graceful, but sometimes it is! By selecting really nicely sculpted pieces of wood, and placing them so that it looks like they have split apart in the middle (and also that their orientation and pattern of wear reflect the flow of water over them) the creator has walked the thin line between aesthetics and patterns of nature, showing where they intersect perfectly. Everything about this biotope treads the line: the slight blackwater stain, scattered leaves, plain sand, and sprinkling of floating plants are all appropriate for the biotope as are the fish shown. It is simple and elegant, with a very nice contract between the angelfish, tetras, and Apistogramma. It is also a bit small for the number of angelfish though, and slightly too “tidy”. It seems a blend of Biotope and Nature Aquarium style

Here is the link for the ranking page

Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2014 Quality test


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[darren636]

Some of those are lovely.
Will read that later

 

[James D]

Yours and Claire's looked great Nuno - well done!