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Dutch Variations

Robert H. Tavera said:
Where did the fish go?? Are you planning to add new ones? A large group of mosquito rasboras will look amazing in there.
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The fish are there: 15 hyphessobrycon eques and 10 corydoras panda. Somehow they avoided being photographed this time 😀 I thought to change h. eques to h. amandae, but it's a nightmare to get them out from this jungle 😀

Robert H. Tavera said:
According to the "Dutch rules" you have too many plant species in there, but looks really good for me.
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Yes, currently there are 14 species of plants, but all of them are the plants I like and it's very difficult for me to remove one or another species. Maybe I'll reduce the number in the future.
 
The current "reconstruction" works of the layout 🙂 The layout is not finished yet - some plants (I think pogostemon octopus and hygrophyla polysperma) will be replaced (most probably blyxa will have to go as well???). Your comment's/suggestions are very welcome.

Variation #6

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Alexander, thanks, I will consider this. Most probably I will remove staurogyne and enlarge the group of didiplis.
 
Manisha, thanks 🙂 But there's still a lot to do with the layout of plants.
 
Current view. Did not notice that rotten corymbosa leaf on rotala 😀 😀 😀 or just was lazy to take it out 🙂 Alternanthera rosanaerwig was eaten down by amano shrimps, so had to replace its remain with nymphaea rubra. Also, some trimming needed...

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Maintenance is about 1,5-2 hours per week for uprooting and trimming from the bottom plus water change. the dosing of ferts is very chaotic - every other day or once per week micros plus iron 😀
 
Thanks, Greenfinger2 🙂 there's still much space for improvements. Though it might seem from the first sight that the Dutch style is simple, I am not even half-way in mastering it. In my opinion, this style is the most difficult among other aquascapeing styles...
 
Hey there Dr. Phantom,

First off, I'd like to say how nice it is to see someone sticking closely to the Dutch style. Yours is one of the nicest I've seen outside of the group of Masters. Have you considered entering it in the AGA Dutch category? I think it would be well received there.

If I may add a couple of minor critiques-
1. The lily is a bit too far forward and to the right, try moving it into the hollow next to the Bacopa that's currently taken up by Staurogyne. That'll put it in a good focal position and give you better shape and color contrast with the surrounding plants.

2. You're using a lot of similarly colored, fine leaved, species in the main section so the overall impression is lessened. Consider adding a darker leaved species with a bit larger foliage such as Anubias or Cryptocoryne to provide better contrast. Lobelia cardinalis would be another good choice and is one of the classic standards that'll lend the tank a more authentic impression.

3. I think I get what you're trying to do with the Staurogyne. It's making a nice street, but it's too similar in leaf shape and color to the Bacopa next to it to give good contrast.

4. The moss piece looks VERY nice and does a great job of adding some front-to-back interest and light vs. dark contrast. Consider moving the Bacopa to the left space where the Didiplis is currently. That'll give good contrast on the left side and will open up some space to bring the moss around the front in a curve partway along the Stauro border. Doing so will open up a space for a broad leaved species as previously mentioned.

Overall though, this is quite a pleasing tank and you're doing a great job working within the constraints of the Dutch style. *Thumbs up*

Regards,
Phil
 
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