Anti-Pjerrot

Steven - I had 2 tanks, but i fell like waiting until they were at their best. I could have sent in an unfinished scape though, but i didn't feel like it.

http://www.akvarieplanter.dk/forum/a...=642&user_id=5 (not finished by a mile...)

Nice to see a dane entering though (Ole P.), and i hope to enter next year.

As for AGA/ADA - i like that the competition from ADA (CAU mostly) has raised the overall quality in AGA.
I can understand why some feel like its wrong to enter 2 competitions with the same tank, but then again, someone else just has to knock it up a notch.
AGA is more "international" to mee, than ADA, due to the ratio of asian vs. rest of world in ADA - but then again - we (europe/america) just has to work harder and produce better scapes - like steven does

Poland and france had a lot of good tanks. It really shows that something is happening all over the world.

I agree, that biotope is weak again this year - but im feeling that the WK/NA aquascaping culture is going to influence into the biotope area over some time. WK/NA has a lot that can be used in the biotope, and soon i think people will consider wheter there WK/NA is into the regular scapes or into biotope.

As for judging - AGA and ADA really seperates here, mostly due to the NA scapes is valued higher in ADA than in AGA, and some people tent to forget the "rules" in aquascaping. I feel that AGA is stricter in judging among the lines of - like Phil said - aquatic garden.

Ajax

How about Oliver Knott's tank with the pirahna! Yikes! Tell me you wouldn't be at least a little nervous every time you stuck your hand in there. Congrats to all the winners!

jsenske

For the record that 1st place Biotope is not my tank-- I just took the photo. It was done by Holt harlan, a senior member/Project Manager here at ADG.

Gomer

For the record, I intentionally stayed away from the aquascaping forums and people's journals for several month. Out of all 200+ tanks, I ONLY knew 3 of them. The ADA 1st place (which btw, wasn't my favorite tank ), Jeff's and the Hawaiian coast recreation from Steven.

Other than those, I went at it blindly without having much bias from the ADA results.

It was really interesting seeing the judges relative ranks. Some tanks we really agreed on while others it was really spread. It might be an artifact of the structured scoring (which, I personally don't think is the best way to judge this type of thing. I personally hate the Viability portion), or the tastes of the judges. Some tanks that didn't place that thought should have, very well may have ranked highly with 1 or 2 judges and poorly with another.

K Randall

What I think is interesting, is that for one tank, you'd have 2 (or 3) judges in good agreement, and one just way off. Then on another tank, you'd have the same ratio of agreement, but it would be different judges thet were in agreement.

In places where I really disagree with another judge, I like to see the other person's comments. Often, I can appreciate the REASON for their decision, even if I still don't agree. Unfortunately, it was just such a HUGE undertaking this year that most of the judges didn't have time to comment on the majority of tanks.

Karen

K Randall

[quote=Gomer;339807]For the record, I intentionally stayed away from the aquascaping forums and people's journals for several month. Out of all 200+ tanks, I ONLY knew 3 of them. The ADA 1st place (which btw, wasn't my favorite tank ), Jeff's and the Hawaiian coast recreation from Steven.

Other than those, I went at it blindly without having much bias from the ADA results.[quote]

Since I judge both contests, I can't say I haven't seen some of the tanks before. But I do look at them fresh in both contests, and I make it a point to stay off the aquascaping forums anywhere near the time of the contests. To some extent, the differences in scoring requirements between the two contests can change the placings among top tanks. I'm actually slightly MORE likely to have personal knowledge of some tanks in the AGA contest, since I have occassionally seen them in person. (not this year, though)

I try very hard NOT to know "who" did a particular tank... though sometimes a person's style is so distinctive, you have a good guess. (for instance, the piranha tank just had to be Oliver's<g>) Likewise, it's hard not to know a Mike Senske paludarium when you see one.

I didn't realize that Ole P. had entered one... Now I've got to go back and find it, so I know what I said about it!

Karen

Steven_Chong

Unfortunately it is kind of a grey area on the biotope side, and Phil I'd agree that it'd be nice to see more "Down to Earth" scapes there. :/

Karen may not be right about my fish, but she'd have been right if she pointed out streams in hawaii are far from having pretty white sand. LOL

I'd agree that the judging criteria could be changed for the better there, to make a category that really is different from the others.

Gomer

I still really want to see (or do if I can get a really big tank) a really hardcore blackwater tank. Perhaps I'll be able to do one in a few years

Mr. Fish

I really thought this tank was gonna atleast hit 3rd place and wassnt even ranked.

http://showcase.aquatic-gardeners.or...=0&vol=2&id=57

By far my favorite....

Anti-Pjerrot

Im pretty suppriced too with Oles tank... And to my big supprice i found out a Dane got ranked 616 the in ADA contest. Never heard of the guy (And i think of my self of having a count of mostly all aquascapers in denmark...)