Tausendblatt

-#1 is fine, Although I dislike the angle that it was photographed from. The ?rotala? has been trimmed exquisitely.

-The photograph for #2 should have been taken at a different angle, to show the foreground, and the left side should have been grown more. The lemna trisulca should have been shaped better and grown larger. The anubias and willow moss look fine beside the limnophila.

-The one stick of driftwood pointing upwards in #10 is the only thing that could be changed for the better. It is a little odd looking and unbranched.

-#7 is nice, the big fluffy red cabomba is pretty. I think the brown water caused some people to put their votes elsewhere. It looks too brown overall. But it does look natural.

-If #9 had a better photo it could have won. Photography skills can really make or break a contest. The photo isn't bad but it isn't the best it could be. The layout is lovely... All the stems are placed well.

-#8 is great, except for the exposed Dalmatian substrate... If that was light brown sand, it would look better.

#3 is lovely, though the photo could have been clearer, and the rocks are a strange color. I like the simplicity.

-#4 is nice but seems a little plain. A little prairie. The mound of moss is nice. But I am not a huge iwagumi fan.

-#5 could stand a better photo. The layout would win best in show if the photo was clear.

#6 is a bit chaotic, the layout is good but there are too many species, and each one could stand more time to grow. The moss on the driftwood was done well.

I am no master aquascaper but I just wanted to say what I think of such things.

rjfurbank

I voted for #7.

Really creative and different. Loved the contrast of the reddish-brown plants/wood/leaf-litter/water vs the cardinals and the green plants in the front.

Fantastic!

Also--thanks everyone else who entered a tank. I really enjoy seeing everyone's tanks! Wish there was more participation. . . I thought there would be ~100 entries give the number of members here. Oh well--maybe next year. . .

Tausendblatt

I was also a bit disappointed with the number of entrants. ..

davemonkey

I have not voted yet.

I liked #7 for a biotope, and perhaps next year we'll have to seriously consider a biotope category.

Several of the scapes are very impressive, but one in particular stunned me (but I'm not telling ).

All things considered, I'm pleased with the turn-out and I look forward to seeing what the judges have to say about the scapes and how they scored.

As soon as this members' voting closes I'll contact Seachem to let them know who gets the Members' Choice Award!

-Dave

wet

davemonkey,

NPT category would be very cool.

wet

I found myself thinking of #13 today and looking again at the great fish choices and the thought in the layout for open space and tough plants for boisterous fish. That one's moving up and maybe wins my "I want" category.

Jessie

Thank you so much Wet! I'm a fish keeper before I am an aquascaper, their needs always come first. The tank has changed quite a bit - I entered at the last second after the tank had been redone only a month prior. I'm just honored to be next to such amazing tanks! There's some SERIOUS talent in this forum!

Tausendblatt

Hold on, I didn't win? I demand a vote recount!

har har...

PeterE

I think a NPT and a biotope category would be great.

f1ea

Its too easy to 'cheat' on an NPT. You can plug in some CO2 and Ferts and get your plants to explode without anyone knowing. You could have ADA or branded aquatic soil and noone knows what's under there...... In a column ferted tank, you could replant any plant you dont like how it grew out... remove the bottom (ugly looking) stems and just replant the beautiful growing tips. You can't do much of this in a true NPT without getting soil and algae all over.

Besides, NPT is not an Aquascape technique/category. Its more of a keeping method. And although it is far more challenging to make an NPT look good (no CO2, very difficult to uproot, replant, re-arrange, harder to manage sunlight etc); I believe with great planning and understanding, a good aquascaper can still make a stunning NPT that competes fair and square with other tanks.

Its harder to plan and takes more patience... but easier to keep long term (and cheaper!). I dont think this can be 'graded' in an aquascape contest based on a couple of pictures.

Just my humble opinion......