“Seclusion”: 2nd place in the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) 2017 by Junmiao Xu from China

Aquarium dimensions: L 120 × W 45 × H 45 (cm)

This dreamlike aquarium layout by Junmiao Xu from China won a gold medal at the IAPLC 2017 and reached 2nd place in this competition. In the aquarium with an edge length of 120 cm, she created a forest scene with many vertically placed pieces of driftwood supported by Yamaya stones. The hardscape structure was skillfully combined with some thinner pieces of wood. This creates enormous variety of detail and, through the use of the thin roots in the background, a great sense of depth that makes the aquarium layout look very three-dimensional.

As plants, Junmiao Xu chose mainly mosses, Bucephalandra species and other epiphytes to create as natural a forest mood as possible. The delicate structures of Riccardia chamedryfolia and Fissidens fontanus in particular create enormous variety of detail and make the aquarium appear larger than it actually is. Hygrophila pinnatifida was skillfully used in a few places as a reddish-brown accent. Near the bottom, large-leaved ground cover plants such as Hydrocotyle sp. Japan in the front and small-leaved species such as probably Cuba dwarf baby tears or Micranthemum tweediei in the background reinforce the sense of depth of the open lane in the middle area.

For fish stocking, Hemigrammus ocellifer and Paracheirodon axelrodi were used here. The cardinal tetra above all impresses here with its schooling behavior and forms a clear contrast to the predominantly green planting and the brown roots.

Forest “Curug Cipendok”: 3rd place in the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) 2017 by Yoyo Prayogi from Indonesia

Yoyo Prayogi once visited the Cipendok Curug forest in the Banyumas district of Central Java in Indonesia and felt very inspired by the special character of nature at this place. He then implemented this motif in an aquascape that shows a forest scene with many large trees but also impresses with an incredible number of details with small roots and delicate planting. The hardscape structure is handmade in the typical Indonesian style, with many individual pieces of wood glued together that look extremely natural. Especially delicate and detailed are the many small pieces of root that protrude from the moss in many places. It takes a lot of work from the aquascaper to maintain these details so that the plants do not overgrow and hide the fine nuances. The aquarium layout has two vanishing points of different strength with open spots that give us a view of the back glass of the aquarium. The step-like rise of the hardscape guides the viewer's eye specifically to these vanishing points and supports the sense of depth in this design work.

The mosses Riccardia chamedryfolia and Fissidens fontanus were used to design the forest floor. The aquascaper placed some Bucephalandra species on them, which provide variety as solitary individual accents. Vesicularia montagnei was used almost exclusively in the area of the treetops. Interesting is the use of rather classic stem plants such as Ludwigia sp. “Super Red” and Hygrophila polysperma “Sunset”. These were not planted in the substrate as usual but rather used as epiphytes in the upper area of the aquarium layout. Ammania sp. “Bonsai” sets a few individual accents in the rear area of the aquarium. The head-and-tail-light tetras together with the light sand in the foreground form a wonderfully harmonious unit and, as fish stocking, do not look visually too intrusive.

Aquarium dimensions: L 120 × W 50 × H 45 (cm)

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