Mr. Masashi Ono (Japan)

Title: Relaxed Time

Evaluation: The driftwood composition and plants arrangement are in high-quality finished forms. The layout and maintenance technique, using a limited number of species, and growing those species in good forms, and maintaining impeccably even the single leaf, is amazing. But it is unfortunate the layout lacks impact.

His Comment: I was very surprised to see the result. I thought my layout was too common, and I did not expect to receive such a high prize. I tried to express a scene of aging driftwood, and its surrounding newborn plants and slow moving time flow by driftwood combination, using open space in luxury. I think this is an orthodox aquarium layout, but I am very glad such a layout was highly scored.

Aquarium Tank: W114xD52xH52 (cm)

Aquatic Plants:
Vallisneria nana
Microsorum sp.
Eleocharis xingua
Fantinalis antipyretica

Fish & Invertebrates:
Puntius sp.cf.denisoni
Crossocheilus siamensis
Caridina multidentata

Source : Aquatic Gardeners

Mr. Fumio Shiga (Japan)

Title: Listen Carefully for the Sound of a Stream

Evaluation: The use of driftwood is very skillful, and the composition is powerful. From the way the moss and aquatic plants are arranged — attached on the driftwood — one can feel elaborateness. The contrast between the red-brown color driftwood surface, and green aquatic plants is beautiful, and the use of pure white Rio Negro Sand in the foreground makes the layout powerful in terms of color.

His Comment: I am very glad to receive this prize. I made this layout with an image of a babbling stream of a river. I wanted to make a layout as if the flowing river sound is meeting the ear. So I combined the driftwood with such a feeling in my mind, and inserted Willow Moss between space of the driftwood, imagining their idealistic form. I am very glad the moss grew as I wish. I hope to enjoy making a new layout for next year’s contest.

Aquarium Tank:W150 x D45 x H60 (cm)

Aquatic Plants:
Echinodorus angstifolia
Vallisneria nana
Bolbitis heudelotii
Microsorum sp.
Isoetes japonica
Blyxa novoguineensis
Eleocharis acicularis
Rotala nanjean
Ludwigia arcuata
Cryptocoryne wendtii ‘brown’
Fantinalis antipyretica

Fish & Invertebrates:
Hemigrammus ulreyi
Otocinclus sp.
Crossocheilus siamensis
Caridina multidentata

Source : Aquatic Gardeners