This month the first edition of the Romanian Aquascaping Competition came to a finish. The first one of this kind in Romania, the contest attracted a handful of aquarists from the country, who entered their aquarium in one of the 3 categories hoping that it would be a winner. We’ll present the winners from the first and most important category: Planted tanks, with its 3 sub-categories: less than 100 liters, between 100 and 300 liters and more than 300 liters aquariums.
Less than 100 liters Planted Tanks
1st Place Winner – Drops of light in the forest – Petruc Dan Iulian
A combination of Dutch and Nature, with a solid triangular construction, Iulian’s tank snatched the first prize in this sub-category.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
45 x 30 x 24 – 32 liters - Hardware:
Philips 2 x 23w 6500k
SunSun HW 603B filter - Substrate and hardscape elements:
JBL Manado, Red Moor Wood, stones from nature - Plants:
Rotala rotundifolia, Hemianthus micranthemoides, Vesicularia montagnei, Fissidens fontanus, Fontinalis antipyretica, Vesicularia ferriei, Hydrocotyle tripartita. - Fish & Inverts:
Aplocheilichthys normani, Neocaridina davidi var. red, Anentome helena. - Fertilization:
Pressurized CO² 1bps, EasyCarbo 1ml/day, Elixier Dennerle 1ml/day, JBL balls. - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
30%/week water change.
2nd Place Winner – Serenity – Godea Ionut
It’s amazing what 20 liters of water can hold as Ionut accomplished a good depth effect with this Nature nano tank. Again, we see a triangular setup based on a structure composed of a good selection of dark rocks. Good choice of a lighter substrate creates a nice contrast with the dark grey of the rocks and the plants’ green.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
36 x 24 x 31 cm – 20 liters - Hardware:
1 x 9W
Hailea 200l/h filter
Aquael Easy Heater 25W - Substrate and hardscape elements:
Quartz Sand 1mm, river rocks - Plants:
Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba, Vesicularia dubyana Christmas, Utricularia graminifolia, Limnophila sessiliflora, Hydrocotyle tripartita, Micranthemum umbrosum, Ceratopteris thalictroides, Eleocharis parvula, Hemianthus micrantemoides, Echinodorus tenellus, Heteranthera zosterifolia. - Fish & Inverts:
Pristella maxillaris. - Fertilization:
Easy Life ProFito, Easy Life Fosfo, Easy Life Nitro and EasyCarbo; feeding 1 time a day, 6 days a week; 40% weekly water changes. - Other (feeding, water changes etc.):
Feeding 1 time a day, 6 days a week; 40% weekly water changes.
3rd Place Winner – The good side – Alexandru Caileanu
A warm layout, with yet another triangular design, Alexandru’s tank mixes quite a few plants, giving it more of a Dutch look. We couldn’t help but notice the use of a lighter wood which is not very often seen in the world of aquascaping.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
60 x 30 x 30 – 54 liters - Hardware:
2x18w Osram 865 and 830
Aquael Minikani 120 external filter
Aquael Mini internal filter
4KG CO² cilinder - Substrate and hardscape elements:
JBL Manado 8 kg, vine roots wood, plum tree wood, lava rock. - Plants:
Eleocharis parvula, Alternanthera reineckii mini, Staurogyne repens, Anubias nana var petite, Microsorum pteropus mini narrow, Microsorum Needle Leaf, Cladophora aegagrophila, Cryptocoryne wendtii brown, Fissidens fontanus, Hygrophila polysperma rosanervig, Hemianthus glomeratus, Prosepinaca palustris, Myriophyllum mattogrossense. - Fish & Inverts:
Boraras maculatus, Caridina babaulti var. green, Neocaridina davidi var. orange, Crossocheilus siamensis, Physa marmorata. - Fertilization:
Trace Mix Plus, PPS-Pro, Easy Life EasyCarbo, CO2 1 bps - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
Feeding Tetra Mini Granules (1 time a day), 50% weekly water changes.
Between 100 and 300 liters Planted Tanks
1st Place Winner – NewScape – Vladimir Chirilov
A pretty unusual layout with lots of open spaces and a high contrast. The lush HC Cuba carpet looks great but maybe the E. vivipara looked better if it had been placed in the right hand side of the aquarium, in the back of Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
120 x 50 x 45 – 270 liters - Hardware:
Fluval 204 and Sunsun 302 filters
2x150W HQI Methlux and 2x Osram 965 58W
2KG CO² cilinder - Substrate and hardscape elements:
JBL Manado, unknown rocks and wood - Plants:
Hemianthus callitrichoides Cuba, Cabomba, Staurogyne repens, Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides, Blyxa japonica, Oldenlandia salzmannii, Eleocharis vivipara. - Fish & Inverts:
Pterophyllum scalare, Hyphessobrycon pulchripinnis (Lemon tetra), Neocaridina Heteropoda var. Red (Red Cherry Shrimp). - Fertilization:
ADA Green Brighty Step 2, ADA Special Lights, ADA Brighty K, ADA ECA - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
50%/week water change.
2nd Place Winner – Peisaj – Godea Ionut
A true Nature aquarium, very balanced and well thought out, this is Ionut’s second entry in the contest. Everything works in this layout: the rocks and pebbles, the substrate, the plants, the small pieces of wood, are all combined in a visual mastery which only nature could put together. Good depth is achieved by sloping slightly the substrate from the back to the front, creating a path and placing smaller rocks in the middle back of the tank.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
101 x 41 x 50 – 207 liters - Hardware:
Jewel internal filter, Jewel heater; JBL Solar Natur Ultra 45W and JBL Solar Tropic Ultra 45W - Substrate and hardscape elements:
JBL Aquabasis, Quartz Sand (1-3mm), river rocks, beech wood - Plants:
Didiplis diandra, Hydrocotyle sp. japan, Blyxa japonica, Ceratopteris thalictroides, Micranthemum umbrosum, Hemianthus micrantemoides, Hygrophila polysperma rosanervig, Ludwigia arcuata, Christmas moss, Hydrocotyle leucocephala, Vallisneria nana, Limnobium laevigatum, B. heudelotii, Fissidens fontanus, Eleocharis parvula, Utricularia graminifolia, Monosolenium tenerum, Microsorium pteropus needle leaf, Limnophila sesiliflora, Rotala Rotundifolia. - Fish & Inverts:
Hyphessobrycon herbertaxelrodi, Red Cherry Shrimp, Anentome helena. - Fertilization:
Easy Carbo, Profito, Fosfo & Nitro, CO² 1 bps. - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
40% weekly water changes, feeding once per day, 6 days per week.
3rd Place Winner – White Belly – Adrian Botoncea
Adrian’s entry constitutes a good Dutch aquarium with lush green and red groups of plants.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
100 x 40 x 45 – 180 liters - Hardware:
2x Giesemann AquaFlora 39W, 2x Giesemann MidDay 39W, 2x Osram 865 39W
Tetratec EX1200 and JBL e901 external filters
Eheim Jager 150W heater - Substrate and hardscape elements:
JBL 7 balls, Sera peat, Volcanit 5l, Black volcanic sand 251, Manado 10l, White sand 5l
Mopani wood, Red Moor wood, burnt black rocks. - Plants:
Didiplis Diandra, Pogostemon Erectus, Myriophyllum Mattogrossense, Cabomba Furcata, Blyxa Japonica, Staurogyne Repens, Rotala Butterfly,Rotala Macrandra, Phoenix Moss, Java Ludwigia Arcuata, Eriocaulon Cinereum, Utricularia Graminifolia, HC Cuba, Ammania Bonsai, Hydrocotyle Tripartita, Tonina Belem, Pogostemon Helferi, Alternanthera Reineckii var. mini, Alternanthera Reineckii. - Fish & Inverts:
8x Tetra Cardinal, 5x Crossocheilus siamensis, 1x Betta splendens, ?x Neocaridina davidi var. red, ?x Neocaridina davidi var. green - Fertilization:
Daily with:
8ml PPS pro, 6ml Micro, 3ml EasyLife Ferro, 15ml Kalium, Pressurized CO² – 35mg/l - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
Feeding one time a day with New Life Spectrum, JBL Novo Prawn, Tetramin CrispsPro, Serra Betagran; 50 liters water changes per week, another 5-10 liters in the course of the week.
More than 300 liters Planted Tanks
1st Place Winner – Deep in forest – Bratulescu Narcis
Another combination of Dutch and Nature Aquarium styles, but with less open space left. For some reason this tank seems to lack a certain depth which could have definitely made it look better. Clever use of H. tripartita.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
120 x 48 x 55 – 316 liters - Hardware:
CO² cilinder, 2x Tetra EX1200 filter
2x 54W T5 830 Osram, 3x T5 865 Osram - Substrate and hardscape elements:
Wood and volcanic rocks - Plants:
H. Tripartita. D. Diandra, H. micrantemoides, HC Cuba, P. palustris, R. macranda, Staurogyne, L. aromatica, Christmas Moss, M. umbrosum - Fish & Inverts:
Rasbora, Rhodostomus, Calistus. - Fertilization:
Tropica fertilizers, daily dose of micro & macro - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
NA
2nd Place Winner – Black green – Buculei George Romeo
A true Dutch aquascape takes the 2nd place in this sub-category. Plants look very healthy and the overall layout is well balanced.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
120 x 60 x 45 – 324 liters - Hardware:
5x 54W T5: 3x Giesemann Flora & 2x Midday
Eheim 2078 filter
CO² system with pH controller. - Substrate and hardscape elements:
Evidecor black substrate, JBL Aquabasis - Plants:
Staurogyne, Tonina sp manaus, Tonina sp belem, Tonina sp fluviatilis, Microsorum umbrosum, Didiplis diandra, Rotala sp red, Pogostemon erectus, Nesaea crassicaulis, Rotala macrandra sp green, Rotala macrandra mini sp red, Lindernia sp india, Rotala najenshan, Pogostemon helferi, Alternanthera mini, Microsorum micranthemoides, Eriocaulon cinereum, Eriocaulon setaceum, Rotala walichii, Blyxa japonica, Anubias barteri nana, Cuphea anagalloidea. - Fish & Inverts:
Paracheirodon axelrodi, Dwarf neon, Red Cherry & Amano shrimp - Fertilization:
Micro, JBL Ferropol, Ferropol 24, Macro PPS - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
NA
3rd Place Winner – Rocky dreams – Apetrei Sorin Mihai
Mihai built a split Dutch aquascape creating a strong dark contrast between the black background of the tank and the rich colors of the plants. A good amount of red plants were used.
Tank info:
- Dimensions (Lxlxh cm):
155 x 50 x 45 – 348 liters - Hardware:
2x 80W Osram 830 & 2x 80W Osram 865
Eheim 2224 and JBL e901 filter
Resun 500 heater
CO² cilinder
JBL Top Clean 2 skimmer - Substrate and hardscape elements:
Evidecor black gravel, volcanic rocks - Plants:
Hemianthus cuba, Pogostemon helferi, Pogostemon erectus, Ammania bonsai, Staurogyne repens, Alternanthera reineckii mini, Alternanthera rosaefolia, Ludwigia rubin, Limnophila aromatica, Heteranthera zosterifolia, Myriophyllum mattogrossense, Hygrophila pinnatifida, Polygonum sp. ‘Kawagoeanum’, Hydrocotyle sp. ‘Japan’, Eleocharis sp. mini, Eleocharis acicularis, Microsorum windelov, Cladophora aegagrophila, Blyxa japonica. - Fish & Inverts:
Ancistrus, SAE, Sewellia lineolata, Atyopsis moluccensis, Red Cherry Shrimp, Physa marmorata, Melanoides tuberculata. - Fertilization:
Trace Mix Plus, PPS-Pro, K2SO4, Easy Life EasyCarbo, CO2 3bps - Other info (feeding, water changes etc.):
Feeding Tetra Wafer Mix, 40% weekly water changes.
So there you have it, the best aquascapes from the first edition of the Romanian Aquascaping Contest. Which one do you like better? Tell us in the comments section below.
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