2010 ADA IAPLC Contest top 27

[Rbishop]

I really don't care what others think....these are just friggin amazing! The forrest scenes look so.....WOW.

...so true...all the rest..at ADA and some comments here, a more than a bit snooty or nit picky...IMO.

 

[vampie]

Imagine if this kind of effort and interest were dedicated to biotope aquaria? It could be educational, not just artsy. Right now, the only way you can see a large grouping of biotopes is at an Aquarium (place). If they had a Biotope Aquaria contest (who knows, perhaps they do?) on the scale of the ADA competition, that would be something that would get me really excited.

There is another contest (not ADA) that has a biotope category.. never really been that impressive unfortunately. I never quite understood the point of a biotope though, they're only very loose interpretations of a natural habitat and often don't hold any resemblance.

There's just something so VERY artificial about that.
And then they go and called them nature aquariums.

I've always found that term kinda ironic as well.

...so true...all the rest..at ADA and some comments here, a more than a bit snooty or nit picky...IMO.

There certainly are some incredible scapes in the contest.. I never had a problem with them, just the way ADA runs these competitions.

 

[Mgamer20o0]

Oh, I'm not the least bit upset about my tanks.
My goal is to actually have fish, breed them, and have the tank looking nice all the time. Easy to care for, sell enough to make a little extra $$$.

oh i fully agree. its one of the reasons why i often tell people to look for peoples build threads since you get a greater idea of low long things took and changes over time. each person has their own goals. i just try to stress for people starting out not to shoot to high or its ok if you dont meet those goals right away. personally i think my own goals line up more like yours. i really enjoy plants but for me the fish come first.

I think these contests have exposed a much wider array of people to the aesthetic principals involved in setting up a tank like that. I for one, don't care that the pictures are photoshopped.

anything that gets more people in the hobby and shoot for better looking tanks is a plus.

Additionally, dismissively saying that photo retouching somehow cheapens the aesthetic effect the designers were going for

not cheapens but my point is just to point it is art and a lot of work goes into getting it just right.

Amano has made it painfully easy to see his work, in person even, and I seriously doubt the tanks are as unsustainable as they are made out to be, considering that it's unlikely that they redo the tanks in the ADA gallery every couple months.

also have a team to take care of them. again if thats your goal its fine. i dont knock it just trying to point out the amount of work and time to get it that way.

Imagine if this kind of effort and interest were dedicated to biotope aquaria? It could be educational, not just artsy. Right now, the only way you can see a large grouping of biotopes is at an Aquarium (place). If they had a Biotope Aquaria contest (who knows, perhaps they do?) on the scale of the ADA competition, that would be something that would get me really excited.

i cant remember off hand who done it if its ada or another competition but they have over all winners plus winners for different tank sizes plus biotopes.

 

[CrimsonBlush]

I wish my aquascapes looked so good!

 

[plantbrain]

I think these contests have exposed a much wider array of people to the aesthetic principals involved in setting up a tank like that. I for one, don't care that the pictures are photoshopped.

So you like orange water and purple red plants?
Well, that's your choice I reckon.

I agree on the other points about wider array and upping the level of photography, all good things to help the hobby........but sort of miss the point of the hobby also.

We are aquarium planted hobbyists, not professional photographers.
True, some are.........but most folks can point and shoot a digital camera etc.

They are hardly 4x5 or 8x10 shooters with a photo studio.
Many of the folks in the top rated groups tend to be excellent or pro photographers. That seems to me to superceed the basic tenants of this hobby. You can combine the various hobbies etc..........or professions......but you have a trade off there once you do that.

Many will never do that because they focus on the tank, not the photo skills.
I just think it should not be a requirement is all.

The most important thing in all of these tanks, IMO, is the hardscape, and that is something that anyone at home can emulate without all the fancy equipment, the rimless tanks, or any of the ada branded nonsense.

I agree. You should/could add high degree of photography skills to that.

If anything, these tanks are important in that they widen the scope of what people can/do conceptualize when they plan tanks, at least at the layman level. Additionally, dismissively saying that photo retouching somehow cheapens the aesthetic effect the designers were going for,

With photoshop, I make things look nuts with it and hide add all sorts of things. This is NOT reality.
It is no different than artist painting a pic. It's not a question of cheaping anything, only altering what is reality.

discounts the fact that Amano has made it painfully easy to see his work, in person even, and I seriously doubt the tanks are as unsustainable as they are made out to be, considering that it's unlikely that they redo the tanks in the ADA gallery every couple months. Whether the tanks in the contest are actually sustainable as they stand in the pictures doesn't mean they can't/couldn't be sustainable with a bit of tweaking.

Many of us share our work, some of us are better at photography than others. But..........that never made me a better aquarist. See the difference?

Sustainable?
Without black seams?
Without any filter tubes in/out?
Try it and see how long your tank last.

None of that is sustainable. I do agree the tanks are possible to run and they will go through good/trimmed, and regrowth phases also, takes a lot of work to get them perfect.
And a lot of work to keep them there. It takes a lot of work to keep some of the tanks in good shape, others, not so bad. And when photo shoots, or open house events are done, you work your tail off.

99% of all my pics are walking by and taking a pic of the tank as is......I got other things to attend to. Like most hobbyist.
I've done open houses, and you cannot photo shop the house. Likewise, these folks regardless...........have done a lot of work. Do not assume I'm dismissing anything, I know more about it than I let on. I'm just questioning if pro level photography......which is art....... and PS....... help folks as aquarist. You can still see dandy hardscapes without pro photos being taken, even cheapo video works well, or without all equipment being taken out, see the fish and their health......better. I think folks would gain more as hobbyists by seeing that vs a pic.

Some of the NBAT Dutch rules include hiding all equipment but still having it running.........So it can be done and is........but not for these tanks.
They also come to your home to view the tanks. Hard to do with entries sent in like that for the ADA international etc, still...... video is a good option.

Regards,
Tom Barr