Reawakening
About This Aquascape
This design represents the transition from the stillness of winter to the hopeful awakening of spring. An aged tree, weathered by time, stands firm… Among its dried branches, new leaves emerge telling the story of nature’s quiet resilience and its unstoppable will to grow again. Beneath the surface flows a calm, waiting life; above it, nature stirs and comes alive once more. Composed as a riparium, this scene brings together both fragility and strength. More than a layout, this tank offers a living memory a quiet reflection of inner seasonal change and the enduring connection we share with the natural world. I hope I was able to evoke the same feelings in you.
- Filter
- No
- CO2 System
- No
- Lighting
- Chihiros RGB C2
- Substrate
- Tropica aquarium soil, Tropica plant growth substrate, Creaqua beıge sand
- Hardscape Materials
- Flame wood, Black moon stone
Species
Bloody mary shrimp
Plant species
Ludwigia super red mini, Anubias nana petite, Bucephalandra sp, Bucephlandra kedagang, Soleirolia soleirolii, Nephrolepis exaltata, Ophiopogon japonicus nigrescens, Bacopa caroliniana, Limnobium laevigatum, Eleocharis parvula mini, moss
Fertilization
I did water changes twice a week using RO water, and after each water change, I added 3 ml of Excel. I also added 3 ml of micro fertilizer and 3 ml of macro fertilizer per week. I misted the floating plants 4 to 5 times a day.
Judges' Comments
In many ways, this riparium invokes the rise of a phoenix with the strategic use of wood and plants. The plants in the middle portion of the aquascape are healthy and well grown in and are a good variety for the aquascape. I would have liked to have seen a better mix of colors from the plants to provide more contrast to the green, which is a little too uniform. Well done!
— Bailin Shaw
This is a very impactful display. The hardscape alone is very visually graphic, making the gesture of the layout obvious to any viewer. There is a clear transition from life above to life below the surface, and the dramatic hardscape is the vehicle for that. The hardscape is well-adorned with emergent planting that is integrated to it, rather than overpowering it. This reads as a careful attention to plant density and an understanding of the important of hardscape visibility - which is often overshadowed in emergent layouts. The submerged portion does a great job of carrying the gesture onwards, epsecially in planting that continues to follow the flow of the hardscape. With a layout so heavily biased to the right, the creator does a great job of balancing it visually. The planting on the left, above the surface, does a great job of anchoring the composition, so that it feels stable - yet in motion. This is a wonderful layout. Brilliant work!
— Jack McCarley
Lovely. Interesting wood, off centered to one side making it even more interesting. Eyes travel down the wood to the interesting water feature. Well done!
— Jo Ann Fujii
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