[TheStoriesOfTop7] Flood Season - Quang Minh Nguyen / VietNam - IAPLC 2019

09 May 2024

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Here is the second Bronze Prize winning layout characterized by its gentle wood work. The maker mainly used moss for the layout, but he has avoided a monotonous manner by planting lighter green plants in spots. The white decorative sand laid under driftwood branches helps prevent the aquascape from becoming too gloomy, and it also successfully enhances the underwater appearance. This layout is highly acclaimed for making a moderate amount of open space and the well-balanced composition. What makes it unique is the sense of serenity found in the expression of natural feel.

[TheStoriesOfTop7] Flood Season - Quang Minh Nguyen / VietNam - IAPLC 2019

"Flood Season" by Mr. Nguyen Quang Minh (Vietnam) placed 6th (Bronze prize), with Mr. Shogo Yamaguchi (Japan), Frantisek Kolin (Czech Republic) and Mr. Sergei Kochetov (Russia) scoring it over 200 points. The layout gives us an impression of a moss covered forest landscape, but it also tastefully creates an underwater feeling with tall slender plants and the blue color of the background. The use of fine white decorative sand helps deliver cool comfort of a spring-fed stream. Ideally, the layout could be much more appealing if it would have another element to further highlight its underwater feeling, in particular silvery bodies of fish. In this context, the choice of fish is indeed crucial in order to achieve better results.

IAPLC 2019 Gallery - Look back history - World Ranking 0006 - Bronze Prize

Flood Season

Author: Nguyen Quang Minh / VietNam

Aquarium Size/W150×D60×H55(cm)

Aquatic Plants

Vallisneria nana

Eleocharis parvula

Bolbitis heudelotii

Vesicularia ferriei

Taxiphyllum sp. 'Flame'

Taxiphyllum alternans

Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'

Microsorum sp. 'Narrow Leaf'

Ranalisma rostrata

Marsilea hirsuta

Helanthium tenellum

Staurogyne sp 'Porto velho'

Hygrophila pinnatifida

Nymphaea lotus

Blyxa alternifolia

Hydrocotyle sibthorpioides

Hemianthus micranthemoides

Fish & Invertebrates

Bedotia geayi

Trigonostigma heteromorpha

Hyphessobrycon amandae

Otocinclus affinis

AWARDS

World Ranking 0006 Bronze Prize IAPLC 2019

Comments

I did not apply for 2017 IAPLC. I applied for 2016 IAPLC and got the rank of 493. That year, I run my small business of trading aquarium fishes and also designed aquascapes with aquatic plants as a hobby. I found some ideas and techniques that I thought myself great and set up my work. But at last, when the 2016 IAPLC result was published, I found it really disappointing at that moment. My result was not as I had hoped. It was so far from the top ranking and the big question: WHY was always in my mind, no answer. Just my wife was with me at the moment and gave me advices to contact to the professional aquascapers to consult them. I joined some aquascaping groups in my country to research and at last, contacted the best ones Mr. Ngo Truong Thinh and Mr. Ant Long Tran Hoang who enthusiastically helped me to find my faults, taught me way, skills, principles of setting up a hard-scape. Up to now they became big brothers, teachers for younger aquascapers like me

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