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Re: aquascaping competitions






> Date: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 06:24:48 -0700
> From: Robert H <robertph at best_com>
> Subject: Re: 
> 
> >>First of all I am
> French. Last year I was student and
> decided to make a 6 months training period in Holland in order to learn more about the
> fascinating Dutch aquarium. 
snip...
> 
> Wow, I have heard about these competitions. This is the difference between Dutch and
> Americans. We hold no such contests, nor is there anywhere in this country where you can
> "study" aquascaping. I wish pictures of these competitions were on the internet.

There used to be such competition. I recall coming back from Harry's War and
first entering the hobby seriously about 1954. I was simply blown away at
the beautiful planted tanks in the Los Angeles County Fair at Pomona. They
were in a special fair class and were awarded prizes. [I believe, but am not
sure, that they were there through an aquarium society sponsorship.] They
certainly had a lasting influence on me. I have never liked bare tanks,
since.

The style was heavily toward built-up rockwork covering much of the back,
and was very different from modern Japanese or Dutch styles -- natural, but
less lush and more sculptural. Since they had to be moved to the site, I
think the tanks tended to be much smaller than what we usually see in the
Bay Area -- more like Amano's typical sizes.

My memory is my second shortest thing, but I think they were competing for
fish and plants both -- that is, overall effect was what was judged, again
much like Amano, as I understand it.

We could do the same thing again, if we wanted. It's a lot of effort, but I
would like to see it done in a very public (high traffic) place to make it
pay off in education. County fairs might be ideal. SFAS does have annual
home show competition in various classes and video entries, too. If we could
set a standard size, like 10G, it would be more influence on the public and
the local shops if we did it in a single busy place, annually or even
semi-annually.

Wright

-- 
Wright Huntley, Fremont CA, USA, 510 494-8679  huntleyone at home dot com

"The whole aim of practical politics is to keep the populace alarmed --
and thus clamorous to be led to safety -- by menacing it with an endless
series of hobglobins, all of them imaginary." -- H.L. Mencken
***http://www.self-gov.org/libertarianism.html offers some solutions.***