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TOP OF THE WORLD 2018 #02

Editors of Aqua JournalEditors of Aqua Journal

THE INTERNATIONAL AQUATIC PLANTS LAYOUT CONTEST 2018
GOLD PRIZE
MINH TOAN NGUYEN


VIETNAM / Towards The Sun

Aquarium Size / W120×D60×H55(cm)

Aquatic Plants
Bucephalandra sp. /  Vesicularia ferriei / Taxiphyllum sp. / Jungermannia / Eleocharis parvula / Hygrophila pinnatifida / Fissidens splachnobryoides / Cryptocoryne parva / Anubias barteri var. nana / Bolbitis heudelotii / Bolbitis heteroclita “difformis” / Taxiphyllum alternans

Fish & Invertebrates
Paracheirodon axelrodi / Hemigrammus bleheri

This artistry of planted aquarium will live forever.

Profile
Age/ 26 years old

Occupation/ Engineer
Years of the experience in the aquarium hobby/ Approximately 3 years
Any other hobbies besides aquarium/ Guitar, Singing, and Traveling

 
AJ: Tell us what you wanted to express with your layout work, layout theme, motif, ideas behind your winning work.
I want to inspire everyone to always try to be better and to get higher in life, even though you are in a dark period of your life, like, in a dark shade of the cave, always get towards the brighter, better side of the road, just like the name of my tank, “ Towards The Sun.” The second thing I want to remind everyone is that always protect the living environment of all beings out there, plants and animals, because they deserve to live happily like us, and don’t take their home away from them. Finally, I want to say that the “aquatic community” will always look towards Japan – the Sun Rising Land and Mr. Takashi Amano, who brought this wonderful artistry to the world. This artistry will live forever!
AJ: What was the most difficult aspect of creating and maintaining this layout work?
The hardest part about creating this layout was the process of connecting rocks and stones to create the curve threshold of the cave, hewing and gluing rocks to create stalactites in a way that they would look natural the most.
The key for maintaining this layout was to cut Bolbitis heudelotii to add a sense of depth, and the moss to keep the naturalness of this layout.

AJ: Tell us about the layout materials (rocks and driftwood) which were used for this layout work.
Rocks: Dragon Rock – I used this type of rock because of their facial characters. They have a lot of holes which look naturally similar to cave walls. This type of rock is very soft and light. I can easily break and glue them to make natural looking stalactites.
Driftwood: Old tree roots – I used old tree roots to describe roots of trees from the forest right above the cave. After thousands of years, the forest rooted through the cave ceiling. The roots made this layout look super natural.



 

THE INTERNATIONAL AQUATIC PLANTS LAYOUT CONTEST 2018
SILVER PRIZE
TAKAYUKI FUKADA


JAPAN / Tree spirit

Aquarium Size / W150×D60×H55(cm)

Aquatic Plants
Anubias sp.“Gabon” / Anubias congensis / Anubias congensis “Mini” / Anubias barteri var. nana / Anubias barteri var. nana “Petite”  / Anubias minima / Anubias barteri var. glabra / Anubias barteri var. nana “Pangolino” / Anubias barteri var. nana “Milky” / Anubias barteri var. nana “White” / Rotala rotundifolia “Green” / Rotala sp.“Sunset” / Rotala sp. “Hra” / Hemianthus micranthemoidesMicranthemum sp. / Glossostigma elatinoides / Fontinalis antipyretica / Vesicularia sp. / Vesicularia ferriei / Riccardia chamedryfolia  / Aegagropila linnaei

Fish & Invertebrates
Phenacogrammus caudomaculatus / Otocinclus sp. / Crossocheilus oblongus / Ancistrus sp. / Caridina multidentata

It is the fate of the one who tries to master the art to keep working to achieve the goal.

Profile
Age/ 48 years old

Occupation/ Graphic Designer
Years of the experience in the aquarium hobby/10 years
Record of awards in the past IAPLC /
IAPLC2009 144th
IAPLC2010 107th
IAPLC2011 13th
IAPLC2012 32nd
IAPLC2013 2nd
IAPLC2014 5th
IAPLC2015 1st
IAPLC2016 1st
Any other hobbies besides aquarium/Cycling
 

AJ: What was the most difficult aspect of creating and maintaining this layout work?
The difficulty that I encountered this year was the struggle of finding enough time for the layout production. I believe that this is a problem that was faced by not only me but also every contestant who has a day job. I struggled through it until the completion, telling myself that it is the fate of the one who tries to master the art to keep working to achieve the goal even if one has to shave off time for other things. I am ashamed to say this, but I could not concentrate as well as before, maybe because of my age, and became discouraged many times.

 
AJ: Tell us about the layout materials (rocks and driftwood) which were used for this layout work.
I used Horn Wood pieces and Unzan Stones in various sizes for the production. I reused the Unzan Stones that I used for the entry in the 2015 contest. It was difficult to get hold of extra large Horn Wood pieces that matched the image for the entry that I had in mind, but I was able to obtain them with the help of an ADA dealer that I patronize.

AJ: What do you think about the IAPLC?
Needless to say, IAPLC is the most well recognized layout competition in the world. I have produced layouts with a goal to have them rated in IAPLC, and I don’t think that my goal will change in the future. Many contests are being held world wide in recent years. I believe that it is the result of the achievement of the IAPLC getting recognized in the world. I feel that the contest has reached a period of transition in which the direction of the contest including its modality may be reestablished. In any case, I hope that IAPLC will evolve and continue to be a source of fun for all of us.
Overall framework of the composition.

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