Dutch scaping articles

[Tom Barr]

Haha, I heard a criticism from an ADA fan boy recently about dutch aquariums.

He said they looked like "fruit stands". "Each group of different fruit is stack front the back reminiscent of how fruit is displayed"
"Collectoritus........."

Well............I did a search and these are not even his words...........he stole them off the web from a reef discussion about their scaping issues. What a turkey.
I sent the email back illuminating his copying of another's comments. Likely will not hear from him again.

http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=10549

[AquaticJim]

I've always admired the fruit displays at the Australian Royal Easter Shows

[jerrybforl]

Amano's style is nice and all, but for me it's a bit boring! I love of all the color and variety in a Dutch scape.

[AquaticJim]

Amano's style is nice and all, but for me it's a bit boring! I love of all the color and variety in a Dutch scape.

I'm in no way putting down Amano's style, but I agree Jerry.

I can admire an Iwagumi style tank, but I always get the thought "Once you've seen one, you've seen them all" and they don't change much over the life of the scape.

A Dutch/Jungle scape is a dynamic living entity that changes from day to day.

[Hallen]

I personally love (old) Nature scapes which are inspired by nature and not directly copying it and a Iwagumi every now and then just a little above a Dutch scape, but that's personal favor. But I respect the Dutch scapes much more, not only for their way of judging but the fact that they can take just plants and arrange them without hardscape in a wall of colours that looks very attrective to the eye.

Not much reason to do a Nature vs. Dutch tank anyhow since their completly different in their set-up, you can hardly compare the two. On side note, I remember Amano himself stating in an interview that I likes the Dutch tanks quite a bit.

Funny how the fruitstand arguement comes up, it can be true for a beginner or experiment. But the expierenced competitor will try to avoid that by using different leave shapes, stems/rosettes, colours etc.

@Tom, Love the wooden finger haha

[dutchy]

I also like the Amano style nature scapes more than Dutch scapes, because there is more variety and it looks more like a part of nature itself. (Not to be confused with DW's "El Natural".) Most Dutch scapes look alike, failing hardscape and using the almost mandatory plants like tiger lily's etc.

Anyway, a good dutch scape is pleasing to the eye and very colourful.

Still, some cheating is done even when NBAT judges come over to see the tank in person. Shortening and tying the leaves of tiger lily's together to get the right effect, even when it means the leaf will die in a week or so. The grow out tanks, as Tom mentioned earlier, to always have the right plant in stock.

I also contribute in this and do a waterchange just before the judges arrive. This way I lower NO3, PO4, TDS and CO2 levels temporarily which will give me more points.

I'm sure others do the same, and the disadvantage is that people take an example out of these publicized waterparameters as being the optimal, claiming that the number one tank had an NO3 that was zero. Then they ask me how I can explain that, not realizing it was just a one time measurement which is not representative.

I think the Dutch scape will never die, estimating that around 75% of the Dutch aquarists has a Dutch scape. It's just that it isn't promoted that much as Amano's style.

[Tom Barr]

@Tom, Love the wooden finger haha

The true scaper can convey their message with the scape itself.

hehe

Offensive style, I guess I'm among the first to do that in an aquascape using a natural unaltered element.
Being mean, crotchety and onerous, that suits me.

And those are my "good" qualities.

[Tom Barr]

Still, some cheating is done even when NBAT judges come over to see the tank in person. Shortening and tying the leaves of tiger lily's together to get the right effect, even when it means the leaf will die in a week or so. The grow out tanks, as Tom mentioned earlier, to always have the right plant in stock.

I also contribute in this and do a waterchange just before the judges arrive. This way I lower NO3, PO4, TDS and CO2 levels temporarily which will give me more points.

I'm sure others do the same, and the disadvantage is that people take an example out of these publicized waterparameters as being the optimal, claiming that the number one tank had an NO3 that was zero. Then they ask me how I can explain that, not realizing it was just a one time measurement which is not representative.

I think the Dutch scape will never die, estimating that around 75% of the Dutch aquarists has a Dutch scape. It's just that it isn't promoted that much as Amano's style.

This is the main issue I think, nice pictures and well marketed style. ADA is a company, so was Dupla...........they aggressively marketed their products and styles worldwide.
I would like to see a more history and up to the present time a good text on Dutch aquascaping with plants.

I have no fear that ADA's nature style will be around a long time, they are marketing it aggressively, lots of a high grade pictures sell without any language needed also.

Something to ponder.

[feh]

Haha, I heard a criticism from an ADA fan boy recently about dutch aquariums.

He said they looked like "fruit stands". "Each group of different fruit is stack front the back reminiscent of how fruit is displayed"
"Collectoritus........."

Well............I did a search and these are not even his words...........he stole them off the web from a reef discussion about their scaping issues. What a turkey.
I sent the email back illuminating his copying of another's comments. Likely will not hear from him again.

http://kb.marinedepot.com/article.aspx?id=10549

Interesting article... I'm still thinking on how I want to scape my "reefeh" tank.

[Aquadream]

This is the main issue I think, nice pictures and well marketed style. ADA is a company, so was Dupla...........they aggressively marketed their products and styles worldwide.
I would like to see a more history and up to the present time a good text on Dutch aquascaping with plants.

I have no fear that ADA's nature style will be around a long time, they are marketing it aggressively, lots of a high grade pictures sell without any language needed also.

Something to ponder.

Some time ago I also use to make some Dutch style look a like stuff. Now I am aiming a lot at ADA style. However I find it disturbing that IAPLC is a lot about photography and much less about reality.
I have seen live photos taken by someone in the gallery in Nigata from most of the current Amano scapes. Those scapes are published most of them in the last Book of ADA.
Hell guys! Those aquariums look so painfully ordinary from the hobby pictures. Nothing in common with the catalogue images.
So I feel compelled to enhance my photos or i do not stand a chance on IAPLC.
I am not sure how much of aquascaping that is.