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RE: [AGA Contest] Re:Biotopes
Steve,
When aquascapers order plants online they normally don't consider the fact
that some of the plants offered for sale are illegal in many states.
However, people who
are interested in biotopes often are the type of people who would rather
put
their boots on and walk through the ditches along a road collecting their
own plants. Once again this is an educational thing. There are many
prohibited plants. For example in Texas if you get caught with 10 water
hyacinths in your pond, you are liable for a $20,000 fine ($2000 per stem
or
plant, see: http://www.ntwgs.org/articles/illegalAquatics.html).
Biotopers
tend to study the plants they collect, so they appreciate learning about
prohibited plants, as they are usually prohibited for a good reason. I
also don't want the contestants to repeat the mistake
I made with my previous entry, showing water hyacinth floating in my
aquarium, and giving my address as Texas!
If the biotope population is small in the U.S. (specializing in foreign
biotopes), than those
that go out to locally collect plants is even minute.
I do think also that eventually aquascaping will develop towards more
biotypical arrangements. Just read Amano's article in the Oct-Dec 2003
TAG.
If
everyone wants to imitate Amano you may see more aquascapes that look less
surreal and more natural with open top tanks, emergent growth and submerged
growth imitating more the way plants grow in nature. So biotopes may
influence aquascaping eventually just like the advances made in technology
to promote the high quality of aquascaping are used by almost all
aquarists.
That tank is actually pretty old. It seems he is moving back toward more
"unnatural"
arrangements again. Iwagumi rock arrangements with lush carpets of
hairgrass, driftwood
arrangements with carefully ordered arrangements of green and red plants,
etc.Those
are the latest I have seen.
There are some of us who are just not ready skill-wise or emotionally to
start heavy into aquascaping, and who enjoy keeping local plants and
learning about them. I don't think it is as important to a biotope
contestant to win a prize as much as it is nice to just show your work to
others and describe what you did to create your biotope. Once again I
think
the biotope category is more of an educational tool than a competitive
piece
of art.
I think if you would have asked the typical aquatic plant hobbyist in 1990,
he would have
a similar mindset. I think the biotope hobby is just behind in the U.S.
I am still amazed about the mindsets of _some_ of the aquascapers
(novice and experienced) that I have been conversing with on the forums in
regards to
plants. To many of them the plants themselves are really not that
important. They are only spots of color and form to be used to create a
work of art. They care about growing them only so they look good in their
composition. A lot of the novices are convinced that the judges don't care
about
longevity, and just plant the tank and wait a while and take the pictures
before the algae sets in. Why worry to learn about nutrients if the tank
is
not intended to be permanent? Its gotten down with these few people to
just
being competitive. I
think the trouble aquascapers have with the biotope category is that it is
so different from their specialty. But that's what gives the AGA some
balance.
Let me say this, however, that aquascapers also typically have the
healthiest plants
out there. Plant health is a massive part of aquascaping. A good design will
not look
good without healthy plants. Amano calls plant health as the sin quo non of
aquascaping.
True, it wouldn't be an aquascaped work of art, but it
would represent another part of our hobby that has some following in the
AGA
that seems to be increasing a bit in popularity.
A tank with wild rice and Crypt becketii can be made to be beautiful,
however. Aquascaping
doesn't just have to be about competing with one another. It also has to do
with creating
something beautiful that you get to enjoy on a day to day basis.
Carlos
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