Creative hardscape ideas with Dragon Stone (Ohko stone) by HyoungJoo Jeon

This layout is a powerful demonstration of how a single, bold concept—when executed with precision and artistry—can create a truly unforgettable scene.

The international aquascaping community is once again captivated as the results of the 2025 International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest (IAPLC) are revealed. Securing the coveted World Ranking #003 and the Silver Prize is Japan’s own Katsuki Tanaka with his breathtaking creation, "PRIMAL BURST."

This is an exceptional aquascape, and its high ranking as an Honor Prize winner at the IAPLC 2025 is well-deserved. The tank, titled "Connecting" by Long Tran Hoang, is a true masterpiece of scale and composition.

This aquascape, titled "Tigers in the Dragon," is a fantastic example of a well-executed nature aquarium. It's a visually striking piece that successfully combines strong hardscape elements with lush, healthy plant growth and fitting fish

This is a powerful and evocative aquascape that masterfully captures the essence of an ancient, submerged forest. The title, "Longevity," is perfectly embodied through the intricate and dominant hardscape, which speaks of age, resilience, and the slow, persistent passage of time.

The "Forest Spirit" by Vo Truong Nghia from Vietnam, is a masterful example of nature-style aquascaping. It immediately evokes the feeling of a lush, submerged forest floor. The refinement process clearly shows the author's determination and effort, with multiple revisions and upgrades

This aquascape, titled "Dark" by Antonio Nikolic from Croatia, is a stunning example of a natural style aquarium. The creator has masterfully used hardscape—specifically large pieces of driftwood—to create a dark, cave-like structure on the right side of the tank. This provides a deep sense of perspective and mystery.

This is an outstanding piece of aquascaping, achieving the impressive World Ranking of 56 at the prestigious IAPLC 2025. The work evokes a profound sense of nature, tranquility, and depth, perfectly matching its title, "Silent Grove." The overall composition feels wild yet masterfully controlled, reminiscent of a serene riverbank or an ancient, flooded forest. It stands as a prime example of the Nature Aquarium style executed with excellence.

This aquascape immediately captivates with its impressively vibrant canyon layout. Two majestic rock formations, densely covered with lush green aquatic plants, create a grand and mysterious landscape. A winding path of white pebbles gracefully guides the viewer deeper into this "underwater valley," evoking a strong sense of exploration and wonder.

A contemporary iteration of the Iwagumi style pioneered by Takashi Amano, "Golden Hour" seeks to capture the warm glow of the late afternoon sun, as trout (Barilius Bakeri) ‘dance’ in the flow of a river.

Making of Max's home aquarium Following on from advisor Katsuki , we will introduce the works from IAPLC2024 (International Aquatic Plant Layout Contest)

The hardscape of this layout is superb. plants selection, balancing, and heath condition almost perfect. Open space vs core well harmonised. This scape contains three part of wave,  any two parts group together to form a new scape still marvellous 

I'm extremly happy to announce that my scape has been honored as SILVER PRIZE with the 4th RANK on IAPLC 2024 with 1129 points. This is my first time on Silver positions, so, it is my best result on IAPLC Contest!!!!  - Bernat Hosta Rovira / Andorra

It's time for the annual article on how to create works for the International Aquatic Plants Layout Contest . This year, I'm going to keep the articles, which tend to be long , a little shorter and summarize the main points so that everyone can enjoy them.