[TheStoriesOfTop7] BREATH OF THE WILD - Roger Goh / Singapore - IAPLC 2017

Mr. Roger Goh of Singapore placed 5th (Bronze Prize) with his entry, titled "BREATH OF THE WILD". Having an elaborate struc- ture, the entry is reminiscent of deep forests. As one of this year's trends, there are so many entry works with hanging vines, and we afraid that it was greatly motivated and reinforced by past Grand Prix champions. Mr. Goh's work, too, cannot avoid that influence and this may be the reason why he was placed 5th. The entry was highly regarded primarily for its intricate details and careful, atten- tive maintenance. In addition, schooling small Red Tetras help the aquascape look visually larger and wider, and their presence is very natural and unobtrusive in the surroundings. Including the aforementioned points, we can see Mr. Goh's incredible sense of layout style everywhere in his creation. Mr. Seong Soo Han (South Korea) gave the highest remarks, but on the other hand, it was poorly scored in the "Originality" criterion by Ms. Xiao Fang (China). The entry may be considered as a typical layout composi- tion placing too much weight on hardscape layout, but we would say that the contest judges have seen enough of this particular style of work in the contest.

IAPLC 2017 Gallery - Look back history - World Ranking 0005 - Bronze Prize

BREATH OF THE WILD

Author: Roger Goh / Singapore

Aquarium Size/W150×D60×H55(cm)

Aquatic Plants

Micranthemum sp.

Eleocharis acicularis "Mini"

Eleocharis vivipara

Fontinalis antipyretica

Bolbitis heudelotii

Bolbitis SP. difformis

Staurogyne repens

Fissidens fontanus

Fissidens sp.

Taxiphyllum sp. "Spiky moss"

Riccardia chamedryfolia

Vesicularia sp.

Fish & Invertebrates

Danio choprai

Hyphessobrycon amandae

Otocinclus sp.

Caridina multidentata

AWARDS

World Ranking 0005 Bronze Prize IAPLC 2017

Best of Show, 1st Place AGA Aquatic Garden > 320L

Comments

Firstly, I wanted my layout work to resemble that of the Amazon forest. I wanted to recreate a submerged forest with many rock pillars and vines that flow downwards. This is to create a "depth effect" in the tank. I divided the scape into 2 parts; with an upper submerged forest, and a lower submerged forest ground. I looked through Mr. Amano's book "Last Amazon" for ideas. My idea came from the front cover of the book. I made use of "bridges" to divide the whole layout into 2 parts; upper and lower half. I inten- tionally left a large opening space near the middle to portray a big space for fishes to swim, keeping in mind the judging criteria of recreation of a fish's natural habitat. By having tight areas and big open areas, we can create a good environment for the fishes to strive and live in. It is the first time for a Singaporean has achieved a top 10 ranking and also a top 7 in IAPLC history, and I am the first one to do it. In my mind, I told myself that I am going to do better and keep improving. I know that one day, I am going to be the grand champion! I will never give up! I cheered up, stayed calm, and reminded myself about what Mr. Amano said. "Keep scaping and never stop thinking!"

Comment from André Longarco

Amazing amazing amazing. What a beautiful work. Very natural and balanced. Great natural atmosphere and perfect perspective. Many points of interest makes the eye wander through the layout. Maybe the driftwood in some places is too much and little bit more detail in the path would acceptable. Well this kind of job which inspire me to keep working with aquascaping. Thank you for this awesome job.

Comment from Kam Wong

Awesome flow to this Work of art..... Great job!

Comment from Shawn McBride

Excellent use of perspective and scale. The scene moves from darkened underwater forest to the brighter unknown which we are given just a glimpse of through the well placed windows in the scape. The strategically placed open spaces are accented well with small details of hanging branches or vines.