[TheStoriesOfTop7] Creek in Forest - Qi Zhang / China - IAPLC 2019

09 May 2024

2397

The third Bronze Award winning aquascape gives an interesting impression made by a nice blending of its diorama like aspects and underwater appearance. Among many entries showcasing forest landscapes, this layout rather represents a fairy tale scenery than depicting a realistic forest image. It leads us to enjoy this layout simply as an underwater scene where fish live. Great planting details; especially the presentation of red plants is exquisitely effective, which enriches the visual presentation and creates a fantasy like atmosphere

[TheStoriesOfTop7] Creek in Forest - Qi Zhang / China - IAPLC 2019

Mr. Qi Zhang (China) received the 7the place award (Bronze prize) with his "Creek in Forest." And his work was favorably regarded by three judges, namely Mr. David Boruchowitz (USA), Mr. Friedrich Bitter (Germany) and Mr. Yu-Fa Huang (Chinese Taipei), with each judge scoring over 200 points. When it comes to the composition, the judges don't have much new to say about this work because an uncommon composition work with a good deal of details is a trend found in recent submissions from China. However, it has such a high degree of completion throughout the layout, which is elaborately crafted. The red colors of aquatic plants and fish beautifully arranged with nice deep green color of plants cleverly draw attention, and it demonstrates maker's superb composition skills. Many of this year's top 27 layouts, including this work, take tanks sized at W120×D50×H50 (cm) or come in similar dimensions. If you have plan to create a full-scale aquascape, this may serve you as a reference since tank size is a very important consideration for aquascaping.

IAPLC 2019 Gallery - Look back history - World Ranking 0006 - Bronze Prize

Creek in Forest

Author: Qi Zhang / China

Aquarium Size/W120×D50×H50(cm)

Aquatic Plants

Bucephalandra sp.

Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite'

Hygrophila pinnatifida

Hemianthus micranthemoides

Amania sp.

Bolbitis heudelotii

Ludwigia arcuata

Rotala sp. Hra

Rotala rotundifolia 'Green'

Rotala pusilla

Limnophila aromatica

Micranthemum sp. Monte Carlo

Callicostella prabaktiana

Taxiphyllum sp. 'Flame moss'

Riccardia chamedryfolia

Hottonia inflata

Fish & Invertebrates

Hemigrammus bleheri

Brycon melanopterus

Clea Helena

Otocinclus sp.

Caridina multidentata

AWARDS

World Ranking 0006 Bronze Prize IAPLC 2019

Comments

I saw the email when I just returned from a vacation with my family. My friends told me they had already received their result notices. So I nervously opened the email. I doubted my eyes when I found out that I was TOP 7. I immediately went to get the EMS. And all I could do was to walk around the house after receiving the envelope. I remembered my feeling that I was crazy about aquatic plant layouts. I opened the envelope with my wife when I got back home. I was really delighted to see the ranking. This year was the fourth IAPLC for me since my first participation. I am truly overjoyed for all the judges to recognize my work. Once, I promised my family that I would take my wife to the ADA headquarters if I ever won a prize within the 27th place. I can't wait for the departure! I'm so ready to go. See you all in Japan!

Related on News & Press

Leave your comments

Latest on News & Press

Spain at IAPLC 2026: Roberto Buenadicha’s Forest and the Space Between Trunks

Roberto Buenadicha’s aquarium is the only Spanish work in the published ranks 1–300. Its slender dark trunks, fine green planting and conspicuous pale fish make it a rewarding individual study. This instalment returns to the older Spain introduction through one photograph, keeping the scope small enough for the evidence available.
France at IAPLC 2026: A Close Reading of Jean Christophe Grosset’s Woodland

Only one French work appears in the published ranks 1–300. That gives this instalment a different task: a close reading of Jean Christophe Grosset’s aquarium, with the older country introduction as context. The photograph deserves attention for its own wood, planting and fish relationships, rather than being made to represent every French aquascaper.
Singapore at IAPLC 2026: Open Stone and an Enclosed Planted Passage

Two Singaporean works appear in the published ranks 1–300, and they offer an unusually clear contrast. One makes open water and two main stones central; the other encloses a small rear opening within dense planting and roots. The pair is useful precisely because it does not support one simple visual label.
Hong Kong at IAPLC 2026: Three Studies in Light, Layers and Visual Impact

A low timber ceiling, blue-toned terraces and converging planted diagonals create three visibly different aquariums. Hong Kong’s represented works at ranks 1–300 offer a compact study of visual impact beyond the season’s leading awards. Looking at them closely is more informative than treating the cutoff count as a verdict on an entire aquascaping community.
Italy at IAPLC 2026: Calm Routes and More Dramatic Planted Frames

A clear route through planted banks can feel quiet; a coloured ridge beneath a dark frame can feel theatrical. The four Italian photographs selected for this study offer both experiences. Together, they make a useful contemporary comparison with an archive that once placed particular emphasis on calm, enduring-looking compositions.
United States at IAPLC 2026: Four Distinct Readings of a Wooded Aquarium

The four American photographs selected here all contain important wood structures, yet they do not produce one uniform wooded scene. A broad canopy, a low diagonal, a fine-leaved light window and an exposed timber subject organise attention differently. That variation lets us discuss design diversity through specific decisions rather than a broad national label.
Germany at IAPLC 2026: Four Ways to Balance Hardscape and Open Water

A dark wooded frame, a rocky valley, a brighter mixed scene and green-covered root contours make this German selection particularly useful for comparison. The photographs share an interest in separating materials from the water around them, but achieve it through different outlines and lighting relationships.
Taiwan at IAPLC 2026: Planted Contours and Changing Routes into Depth

Dense foliage, planted wood ridges and a low central route create different senses of distance in this four-work selection. The photographs are particularly rewarding when viewed through changes in leaf shape and planting height. They offer a present-season comparison with an archive that once described both graceful composition and more contemporary experimentation.
Thailand at IAPLC 2026: Surface Colour, Green Arches and Open Rockwork

Three Thai aquariums in the published Top 300 present contrasting visual priorities. MAGIC LEAVES makes the water surface a signature; another work carries a route beneath planted arches; a third exposes rock peaks against rounded greenery. This small group gives a useful reason to look beyond the first shared award photograph.
Indonesia at IAPLC 2026: Forest Craft Through Four Different Frames

The four Indonesian works published at ranks 1–300 offer a compact comparison. A coloured surface canopy, a dominant trunk, a dense grove and a wood-and-rock opening all reward close attention. The small group makes it possible to examine every represented work in this range, while keeping the conclusions specific to this season and cutoff.
Malaysia at IAPLC 2026: Wood, Plant Texture and the Visual Role of Fish

A bright gap between broad wood layers, a fine-leaved canopy and a conspicuous individual fish offer three different entrances to this Malaysian selection. The photographs invite attention to the space inhabited by fish as well as the hardscape around it. They also show why a creator’s reputation and a new aquarium’s visual decisions should be discussed separately.
Brazil at IAPLC 2026: Rock Landscapes and Wood Beyond the Familiar Label

Enchanted Hills offers an immediately recognisable rock valley, with coloured planting and fish in bright water. Three other selected Brazilian photographs build their scenes around substantial wood. Seeing them together is a useful way to revisit a familiar label without asking individual creators to fit a single national recipe.
Japan at IAPLC 2026: Nature Aquarium and Many Contemporary Visions

A pale path through hanging roots and a bright interval between exposed rocks can both make an aquarium feel spacious. Japan’s 2026 selection is rewarding because it places these different approaches beside richly planted foregrounds and coloured slopes. Six photographs offer a practical way to discuss variety within a familiar Nature Aquarium heritage.
China at IAPLC 2026: How Layered Wood Creates Convincing Depth

The Grand Prize photograph gives this study an obvious first stop, but the comparison becomes richer when it reaches beyond the winner. Six selected aquariums show different ways of framing light with wood: unequal trunks, fine leaf curtains, successive arches and repeated vertical roots. Their interest lies in how each arrangement keeps a densely constructed scene readable.
Vietnam at IAPLC 2026: Wood, Stone and a Broader Design Identity

Vietnam’s two leading 2026 awards both invite us into wooded environments. That is an interesting starting point for revisiting an archive which once associated the country strongly with stone. The most useful reading is not that one material has defeated the other. Six selected photographs show several ways of organising planted ground, open water and the route into a scene.
CIAC 2026 Official Results Update: Rankings Extend to 119

The CIAC 2026 Aquascaping Category results have received an official update. A results sheet distributed by the organising committee on 14 October lists ranks 14–119, extending the ranking information available beyond the image cards previously covered by AquaLibs.