[TheStoriesOfTop7] Pandora - Carlos Souza / Brazil - IAPLC 2023

Larger pieces of driftwood are placed in the left and right foregrounds, and their unique shapes give them a strong presence. The planting of aquatic plants is modest not to diminish the presence of the driftwood, but the naturalistic impression is created by the placement of Bucephalandra, Hygrophila pinnatifida, and other epiphytic aquatic plants as accents in the aquascape. The fish also match the unique atmosphere of this aquascape.

IAPLC 2023 World Ranking Announcement - World Ranking 0005 - Bronze Prize

Pandora 

Author: Carlos Souza / Brazil

Aquarium Size/W1,200×D500×H450 (mm)

Aquatic Plants

Eleocharis parvula

Eleocharis Acicularis

Eleocharis vivipara

Hemianthus callitrichoides 'Cuba'

Micranthemum sp.

Bucephalandra sp.

Staurogyne sp.

Utricularia graminifolia

Helanthium tenellum

Riccardia chamedryfolia

Fissidens splachnobryoides

Vesicularia dubyana

Anubias barteri var. nana 'Petite' Eriocaulon sp.

Hygrophila pinnatifida

Fish & Invertebrates 

updating

AWARDS

World Ranking 0005 Bronze Prize IAPLC 2023

The fifth place in the world ranking (Bronze Prize) went to the work "Pandora" by Mr.Carlos Souza of Brazil with a total score of 1,101 points. This work was selected as one of the top 10 individual works by 4 out of 10 judges. Among them, Mr. Yu-Fa Huang, a judge from Chinese Taipei, and Mr. André Longarço, a judge from Brazil, highly evaluated the work. The work makes the most of the curvilinear shape of the driftwood and succeeds in achieving a unique expression despite its typical concave composition with a large space in the center. The silhouette of the driftwood floating in the space is the main appeal of the work, and it gives a wonderful sense of depth that makes it hard to believe that it is inside an aquarium. In the central space, light streams in, the surface of the water ripples, and one can observe the fish playing there. It is a staged world, but it looks very natural and creates a calm atmosphere. While the power and impact of an aquascape are important, it is also important to create an atmosphere where the fish seem to be at ease. The species and use of aquatic plants are typical of this type of layout, but the aquarium is carefully finished from corner to corner without any lapses. This is another reason for the high score.

Comments

Dream has come true! It's hard to find words to describe the happiness I'm feeling right now! There were years of struggle, on a journey with many challenges and obstacles. And look! My day has arrived! How many times have I dreamed of this moment! Every step, every renunciation, every choice, everything was worth it to get here. I am immensely grateful to my friend Kaio Marques for believing in me and in this proj-ect, and to my group BAU - Brazilian Aquascaping Union for their enormous help. I can't wait to start the IAPLC 2024 project.