[TheStoriesOfTop7] Yururi (relaxing) - Hironori Handa / Japan - IAPLC 2018

Yururi (relaxing)" by Mr. Hironori Handa from Japan won the Grand Prix and is ranked No. 1 in the world. Mr. Handa is well known for his strong Nature Aquarium style through a number of his entries in the IAPLC over the years. He finally ranked No. 1 in the world this year. As if he went back to roots, his entry followed the basics of Nature Aquarium faithfully. We would like to express our respect of his commitment to his principles as well. Three judges including ADA chose this layout as the Best Aquarium. Here are the judges' comments.

IAPLC 2018 Gallery - Look back history - World Ranking 0001 - Grand Prize

Yururi (relaxing)

Author: Hironori Handa / Japan

Aquarium Size/W120×D45×H45 (cm)

Aquatic Plants

Micranthemum sp.

Micranthemum unbrosum

Eleocharis parvula

Eleocharis acicularis

Blyxa novoguineensis

Echinodorus tenellus

Echinodorus tenellus sp. "Madeira”

Cryptocoryne wendtii "Green"

Cryptocoryne wendtii "Brown"

Cryptocoryne axelrodi

Microsorum sp. "Narrow Leaf"

Vesicularia sp.

Isoetes sp.

Eriocaulon sp.

Ludwigia arcuata

Ludwigia ovaris

Pogostemon sp. "Dassen"

Didiplis diandra

Fish & Invertebrates

Trigonostigma espei

Crossocheilus oblongus

Caridina multidentata

AWARDS

World Ranking 0001 Grand Prize IAPLC 2018

Comments

I have been participating this contest for years, and every year I remind myself to create a layout not just for getting higher ranking and a good evaluation in the contest, but for satisfying myself first. In resent years, the contest entries have become more complex and eye-catching, using various tech- niques. I expected that the trend would still continue in this year's contest. So, I could not believe my eyes when I opened the envelop and saw the ranking that wasn't anticipated at all. I repeatedly checked the result, but the number seemed quite alien to me even after looking at it over and over again. To be honest, a part of me still cannot believe this. Although time has passed and brought many changes, I kept submitting my entries in the same style as always because I just couldn't change my principles so easily. I suppose it caught judges' attention this year, and brought me such a prestigious award. And if that is the case, I am grateful for what I have done without loosing my style, which in turn resulted in successful outcome. Luckily, I had many opportunities to acquaint myself with Mr. Amano's beliefs, and to learn firsthand that he placed great value on creating an ecosystem in a tank where aquatic plants and fauna co-exist and thrive. I believe that my experience with Mr. Amano greatly helped me achieve this delightfully surprising result. Many thanks to those who gave me the opportunity to participate and win this contest. I also would like to express my deep gratitude to Mr. Amano, who popularized Nature Aquarium around the world as "a relaxing hobby that can been joyed by anyone."

Comment of Mr. Hiroshi Yamada (JAPAN)

This is a very refreshing aquascape. It expresses the natural beauty of aquatic plants very well. The color balance is excellent, and the use of different types of driftwood does not detract from its appeal. The simple arrangement of the driftwood in the center and not growing aquatic plants on the driftwood actually enhanced the elegance of this aquascape significantly. Above all, this layout faithfully follows the basic concept of Nature Aquarium, which is to capture a part of beau- tiful underwater scenery. It makes the viewers sense the expanse of space that does not fit inside an aquarium. A school of Rasbora leads the viewers beyond the aquascape. As the title "Yururi (relaxing)" suggests, this aquascape is a soothing, ideal Nature Aquarium layout that you won't get tired of.

Comment of Ms.Xiao Fang (CHINA)

This is a sort of classic style layout. Aquascape creators must under- stand the ecology and habits of each aquatic plant before planting. They are also required to have the ability of water quality control, and of adjusting the water quality suitable for all plants in the tank so that they will flourish. The composition of the layout should be considered according to the growth of the aquatic plants. Since the composition of this layout is simple, it provides an environment suitable for each aquatic plant with different habits. Both shade plants and sun plants are growing in the best condition. What is common in entries in recent years is that the creators complete the layout in a short time and they put too much focus on composition creation for visual quality. As a result, the most important aquatic planting techniques are disregarded, and this is not a good trend. Although each plant has its unique grow- ing habits, the plants are thriving anywhere in this layout since they are planted in the right places. The layout looks as if it is expressing a 'piece of great nature.' The layout reached a high degree of perfection without easily using cosmetic sand to reduce the difficulty in layout making. It has a harmonious color scheme as well as well-balanced fish population and appearance. This layout makes us feel the warm sun and full of vitality, and it is exactly "Yururi (relaxing)," as titled.

Comment of ADA (JAPAN)

This layout exhibits quite a high degree of perfection in terms of Nature Aquarium style among all the entries this year. Nature Aquarium layouts are evaluated for many criteria, such as a compo- sition balance, well-chosen aquatic plants and coloration, the health and growing condition of the plants, underwater appearance, the recreation of fish habitat, and proper selection of fish types and their quantity. It is evident at a glance that this layout has a well-balanced driftwood arrangement, luxuriant bushes of healthy aquatic plants, and a superb composition with a clearly defined open space. Sun plants such as stem plants and shade plants such as Cryptocoryne are arranged in a well-balanced manner. These plants are healthy and growing harmoniously. The hardscape-focused layouts that have become mainstream in recent years use a large amount of mosses and hardly any bushes of beautiful stem plants. It may be just our reaction to this trend, but the bushes of stem plants in this layout look particularly beautiful in contrast. This layout is an example of how aquatic plants are used in Nature Aquarium in many respects, such as the way stem plants are arranged by taking their coloration into consideration, an effective use of aquatic plants with tape-shaped leaves, the reasonable use of ferns and Cryptocoryne, and healthy underbrush plants. The layout is ideal as the habitat environment for the fish, and the selection of the fish types and the timing of taking the photos are perfect as well. The layout stands out from the rest of high ranking entries because an extremely wide-angel lens is not used and thenrietrast is not overemphasized. Although these factors didn't directly have an influence over the evaluation of the layout, they left a positive impression on us. ADA gave a full mark to this layout for the first time in this contest.