# What style do you prefer?



## Chuppy (Aug 5, 2007)

Well this is just a random poll seeing what the people of APC like...
Style of aquascaping i meant

Dutch

Amano Nature Style

Others


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

I prefer scapes that are done well.


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## yves2013 (Oct 3, 2007)

amano all the way i wish i could get one  my apartment size and budget wont allow me to get it. yet.


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## Chuppy (Aug 5, 2007)

Steven_Chong said:


> I prefer scapes that are done well.


Amen to that 

Whichever style won't really matter as long they are done well and kept very clean 

(this is coming from a person who has been retrying his scape for several times and not happy with it):mrgreen:

Drew


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## Squawkbert (Jan 3, 2007)

Any that are well done, though I lean toward the "extremes" - Dutch & Iwugami.


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

I think the "French style" is sweeping me off my feet though.

I'm gonna go ahead and say my favorite style is the "exploding box of crayons" style where there's lots of contrasting colors, textures and depths.


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## Chuppy (Aug 5, 2007)

hmm to further clarify... i don't think i put up enough categories... i always thought IWAGUMI falls under Amano;s Nature Style..no? If then i am truly sorry for not adding most styles in the choices...


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## fluffiebuggie (Sep 25, 2007)

I think I'm right in choosing Amano, I prefer the quiet, carefully manicured scapes.
If it has a lawn of green, a few rocks and some little fishes I love it.


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## mikenas102 (Feb 8, 2006)

Frankly, I'm getting tired of seeing the same styles over and over winning Amano's contests. It's like a virus in this hobby. Everybody wants to do the V shaped scape with the "path" down the middle or some variation of it. Is there no more originality in Amano's world anymore? I've seen plenty of spectacular entries in Amano's contests that are completely original and different yet they get no better than the lower half of the top 10. It seems Amano only agrees with his own style and all the other judges are too busy kissing his ass to notice something new.


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## zoo minsi (Jan 15, 2006)

im going to go with the algae free style


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## Jessie (Apr 23, 2007)

mikenas102 said:


> Frankly, I'm getting tired of seeing the same styles over and over winning Amano's contests. It's like a virus in this hobby. Everybody wants to do the V shaped scape with the "path" down the middle or some variation of it. Is there no more originality in Amano's world anymore? I've seen plenty of spectacular entries in Amano's contests that are completely original and different yet they get no better than the lower half of the top 10. It seems Amano only agrees with his own style and all the other judges are too busy kissing his ass to notice something new.


I'm just gonna throw this out there......I'm glad the grand prize had some brooding interest to it. *coughNotanIwagumicough* At least in my opinion.


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## Terra Incognita (Jun 12, 2007)

Dutch. I mean, I love the Nature Aquarium style, and I'd definately love to make one of my own, but I feel it's too overdone now. I can't say "back in the old days" since I'm new to the hobby, but even I can clearly see that almost everything in Nature Aquarium style. I haven't seen a Dutch scape in a long while. And while I really do love the Nature Aquarium style... I can't honestly say that it depicts Nature. I've never seen Nature look that manicured, and sculpted, and in place, and planned it. So while it IS beautiful, it certainly isn't natural, and I think the name and meaning is flawed.


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## cs_gardener (Apr 28, 2006)

Hmm, I actually prefer the slightly wild/untamed look. Not neglected or overgrown, just not perfectly manicured. What style does that fall under?


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

mikenas102 said:


> Frankly, I'm getting tired of seeing the same styles over and over winning Amano's contests. It's like a virus in this hobby. Everybody wants to do the V shaped scape with the "path" down the middle or some variation of it. Is there no more originality in Amano's world anymore? I've seen plenty of spectacular entries in Amano's contests that are completely original and different yet they get no better than the lower half of the top 10. It seems Amano only agrees with his own style and all the other judges are too busy kissing his ass to notice something new.


But if you look at the judging, Amano himself didn't rate the top scapes this year very highly. :/ (I got a better score from him than the grand champ, heh heh-- well lots of people did)

Though I'd otherwise tend to agree with this anyway.


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## Chostshrimp (May 28, 2007)

I like the natural/biotopial landscapes. I like to see rivers how they realy are, not realy tammed or placed carefully, but a realy nice and interesting style of amano, nature, or wild is fine by me


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## Steven_Chong (Mar 17, 2005)

Terra Incognita said:


> Dutch. I mean, I love the Nature Aquarium style, and I'd definately love to make one of my own, but I feel it's too overdone now. I can't say "back in the old days" since I'm new to the hobby, but even I can clearly see that almost everything in Nature Aquarium style. I haven't seen a Dutch scape in a long while. And while I really do love the Nature Aquarium style... I can't honestly say that it depicts Nature. I've never seen Nature look that manicured, and sculpted, and in place, and planned it. So while it IS beautiful, it certainly isn't natural, and I think the name and meaning is flawed.


Just look at some of the older work by Amano. I think those fit the name better.


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## Supercoley1 (May 28, 2007)

mikenas102 said:


> Frankly, I'm getting tired of seeing the same styles over and over winning Amano's contests. It's like a virus in this hobby. Everybody wants to do the V shaped scape with the "path" down the middle or some variation of it. Is there no more originality in Amano's world anymore? I've seen plenty of spectacular entries in Amano's contests that are completely original and different yet they get no better than the lower half of the top 10. It seems Amano only agrees with his own style and all the other judges are too busy kissing his ass to notice something new.


I made this same point on TFF when the top 10 were shown on there and said I preferred the waterfall one and Phillip Oliveiras tree 'syrah'.

I stated I was tired of the samo samo Amano copies as they all looked the same and preferred a little originality rather than triangle of wood with moss on it. patway through the middle and carpet the foreground.

YAWN

I was shot down in flames on there with someone saying that to them the tree one looked fake because you don't see rasboras flying through the sky...to which I replied you don't see fish flying through the sky in any outdoor scene which is what all the tanks were trying to replicate but they wouldn't accept this.

At least someone agrees with me.

Andy


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## gf225 (Mar 26, 2005)

I prefer NA to Dutch.

But a good Dutch is better than an average NA, of course.


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## fluffiebuggie (Sep 25, 2007)

I can see where the inspired scapes come from, but the really successful ones don't make it so obvious. I immediately switch off from scapes that have a beach, or a path with pebbles along each side.
If it has clearly defined borders like the beds of a garden I think it looks "tacky".

But I guess this is my preference. 
I like the green lawns and well placed stones. I like hills and secretive spaces. I like scenes that don't look too planned even though we know they are.

Above all they have to hold my attention and make me feel calm, intrigued and slightly amazed.


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## russell (Dec 7, 2004)

i also am kindof sick of the sandy valley going through the middle of the tank. about 10 variations of that is all that EVER needed to be done. 

i also prefer lush green lawns of foreground: hc, glosso, hairgrass whatever. i think the sand is the easy way out. 

but as said before, i like well executed tanks no matter what the style or lack there of. if it's origional and still looks good then im in. 

if it's all ada with people drooling over your rocks and expensive substrates and lilly pipes it seems to me that it is a little played out.


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## fluffiebuggie (Sep 25, 2007)

russell said:


> if it's all ada with people drooling over your rocks and expensive substrates and lilly pipes it seems to me that it is a little played out.


Don't even get me started on ADA!


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## Angie (Dec 4, 2005)

Style? landscaping? ha I just want plants that live and look nice for a long time without adding any ferts or co2. lol For me its about healty and fish.


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## tutquarium (May 27, 2005)

Generally we all start with the “collectionist” mode due to the “unbearable lightness of having” all the plants in your LFS store. This is done for preventing yourself from asking “whay you haven’t got it” later after you see a beautiful picture on a magazine, of the plant that you did not acquire. This results in the Dutch Style for the beginners like me.

Then you see the Amano’s tanks. You admire them and try to implement some ideas on your new tanks. But you still resist to take some plants out of the tank. You cannot decide well on what is enough. Not because you paid for them. You just resist to take them out. I think I am at this stage now.

Environmental factors and market condition are also the reasons of that you cannot implement what you really want to do. It is not the whole reason, but affects the newbies’ decisions.

Simplicity is the extreme point of sophistication. It contains a good understanding and knowledge. When you are at this stage you start with Nature Aquarium Concept. This is something like the monks wearing simple piece of clothes or high end electonical appliances having no switches on it but only the volume slide or stand-by button. I don’t argue the personal preferences at this point (i.e. there is no professional SLR camera on the market with no manual settings).

These words of mine shouldn’t be taken as “the facts”. These are just my observations and there are many enthusiasts having great vision and knowledge in this hobby preferring “Dutch Styles” as well as the newbies directly starting with the NA concept in their first tanks. All are wellcome.

By the end of the day, I just want to make a small change of Steven Chong’s words by combining the comments made by other people and will say “scapes that are maintained well and having a “first of a kind” thing. Thank you.


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## Vojs (Apr 5, 2007)

Anubias I agree with you, especially on firs part of your post regarding phases of one aquascaper. First colectionist, than Dutch phase and at later on is Nature aquarium phase. 

And Nature style is what I admire the most, end especially ryouboku and iwagumies, withot V path and white sand instad of a lush green carpet. Just a simple nature combinations of rocks or trees with plants. No metter the contest results and strange judging in them.


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## t3chn0b0y (Oct 6, 2007)

I second that.... 



zoo minsi said:


> im going to go with the algae free style


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## rs79 (Dec 7, 2004)

I have to admit I'm getting really tired of Ammano tanks too. I guess I'm more into plants than design and I's rather look at a not so scenic tank of rare but healty plants, expecially Crypts, than another white-sand-down-the middle.

Having said that there are some stunning Ammano tanks that are really "out there" although these always seem to be done by devotees of Ammano rather than the man himself.


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## BryceM (Nov 6, 2005)

Nice discussion!



Jessie said:


> I think the "French style" is sweeping me off my feet though.
> 
> I'm gonna go ahead and say my favorite style is the "exploding box of crayons" style where there's lots of contrasting colors, textures and depths.


I like this style too. It's probably best described as a variation on the "Dutch" style, but with more liberty when it comes to plants and hardscape. There is less emphasis on careful boundaries between groupings and "streets" are not emphasized as strongly.

The best ones show colors and textures that rival some of the nicer reef tanks.


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## Norbert Sabat (Jun 26, 2004)

I like everything that is similar to my "artistic taste" ....but honesty NA is my favorite. I like "empty" and simply layouts. Dutch, colorfull and "fully shape" layout don't speak to me . They good, shows technical knowledge but....this is not my style :heh:


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## Paul Higashikawa (Mar 18, 2004)

Taiwanese style all the way, man:mrgreen: 

If you don't know what it is, then just throw in a rice paddy with some plastic/ceramic farmer and pagoda, and there ya have it.


A bamboo fence surrounding the rice field isn't a bad idea, too!


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