# [Wet Thumb Forum]-AB Contest Entry



## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

It'll take a while for the contest judging, but in the meanwhile ....

http://www.hoftiezer.net/aquaria/aquaria_aquascape.htm

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

It'll take a while for the contest judging, but in the meanwhile ....

http://www.hoftiezer.net/aquaria/aquaria_aquascape.htm

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Harvey (Apr 23, 2003)

wow is all I can say

I was looking at your website, and it's really nice to see your "log" on how you did your tank. It will help me out when I do my new (almost positive its going to happen) 55 gallon. Sweet tank, I cant stop looking at it


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## Phil Edwards (Jan 22, 2004)

Great Job James!

Proverbs 3:7-8


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## imported_lorba (Mar 16, 2003)

very beautiful tank, but a very high maintenance one?









Many admires the star, a Champion climbs a mountain and pluck it.


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2003)

James,

You should be an inspiration for all the newcomers and old-timers as well. Your tank is a perfect example of someone who did research, asked questions and was rewarded with such a beautiful and interesting aquascape.

I was going to judge this contest but do to lack of time I had to "resign" so those are my individual opinions and criticism if I may.

1. I really like the look of Heteranthera zosterfolia in 20030118 picture. Why did you take it out ?

2. How about filling right-front corner with Heteranthera zosterfolia ?

3. Right side of the tank is excellent and I would not touch it.

4. How about little bit of green against the big piece of wood. This would be an excellent contrast. Your E. Stellata is looking purplish and very healthy but at the same time is blending with the wood. Could it be just the lighting ?

5. Left side above S. subulata is a bit disorganized







. I'm not the biggest fan of Hygrophila difformis so I would think of something else in that place. My main concern is left-rear corner of your tank. Ludwigia Repens and Hygrophila Sunset are not forming the best combo near each other. It could be just the picture but they look a bit disorganized compare to rest of the tank. Plus that see-through hole is "steeling" attention from both plants.

Sorry for all those comments







. Your tank is beautiful and the only way to improve it is to pin-point little details which I mentioned above.

I came back to forum just recently so I may have missed it. Can you be specific on picture taking setup.

- camera; settings ?
- Kelvin level of your bulbs ?; some of your pictures are bright red (close to 10000K) and others are more sunshine type (~5000K)

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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Thanks to everyone.

Dr Jay, 
I put this tank out to get comments from someone of your experience. You are right that the only way to improve it is by paying attentionto the little details. Besides I have a month before the AQ contest









1) The Heteranthera zosterfolia was taken out because the maintenenance on it was very high in my tank. It required pruning twice a week to avoid severe cut backs. A sever cutback would leave it looking ragged and black for a week or so.
2) I have access to it still and might do that. Looking back I really like the 0118 picture but by 0206 you can see how much it has grown. The shade from the difformis might make it reasonable.
3) Thank you
4) I moved some green temple next to it for that reason, but the leaves are turning bronze in the high light and I have a a.Congensis to the left as well, but a pre-photo WC accident left the leaves brown and they had to be pruned. 
Another thing would be to prune the e.stellata bak away from it, showing the cork more. At one point I had bacopa planted inside the tube. It did well but I didn't like the look of it.
5) I'll debate on the difformis but I couldn't agree more on the back left. The a.congensis were set to be the main piece there but when the leaves were pruned back I lost a lot of definition. For one it transitioned from the repens to the tropica. 
The tropica has always been an issue especially since it grabs all the light at the surface. 
The repens were at a crucial prune/don't prune stage. Hidesight I should have replanted. The plan called for it to be a tighter group which hugged the curve of the cork wall. 
The see-through hole is exactly where the congeneisis should have been.

I tried lots of different set ups for the pictures and I think have convinced myself to get a new camera.
I took the pictures with a kodak 2mp POS and Canon S200 2mp. I really like the canon better and I beleive the fainal picure came from it. For the front picture above the exposure was set -4/3 at iso 50, no flash with a cardboard box and stool for a tripod.

Some pictures were taken with side lighting (30w, 6400k) but in most cases the lights appeared atrificial. I took a total of 119 pictures and weeded through them for the ones you see above. I used the autobalance on the pictures for color with a little preference to a lower brightness.

The tank itself has 2x 55w(5300k), 2x 55w(6400k) but I am looking at replacing the 5300k with 9375k aqua rays.

I am also seriously looking at a Canon G3 for a new camera. Finances are the main issue.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> 1) The Heteranthera zosterfolia was taken out because the maintenenance on it was very high in my tank.


Any special tips on growing this so excessively ?. Root tabs, higher light ?



> quote:
> 
> 2) I have access to it still and might do that. Looking back I really like the 0118 picture but by 0206 you can see how much it has grown. The shade from the difformis might make it reasonable.


Indeed a very noticable difference between two pictures. Also I meant to tell you to plant Heteranthera zosterfolia in the right-front corner. There is no difformis to make any shade









You did a great job then if you used only 2MP camera. I though the bulbs you used were very close to AquaRays K levels since plants leaves and overall feel was so "red".

You can not go wrong with Canon G3. Buydig.com has the best deal on it and its reliable source.

$547 - Canon G3 --> HERE

Join as at www.njas.net


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Also;
4) I tried green mayaca in that position as well and while it grew well, it was a thread algae magnet. I may try it again from a nursery.

The Heteranthera zosterfolia grew best with high potassium but it was before I started DIY ferts so I can't comment on the rest except that I used the Flourish line including tabs.

The overall red is from the tank itself and lowering the brightness a little. Nothing special was done.

I am debating on a G3, tripod, polarizing filters and a macro lense. I may also get an off shoe external flash(or two), but that would be stage two.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> I am debating on a G3, tripod, polarizing filters and a macro lense. I may also get an off shoe external flash(or two), but that would be stage two.


Excellent plan.

G3 - $547
Lensmate setup 52mm:
-LensMate Adapter - $27.95
-Hoya Close-Up Macro set +1,+2,+4 - $35.95
-Linear Polarizer (Doubled Coated) - $17.95
-Circular HMC (6 Coats) - $51.95

420EX external flash and you have a killer combo.

Check this for G3 accesories --> HERE

Join as at www.njas.net


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Sweet site for the extras.
What's the difference between;
-Linear Polarizer (Doubled Coated) - $17.95
-Circular HMC (6 Coats) - $51.95

For the flash (if ever) I was thinking the 420EX and the 2ft off shoe cable.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## tsunami06 (Feb 6, 2003)

Wait... let me get the sun glasses...









What exuberant, liberal use of color! It's
a very invigorating tank, because of the
amazing color and health of the plants. The
fish choice is excellent... subdued colored
rainbowfish which don't detract from
the overall aquascape.
Well done!

Most of my nitpicks would be similar to 
Dr. Jay's. The Sag on the right hand
side could be a bit more orderly like
the ones on the right.

The hole in the scape on the left...

I'm not a big fan of the Hygrophila difformis
on the left hand side. Honestly, I think it
looks disorderly and doesn't have very good
texture. Would you be interested in Hottonia?
It's another fast grower with a more organized
growth habit. Smaller leaf sized, snowflake-like, pleasing green stems with a more organized
growth habit. Jeff Kropp used it well in a 
2001 AGA contest entry. Ghazanfar also
has some pictures of it in the plant database.

Carlos


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by JamesHoftiezer:
> Sweet site for the extras.
> ...


I will be buying one from them too. Don't know which one yet.

Polarizers come in two varieties: Linear 160 and Circular 164. Each has the same effect visually; the difference is just in the way they polarize the light passing through. If you own an auto focus or auto-exposure camera (basically any modern camera), use a 164 Circular polarizer, which won't interfere with its automatic functions. Digital cameras in general do not have reflection mirrors, and, as a result, can use both (linear or circular) polarizers.

LINEAR 
Produces deeper colored blue skies, which at the same time creates a striking contrast with white clouds. Minimizes light reflections from glass and water Reduces glare from non-metallic surfaces. Provides a general color saturation to both cool and warm tones. Can be used in extremely bright light situations to reduce the amount of light entering the camera; this enables more selective depth of field control. Manufactured in self-rotating and drop-in formats. Note: using a Linear Polarizer on an auto focus camera with a beam-splitting meter will result in under-exposure of approximately 2-3 f:stops. Light is polarized by both the filter and the beam-splitting meter which results in double polarization. However, Linear Polarizers can be used with both non-auto focus and auto focus video cameras. 
Light Loss: 2 f:stops

CIRCULAR POLARIZER 
Provides the same filter effects as a Linear Polarizer, but is designed to work with auto focus cameras with beam splitting metering. The Circular Polarizer has linear polarizer construction plus a built-in "Wave Retardant" to ensure proper exposure. The linear element polarizes the light, and the wave retardant de-polarizes it, and then the beam-splitting meter polarizes the light again for proper exposure. The use of a Linear Polarizer with a beam-splitting meter will result in underexposure.

No Polarizer 









164 Polarizer











> quote:
> 
> For the flash (if ever) I was thinking the 420EX and the 2ft off shoe cable.


420EX would be excellent choice and it should run you about ~$150.

Join as at www.njas.net


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## imported_ryuken168 (Feb 2, 2003)

Nice aquascaping and color. I see so much Riccia tanks, this is a great change of scenery. 
Put it this way, I'm glad there is more than one prize in this contest, so I have a chance.

Aquatic Bliss


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

OK,
two opinions got me looking at the difformis again and I see what you mean. When looking at the tank it isn't as apparent as in the picture. I'll start looking for a replacement with some more form. I'm got plant begging this weekend so I'll see what I can find.

On a G3 is there any reason to pay for the 164 over the 160. I think its $30-40 more.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

I found a price on a G3 for $510. When I checked the reseller rating it was 0.62 out of 10 !!!
To be honest I don't want to save that much money. I think I saw them on 60 minutes









*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Guest (Apr 30, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> two opinions got me looking at the difformis again and I see what you mean. When looking at the tank it isn't as apparent as in the picture. I'll start looking for a replacement with some more form. I'm got plant begging this weekend so I'll see what I can find.


I would second Hottonia addition.











> quote:
> 
> I found a price on a G3 for $510. When I checked the reseller rating it was 0.62 out of 10 !!!


James,

DO NOT BUY anything from those very cheap places. A lot of those stores are located in NYC and will most likely take advantage of you, rip you off, play around and screw you at the end. I had the pleasure to experience this.

I did some research and found that BuyDig.com is the cheapest and trust worthy place online to buy cameras. A lot of people who are in photography circle buy it from them.

Join as at www.njas.net









[This message was edited by Ghazanfar Ghori on Wed April 30 2003 at 04:14 PM.]


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## 2la (Feb 3, 2003)

James, did you take the pictures some time in the evening? If so, I think you might have taken it too late as it appears that some of the plants' crowns had started to close (the indica, in particular). Maybe it's just my eyes...


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## Guest (May 1, 2003)

> quote:
> 
> Originally posted by 2la:
> James, did you take the pictures some time in the evening? If so, I think you might have taken it too late as it appears that some of the plants' crowns had started to close (the indica, in particular). Maybe it's just my eyes


I was going to point this out also







but I figure it was already too much.

I thought the same but then I looked at Ambulia and crowns were still open. In my tank Ambulia is first to close and go to sleep.

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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

I hate compromises.

I planned to take the pictures the night before, but by the time I got going the ambulia had closed up. since I had to go to work I started the photocycle early the next morning. The ambulia refused to open until almost afternoon. Then there was too much light in the room so I waited. I hoped the pearling would go away also, but instead it was still pearling and things were starting to go to sleep.
I had to compromise. I had another day to take the pictures but just didn't feel like doing it again. 
Maybe if they offered cash prizes









*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## Birgit & Wolfgang (Feb 5, 2003)

James, I donÂ´t want to start judging this tank right now, only one thing: I love it!

www.naturaquarium.at
view some of our pictures


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

FYI,
Here's the plant list. Some people had trouble pulling it up. My web page skill needs some help apparently









Alteranthera.Reineckii v. "Roseafolia" 
Anubias.Congensis
Eusteralis.Stellata
Glososistigma.Elatinoides 
Hemianthus.Micranthemoides (Pearlweed)
Hygrophila.Corymbosa v."Stricta" (Green Temple)
Hygrophila.Difformis (Water Wysteria)
Hygrophila.polysperma v."Tropica Sunset"
Limenophila.sessiliflora (Ambulia)
Lobelia.cardinalis (dwarf form)
Ludwigia.Arcuata (Needle) 
Ludwigia.repens x."Palustris" (Red)
Rotala.Rotundifolia, Indica
Sagittaria.Subulata

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## imported_Buck (Apr 23, 2003)

*Stunning* is the only way I can describe that tank James...

It gets a *perfect score* in my book.









*Buck*


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Welcome to the forums









Thanks for the score, but we'll have to see how the officals come out at the end of the month.

I guess I've gone pro by entering in the contest but with only six months in the water, I'm still a newbie.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

P.S> Buck, I like your tank as well. 
I like the open, see-thru feel. Mine feels like jungle some times. but you have some very healthy plants that look like they get some 'air'

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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## imported_Buck (Apr 23, 2003)

Thanks ,
I have no problem growing the plants but I am terrible at achieving an aquascape that pleases me!
All my tanks are relatively small (5,15,30,56 gallon) so I end up trying to do too much with it instead of utilizing whats there. Shallow tanks are a killer !








Growing plants is much easier then achieving that eye catching aquascape...and you have done that beautifully my friend.
After seeing your tank I dont know how you can even spell the word "newbie"









*Buck*


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## JamesHoftiezer (Feb 2, 2003)

Well stick around these boards and you'll figure it out fast.

I have said it many times before (and here I go again







) but this tank is a product of these boards. Its a TEAM AQUABOTANIC effort. A year ago I didn't even know about planted tanks. I came across the AGA contest entries, got interested and ended up here. I was on the boards for 4 months before I ever put water in a tank. There aren't many books on what we do, but everything you need can be found on these boards.

*James Hoftiezer

Tank Journal - Aquascape ( Latest / Archive )
Tank Journal - Parts and Construction ( Latest / Archive )*


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