Everglades National Park, Florida
The 21st place in the qualifying stage of the Biotope Aquarium Design Contest 2014
Russia. Evgenia Moiseeva
Volume: 60 L
List of fishes: Jordanella floridae
List of plants: Fissidens fontanus, Chara sp.
Biotope description: South Florida has a very flat level ground, so the rivers are calm here. Mangrove and cypress trees cover the shorelines of rivers, and also here therer are freshwater plants. The soil is poor, covered with light sand. System of mangrove swamps is an important habitat for many species of fish, creating a shelter for juvenile fish, crustaceans and molluscs.
Even if some judges feel that it is somewhat stylish, I have seen such habitats with the biotope and aquatic vegetation correctly selected, the décor and fishes are 100% correct and as Heiko Blessin’s judgement, it was also my best one: I gave 2 points more for the Everglades National Park, Florida than for Profundulus oaxacae habitat, which was my 2nd.
Love the wild but appealing look of this biotope and it contains some of my favourite fish, which I’m sure would be very happy living in there. Well balanced, well thought-out layout.
This work is a pity, because the autor have much sense of layout and aquascaping, but for a Biotope contest, what really matter is the recreation of the natural environment. I think that he was very concerned about the composition and aesthetics and forgot about the natural atmosphere. But this work is still very impressive.
A beautiful biotope with an interesting decorative arrangement and plants. Too bad the water is turbid and side windows are dirty.
I just envision the fish breeding between the aquatic plants, just like I have seen them in situ. I have been to the Everglades many times and find them very interesting. I loved the sideways slope look in this aquarium.
This is a beautiful and accurate biotope overall. The plants and fish are biotope-correct for Florida, and the arrangement mimics a tangle of roots and twigs among the stones near the river bank quite well. The tank is lightly stocked, and the plants arranged as they would be found in nature (towards the banks, densely planted). The impression is a snapshot of what one might see snorkeling in a creek in the Everglades close to the bank! The inhabitants look at home in this slice of habitat. One criticism is that the look is slightly stylized as a “Nature Aquarium” would be, giving some impression of “idealized nature”.