OFL wrote:
Definitely a labour of love, if I had something like that, I would only keep a few small fish, after all, it's really all about the decor and not really about the fish isn't it?
I bet their nitrate never gets very high

Yeah...it's all about the tank and not the fish, but properly used fish could make it amazing. I especially like the first one...the fish almost look like birds. I bet alot of them never see fish at all...probably are just set up, displayed, then torn down. I would like to see part of the requirements be that they have to harbor a certain amount of fish for a certain amount of time to be considered. It should be judged partially on habitability, imo. I think a better criteria should be creativity in how well the aquascape accentuates the
fish, would seem a lot more difficult. For example if someone creates an amazonian aquascape for an oscar and plecos, it would be judged not only on asthetic beauty but how seamlessly it integrates the specific requirements of the specific type of fish...a la creating driftwood for the plecos to look like tree roots extending down into the water, caves, etc...Or maybe a skeleton with a bubble treasure chest for piranhas.
Lol oscar tanks are kinda like the ghetto of 'aquascaping.'