[TheStoriesOfTop7] IMAGINE - Chan Hee Boon / Malaysia - IAPLC 2021

"IMAGINE" by Mr. CHAN HEE BOON from Malaysia won the Silver Prize and is ranked No.3 in the world rankings, scoring a total of 1,352 points. 6 out of 10 judges selected this work as one of their individual top 10 works, and Mr. Albert Connelly Jr., a judge from the U.S.A. chose it as his Best Aquarium.

IAPLC 2021 World Ranking Announcement - World Ranking 0003 - Silver Prize

IMAGINE

Author: Chan Hee Boon / Malaysia

Aquarium Size/W120 × D60 × H50(cm)

Aquatic Plants

Hemianthus callitrichoides "Cuba"

Eleocharis sp.

Cryptocoryne parva

Bucephalandra sp.

Anubias barteri var. nana

Micranthemum sp. "Monte Carlo"

Mini Fissidens

Riccardia graeffei

Vesicularia dubyana

Hemianthus micranthemoides

Rotala (Red)

Rotala (green)

Ludwigia inclinata var. verticillata.

Fish & Invertebrates

Hemigrammus bleheri

Otocinclus affinis

Crossocheilus oblongus

Caridina multidentata

AWARDS

World Ranking 0003 Silver Prize IAPLC 2021

Comments

I participated in IAPLC contest in the year 2018, 2020 and 2021. It is my pleasure to share with my family members and friends that I took part in the contest so I invited them to watch IAPLC live on YouTube. At the moment when the emcee announced World Ranking #3 is from Malaysia and my name appeared, I was screaming and jumping with my daughter that I won the silver prize of IAPLC. I enjoyed every moment of the IAPLC live show, feeling nervous and excited at the same time. I am proud of myself to know that my layout was recognized by the judges. Last but not least, I would like to thank all my friends who love my layout and I will continue to give my support to IAPLC.

Comment from Mr. Albert Connelly Jr. (U.S.A.)

It was an incredibly difficult task choosing only one layout as my top choice, and I had to consult the Evaluation Criteria several times to remind myself to not be carried away by the overwhelming beauty of technique and effects as per the judging guidelines, the layout should be a natural, healthy habitat for fish and aquatic plants first and foremost. In my top-choice layout 'IMAGINE', I was impressed by the use of chunky driftwood with a time-worn texture, the mosses and hanging plants expressing a sense of the passage of time along with a sublime expression of wabi sabi. At the same time, there is a vibrancy to the aquascape that is full of life and hope: the many grooves, nooks, and open areas for plants to take hold and flourish, and a multitude of overhangs and swim-throughs that create a won- derful, interactive atmosphere for fish to live secure and enriched lives. As we know in our own aquariums, when fish have many safe places to retreat to and hide, they become that much more social and willing to swim out in the open. There is an expression of awe-in- spiring natural scenery here, evoking a grand-scale jungle land- scape, with natural hanging plants, grasses, and bushes, perhaps a fallen tree long-since reclaimed by the wildness of nature. Or, seen another way, one can envision a craggy mountain off in the distance, the shrubs now stands of trees, and the dangling plants now wild tangles of vines spilling over massive, ancient cliffs full of wonder and secrets. Overall, this is a beautifully executed Nature Aquarium layout, a majestic vision of the natural world expertly and artistically rendered, and, at its heart, a really nice fish tank.