Federation of American Aquarium Societies Federation of American Aquarium Societies Federation of American Aquarium Societies

Planted Tank Competition - FAAS Spring Aquarium Show 2021

General Entrance Guidelines

The FAAS Planted Tank Contest is open for entry until Midnight April 18th 2021, with results announced on Mother's Day May 9th. 

This event is primarily a friendly way for hobbyists to share their aquascaping efforts with each other and the greater aquarium hobby at large, and to learn better techniques through the display and evaluation of those efforts. The contest will also allow hobbyists to compete for awards. The event is open to all hobbyists, regardless of age, national origin or degree of experience in the hobby.

The focus of the event is on Aquascaping in freshwater aquaria, brackish water aquaria and paludariums. Brackish and Marine aquaria will be acceptable in the Biotope category only.

Each aquascape is entered and judged in one of the following categories:

  • G. Aquatic Garden
  • H. Biotope Aquascape
  • I. Paludarium
  • J. Wabi-Kusa

All but one of the categories require that the aquascaper use live plants in their aquascape. The Biotope Aquascape category is reserved for aquariums that are attempting to recreate a particular natural environment, and as such will be judged accordingly. Biotopes may or may not include plants, but should be made of primarily natural materials.

Each aquascaper will need to:

  1. Send an email  with a small amount of personal information (including their real legal name, City and Country)
  2. Supply basic information for each aquascape (maximum three aquascapes per aquascaper)
  3. Attach the photos to your email  (1-5 per aquascape)
  4. The subject of your email should be "FAAS Show Entry"
  5. Each entry should be sent in a separate email.

Emails should be sent to the FAAS show organizer, Bill Gill at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

email entries to

By entering this competition all entrants are releasing full rights of the entry photos to the Federation of American Aquarium Societies.

A maximum of three (3) aquascapes may be entered per aquascaper, regardless of category. Attempts to enter more than three aquascapes using multiple accounts will result in immediate disqualification of all aquascapes. This is not restricted by the number of entries in the Video Fish Competition.

Aquascapers are forbidden to ask advice or poat/show aquascape photos to members of facebook, forums, or members of aquascaping organizations.

Further questions may be answered by the organizer at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Judging and Awards

Judging will be conducted with each aquascape identified only by number; i.e. the judges will not know the identity of the person whose aquascape they are considering. Judges do not communicate with each other when scoring each aquascape.

Within each category, the raw score will determine the overall placing of aquascapes within the category. Awards (1st, 2nd,3rd, and 4th).

Judges are asked provide feedback on the qualities of each aquascape in the contest. These comments will be placed on the website associated with the appropriate entry.

The decisions of the judges are final.

Planted Tank Categories

The vast majority of the aquascapes are entered in the Aquatic Garden category. If the aquascaper is unsure which category is correct, it is very likely Aquatic Garden.

The Aquatic Garden category is further sub-divided by aquarium volume. The choice of how many divisions and precisely where the splits occur is based on participation and is up to the discretion of the judges and organizers.

There are four basic criteria that the judges consider when reviewing each aquascape:

  • Overall Impression - maximum 70 points
    • Does the aquascape make a significant positive visual impression upon the viewer?
    • Do all parts of the aquascape work together to present a harmonious whole?
  • Composition, Balance, Use of Space, Use of Color - maximum 60 points
    • Is the aquascape layed out well?
    • Does balance exist between the various components of the aquascape? Is space within the aquarium used effectively? Do open areas exist and balance and complement more enclosed spaces?
    • Are the colors of the various elements of the aquascape (including animals) complementary and do they work well together?
  • Selection and Use of Materials - maximum 40 points
    • Are the materials selected for use within the aquascape appropriate for use in an aquarium?
    • Are the various materials harmonious with one another? I.e. if several rocks and/or pieces of driftwood are used, do they compliment one another or do they produce a discordant effect?
    • Do the animals compliment or detract from the selection and arrangement of hardscape and plants?
  • Viability of Aquascape - maximum 30 points
    • Is the aquascape set up in a manner which, with proper maintenance, is likely to lead to long term (one year or more) success of the aquarium?
    • If used, are the plants selected for the aquascape appropriate for long term use in an aquarium?
    • Are the animals selected as inhabitants of the tank likely to cause damage to one another or to the aquascape itself? Are the animals appropriate to the size of the tank that houses them?

Biotope Aquascape

A biotope is a habitat originating from a specific location. It has particular environmental characteristics specific to the area and a native population of plants and animals. A single stream or lake may include numerous biotopes. For instance, a stony riffle in a stream may be one biotope while a nearby silt-bottomed pool on the same stream may be a different biotope. On the other hand, the same biotope may occur in numerous streams in a region where all stony riffles or silt-bottomed pools support the same community of plants and animals.

In its purest form, the biotope aquascape is a microscopic representation of a naturally-occurring particular geographical area in the wild.

An aquascape that accurately represents a biotope through species selection and arrangement of hardscape and living elements will receive a higher score.

Rules for acceptable aquascapes in the AGA’s Aquascaping Contest Biotope Category:

  • Material used including wood, rocks, and other hardscaping material should, as closely as possible, represent the appearance of natural materials found in the specific location.
    Example: Mopani driftwood would not be used in an Asian rainforest biotope aquascape. However, manzanita wood could be used effectively to represent branches and roots in an Amazon biotope.
  • Plants and animals should be indigenous to the specific location.
    Example: Guppies should not be used in a Lake Malawi biotope aquascape. However, a few non-native fish or shrimp included for algae control will be overlooked.
  • Choice and placement of plant and animal species should also represent the specific location.
    Example: Although both plants grow in Asian streams, it would be unlikely to find Cryptocoryne cordata, which likes shaded areas, mixed with C. crispatula, which is found in sunny areas.
  • Exotic, non-native, or invasive species of plants and fish should not be used in a biotope aquascape. All flora and fauna should be native species originally indigenous to the biotope being described.
  • Aquascaping methods used for Aquatic Garden aquariums are not applicable to biotope aquascaping. Design should be directed toward creating an authentic replication of a natural habitat. Arrangement of hardscape materials, and placement and grouping of plants, should mimic that found in nature rather than an abstracted image of a natural scene often used in Aquatic Garden aquascaping.
  • Salt marsh/marine planted aquaria are acceptable in the Biotope Category only. Plants/macroalgae should be the majority plant. Corals and other sessile inverts, if any, should be minimal.

The chief judge of the planted tank competition will screen submissions for the Biotope Category and accept those aquascapes that follow these rules. Entries deemed not conforming to the category rules will be moved to the aquatic garden category.

Based on the criteria, to aid the screening process, we strongly suggest that the aquascaper provides the following information:

  1. A description of the biotope represented by the aquascape.
  2. A description of the materials used in the aquascape, including plants, fish, and hardscape materials. Include why certain choices were made.
  3. References to substantiate the appropriateness of the materials used. Books, articles, photos, and web links are all acceptable references.

If the chief judge rejects a submission because it does meet the Biotope guidelines, It will automatically be moved to the aquatic garden category.

After a Biotope aquascape has been approved by the chief judge, it will be judged by the FAAS Planted Tank Judging team. Each judge will score the biotope based on the following criteria:

  • General impressions/ faithful reproduction of biotope - maximum 70 points
  • Accuracy of plants and animals for biotope - maximum 60 points
  • Accuracy of hardscape - maximum 40 points
  • Condition - maximum 30 points

Paludarium

  • Overall Impression - maximum 60 points
    • Does the aquascape make a significant positive visual impression upon the viewer?
    • Do all parts of the aquascape work together to present a harmonious whole?
  • Composition, Balance, Use of Space, Use of Color - maximum 70 points
    • Most important, is a significant amount of the enclosure devoted to land and a significant amount devoted to water? This does not need to be 50/50 or even 25/75, as different tank sizes and shapes will dictate different ratios. But neither the land nor the water should be treated as a superficial “add on” or “feature”. Both MUST be a well developed and well planted part of the whole design.
    • Is the entire paludarium layed out well? Does the land flow naturally into the water?
    • Does balance exist between the various components of the 'scape? Is space within the aquarium used effectively? Do open areas exist and do they balance and complement more enclosed spaces?
    • Are the colors of the various elements of the paludarium (including animals) complementary and do they work well together?
  • Selection and Use of Materials - maximum 40 points
    • Are the materials selected for use within the aquascape appropriate for use in a paludarium? While it is common to use artificial materials when building a paludarium, are they well-hidden so as not to distract from the display?
    • Are the various materials harmonious with one another? I.e. if several rocks and/or pieces of driftwood are used, do they compliment one another or do they produce a discordant effect?
    • Do the animals compliment or detract from the selection and arrangement of hardscape and plants? The paludarium planting should be well developed above and below water. Whether to include animals is up to the aquascaper, though beautiful, appropriate species can never hurt a display!
  • Viability of the Paludarium Aquascape - maximum 30 points
    • Paludariums should never be a short-term arrangement like an aquascaped aquarium. Therefore, the ability to maintain a paludarium for a length of time is to be encouraged. Is the paludarium set up in a manner which, with proper maintenance, is likely to lead to long term (one year or more) success of the paludarium?
    • Are the plants selected for the paludarium appropriate for long term use in the land or water portion as they are used? Are the plants chosen likely to over-run the enclosure, or will animals be too large at their adult size?
    • Are the animals selected as inhabitants of the tank likely to cause damage to one another or to the paludarium itself? Are the animals appropriate to the size of the tank that houses them?

Wabi-Kusa

Wabi-Kusa is defined here as a creative layout primarily comprised of emersed grown aquatic plants arranged on a ball of substrate. Wabi-Kusa takes its origins from the term wabi-sabi, otherwise defined as finding beauty in nature’s imperfection. For the FAAS Planted Tank contest, our criteria requires that the Wabi-Kusa must have a visible water portion as this is a contest for “aquatic” gardens and not a contest for terrariums or vivariums. Please read the rules carefully as judges will award points respective to the criteria categories listed below:

  • Health and Condition: maximum 100 points
    • Is the layout healthy and free from any undesirable elements? (30%)
    • Are all plants used aquatic in origin (even if they are in emersed form)? Terrestrial-only plants are not allowed, i.e. the plants must be ones that could also be used submersed, in a long-term aquarium setting. (30%)
    • If animals are incorporated in the layout, are they healthy and in a suitable environment to be maintained long term? (20%)
    • Is there a water portion of the layout? Is the water clean and clear? Layouts without a water feature will be summarily disqualified. (20%)
  • Artistic Skill, Impression, and Creativity: maximum 100 points
    • Does the layout demonstrate artistic skill through the use of arrangement, colors, textures, and hardscape? (40%)
    • Is the layout especially creative or impactful? (40%)
    • Do any other elements of the Wabi Kusa (such as the vessel and light chosen for display, etc.) add to or detract from the impression? (20%)

Photographs

The short version:

  • 1-5 Photos
  • Raw camera files only with original camera file name.
  • Highest Resolution Possible
  • No modifications of images whatsoever. (No Photoshop)

The entrant is requested to provide 1 ~ 5 images of each aquascape, ideally showing both overall views and close-ups of details they wish to highlight.

While the focus of this event is on the aquascape shown in the images, the aquascaper is encouraged to try and provide the clearest, sharpest images possible. The better the images that are provided, the better they will reproduce and display.

Please send the highest resolution and quality possible.

The entrant may not alter an image in any way.  While the organizers realize that in an event of this type it is entirely possible for an unethical person to manufacture a digital image of a non-existent tank, it is our hope that each entrant will honor the spirit of sharing and friendly competition upon which this event is based. We are counting on the honesty and integrity of our participants to submit only images that are truly representative of their work as aquascape artists!

Please use your original unmodified camera files. 

Images submitted should not have the photographer's name, Copyright Notice. or logos superimposed over the image. Images should not include the aquascaper or other people in the picture (aka, a selfie). Judging needs to be anonymous, and this information could affect the impartial evaluation of aquascapes. FAAS will add a copyright 'burn-in' in the final website.

When creating a planting plan, keep in mind that a blocky diagram works much better than something with thin lines, and high-resolution graphic is just as important as in the photographs. A simple sketch with a Sharpie pen on a piece of paper will look better on the final site than a bad MS-Paint graphic.

By entering this competition all entrants are releasing full rights of the entry photos to the Federation of American Aquarium Societies.

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