Steve Jobs once said, ‘We made the buttons on the screen look so good you’ll want to lick them.’ That’s how I feel about this scape. This is precision aquascaping in the hands of a master. Juiciest and healthiest plants in this category. My second favorite entry this year. I’ve never seen Microsorum ‘Narrow K’ used so effectively in a Dutch scape, where it is both a backwall as well as a curtain plant. The novelty of this execution somewhat offsets the score ding from breaking the ‘no repeat’ rule. There is a very well-developed sense of depth from the dark area behind Penthorum street, gentle sloping up of the plant groups, as well as the other shadows that add a sense of mystery. Beautifully developed midground that’s so often ignored also adds to the depth. Thank you for not overcrowding the foreground. The second entry this year with sleepy Limnophila past its bed time. I have two minor problems with this tank: 1) it leans too heavily on reds, especially on the left. The two equal-sized, circular red (Rotala and Ludwigia) bushes stacked atop each other feels artificial. The near-central location of the red Pogostemon compounds the issue. Tanks so rich in color should use small silvery fish like Rasbora dorsiocellata instead of hyper colored, non-schooling fish and 2) tank size – the number of plant species and the layout would have been perfect for a 4-foot long tank. Here, with a 30-inch (75 cm) tank, the eleven species feel crowded even with the desired spacing between groups. A 4-foot tank would have also allowed the Penthorum street to be more off-center and curve a little more for better effect. The scape (and my comments) should be studied by beginners hoping to enter the contest next year.