The Aquatic Gardeners Association, Inc. is an international nonprofit
organization of aquatic plant enthusiasts, which appeals to both beginners and
experienced hobbyists alike. The AGA publishes a (paper) quarterly journal called
The Aquatic Gardener (or TAG
), the only English language
journal devoted to aquarium plants and planted aquaria. AGA
members receive a FREE subscription to TAG and all
special publications. Members also can purchase back issues,
DVDs, and t-shirts. We also hold a bi-annual convention and an online aquascaping contest.
We are incredibly excited about our contest this year and looking forward to having everyone see the amazing aquascapes that were created during this incredibly difficult year dealing with the global COVID pandemic. What could be a better than to start out 2021 with some inspiration from aquascapers from around the world.
For the first time in our history, we will be releasing the winning aquascapes via a livestream with judges and contest organizers on our YouTube channel, on January 17, 11 AM PST, 2 PM EST, 7 PM GMT. We hope you can join us for this interactive event!
Following the livestream, the contest website will go live with the full record-breaking results.
The Aquatic Gardener Vol. 33 No. 3 has been published! This issue includes:
~ From the President by Cheryl Rogers
~ A Planted Tank for Beginners (Part 3) by Curtis Warstler
~ Aquascaping 101: Finding the Right Mentor by Kevin Kelley
~ Key Points for Nature Aquarium Maintenance (Part 2) by Aqua Design Amano
~ Aquarium Photography: A Beginner's Guide by Hunter Koerner
~ Dispose of Aquatic Plants Properly! by Chantz Kramer
~ Echinodorus or Aquarius? by Christel Kasselmann and Heiko Muth
~ Ferrero Roche Aquascaping Contest by Nigel Hoevenaar
~ Methods of Connecting Hardscape by Xiaozhuang (Dennis) Wong
ON THE COVER: “Green Light Diffuse Through Forest" by Guan Liwei, China. First Place Aquatic Garden 320L or Larger 2019 AGA International Aquascaping Contest.
Membership in the Aquatic Gardeners Association includes this magazine free four times per year, as well as other benefits. To obtain the journal, please visit our membership page.
Hello Aquascapers,
It is hard to believe that the AGA contest is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year and that we have grown so much since our humble beginnings in 2000 as the first online aquascaping contest so many, many years ago. We started the contest with fewer than 100 aquascapes submitted in 6 categories for and now have more than 600 aquascapes submitted in 10 different categories! Throughout the history of our contest, there have been many additions and changes that make the AGA contest what it is today. However, we are constantly striving to improve and grow our contest and reach more aquascapers worldwide. That is definitely the case this year and for the future as big changes are coming!
With the recent issues resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, the people who run the contest discussed how best to accommodate hobbyists having a hard time building and prepping their aquascapes due to quarantines, social distancing, or other factors beyond their control. To make the contest more accessible for everyone, we have decided to delay the opening of the AGA contest for 2020 instead of canceling the contest. After considerable discussion, we decided on the following dates:
Friday, August 15th 2020 – Contest opens for submissions
Sunday, October 18th 2020 – Contest closes
January 2021 – Results are announced
The additional time should allow aquascapers the needed time to complete and refine their entries, especially as the impact of the virus subsides and our participants are able to obtain materials for the contest. We hope that aquascapers will take the added time to create new and novel entries that can be seen for the first time when the results are announced in 2021. Imagine starting the aquascaping year with the excitement of having a new aquascape revealed to the public! As the coordinator of the contest, I am excited to oversee these changes and hope our participants will see the benefits as well.
As we draw closer to the opening date, updated information including the rules, guidelines, entry forms and other important information about the contest will be provided on the website: www.aquatic-gardeners.org.
Good luck and happy aquascaping! I am excited for the future of the contest and the changes that are coming!
Bailin Shaw
Aquascaping Contest Chairperson
