Aquascaping contests

Here's Thomas Barr's recommendation on how to prepare for a contest, or other event. This is how to make sure your aquarium looks its best:

Now is a good time to amp the plants. Up the CO2, reduce the lighting slighly, work on getting each plant right, water changes(more frequent/larger 2x a week etc), more traces, more NO3/PO4 for awhile, and clean the dickens out of the tank.

When removing plants to trim, vacuum the mulm, every bit you can from that area. Remove the lower portions and toss out. Clean filter, scrub glass etc more often, even if not needed, and then after you do all that, fluff the tank up good with your hand, remove as much leaf matter with a fine net and then do the large water change right afterwards. You can mega dose right before(24 hours) before the water change prune also. Clean the outside of the glass also and keep up on it along with cleaning the edges around the top area of the tank, along the gravel line etc.

ADA, AGA, AB contest are all coming up so work and relax after you get that last photo. Then you guys can tear the tank down and prune and sell off the trimmings and start onm next years contest ideas:)

I had an old post Erik knows where it is sort of going over some of these things.

Regards, Tom Barr