Red-Green Contrast
Place red street adjacent to green street for maximum visual impact. Rotala rotundifolia red next to Hygrophila corymbosa green creates pop.
Avoid placing all reds together — they blur into one mass. Separate by green buffers.
Yellow and Bronze
Yellow-green plants (Hygrophila siamensis 53B, Pogostemon erectus) add a third color dimension.
Bronze (Alternanthera reineckii Mini bronze) bridges red and yellow. Use sparingly as accent.
Light-Dark Contrast
Bright lime green (Hemianthus micranthemoides) next to dark green (Cryptocoryne) creates depth illusion.
Light colors pull forward visually; dark recedes. Design around this — bright foreground, dark background.
Texture Contrast
Fine-leaf (hairgrass, rotala) against broad-leaf (echinodorus, crypts). Adds visual complexity beyond color alone.
Dutch judges look for 4-5 distinct textures in a tank. More = showcase level.