Raleigh Aquarium Society

RAS HORTICULTURE AWARDS PROGRAM (HAP) - 2017 Program Update

The Raleigh Aquarium Society has revised its Horticulture Award Program (HAP) to encourage more members to maintain and reproduce aquatic plants, make them more widely available and to share their knowledge, aquatic gardening experiences and aquascaping talents. The program is open to all members.

Points are still awarded according to plant hardiness and general level of difficulty. In the revised program, points will now be awarded for reproducing the plant(s) or simply maintaining them in their tank for at least 3 months. Semi-aquatic (amphibious) plants grown out of water are now allowed.

To illustrate and document success, the RAS member may now submit a sequence of two or more photographs of the plant(s) in their tank or growing container and are encouraged to include commentary and advice on how to keep, arrange and reproduce them. The photos can also present the beauty of individual aquarium plants and placement in an aquascape. The pictures and other submitted documentation will be shared with other aquarists through the RAS web site or social media. To receive credit and to further share with members, the plants could alternatively be donated for sale in an RAS auction. A desired outcome of the program is a database of the plants successfully grown in the local area and which may be available for sale or trade.

For more information, feel free to contact Neil Frank (NC.aquarist@gmail.com).

POINT CLASSIFICATION FOR PLANT SPECIES

Hardiness classifications and scientific nomenclature from http://www.aquaticplantcentral.com/forumapc/plantfinder/ Species with strikethrough line are noxious weeds as listed by USDA or North Carolina and are prohibited in NC and are not allowed in the RAS HAP.

The detailed listing of plants can be found here.