Just prior to my setting up a newer and better tank, I thought I'd put a bit of extra effort into landscaping (aquascaping) the tank. I did the rounds of the local Aquariums, thumbing through the books for nice pictures of planted tanks.

Eventually I found one that really impressed me, mainly because it was full of pictures with very little text. So home I went, with Takashi Amano's 'Nature Aquarium World' (I believe this is the first volume - black cover) tucked under my arm, and with a much lighter wallet!

I sat in the lounge with clean hands (black glossy pages!), and took a better look at this book. Well, if that wasn't enough to put you off having a tank for life!

I reckon this book puts you right at that edge, where you are either inspired to new height's, or left completely daunted and ready to wash your hands of the whole affair! And I wavered there for quite some time...

I don't think I'll buy another of Takashi Amano's books, I believe the volume I have to be his best, and I'm not sure how many books of tank pictures one needs. But what you'll experiance in his books will blow you away!

If you have a technical volume of aquatic plants, then one of Mr Amano's books will make the perfect compliment. If you haven't as yet seen his work, check out:

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My pathetic attempt can be seen at:

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The setups on this site

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were great... nice link..

I dont have any plants in any of my tanks as until this past week they were setup for plecos....and most plecos in the wild are no where near any plants lol...Now I have the corys I may get a few we will have to wait and see

Well, I didn't set out to do a book review, it sort of mutated as I went... Hope I did him justice an any case.

Amazon Swords are a good plant for Cory's. They form an umbrella shape, and the Cory's all sit underneath. Also the broad leaves catch food, and the sight of the Cory's zipping up and down the leaves is one to watch, especially the young ones.

i thought some of u guys might like to check out a link to a page that i discovered last night.

it is a pictorial report of ...

Takashi Amano Workshop
Aquatic Gardeners Conference 2001
Chattanooga, Tennessee (held at the Clarion Hotel)

...basically in words and pictures it shows Amano setting up a tank. it might not be as comprehensive as buying one of his books but for some one that hasnt read his books, but has seen his tanks (like me) it is quite interresting.

here is the link ...

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Excellent! Thanks for that one Nick.

A couple of details got me tho'. The Narrator points out that, when the Audience suggests a placement for the large rock, Takashi is "shocked". But there's no detail - where did they suggest? Why did that shock him? What was Takashi's preference?

Also, the Audience asks at what height should the plants be trimmed? The Narrator states that Takashi indicates the height with his hand. Thank you for that one... I was surprised that Takashi planted dry (without water in the tank). In his book, he does a partial fill, before planting.

I suspect that the narrative was taken from a voice-recorder, almost verbatim. It has that style. However, a nicely laid out page. Good pics. I may even print that up as a supplement for my Amano book, as it is far more detailed than the published example.

...sounds like one of my sarcastic friends was in the audience ...

"why dont ya stick the rock right up your *cough*!?"

one thing i found interresting was the bit at the end ...

*keep the temperature at 22ºC during the first week, then raise to 25ºC.
*do not add any CO2 for the first week
*allow the plants 2-3 days to recover
*in two months, begin adding liquid fertilizer
*after first week, add cleaner fish: (10 ottocinclus, 20-30 caridina japonica shrimp)
*after one month add main fish: (100 cardinal tetras)

...never heard anyone suggest that the temp should be lower in the 1st week. no co2 for the 1st week i can understand, but not using fert for 2 months seems slightly odd. the last 2 bits puzzled me slightly. i can understand using cleaners but so many? i've read 1 otto per 10g, more than this and they might not have enough algae to eat (supposedly). the final fish count realy puzzles me. the tank is a 48 gallon (UK) and it says at the end add the main fish 100 cardinals. even if he takes out all the shrimps and ottos, this seems a bit over stocked to me. i tend to go by the 'rule of thumb' 1 inch of fish per gallon in a new tank and 2 inch in a mature tank. looking at my 40g tank and thinking what it would look like with 80 cardinals in it, there doesnt look like the fish would have much room to swim without bumping into each other all the time

shame it doesnt mention what filter he would have used or recommended for this size of tank. i am also curious as to where he positions the intake and output parts of the filter. in some of the pics of his tanks that i've seen, it looks like he feeds the water back into the tank from above the water line, usualy in one or 2 jets rather than spray bar. i guess he probably uses co2 in his tanks as standard!?

i think i might have to invest in one of his books or see if my local library keeps any.

With a Scottish accent? Brilliant!

The temperature thing I understand. They don't like rapid temperature change. ISO room temp is 20c. So I guess it's a step to 22, then to 25. I'm unsure on the fertilzer bit as well. Perhaps I should visit a local Hydroponics outlet. I've been meaning to try them for Aquarium suitable Fertiliser in any case (read: cheaper than LFS...?).

I noted the high Shrimp population, but the Tetras didn't surprise me. Takashi is a BIG Tetra fan, perhaps I was used to it, from his books. Perhaps they naturally shoal tight when in a large group. And He's big on the CO2. You know, He actually began using CO2 by tipping Carbonated Spring/Mineral Water into his tank!

The book I have, has 1 or 2 tanks per open spread. He only states the Filter type (Power, Outside Hanging,etc), but not the capacity. Parameters listed for each tank include: Tank Size, Tank Capacity, Lighting, Filter Type, Substrate, CO2 Rate, Fertilization Rate, Water Change Rate, Temp, pH, Total Hardness, Carbonate Hardness, Nitrite, Nitrate, CO2, and O2.

First volume cost me Aus$80.

Just looking on the brief section on Filters. He doesn't like Filters that sit high and block the light. Undergravels are out. He seems to like Power Filters, but not Spraybars. He doesn't like water agitation.

Oh - I forgot to add: He's big on water changes. At least 50% per week, for most tanks. Something I probaly couldn't do, we've been on Level 'what-ever' water restrictions for three or four years now. Can't wash the car, or water the lawn. Most of of my water changes go on the Wifes plants anyway.

50% water change seems a bit excessive to me, but i suppose if he likes to stock his tanks so heavily, 100 cardinals in a 48g tank, then i can understand why this might be the case. my fish and tanks seem happy enough with a 25% weekly or 50% fortnightly change.

i'm a bit shocked to hear u (kana) have had water restrictions for 3/4 yrs, wow. it must be realy realy dry where u stay or the local water authority are a bunch of ... eh not very nice people.

one thing that has struck me about Mr Amano, from what i've read in the last few days, he seems to be more concerned with creating an 'aquatic garden' than providing a 'nice' enviroment for his fish. my aim is more to provide a natural and happy home for my fish. i feel as i achieve this the 'beauty' of the tanks begins to happen by itself. saying that i have found myself spending 20 minutes trying to get a bit of bogwood positioned just right so it looks great from different angles, lol (must be the photographer in me). also, i think, as my tanks are relatively new, about 14 months and 6 months, i find that they grow and change every month, especialy as i keep tampering with the arrangement of plants etc. thankfully too, this doesnt seem to upset the fish, they always get a treat when its time to change something and they seem to love exploring the 'new' setup when i finish

I'm sure we're still officially in drought. The main reservoir that supplies Melbourne has been well below 50% for about 3 years. Many country towns are on restrictions. I hate to think how many head of stock have been lost by Farmers. They were shooting them by the thousand at one point. This past year has probaly been the best for a while. I grew up in the Mallee, where the only water you had was what washed off your roof. This having a permanent water supply business, is a bit of a luxury for me!

The creek through my Sisters property, recently had a trickle of water in it for the first time in about four years. It's dry again now though. Two weeks back I was up there with the kids. It rained what I thought was a decent rain. The next day, you couldn't tell. No puddles, no mud, completely absorbed into the ground! They've actually had to have water trucked in. They've built a larger shed to increase their catchment.

Mind you, the storm that hit two nights later was a ripper! Tore the steel door to the shed right of it's rails, and flung it to the far side of the house. When I saw it come around the corner, I thought 'Shit! There goes my car!' Missed it by a couple of metres! I think we personally removed seven trees from the road outside, with chainsaw and tractor, that'd been brought down. And as far as you could see down the nearby highway, was flashing blue, red and, yellow lights, of the Emergency Services, cutting up the trees.

Yeah, Amano has turned it into an Art Form. Perhaps I didn't write that bit about the Tetras correctly. His tanks are in general well under-stocked, but they're almost guaranteed to have Tetras. But as I understand it, little fish like Cardinals don't produce much waste. The other aspect, I suppose, is that my book was compiled in 1992. Perhaps He's mellowed? But I believe it's always been about the plants, for Him.

I remember trying to get my Bogwood 'right'. Something I need to do now is find some more. I've begun moving my young Bristlenose out of the breeding tank. I need more hidey-holes. I've begun my 'clean-up' on the Main Tank, so the plants will get a bit of a swap around also.

Mr Amano is a Photographer too.

i hope things dont keep getting worse for u kana, what with global warming and all

i thought i'd show u some pics i took in the last few months, just because u might be interrested.

the 1st 3 show a fantastic bit of mopani wood that i got really cheep from a LFS. it is hollow in the middle and stands above the gravel making it a great refuge for fish. this was my cats fav, if u look u can see at each of the points where it meets the gravel, the cat has hollowed it out a bit. funny to see him doing this, his tail wagging rapidly and sand flying everwhere.







this last pic, is more recent and shows the addition of a new bit of mopani. this bit is now the cats favourite. if u look u can just see his tail sticking out from the bottom of it. the new baby cat that i got has adopted the big bit of mopani, which is funny considerign he is the smallest but has the biggest bit of wood.



these pics are a few months old now and the tank has grown out so much more now and has a lot more plants so doesnt look as bare as it does in these pics. thought u might like a peek tho

(edited) was gonna ask ur name, but i just realised that it is in the PM u sent, ooops. sorry Peter (lol)(edited)

i like this forum and planet catfish. u get a better class of friendlier people than u do in some other forums i've been in

Except for those 'on the land', I think most people have sort of forgotten we have a problem, we've been in this status for so long!

'Top pics', and top bits of wood. Wood is now so expensive here, it's ridiculous. And a good piece like what you have, you'd pay through the nose. My Sister reckons She has some for me from out of the Creek, so I may go up for the weekend and check out what's there (see pics).

I did a tour one day, visited 20 Aquariums in the Eastern suburbs (yes, that's in one direction only). Found two stores that had decent wood stumps. Pity they were the ones most further away! Anyway, I took notes, grabbed their Business Cards, and rated each Aquarium, so I know where to go, depending on what I want. I think all up, it only cost me one $120 speeding ticket! (oops).



Yep, saw your little Bristlenose. My breeding pair do the same. The female dug a tunnel in under a stump, and lives there. The Male dug in under a Hide I'd constructed (this is the Hide where my Bristlenose bred). End result was that the Hide collapsed into the hole, so I can no longer tell if they've had more younger in there. I'll raise it back during my cleanup.

I saw your Ram too. Wish I could've kept my alive! (See Cichlids thread). Don't be worried about posting old pics, we haven't seen them! I've got a couple floating about from 3 years ago. And don't be afraid to start a new Thread/Topic, even if it is just to show off a photo or two. 'A pictures worth a thousand words!'

I guess that's the difference between a 'Handle' and a 'Nick-name'. I sometimes forget I have a real name, people have been calling me 'Kana' for a decade or three (at least). In fact I've often not answered to 'Peter', not thinking I was the one being addressed!



Planet Catfish works because there's a core of members that are Professional / semi-professional in the Fish Keeping industry. Those same members have got to know each other over many years, and several have actually met. And they are as keen as all hell.

This site is 2 or 3 months old, and many of us come from Planet Catfish, so we're not complete strangers. And in these early days, the members have shared the common goal of getting this site active, and there's been a lot of 'one-on-one'. The knowledge base at PC can be a bit daunting sometimes. I think we're more comfortable contributing here, without the fear we'll be shot down in flames (not that I think that'd actually occur - but hopefully you'll understand what I'm saying).

But personally, I did feel that I could consistently make more valuable contributions here, than at PC. And of course, some of that is because PC is a 'Specialised' site and, as Catfish go, I only have Cory's and Bristlenose'. Unfortunately it hasn't stopped most of us arriving here and talking 'Catfish' all-day!

one thing about living here (Scotland) is there is very very rarely never enough water. i think i have seen one water shortage in the 40 yrs i've lived here.

i cant get over how much some places charge for bogwood or mopani wood. the best place i have found here is a big pet chain. they seem to sell it for a set price per bit of wood, big or small. i got my best bits there, as seen in the pics. other places i find charge per kilo. my largest bit was £5 from the big pet chain where as if i'd got it from a smaller shop it would have been £15 upwards. i was even asking one of my LFS' the other day about the possibility of them getting in 2 lots (25kilo) instead of one and me buying them off them, minus handling fee. my idea is to cover lots of bits of wood in fern and moss, i have tons of plants just now, ands sell the planted wood on ebay for a good profit.

i have also thought of finding my own bog and digging out my own bits of wood. although the labour time and effort involved puts me off. good luck if u get some from ur sisters creek (sorry bad choice of words, lol).

re name, i've been 'the mucky paw' from primary school, from an absract little paw print that i used to leave everywhere. when i came to sign here and Planet catfish and here, i messed up signing up so i made up the new name of fishypaw, lol

i liked the pics u put up. nice to see unfishy pics sometimes. nice dog too, reminds me of a child hood 'friend'.

i can totaly relate to a 'knowledge base' being daunting. as an example, i have visited a forum called the krib a few times. they have an amazing amount of fish based knowledge and members that seem to know absolutely everything. great place to gather info but intimidating to the extent that i havn't even joined the site as i feel with my 'poor' amount of knowledge i'd be shot down too often. u can see it in the threads when some of the regulars have amazing 'arguments' with each other, quoting all sorts of obscure references and chemical equations and 'stuff', lol.

i am gonna start a new thread here showing off some of my ram breeding pics. please have a look, i think u'll like them.

I agree, this place is more like an old style fish club right now where we can share our experiences and tips by saying this has worked for me rather than this is the way its done which is a bit how places like PC feel to me at least. If theres one thing I have learned in my time keeping fish is you can read everything out there about something but your fish will go and do something completely different and it rare if the different sources of info you read agrees with itself anyways. But then again fish don't read books so they won't know how to live up to their own biographies .