Layout tools are essential for layout creation. In the Nature Aquarium, we use different tools and plants in the way that is suitable for each aquatic plant.
Let us introduce a typical example of use from the production process of the 180 cm aquarium tank, introduced here.

Fixing moss on driftwood

Moss such as Willow Moss is used as an expression of natural feeling and time lapse. When it is wound around driftwood with Moss Cotton, the thread melts and breaks down by the time the moss firmly grows, leaving only moss naturally on the driftwood. Quiet dark green color and hard to cut thread are the features of Moss Cotton.

Dark green thread
Moss Cotton is not very noticeable with the deep green color. The cotton thread breaks down naturally over time.

Easy to wind Moss Cotton
Moisten the surface of the driftwood, spread the moss thinly, and wind it with Moss Cotton. Moss Cotton with many twists is hard to cut and easy to wind.

 

Planting of rosette type aquatic plants

Since rosette-type aquatic plants such as Cryptocoryne and Echinodorus are difficult to grasp with thin tweezers, it is recommended to plant them with grip-type tweezers that hold the plants and roots firmly. Pro-Pinsette Grip Type L is a thick tweezer with a ease of holding and planting.

Grasping Cryptocoryne firmly
The Pro-Pinsette Grip type has a slightly thick tip, and you can hold the root of Cryptocoryne firmly with stability.

Planting firmly on the substrate
Cryptocoryne cannot grow well if the plant is floating from the substrate. You can plant firmly by grip type as hand power is easy to transmit to the tip.

 

Planting of delicate stem and undergrowth plants

Delicate aquatic plants such as thin stem plants and Glossostigma are planted with thin tip Pro-Pinsette. Pro-Pinsette L is a tweezers that is most used in the planting process of layout production, because it is easy to insert the tip into the substrate and the aquatic plants are less likely to be pulled out together when pulling out Pro-Pinsette from substrate.

Plant thin stem plants together
You can plant the stem plants with high density if you combine several thin stem plants such as Rotala family together. Pro-Pinsette L is a good companion in planting the undergrowth.

Planting method of stem plants which is hard to come out
To planting firmly in the substrate, it is important to insert the stem slightly diagonally. If you incline the stem in a certain direction, it makes planting work easier.

Fixing ferns

Aquatic plants such as ferns and Anubias grow healthy by fixing them to drift-wood and stones. Dark brown Wood Tight are not noticeable when wrapped around driftwood or stone, and can be fixed firmly until the aquatic plants take roots. Please remove Wood Tight after the plants take roots, if unnecessary.

Fix a fern on a small stone
With Wood Tight that can be cut to a suitable length, it is easy to fix ferns on small stones.

Balanced placement of ferns
If you have prepared a few ferns fixed to a small stone, it can be arranged in a well-balanced way to the finish of the layout.

Take advantage of layout tools to improve completion level

In the Nature Aquarium, there are many aquatic plants used, from undergrowth in the foreground to background stem plants, and various layout tools are developed for nurturing those plants. Takashi Amano, the initiator of Nature Aquarium, has developed its own tweezers for aquatic plants and trimming scissors for pruning in order to create a more complete layout, and has also devised a method to make mosses and ferns grow on driftwood and stones. That tradition has now taken over, and ADA’s Aquascape Creators produce the layout of the Nature Aquarium Gallery using various layout tools. This time, we have introduced layout tools for the planting of aquatic plants, but in the ADA Nature Aquarium product lineup, there are a wide variety of tools including Pro-Scissors for pruning, and other maintenance tools. Please use these layout tools to create a more complete layout.