[Fine Summer Breeze]
Where balance is important in a layout, for instance when arranging a composition or planting, it is good to be aware of the golden ratio. In this layout, Nature Aquarium’s classic 2:3 ratio of empty spaces in the left and right is used, with Branch Wood and a variety of stemmed plants drawing the eye into the orthodox concave layout. I feel this piece returns to the unchanging aesthetic of Nature Aquarium that Takashi Amano established through his works.

DATA
Photo taken on: March 28th, 2018 (ADA)
Creator: Yusuke Homma (layout production, text)
Aquarium: Cube Garden W90×D45×H45（cm)
Lighting: Solar RGB x 1 (8.5 hours per day)
Filtration: Super Jet Filter ES-600 (Bio Rio)
Materials: Branch Wood, Manten Stone
Substrate: Aqua Soil – Amazonia, Power Sand Advance M, Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourmaline BC, Laplata Snad
CO₂: CO₂ Pollen Glass Large30Ø , 4 bubbles per second via CO₂ Beetle Counter (using Tower)
Aeration:15.5 hours after the light is turned off with Lily Pipe P-4
Additives Brighty K, Green Brighty Mineral, Green Brighty Iron, Green Brighty Nitrogen
Water change: 1/2 once a week
Water quality: Temperature 25°C, pH: 6.2, TH: 50 mg/L

Plants
Hygrophila pinnatifida
Rotala rotundifolia ‘Green’
Rotala rotundifolia ‘Ceylon’*
Rotala rotundifolia ‘Hra’*
Rotala nanjean
Hygrophila polysperma
Myriophyllum mattogrossense*
Ludwigia glandulosa
Pogostemon sp. ‘Dassen’
Anubias barteri var. nana ‘Petite’*
Microsorum sp. ‘Trident’
Taxiphyllum barbieri*

*means that they are from ADA’s living product lineups.

Fish
Hyphessobrycon rosaceus var.
Boehlkea fredcochui
Hyphessobrycon amandae
Crossocheilus oblongus
Otocinclus sp.
Caridina multidentata

Stemmed plant concave layout
A wide sized tank lends itself to concave layouts constructed with plant clusters on the left and right sides. In this W900 tank, Branch Wood is used as it is easy to construct with and offers enough space to raise stemmed-plants. The left of the composition is the 2 and the right the 3 in the 2:3 ratio of the classic concave layout. Bright ferns planted into driftwood branches and the use of various hues of stemmed-plants between the midground and background come together to make a vivid overall impression.

Point A  Leaf type gradient to add depth
Centrally planted red-leaved plants can add accent and give a sense of stability; here large-leaved Ludwigia glandulosa is planted in front of a fine-leaved Rotala rotundifolia ‘Hra’ to create depth. The fun of using red aquatic plants is that, even with the same red, the difference in shade can change their impression.

Point B  Making use of driftwood movement in epithytic plant placement
Use driftwood’s unique branching: whilst a central arch is a composition point, adding a little Taxiphyllum barbieri, sparsely so as to still expose the bark, can add balance. Distribution of epiphytic aquatic plants, for instance Microsorum sp. ‘Trident’, at the driftwood’s root can bring brightness and a sense of unity.

Point C  Beautifying aquascape with an Aqua Screen and decorative sand
Used to intensify the outline of the aquatic plants, a normal-type black Aqua Screen gives the red stemmed-plants’s colouring a stronger impressionability.With the spread of decorative sand in the foreground and open areas a visual height difference is created, as well as adding more brightness. Spread sand makes a central path, with stones placed so as to lead to the back; this emphasizes the sense of depth.