Aqua Journal 12-2012

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DEC.

2012

Paradise of Stem Plants

[ Special Feature ]

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A key to AQUASKY s brightness is its high luminosity LEDs

and their layout.Numbers of high luminosity LEDs are regularly

distributed in a shifted manner, and it makes possible to

illumi nate a whole aquarium layout. Heat generation is a

common problem of high luminosity LED lamps. ADA solved

the problem by employing the high radiation performance

aluminum material and its unique fin structures.

It employs the material and

structure of outstanding heat

radiation performance.

http://www.adana.co.jp

ADA s AQUASKY is the world s first LED l ighting system developed specifically for planted aquariums.

A new lineup, compatible with aquarium tanks 45cm wide and 60cm wide, is to hit the market, this fall.

For 60cm wide aquariums, the single light model - AQUASKY 601 and the twin light model - AQUASKY 602

are available. Choose a model according to the type of main aquatic plants planted in your 60cm-wide aquarium.

You can also install maximum of 3 LED lighting units (AQUASKY 601 x 1, AQUASKY 602 x 1) to a 60cm aquarium tank.

AQUASKY 602 is capable of providing the same illum inance level as Solar I. AQUASKY series makes possible to fully

appreciate aquatic plant layouts, which was hardly achieved by other LED lighting systems before.

*We measured the center spot illmunicance level with following condition: Direct illuminance level measured at 12cm from the lighting source for

AQUASKY 602, and 30cm for Solar I.

It provides excellent light

intensity, which is created by

efficient LED layout.

LED lighting system, AQUASKY,designed for planted aquariums.

ADAs Lighting Systems

Higher brightness and a more simple design

NEW!

High luminosity LED lighting unit developed

with ADAs lighting technology

front back

(Measurement distance: 12cm,

assumed distance between the light source and water surface)

W60D30cm

AQUASKY 602

8554-1 Urushiyama, Nishikan-ku, Niigata, 953-0054 Japan

Aquarium

Lighting

Filter

Substrate

CO2

Cube Garden W60xD30xH36cm

AQUASKY 602 (LED 0.4W/each x 63/ 2 units)

Super Jet Filter ES-300 (prototype), Bio Rio, NA Carbon,

Lily Pipe P-1, Lily Pipe V-3

Aqua Soil - Amazonia, Power Sand S

Pollen Glass, 3 bubbles per second via

CO2Beetle Counter (using YA/Ver.2)

Additives

Water Change

Water Qual ity

Aquatic Plants

FishInvertebrates

Brighty K, Green Brighty STEP2

1/3 once a week

Temperatu re 25 (77 F) pH6.8 TH20mg/

Wabi-kusa Eleocharis parvula

Wabi-kusa GlossostigmaWabi-kusa Stemmed Plants Mix

Wabi-kusa Stemmed Plants Mix Red

Trigonostigma espei, Otocinclus sp., Caridina japonica

NA TU R E AQ UAR I U M DATA 2 months after installation (trimmed 4 times)

AQUASKY 602 featuring high light

distribution performance

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The image shown is a Wabi-kusa layout aquarium about 2 months after installing AQUASKY 602.

AQUASKY 602 is capable of providing plenty of light for light-loving Glossostigma,

Eleocharis parvula, stem plants and ot her heliophytic plants.

*Due to the characteristics of LED, there is a variance in range of color temperature. *Install AQUASKY 601 and AQUASKY 602 to a 60cm wide aquarium (W60xD30xH36cm) for higher light intensity.*Photo is for image only. The product has a power supply cord on the side. *Other displayed products are sold separately.

AQUASKY 601The practical single light model for 60cm wide aquariums

Light housing unit sizeW570D68H10mmClear stand sizeW600D94H120mm

Product specificationInput voltageAC100240V 50/60HzPower consumption30WCurrent consumption900mA 5%Luminous flux2,5202,850lmColor temperatureAround 7,000KLED0.4W/each 63 LEDlifetimeOver 30,000hrsOperating temperature range035

AQUASKY 602 is compatible with ADA Cube Garden /

Cube Glass in the following sizes:

AQUASKY 601 is compatible with ADA Cube Garden /

Cube Glass in the following sizes:

AQUASKY 451 is compatible with ADA Cube Garden / Cube

Glass in the following sizes:

W45 x D24 x H16 (cm) glass thickness 5mm









AQUASKY 602The twin light model for 60cm wide planted aquariums


Product specificationInput voltageAC100240V 50/60HzPower consumption60W30W per lighting unitCurrent consumption900mA 5%per lighting unit

Luminous flux2,5202,850 lmper lighting unitColor temperatu reAround 7,000KLED0.4W/each 63 (per lighting unit) LED lifetimeOver 30,000h rs

Operating tempe rature range035AQUASKY 602 comes with 2 adapters. Each adapter takes one lighting unit.

AQUASKY 451The single light model for 45cm wide aquariums


Product specificationInput voltageAC100240V 50/60HzPower consumption22WCurrent consumption650mA 5%Luminous flux1,8002,160lmColor temperatureAround 7,000KLED0.4/each45 LED lifetimeOver 30,000hrsOperating temperature range035

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g

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SUPER JETFILTER ES-300

LILY PIPE Mini V-2LILY PIPE SPIN

01

02

Standard Filtration Media Anthracite (activated carbon in net) 2L, Bio Cube 20 1LPump Specification Flow Rate: 6.0L/min (50Hz), 7.2L/min (60Hz) Maximum Pump Head: 3.0m (50Hz), 3.6m (60Hz)Standard Accessories Outflow Glass Pipe (10), Inflow Glass Pipe (13), Clear Hose (10) 1m, Clear Hose (13) 2m, Hose ClipExternal Size:144 x H360mmCapacity: 3L

*For freshwater aquarium use only.*Flow rate and maximum pump head shown in data are under a no-load condition.*Set-package for 60 liter aquarium, SUPER JET FILTER ES-300 (LILY TYPE), comes with an outflow glass pipe (10) and inflow glass pipe (13).*Set-package for 36 liter and smaller aquarium, SUPER JET FILTER ES-300 (SPIN TYPE), comes with newly-developed LILY PIPE SPIN (outflow) and LILY PIPE Mini (inflow).

Size: W55mm x H210mm13

SUPER JET FILTER ES-300 is a great external canister style filterto enjoy Nature Aquarium with small aquarium sizes up to 60

liters. Despite its compact form, this product assures excellentfiltration capability and has a fine, robust body.

ADAs compact-size Jet Filter

Professionally handcrafted body with excellent durability

Equipped with a small, but powerful filter pump

ADAs original filtration structure

Lily Pipe Mini V-2Inflow


Lily Pipe Spin P-1Outflow


* For glass thickness 5 - 6 mm.

Lily Pipe Spin P-2Outflow

Slows the flow of water bycreating a circling flow inside

water flow

ADAs LILY PIPE SPIN is designed for small

size aquarium up to 36 liters. This product

works well to slow the water flow fromSUPER JET FILTER ES-300.

Lily Pipe Mini

Lily Pipe Spin

SUPER

JET FILTER

ES-300

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View from Juhyo Bridge (Zao, Yamagata, Japan)

This was the first photograph of the season for 2008, taken fromJuhyo Bridge, Zao at noon on January 1st. It had been an unusu-ally warm winter and there hadnt been much snowing. Asudden cold wave finally brought about a much anticipatedheavy snowfall on New Years Eve. Standing on the bridge, Itook a picture of the landscape deeply covered in fresh snow,the town in the distance had become covered and invisiblethrough the mist.I made a new years resolution to capture as many images ofbeautiful Japanese landscapes for the next ten years, and I hadthe sense that this scenery represented an auspicious start to anew year.

Shooting data / Deardroff 5x7, Super-Symmar 110mm XL,1/15 sec at f22, RVP F 57 inch format film

DECEMBER 2012

Special Feature


Vol.48 Zao, Yamagata, Japan

Travelling across Japan

World Report in India

Vol.19 Growing Healthy and Beautiful Stem Plants

NATURE AQUARIUM Q&A

World Report in Canada

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Special Feature

Paradise of

StemPlantsThe Secrets to Balanced Planting

With their pretty pastel coloration, various leaf shapes andthe way they spread their soft leaves in water, stem plantshave a way of always attracting us to their beauty. Each typeof stem plant has its own unique charm and it should beeffectively brought out in the layout. A layout using stemplants naturally reflects the intention of the producer, whichis one of the fun parts of making this type of layout. TheSpecial Feature of this issue introduces the basic rules forskillful planting of colorful stem plants.

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The ratio at which people feel the most stable and beautiful isthe golden ratio. The rectangle illustrated below is a goldenrectangle whose sides are in the golden ratio. A goldenrectangle is partitioned into a square and a new goldenrectangle is formedwhen its long side isdivided at the length ofthe short side. Thispartitioning can berepeated as shown inthe illustration.

Difference in impression is determined by differentbalances.

Bilaterally symmetrical layouts (right/left balance of 1:1)very often appear unnatural and give a less dynamic or dullimpression. The most basic right/left balance for the layoutis 3:2 (which is an approximate value of the golden ratio)which delivers the perception of a stable beauty.

It is Important to Ensure a Good Balance of Planted Stem Plants

Most stem plants form a lush, appealing bushthrough planting at the appropriate density andthrough repeated trimming. These bushes ofstem plants are very important towards makinga defined composition. The basic compositionsare classified as: concave, convex and triangularstyles. These compositions are formed by theborder line created between bushes of aquaticplants and the use of open space. Using the

example of the most popular style, the concavecomposition, the layout often looks unnaturaland out of balance if the bushes of stem plants

What is the Golden Ratio of 1:1.618?

are symmetrical on either side. To make thelayout appear attractive, balance the right andleft sides to a ratio of 1:1.618 (the golden ratio).Of course, it is difficult to achieve the exactgolden ratio in the aquarium. Therefore, werecommend that you create a balance accord-ing to the ratio of 2:3, which is an approximatevalue of the golden ratio formula (as a note,left-right reversal causes no problems (e.g. 3:2

vs. 2:3)). Always keep this balance in mind asyou are planting or trimming your stem plants!

What are the Most Important Things to

Ensure the Effective Use of Stem Plants?

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The trimming line is important tomaintain a good balance of stem

plants. Trimming of stem plantsshould be performed to ensure theleft/right balance of 2:3 (or 3:2 as inthis layout).

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You can easily achieve a balanced planting of stem plantswhen considering their colors.Diverse color patterns are one of the greatfeatures of stem plants. The colors of stemplants are broadly divided into green and red,each of which has multiple subtle shades. To bemore precise, green stem plants offer differentshades ranging from dark green to light green;while red has shade variations ranging fromorange and pink to deep red. This subtle changein color is closely related to our visual impres-

sions, and therefore determines how we plantand use stem plants, such as the combined useof green and red stem plants in a balancedmanner and the use of some red stem plants asan accent, greatly influences the impression ofthe layout. The first step of making a goodlayout using stem plants is to figure out how toplant stem plants taking into consideration thedifference in their colors.

Rotala rotundifolia (Green)Rotala rotundifolia Rotara macrandra

Rotala rotundifolia (Green)

Pogostemon sp. 'Dassen'

Rotara macrandra sp.

Rotala rotundifolia

Rotara nanjean

Gratiora sp.

How Do You Use Colorful

Stem Plants Effectively?

Using red and green stem plantsA bush of stem plants with a rich variety of colors is formed by planting Rotala Rotundifolia (Green) at the sideswhile planting red plants in the center.

Using red stem plantsThis layout using red stem plants as the main plant features very delicate colorvariations that are effectively produced by using a combination of stem plantsthat have a more yellowish and orangish red hues.

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Difference in Color Impressions

Rules for planting

Stem plants have various colors and the color of each plantinfluences the layouts overall impression. This sectiondiscusses the varied color impressions of aquatic plantsaccording to their colors and tones.

Varied degree of impact by color (or hue)

In general, aquatic plants are in red, orange, yellow, greenishyellow and green hues. Among those color variations, redgives the strongest impression, followed by green. Theimpact of the plant becomes weaker as the plants color getscloser to yellow.

The Impact of Aquatic Plants are Determined by Their Color Tones

Color has three dimensions - hue, brightnessand saturation. The basic color (hue) of anaquatic plant is determined by the plantspigments and therefore the color variations ofthe plant is basically determined within a rangebetween green, yellow and red. Even just thered colored aquatic plants come in manydifferent saturation levels of red - ranging fromthe vivid reds of Rotala Macranda to the duskyred of Ludwigia Peruensis; while green colorsalso differ with various brightness levelsranging from the bright greens of Rotala

Rotundifolia (Green) to the murky greens ofLagarosiphon Major. However, when determin-ing the colors of aquatic plants, it is not easy toprecisely distinguish between brightness andsaturation. Due to this reason, the color tonesthat represent color density should be usedinstead of brightness and saturation to promotea greater understanding. Keeping this knowl-edge in mind, please use the Stem Plant ColorChart to the right as a reference for yourplanting.

Strong

Weak

Strong

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Red and green plants on the top row have the strongest color impression. As you go towards thebottom row, the color impression becomes weaker. Among the plants on the same row, plants onthe left have a stronger color impression than plants on the right side.

Saturation refers to the intensi-ty of the color. Pure colors suchas red and green contain thehighest saturation levels, whilemixed colors (such as red andorange or green and yellow)have lower saturation levels.For aquatic plants, the color sat-uration differs between eachspecies. It also varies depend-ing on the light, nutrient andother conditions of proper

plant care. In general, healthystem plants display vivid colors.

Brightness refers to the lightnessand darkness of the color. Lightercolors are contain a very highbrightness, while deeper anddarker colors have the impressionof low brightness. The lightnessand darkness of the color comes torepresent strong and mild colortones in black and white imagery.The tones of stem plants which areused as background plants in thelayout are very important elementsthat greatly influence the overallimpression of the planted aquari-um.

High

The impact of the color can be clearly seen if a colored image is converted into a

black-and-white image. The portions with darker tones have a stronger impact whilethe portions with milder tones have a weaker impact.

Stem Plant Color Chart

What is brightness?What is saturation? High

Low Low


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Hygropila difformis

Rotara nanjean

Rotara macrandra "Green"

Hemianthus nbrosum

Hygrophila violacea


Using aquatic plants with different leaf shapesThe impression of Hygrophila difformis with its relatively large leaves is softened byreducing the amount you plant and by planting narrow-leaf stem plants around it.

You can achieve a balanced planting arrangement of stemplants when considering their leaf shapes and sizes.

Stem plants contain a variety of leaf

shapes, such as the narrow leaves of

Rotala and the large leaves of larger-sized

Ludwigia. You may have the experience of

having randomly planted stem plants

without considering their leaf shapes and

consequently the aquascape eventually

gave a disorganized and scattered

appearance, leaving a less dynamic impres-

sion. Good balance cannot be achieved if the

leaf sizes of the stem plants does not fit in the

size of the aquarium. It is very important for you

to figure out the optimal balance of stem plants

by pursuing the best combination of colors as

well as the leaf shape and size of the plants

used.

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Large Leaf and Narrow Leaf

How to Make Proper Use of Various

Leaf Sizes for Optimal Impact?

Gratiora sp.

Hygrophila stricta

Rotara macrandra


Hemianthus nbrosum

Using large-leaf stem plantsHygrophila Big Leaf is a large stem plant with long leaves. In this layout, this plant is planted slightly on the leftto moderate its impression and ensure a good balance.

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Rules for planting

Shape and Size of LeafStem plants have variously sized leaves. The impression ofstem plants arranged in the layout greatly varies depending onthe size and shape of the leaves. This section discusses the leafshape and size of stem plants.

Various degrees of impact determined by leaf shape

Just as in the case of figures, stem plants with larger-sized

leaves give stronger impressions. On the other hand, stemplants with narrower leaves form an outstandingly beautifulthicket.

Leaf Shape and Firmness/Softness of the Impression

There are various shapes of stem plant leaves.When looking at stem plants only, the ones withlarge leaves give a stronger impression whilethe impression becomes weaker if the plant hasnarrow leaves, as shown in the above illustra-tions. The leaf shape influences the firmnessand softness of the impression of the cluster ofstem plants. A bush of stem plants with largerleaves gives a firm and heavy impression; whilethe soft and light impression of narrow-leafstem plants will stand out when arranged toform a thicket. In an actual concave layout, theweight of the cluster on the right and left sidesvaries depending on the leaf size as well as thecolor impression of the plants. To help youmake a better combination of stem plants,please refer to the chart on the right whichintroduces the some of the most commonlyused green and red stem plants with different

leaf sizes.

Stem plants used as an accent

The ratio at which people feel the most stable and

beautiful is The attractiveness of stem plants isbrought out when you create a bush or thicket withthem. At this time, stem plants that have a strongerimpact serve as an effective accent plant by beingplaced in a thicket of a single species or with othersimilar types of stem plants. The plants highlightedhere have a great presence even when only a smallquantity is used, therefore they are ideal to be usedas accent plants in a layout. You can balance thelayout by using and adjusting these plants as accentsto the overall scene.

Limnophila aquatic Pogostemon stellatus

Ludwigia perennis Polygonum sp. Pink

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Green stem plants with large leaves are suitable to express a natural feeling. Narrow leaves give a more fantastic impression.

Red stem plants with large leaves have the strongest impact and give off a very heavy impression. This impression gets lighter as the plant leaves become narrower.


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Learning the Basics of the Planted Aquarium

In January, Takashi Amanos special seminar was held for the students of the NatureAquarium Course, International Pet World College. The Aqua Journal Editorial Teamaccompanied Mr. Amano to the seminar. This section features a special tutorial on

the layout based on Mr. Amanos lecture titled Tips for Making a Layout which hadbeen introduced in the seminar. We hope that you will come to understand the basicformation of the layout and use it as a reference for your future layout creations,while reflecting on your own sense and taste.

Takashi Amano Layout Seminar

The Golden Ratio Supports the Bal-ance of the Layout

Mr. Amano began his talk by stating that Oneof the most important aspects of creating agood layout is to achieve balance; and aboveall, the most important thing is the golden

ratio.The golden ratio is approximately 1:1.618 in fig-ures, or rounded up to 2:3 for convenience inthe aquarium. Taking Iwagumi as an example,the center of Oyaishi, or the main stone, isplaced at a location at which the tank width isdivided at the ratio of 1:1.618 (2:3). And then,Fukuishi, or secondary stone, and Soeishi, or ac-companying stone, are placed in such mannerthat the line between the center of the mainstone and the side of the tank is divided at theratio of 1:1.618 (2:3) (refer to Fig.1). This ratioalso applies to the weight of the stones. It is im-portant to develop a sense of creating layoutsthat involve the mental calculation of this bal-

ance.

Tension adds a touch of spice to thebalance

The optimal balance of the stones is achievedwhen the ratio of the main stone and its sup-porting stones are placed at the weight ratio of1:1.618 (2:3). However, the layout may some-

times look a little dull if the balance is too per-fect. In this circumstance, making the stonesslightly off balance, for example at the ratio of1:3, creates a tension and firms up the overallatmosphere of the layout. Nonetheless, an ex-cessive imbalance such as 1:0.5 and 1:1 ruinsthe overall balance and significantly detractsfrom the appearance of the layout. For thisreason, this change in ratio should preferablybe up to 1:3. This applies not only to the weightof the stones but also to all the elements relat-ing to balance of the layout.The trimming line for the stem plants in thebackground is a good example. Many aquaristsare inclined to trim the stem plants in the back-

ground symmetrically, but an exactly symmetri-cal placement can undermine the natural feel

of the layout. The effective ratio to achieve agood right/left balance of the stem plants is1:1.618 (2:3) which delivers the optimal bal-ance, or a maximum of up to 1:3 which is thelimit to create a tension while maintaining thebalance.

Identify the shades of the leaf colorFrom here on, stem plants are used as our ex-ample. We will give the explanation on the as-sumption that all the stem plants have almostthe same leaf sizes, since the visual element ofleaf size and shape influences our perception.As we describe visual impacts such as heavyor light, a leaf with a dark green has a heavierimpact, while a leaf with a light green has alighter impact. The golden ratio applies evenwhen planning the gradient of color you willcreate from the various shades of stem plants.There are deep red and pink leaves under redleaves, while green leaves contain many differ-

ent shades. The approach Mr. Amano devel-oped in identifying shades of color is to look at

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College students are listening attentively to Mr. Amanos instructions. The opportunity to get Mr.Amanos advice while looking at an actual layout is very precious.

Balance of Iwagumi

Among various layout materials, Iwagumi requiresan exceptionally high level of composition skill. How-ever, even beginners can easily try Iwagumi oncethey understand the basic points of stone place-ment.

Fig.1

Oyaishi(main stone)

Fukuishi(secondary

stone)

Soeishi(accompanying

stone)

Golden ratio

Fig.2

The Balance of Shades of AquaticPlants

When the size of the leaves are the same, select theaquatic plants to be used in such a manner that thecolor shade balance of approximately 2:3 is achieved.This will lead to an approximate 2:3 color shade ratio

among all the aquatic plants in the aquarium andcreate a well-balanced impression of the layout.

Fig.3

Balance of Planting Positions forAquatic Plants with Strong Character

Avoid using too many plants with strong character.Keep in mind that the quantity of such plants shouldbe as moderate as 1, 3 or 5 stalks. Ultimately theplanting position is in your hands, but a goodbalance can be achieved if you choose to plant themin a way that a scalene triangle is formed by connect-ing them together.

a color through a black and white filter in ourmind. Every color shows its shade if convertedinto a black-and-white image. If you havetrouble visualizing this at first, we suggest thatyou take a photograph of stem plants in alayout and convert it to a black-and-whiteimage using a program such as Photoshop orInstagram. To determine which color has astronger impact between yellow and yellow-ishgreen, Mr. Amano suggest you convert thosecolors to a black-and-white image in your mindto identify which color is darker.Technically speaking, a color is divided into tenscales, with 10 being black, 5 being gray and 1being white. Approaching color balance from

the viewpoint of identifying color shades helpsyou see the difference in color, no matter whatthe actual color is. When aquatic plants are thencombined at the color shade ratio of 1:1.618 (2:3), such as when combining plants with acolor shade of 7 with another plant with ashade of 10 or combining plants with a colorshade of 4 and 7. Doing this will lead the entirebalance of color at the ratio of 1:1.618 (2:3).Meanwhile, lets assume the right/left balanceof stem plants is set to 1:1.618. When the colorbalance is at 1.1618:1, which is the reverse value

of the prior balance,the weight becomesunstable and an unbal-anced impression willbe created. As can beseen from this ex-ample, it is important

to determine the colorbalance based on thecolor shades that corre-spond to the ratio usedfor the composition.When using the samespecies of aquaticplants on the right andleft sides separately,the quantity of plantused must not be equal(i.e. 1:1) on both sides,but you should main-tain a difference, such

as 1:1.618 (2:3) on either side.

Weight is felt by leaf size and shape

Discussions up to this point were based on theassumption that several varieties of green orred aquatic plants were used and they all hadrelatively ordinary shapes and the same size ofleaves. Now, lets evaluate cases where stemplants have differing shape characteristics.When comparing a large leaf and a small leaf,the weight of the large leaf is obviously heavier.Then, how about the comparison between asharp leaf and round leaf? When the surfacearea of the leaves is the same, the sharp leaf has

the stronger impact; and when the two leaveshave the same diameter, the weight of theround leaf is heavier. Note that the difference inthe surface area of the leaves has a greatervisual impact compared to the difference in leafshapes.What we have to pay attention to when dis-cussing this matter is the growth of aquaticplants. Even if the plants look well-balanced im-mediately after being planted in the aquarium,the overall balance may be lost as the time goesby and the plants grow larger. To address this

concern, it is necessary to have, in the plantingstage, a clear image on how the aquatic plantsshould be when the aquascape is completed.

What is the theorem for a scalene tri-angle?

Aquatic plants featuring large leaves or sharpleaf shape can be planted in small quantities,like just a few stalks, to serve as an accent of thelayout. This technique can be extended to theuse of red plants in the midst of an aquascapeusing green aquatic plants. Using a lot of plantsor leaves that have a strong impact may spoilthe balance with the surroundings. Therefore,the strong impression should be dispersed inthe aquascape to moderate the impact. Theplanting positions are ultimately your option onhow and where to place, but you should keep inmind that it is an important point to plant eachplant in the positions of each corner of an in-verted scalene triangle. At this time, the

number of stalks to be planted should be anodd number like 1, 3 and 5; and the shape of thetriangle formed by the plants must not be anequilateral triangle to avoid a symmetrical ar-rangement. This is the theorem for a scalene tri-angle in planted aquarium (refer to Fig.3).

It is a necessity for you to obtain asense of deviating from the manual

As can be seen from the above example, weneed to have a pluralistic viewpoint, more spe-cifically, the golden ratio is the basic foundationand the theorem for a scalene triangle is the

basic element for character when creating alayout. While this is the basic manual and for-mula for success in layout creation, you alsoneed to learn how to deviate from these basicswhen your technique becomes more ad-vanced. This becomes a process of fine adjust-ments made by purposely restructuring thecomposition using your own sense and feelingof how the layout should look to express agreater level of creativity. Your development inthis unexplored field is dependent on your ownsense and taste.


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This 60cm (24in) aquarium is a well-balanced tank as its width and height areplaced in a ratio very close to the goldenratio. In this layout, the framework isformed with driftwood and stem plantsare placed in the background. It is impor-tant to keep a good balance of stem plantswhile taking into consideration the posi-tion of the driftwood and aquatic plantsarranged in the mid-ground. Within thislayout, the red stems are planted in thecenter and slightly to the right side of thecenter, while bright yellow-green stem

plants are arranged to the left to ensure abilateral balance of 2:3.

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Tank

Lighting system

Filtration system

Substrate system

CO2system

Air

Additives

Water change

Water quality

Aquatic plants

Fish species

Cube Garden Mist W60D30H36 (cm)

Grand Solar II (NA Lamp 36W Twin 2)

Lighting for 10 hours a day

Super Jet Filter ES-600 (Bio Rio)

Aqua Soil - Amazonia, Bright Sand, Power

Sand Special S, Bacter 100, Clear Super,

Tourmaline BC, PENAC W for Aquarium,

PENAC P for Plants

Pollen Glass Type II - 2 bubbles per

second with CO2Bubble Counter (Using

Tower)

Aeration with Lily Pipe P-2 for when

lighting is OFF at night

Brighty K & Green Brighty STEP 2

1/3 water change once a week

Water t emperature: 25C; pH: 6.6; TH:

20mg/

NO2:

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Aquatic PlantEncyclopediaStem plants have many different colors andshapes of leaves and their wide variationsare one of the great charms of this planttype. We need to know the nature and

characteristics of each plant to figure outhow to select and combine aquatic plantsto make a layout. This section introducespopular and easily available stem plants.Note that the data represented with iconsare for your reference only.

How to read icons

Leaf size Growth pH Light CO2

Large

Narrow/small

High

Low

HighMediumLow

6.4

7.4

Hygrophila salicifolia

Hygrophila salicifolia with green narrowleaves easily develops emersed leaves once itreaches the water line. The planting amountshould be moderate due to its rigid-lookingappearance and large size when grown up.

Hygrophila sp. Cherry Leaf

This is a member of the Hygrophila groupwith large leaves. Avoid excessive use of thisplant when mixing with other plants whiletaking its big leaf size into consideration. Thisplant develops beautiful brown tinted leaveswhen in good condition.

Hygrophila corymbosa'Compacta'

This improved variety ofHygrophila is easy to grow. It hasa short internode length anddevelops lush leaves. The leaveson the bottom stem are easilysusceptible to insufficient lightsyndrome. This is a slow-growing plant.

Hygrophila sp. Red

This is a member of Hygrophilathat produces long narrow

leaves. It is not so fast growing.Its leaves are more in brownishcolor rather than red.

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Hygrophila polysperma

This is a popular species that isstrong and sold at a reasonableprice. It is suited to a large tankbecause of its large leaves.

Eichhornia diversifolia

Its unique appearance adds adifferent touch to the aquascapewhen this plant is used as anaccent of the layout. Blackenedstem and leaves developing inthe undergrowth of this plant isa disadvantage, common amongHeteranthera Zosterifolia andother Eichhornia species.

Hygrophila sp. PantanalWavy

This is a Hygrophila plantoriginating in South America

and has wavy narrow leaves. Thisplant is slow-growing andcreepy, and therefore it tends tobe overwhelmed by otheraquatic plants.

Hygrophila difformis

Water wisteria develops pinnateleaves when grown submersedin striking contrast to its ovalemersed leaves. This plantpropagates very well by growingroots out of its stem. It creepsacross the tank and becomes adominant plant.

Ludwigia palustrisThis green Ludwigia member is rare andunique among Ludwigia species that aremostly reddish in color. It does not havemuch tolerance to trimming.

Limnophila aquaticaThis is the largest Limnophila and just a fewstalks of them create an impressiveaquascape. Be wary of algal growth on thesmall leaves of this plant.

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Ludwigia Inclinata Cuba

Ludwigia sp. Cuba features very beautifulorange whorls of leaves that are muchdifferent from other species of Ludwigia. Thisplant must be pruned when it almost reachesthe water line to prevent it from developingemersed leaves.

Gratiola sp.

Gratiola sp. looks very appealing with tints ofred when grown under favorable conditions.Its beautiful color is ideal as an accent to theaquascape. The leaf color deteriorates in caseof lack of nutrients including iron.

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Polygonum sp. Pink

The large pink leaves of Polygonum sp. Pink has agreat presence that can possibly determine the overallimpression of the aquascape. Avoid excessively denseplanting due to its relatively large width.

Medium

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7.2

Polygonum Acuriculatum

This Polygonum member grows in Japan. It hasstipules at the base of some leaves. This plant is mostlysold in emersed form, which will eventually turn intosubmersed form.

Medium

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Ludwigia ovaries

Among aquatic plants growing in Japan, this is one ofthe rare plants that develop red-tinted submersedleaves. Be careful of a damaged lower stem if newlybought.

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Pogostemon sp. Dassen

This plant looks like Pogostemon

stellatus, but its leaves havesharp jagged edges. The tip ofthe leaves is tinted with reddepending on the nutritionalstatus.

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Alternanthera reineckii var.lilacina

This plant develops wider leavesand grows larger compared toAlternanthera reineckii. Thisplant adds a different touch tothe layout with its leaf shape andcolor when used in a large tank.

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High

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7.2

Ludwigia glandulosa

This plant develops relatively

large leaves among Ludwigiasmembers and is suited to largetank of 90cm or larger. Its lowerstem often melts immediatelyafter being planted.

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High

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Alternanthera ocipus

As its alias Green Reineckiisuggests, this plant has leaveswith an olive green topside. It isstrong but relatively slow-growing.

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Alternanthera reineckii var. cardinalisThis plant develops the leaves that areslightly wavy and larger then Alternantherareineckii. It looks uniquely appealing with avivid red leaf backside.

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Nesaea pedicellataNesaea pedicellata is a beautiful plantfeaturing the contrast colors of red stem andyellow leaves. Sufficient light and CO2 areessential for its growth. It does not grow veryfast.

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Mayaca sellowiana

Compared with Mayaca fluviatilis, it isdifficult to grow this plant while maintainingits beautiful green color. Its terminal bud istinted with red when in good condition.

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Bacopa caroliniana

Bacopa caroliniana featuring athick leaf is usually light green incolor but it turns slightly reddishwhen in good condition. Thisspecies requires careful plantingbecause it is highly buoyant andcan easily come off of thesubstrate after planting.

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Hottonia inflata

This beautiful plant grows well inAqua Soil. Its leaf color can fadeeasily and therefore continuousapplication of liquid fertilizer isessential.

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Mayaca fluviatilis

This strong aquatic plant has needle leavesand is suited to the background location ofa small aquarium having a width of 60cmor below. Its terminal bud easily turnswhitish when not in good condition.

Small

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Lagarosiphon major

The appearance of Lagarosiphonmajor is unique with curly translucentdark green leaves. This plant is difficultto grow as it gets weak if light and CO2are insufficient.

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Myriophyllum propinquum

This plant develops soft and delicatesubmersed leaves in significantcontrast with its thick needle-likeemersed leaves. It is fast growing andeasy to grow.

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Bacopa monnieri

Bacopa monnieri has rigid-lookingoval leaves that grow upwardrelatively slowly. It is more suitable toplant in the mid-ground locationrather than background.

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It grows dense and forms a

beautiful thicket throughtrimming. Under high lightingconditions, this Rotala creepssideways and then growsupwards.

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Dorimalia cordata

This plant has small round leavesand grows straight upwards. It isadvisable to grow this plant in abright environment because itlooks more attractive withshorter intermodes.

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Micranthemum unbrosum

Micranthemum unbrosum is fastgrowing and grows straightupwards. The condition of thelower stem deteriorates fast. It isessential to snip off the stemsand replant them to maintainthis plant over a long period oftime.

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Lindernia anagallis

Lindernia anagallis adds a goodaccent to the layout with itsunique angular stem and roundleaves. Handle this plant withcare during planting as its stemeasily breaks.

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Myriophyllum mattogros-sense (Green)

It grows sideways unlike othermembers of Myriophyllum. Itforms a beautiful thicket whichcan form a smooth gradientoutline through trimming.

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Tonina fluviatilis

The clump of Tonina fluviatilis isuniquely beautiful with its curlyleaves. It needs to be maintainedby cutting and replanting thestems/shoots. Be aware thatCardina japonica may eat and

damage this plant

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Tonina sp.This member of Tonina needs is demandingin terms of light and CO2. It also requires lowKH (carbonate hardness) level. Aqua Soil isideal for the substrate material for this plant.

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Rotala macranda Green

As its name indicates, Rotala macrandaGreen develops foliage resembling Rotalamacranda but in green color. It is strongerand easier to grow. Its leaves may turn light

pink when in good condition.

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Rotala indica

This is a Rotala rotundifolia that turns brightred. Application of nutrients containing ironis effective to bring out vivid red color.

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Ludwigia arcuataLudwigia arcuatas signature sharp, red leavesprovide a colorful accent to any thicket of stemplants. With its unique leaf color and shape, thisplant is easy to combine with other species.

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Rotala nanjeanA thicket of this fine-leaf Rotala in yellow or orangewill become denser and more attractive throughrepeated trimming. This plant grows even at lowCO2level unlike other members of Rotala.

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Rotala rotundifolia

Along with Rotala rotundifolia(Green), this is a very popularRotala species that is easilyavailable. It is tinted with pinkwhen appropriate fertilizers areapplied.

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Cabomba piauhyensis

This Cabomba is not red uponarrival to a shop. However, itstarts developing red leaves

when exposed to strong light.It is difficult to maintain itsbeautiful appearance.

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Rotala macranda sp.

The brilliant red leaves of this plant reallystand out in planted aquariums. Sufficientlight and CO2as well as iron supplements areessential for its beautiful appearance.

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Rotala sp. Ceylon

This Rotala, once grown, has beautiful leaveswith a reddish purple underside. AmongRotala species, this plant has the highesttolerance to repeated trimming.

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Myriophyllum tubercula-tum

Abundant light and CO2supplyare essential to maintain thered leaves of this plant. Itsnarrow leaves with oxygen

bubbles looks fantastic.

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Myriophyllum sp.

This Myriophyllum is beautifulwith its pinnately-dividedorange leaves. Be careful ofalgae growing between theparted leaves.

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Limnophila sessiliflora

This is a popular plant withwhorls of narrow leaves. Itrequires high light and CO2supply. The internodes areoriginally long, but theygradually become shortthrough repeated trimming.

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Rotala wallichii

Rotala wallichii has thenarrowest leaf among redaquatic plants. Its delicatecluster containing warm color

stands out in the layout. It isrecommended to purchase theemersed form of this plant.

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RED

Balance Chart by Leaf Color and SizeThe impact in relation to the balance of the planted stem plants varies dependingon the combination of the leaf color and size of each plant. The following is amodel balance chart with leaf size on the ordinate and hue on the abscissa. Referto this chart to find the impact of each of the popular stem plants.

Alternanthera reineckiiAlternanthera reineckii var. lilacina Polygonum sp. Pink

Ludwigia perennisRotala macrandra

Ludwigia glandulosa

Ludwigia repens Ludwigia ovaris

Nesaea sp.

Rotala macrandra sp.Gratiola sp.

Ludwigia Inclinata Cuba

Pogostemon stellatus

Ludwigia arcuata Rotala indica

Myriophyllum tuberculatum

Rotala wallichii

Red plants with large leaves

This group of plants has the strongestvisual impact but its excessive use maymake a person viewing the layout feelas if it is too loud. The layout looksmore pleasant by using this type ofplants moderately.

Red plants with narrow leaves

The impact of each stalk is weak due toits narrow leaves. Adjust the impactlevel by the planting amount.

Green plants with large leaves

These plants are not as impactful as redplants. The weight of the balance maylean towards the larger green leaf.

Green plants with narrowleaves

This group of plants should be plantedin groups as each of them gives amodest impression.

Red

Large

Small

Green

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GREEN


Rotala nanjean

Mayaca fluviatilis

Lagarosiphon madagascariensis

Micranthemum unbrosumHemianthus micranthemoides

Rotala rotundifolia (Green)Rotala sp. Ceylon

Rotala rotundifolia

Bacopa monnieri

Hygrophila polysperma

Heteranthera zosterifolia

Eichhornia diversifolia

Nesaea pedicellata

Hygrophila difformis

Rotala macrandra Green

Bacopa caroliniana

Hygrophila angustifolia

Hygrophila Big Leaf

Hygrophila corymbosa

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Many fish are seen in places where stem plants and other aquatic plants grow.

Lovely flowers add colors to the waterscape in dry seasons.

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Stem Plants Living in the WildStem plants in the aquarium please oureyes with their colorful appearance. Innatural environments, this plant grows inthickets mainly at the banks of rivers or inshallow waters exposed to sunlight. Manystem plants grow emersed and developthick emersed leaves that can withstandstrong ultra violet rays. In the waterfront

environment in tropical regions where thewater level rises significantly in rainy


Stem plants form thickets in shallow waters with sufficient flow and abundant light.

Many stem plants grow emersed unless they are submersed bynature.

Ceratopteris thalictroides growing in water under abundantsunlight.

seasons, the submerged stem plantsdevelop submersed leaves. They look likea forest in the water and provide small fishwith great places to hide from theirenemies that desire to catch and eat them.Thickets of stem plants are an importantplace for small fish, since they produceabundant oxygen through photosynthesis

and tend to attract various shellfish.

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The balance of a layout can be effectivelyadjusted with stem plants by making themost use of their features, such as the vari-ous colors, shapes and sizes of leaves. Inthis layout, a good balance is achieved byplanting many different species of stemplants in the background. When using

stem plants for this purpose, the mid-ground location of the layout is important.Creating an elaborate mid-ground usingdriftwood and ferns helps conceal the un-sightly bottom part of the stem plants andhelps their attractive appearance standout.

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/

/

/

/

/

/

Tank

Lighting system

Filtration system

Substrate system

CO2system

Air

Cube Garden W90D45H45 (cm)

Grand Solar I (NAG-150W-Green / NA Lamp

36W Twin 2)

Lighting for 10 hours a day

Super Jet Filter ES-600 (Bio Rio)

Aqua Soil - Amazonia, Power Sand Special M,

Bacter 100, Clear Super, PENAC W for

Aquarium, PENAC P for Plants, Tourmaline BC

Pollen Glass Large 30 - 2 bubbles per second

with CO2Beetle Counter (Using Tower)

Aeration with Lily Pipe P-4 for 14 hours when

lighting is OFF at night

/

/

/

/

Additives

Water change

Water quality

Aquatic plants

Brighty K & Green Brighty STEP 2

1/3 water change once a week

Water te mperature: 25C; pH: 6.8; TH:

20mg/

NO2:

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Trimming An Important

Process for Stem Plants

Trimming of grown aquatic plants is anessential process to enjoy the aquascapefor a long time; and the importance oftrimming is particularly increased in alayout using stem plants. One reason isthat stem plants can be maintained for avery long period of time by using propertrimming technique. However, if a grownstem plant is left untrimmed, the bottom

part does not get sunlight and the wholeplant becomes weakened, resulting in the

Trimming Scissors Straight TypeFeatures suitability for use in water and sharpcutting edge that minimizes the destruction ofaquatic plant cells. Dull scissors cause moredamage to the plant through a sloppy cut.

collapse of the aquascape. Another reasonis that repeated trimming promotes theformation of thickets through the broom-like branching of stems after trimming.These two points are the most significantaspects of maintaining healthy stemplants. In this case, how should we trimstem plants to achieve beautiful thickets?Lets take a look at trimming procedures of

an actual aquascape!

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Before trimming

Trimming was performed for adriftwood layout using Rotalaspecies as the main plant. When theplants are about to reach the waterline, it is time for trimming.

1. Rotala rotundifolia2. Rotala rotundifolia (Green)3. Rotala sp. Ceylon4. Myriophyllum mattogrossense

(Green)

After trimming

Subtle changes have been made to the slanting trimming line. The point of

making an attractive clump is to trim each of the stem plants according totheir growth rate, like pruning only the protruding terminal buds ofMyriophyllum mattogrossense (Green).

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Inspection is conducted on the grown aquatic plants.

Aquatic plants are controlled in an orderly manner in different sections by species in a wide nursery.

Many stem plants are grown by thecut-and-replant method.

Aquatic plants are grown submersed inconcrete mortar ponds with soil substrate.The grown Ludwigia glandulosa isamazingly thick.

The staff of Oriental Aquarium saidthat the most difficult part is tomaintain an appropriate waterquality that is suitable for each plant.

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A Visit to an Aquatic Plant FarmLocated in the tropical country of Singa-pore with an average daytime tempera-ture of 24-32 C, Oriental Aquarium growsmore than 100 varieties of stem plants aswell as other aquatic plants in bothemersed and submersed forms in thetropical climate. Stem plants are mainlyproduced by cultivation in ponds with soilsubstrate as well as hydroponic culture. Asa daily maintenance, Oriental Aquarium

applies fertilizers mainly containing phos-phorus, potassium, calcium and magne-sium together with pesticide and disinfec-

In this farm, stem plants are grown emersed thanks to the tropical climate.

Limnophila sessilifolia with white flowers Alternanthera reineckii 'Cardinalis' ready forshipment

tant. A difficult part of growing aquaticplants is to maintain the appropriate waterquality including pH and alkaline level. Forwater hardness, too, the company under-takes careful water quality control andgrows each aquatic plant in the waterwhile keeping a suitable water hardness toreproduce the native environment of theplant. The difficulty level of growingaquatic plants varies depending on the

species; and Hygrophila is one of theeasiest-growing plants according to thestaff of Oriental Aquarium. In this farm,

Hygrophila species are mostly grownemersed as they are prone to pest damagein submersed environments. Recently,Oriental Aquarium has begun growingmany types of aquatic plants by way oftissue culture. Many of the aquatic plantscommercially sold in Japan are supplied bythis Singaporean farm. The productioncapacity of this nursery spanning a widearea is the best in the world. It is expected

that Oriental Aquarium will draw moreattention from now on.


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I Would Like More People toKnow How Wonderful ThisHobby is through WorkshopsReported by: Joseph Uy (President of Miyabi Aqua DesignLimited, ADA distributor for Canada)URLhttp://www.miyabi-aqua.com/

Being a professional landscape photogra-pher, Mr. Joseph Uy, the reporter of thisWorld Report, said that he sympathizedwith ADAs concept Learning from Natureat the moment he heard of it. Now, he putshis efforts in organizing workshops, whichare gaining favorable response.

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A: Getting passionate about my talk in front of manyparticipants. Aquatic plant boom is coming inCanada.

B: Sharing what I have learned in the Nature AquariumSeminar.

C: The use of Power Sand is recommended.

I participated in the NA Seminar held in the

ADA headquarters in September 2011. There I

learned about the features of each ADA

product and the difference from the competi-

tors items. I gained knowledge about the

importance of substrate, how to apply the

golden ratio to layout making and trimming

techniques through hands-on sessions usingactual aquariums installed in Nature

Aquarium Gallery. When ADA products are

sold, the detailed instructions on how to use

them are given to the purchaser. Unlike luxury

cars that people blindly buy, people buy ADAs

products because they wish to own them.

Based on my experience at the NA Seminar

through which I became aware of the impor-

tance of creating opportunities to showcase

Nature Aquarium, I had an idea of increasing

the number of aquariums to be displayed in

Canada and organizing workshops actively.

After I returned to Canada, I held a workshop

at the aquarium shop Aquarium West

located in the downtown of Vancouver on

October 30, 2011. Although the number of the

participants was as small as 14, I explained

about how to use and the great effects of the

products such as Power Sand, Aqua Soil-New

Amazonia, Bacter 100, Clear Super, Tourma-line BC and PENAC P/W in detail. In this

workshop, the participants learned about how

to make Nature Aquarium including attaching

Riccia to a flat stone and planting of

Glossostigma with Pinsettes on a one-to-one

basis. For Canadian hobbyists, this was a fresh,

new experience.

And on November 21, the second workshop

was held for the members of Vancouver

Aquatic Hobbyist Society. More than 200

people came to this workshop and closely

observed my Nature Aquarium making that I

had learned from ADA. At the end of this

event, a planted aquarium created during the

workshop was given to a lucky dip winner and

the event ended on a high note.

I believe that the event service is very impor-

tant and would like to organize a seminar in

schools and colleges. It would be great if ADA

products ties up with an interior designer andpropose display ideas.

D: A scene of lucky dipE: An aquarium shop in VancouverF: Aquarium created during the workshopG: Current condition of Photo F. Its doing well.H: I wish ladies too enjoy planted aquarium.I: Planting aquatic plants during the NA Seminar.

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Improve the Level of PlantedAquarium through LocalCompetitions and UniqueWorkshopsReported by: Adip Sajjan Raj, the owner of Still WaterAquatics, ADA distributor for India

The International Aquatic Plants LayoutCompetition 2012 received many entriesfrom India. In this country, the eventssupporting the local hobbyists, such ascompetitions and workshops, serve as adriving force for the growth of theaquarium hobby. This section introducesan Indian-style workshop.

A: Driftwood Challenge inspired by the Iwagumi Challengewhich is a regular event in the NA Party.

B: Participants compete with each other over the speed andaccuracy of attaching Anubias to Fuji stone using Wood Tight.

C: The Indian-style Iwagumi Challenge, a competition of stonearrangement using Kei stone. This event was live telecast bythe staff.

D: There are not many hobbyists who have held ADAs Kei stonein their hands. They touched and felt the texture.

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E: This is the competition to plant aquatic plants on a tray. The onewho planted the plants orderly within the specified time will bethe winner.

F: The participants compete over the installation of VUPPA-I in theposition most effective for taking in the film on the watersurface.

G: The top winners of the Indian version of the InternationalAquatic Plants Layout Competition (the most right is the writerof this report).

Most of Indias population of over 1.4 billion

has a great love for nature including fish.

Indians love not only aquarium fish but also

love to eat fish! When I had a talk with Mr.

Takashi Amano at the ADA headquarters, we

decided to organize the Indian version of the

International Aquatic Plants Layout Competi-

tion for Indian hobbyists who are enthusiastic

about Nature Aquarium. Since then, I started

to plan and prepare for it and finally made it

happen. The following is the report of the

event.

As you all know, India is a very big country and

each region has a different climate. This

means that some regions or areas have a

limited choice of the aquarium materials

available. The Indian hobbyists hesitate to

make noise about what they want and most of

them are not confident about entering

international competitions. I expected that

the competition to be held in India will be a

great opportunity to find superior local

hobbyists.

The participants to the competition were

divided into four groups to ensure a fair

competition despite the regional differences.

Finally we received 178 entries and among

them, the most were from Bangalore, as we

had expected. The competition was a great

success with a wonderful outcome. ADA India

decided to celebrate the top winners, and on

top of it, a unique event, the come and partici-

pate workshop was organized during the

prize giving session because the participation

of non-winners could not be expected if the

award giving was the only program. This

event started with quiz questions about fish

and plants to draw the participants attention.

Subsequently, a program using the Nature

Aquarium Goods was organized. For this time,

VUPPA-I was picked up as a featured item. It

was a perfect opportunity to introduce VUPPA

I to the participants who have never seen or

touched the product. Six selected participants

were instructed to open VUPPA-I and pick up

the one rupee coin which had been put inside

the equipment. Then, they had to reassemble

the VUPPA I and install it to a Cube Garden by

tightening the screw with the coin they had

picked up earlier. The person who completed

these processes and then cleaned the wood

dust floating on the water using VUPPA- I was

declared the winner. In this event, a lady who

has never owned her own aquarium became

the top winner. This tells us how simple these

processes are with VUPPA-I.

There are many Indian hobbyists who were

exposed to their first ADA products during this

event and the skill test using actual products

received a favorable response from the

participants. Before the end of this workshop,

I made a quick layout in a small aquarium and

installed a newly launched AQUASKY. This

AQUASKY, which was kindly arranged and

sent to us by ADA upon its debut in Japan,

drew much attention from Indian hobbyists.

The event participants had fun and gained a

lot of knowledge about Nature Aquarium. We

look forward to more enthusiastic participants

and enhanced level of competition in the next

event.

H: The layout know-how was explained using a mini tank withreference to Takashi Amanos workshop.

I: Outstandingly bright AQUASKY surprised the Indian hobbyists.It is expected that this product will become popular in India.

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Growing Healthy andBeautiful Stem PlantsStem plants that form beautiful thickets are a part of the great charm of theplanted aquarium. It is commonly believed that growing stem plants is easybecause of the wide varieties available in shops and their fast-growingtendency. However, as a matter of fact, it is impossible to grow healthy stemplants without providing them the proper conditions to thrive. The NatureAquarium Notes of this issue introduces how to grow healthy and beautifulstem plants.

Light and Growth of Stem Plants

The common image people have about stem

plants is that these plants grow upward by ex-

tending their stems towards the water line. Buthow stem plants grow varies depending on theenvironment. The biggest environmental factor

is light. Stem plants have a fundamental trait to

grow upward towards the water line to seek abrighter environment when it is placed under

low light conditions. In such an environment,the internodes elongate and the leaf area den-

sity becomes lower. On the other hand, stem

plants extend their stems diagonally upward orsideways as if they are creeping in order to uti-

lize the maximum amount of light. In this case,the internodes become shorter with dense

leaves. This behavior is prominent especially in

Rotala species. When growing Rotala rotundifo-lia (Green) for the first time, some aquarists may

wonder why the stem is extending sideways

charts on this page, the plants photosynthesis

pigments have a major light absorbance peakin the blue spectrum (around 450nm) and it

synchronizes with the peak of photosynthesis.Red spectrum is in fact effective for forcing cul-ture of terrestrial plants, but it is not nearly as

necessary by aquatic plants that perform pho-tosynthesis underwater. Rather, red spectrum

can cause algal growth in the aquarium. Mean-while, when the aquarium light is made

brighter, the amount of CO2to be injected must

be controlled accordingly. This topic will be dis-cussed later in this section.

Substrate and Growth of Stem Plants

Just as with other types of aquatic plants, the

growth of stem plants varies depending on the

type of substrate. Although there are some ex-ceptions for certain species of plants, stemplants generally grow faster in a substrate

system that uses Aqua Soil compared to using

gravel substrate, such as Oiso sand, or othertypes of sand / gravel. Aqua Soil contains rich

organic acids which promote the growth ofplant roots as well as various nutrients including

nitrogen and trace elements. In Aqua Soil, stem

plants develop their roots and start growingpromptly after being planted. Some people

might think that roots are not that important forstem plants as they absorb nutrients through

the leaves. However, as a matter of fact, stem

plants are unable to grow vigorously unlesstheir stems are planted in the substrate and

their roots start growing from nodes. Stemplants can be grown by cutting and replanting

the stem. In this case, the plant needs to be re-

planted with its terminal bud side up and theopposite node side (the portion from which the

roots grow) down for its healthy growth. Thisway of replanting promotes the growth of ter-

minal buds and the development of roots from

the bottom part of the plant buried in the sub-strate by the natural effects of plant hormones.

When a plant is planted in the Aqua Soil sub-strate, the plant grows faster as the active ingre-

dients contained in natural soil promote theroot development and nutrient absorption. In

Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red

Amountoflightabsorbedby

chlorophyll(relativevalue) Chlorophyll a

Chlorophyll b

Rate ofphotosynthesis

Rateofphotosynthesis

(relativevalue)

Wavelength(nm)

Violet Blue Green Yellow Orange Red

Wavelength(nm)

instead of growing upwards. This is not a sign of

abnormal growth but it actually indicates thatthe plant is growing healthily. In this case, let

the plant grow as it is and provide repeatedtrimming to achieve denser leaves, and eventu-

ally, an attractive thicket will be formed. If

Rotala rotundifolia (Green) grows straightupward towards the water line, it can be deter-

mined that the light intensity is insufficient. Forthe appropriate light intensity for your

aquarium size, you may refer to the aquarium

data here in Aqua Journal. Whether using afluorescent lamp or metal halide lamp, ensuring

the brightest environment possible is a crucialpoint for growing the various sun-loving stem

plants.

For the lighting system for aquarium use, the

light quality is important along with the light in-tensity. Under general lighting or a lamp for ter-restrial plants that emits warm (low color tem-

perature) light, stem plants tend to

grow upward just as in the case of alow light condition. Blue light that

penetrates well in water is effectivefor the growth of aquatic plants.

Under such a light, the plants de-

velop healthy leaves and stems andare free from elongated stems.

However, the stem plants do notlook attractive under blue light

only. As we know, the leaves of

many stem plants are in brightgreen or red, but these colors do

not come out beautifully underblue light. Hence, the light consist-

ing of higher blue spectrum as well

as the balanced ratio of green andred spectrums is ideal for the light-

ing system for aquariums. NA Lamp(fluorescent lamp and metal halide

lamp) has been developed to emit

this ideal type of light. Some peoplemight have the concern that the

light consisting of a lower red spec-trum (around 660nm) is disadvan-

tageous for the photosynthesis pro-cess of plants. As shown in the

It has been commonly said that the red spectrum in light promotesphotosynthesis of plants. However in an underwater environment,photosynthesis peaks in the area of the blue region of the spectrum and

therefore blue is considered more important than red color which is rapidlyattenuated in water. The light emitted from NA Lamp consists of a higherblue spectrum to promote photosynthesis of aquatic plants.

Fig.1

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contrast, gravel substrate contain no active in-gredients that help the growth of stem plants.

This is why there is a difference in the growthrate of plants between Aqua Soil and gravel

substrates.

For your information, ADAs Wabi-Kusa StemPlant Mix is a set of various stem plants in em-

ersed form rooted in a plant-base substratecontaining rich organic material just like Aqua

Soil. The stem plants in this Wabi-Kusa develop

their submersed leaves once the set is placed in

the water. An attractive clump of stem plantswill be formed just by placing Wabi-Kusa StemPlant Mix in the aquarium because stem plants

are already densely planted on this Wabi-Kusa

Stem Plant Mix. On the other hand, ordinarystem plants sold in shops need to be planted

carefully with pincettes. Refer to page 51 for tipsfor the planting of stem plants. After being

planted in the substrate, stem plants start grow-

ing in a few days. To achieve the healthy growthof stem plants, nutrients are a significant factor

along with light and CO2. Stem plants vigor-ously take up the nutrients including nitrogen

and phosphate contained in the water, and

these nutrients leach out of the substrate whichhas been set up using Aqua Soil and Power

Sand in combination during the initial stage ofthe aquarium. Even the stem plants in Wabi-

Kusa form show better growth if Aqua Soil isused for the substrate.

CO2Supply and Change in Water Quality

Basically, when the light for a planted aquarium

is made brighter, the CO2supply amount needsto be increased accordingly. Sufficient amounts

of CO2 is particularly essential for the healthy

growth of sun-loving stem plants that vigor-ously perform photosynthesis and grow large

over a short period of time. If CO2is insufficientin an aquarium with lush aquatic plants, the

plants photosynthesis may be disrupted by a

sudden rise in pH level of aquarium water.Under such a condition, the terminal buds of

some plants, including Pogostemon, mayshrink. Stem plants absorb CO2from the surface

of their leaves. If CO2is not constantly supplied

around the plant leaves at a sufficient level, alack of CO2will occur. To prevent this problem,

it is necessary to diffuse CO2with Pollen Glassand spread it across the aquarium via an appro-

priate rate of water flow. In a bright environ-

ment, as shown in the aquarium data, the pho-

tosynthesis activity of stem plants becomesmore vigorous with a rise in CO2level.The photosynthesis status can be checked by

the air bubbles formed on the stem plant

leaves. If you wish to supply CO2more precisely,the use of ADAs Drop Checker is an effective so-

lution. When CO2is supplied to the aquarium,the pH level of the water declines (i.e., the water

becomes more acidic); but if aquatic plants are

actively engaged in photosynthesis, the CO2inthe water is consumed and consequently the

pH level rises. This, in theory, means that therewill not be any change in pH as long as the CO2

consumption rate and CO2supply amount are

perfectly balanced. Nevertheless, the CO2 levelshould be set slightly higher than the level

To promote the active nutrient absorption andphotosynthesis of stem plants, applying an ap-

propriate amount of fertilizers is essential alongwith ensuring favorable substrate, light and

CO2 conditions. In general, the aquarium is

prone to excessively high nitrogen and phos-phate levels caused by fish feces or leftover fish

food, which leads to algal growth. These sub-stances are taken up by stem plants as nutri-

ents. To effectively facilitate this absorption ac-

tivity, it is necessary to apply various trace ele-ments including potassium and iron that are

often lacking in an aquarium.No matter how bountiful nitrogen and phos-

phate levels are in the aquarium, the absorption

activity of stem plants will be obstructed if po-tassium and trace elements are in short supply.

Furthermore, potassium and trace elements areessential for synthesis of photosynthesis pig-

ments and the smooth functioning of photo-

synthesis. In light of this, it is required to applythe prescribed dosage of Brighty K and Green

Brighty STEP series daily to an aquarium withstem plants. Supplying an adequate amount of

potassium and trace elements helps achievethe desired vivid leaf color of stem plants andpromote active photosynthesis. Among various

trace elements, the most important one is iron,which is abundantly contained in Green Brighty

STEP 2 and ECA. Iron is an essential element par-ticularly for pigment synthesis of red stem

plants and therefore, the leaf color of stem plant

is greatly influenced by how much iron is sup-plied. Applying ECA together with daily liquid

fertilizer is effective in maintaining the red colorof Pogostemon stellatus. Iron absorbed by stem

plants is utilized for pigment synthesis and also

for the formation of new buds. Since the cluster

of stem plants appears beautiful only withaligned terminal buds, it is very effective toapply ECA together with Green Gain, an addi-

tive to promote formation of new buds with

plant hormones, after trimming stem plants.The combined use of these two types of addi-

tives is also recommended when problemssuch as bleached new buds or poor develop-

ment of new buds due to a hardened stem is

observed on repeatedly trimmed Rotala rotun-difolia (Green).

exactly sufficient for the CO2amount

to be consumed for the plants. It is be-cause the timing of CO2 supply and

consumption are not synchronized

with each other in an actual aquariumenvironment and a local lack of CO2

may occur, particularly in the areaaround stem plants. For this purpose, it

is advised to control the CO2 supply

amount in such way that the pH levelindicates mildly acidic in four to five

hours after the light is turned on, whichis when the photosynthesis of the

plants reaches its peak. The change in

pH level induced by CO2 supply andphotosynthesis can be easily checked by the

Drop Checker installed in the aquarium. If aera-tion is performed during the night, the pH level

immediately before the light is turned onshould usually be neutral to mildly acidic and

the reagent of Drop Checker is blue in color.

When the light is turned on and CO2supply isstarted, the pH level gradually lowers. If the re-

agent color of Drop Checker is green in four tofive hours after the light is turned on, it can be

determined that the amount of CO2 supply isappropriate. If the reagent color is blue oryellow at this time, insufficient or excessive CO2

supply is suspected, respectively.Aside from pH, the condition of the water qual-

ity is a factor closely related to the growth of

stem plants, including the total hardness (TH orGH) and carbonate hardness (KH). Stem plants

basically grow better at low water hardness, inboth TH and KH, except for Hemianthus and

Lagarosiphon species that do not grow well

under excessively low water hardness condi-tions. Aqua Soil in general has a tendency to

lower the water hardness. When growing stem

plants that do not withstand low water hard-ness, it is advisable to use Ryuoh stone as a

composition material or apply Brighty K every-day to maintain a certain level of hardness. On

the other hand, when the water hardness is toohigh, then, problems such as bleached new

buds and poor growth of stem plants are ob-

served. In this event, the total hardness can belowered effectively by installing a Softenizer in

the aquarium. The water hardness needs to bemaintained at a medium level when growing

Hemianthus species that do not grow well if the

water hardness is too low or too high. For infor-mation on the water quality appropriate for

each aquatic plant, refer to the Stem Plant En-cyclopedia in the special feature section.

Applying Fertilizers for Stem Plants

As discussed in the special feature section,

growing stem plants in thickets in the back-ground of the aquarium provides a defined

composition to the layout. The bushes of stemplants are not only beautiful but at the same

time, they play the role of purifying water by

way of vigorous nutrient absorption and in-creasing the dissolved oxygen level through

active photosynthesis. These activities of stemplants contribute to the improvement of the

aquarium environment and help maintain thehealthy conditions of fish and microorganisms.

Waterflow

Under high light conditions with NA Lamp, photosynthesis is promoted

and consequently, a local lack of CO2is often caused in the area aroundthe stem plant leaves. To prevent this problem, it is important to supplya sufficient amount of CO2 and spread it across the aquarium usingappropriate water flow.

Fig.2

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Rotala Rotundifolia (Green)

Stem plants are featured in this issue. Their warm colors look particularlyattractive in cold winter. Among stem plants, the species in red color hasbeen a favorable choice among hobbyists and how to bring out their vividred color is dependent on each persons skill. In this Internet era when thereis an abundant amount of information and know-how available on the web,we still face successful and unsuccessful experiences of growing stem

plants. All we can do is just to brush up our skills daily.

Im planting Rotala rotundifolia

(Green) in the background of my

planted aquarium. At what intervals

should I plant it to form a thick hill-like clump

as I see on the Aqua Journal magazine? Are

there any tips on the timing and position of

trimming?

To form a thick bush of Rotala Rotun-difolia (Green), repeated trimming of

the plant is most important, even

more so than dense planting with shorter inter-

vals. Rotala Rotundifolia (Green) creeps side-

ways first and then grows upward when it is

planted in an ordinary 60cm tank under suffi-

cient light from four sets of 20W NA Lamp. The

stem which crept too much should be cut off as

early as possible. Immediately before the Rotala

reaches the water line, it is advisable to trim the

plants according to the intended trimming line.

For stem plants, the first pruning is a very impor-tant process since the shape of the thicket is de-

termined by the initial trimming line. Rotala Ro-

tundifolia (Green) should be pruned at the

lowest position as possible during the first trim-

ming and at a slightly higher position in the sub-

sequent pruning sessions to increase the

density of the plant and form an appealing

thicket. The stem projecting from the bush

needs to becut off when observed so that the

neat appearance of the thicket can be main-

tained. The thicket of Rotala Rotundifolia

(Green) introduced in this magazine is dense

with aligned terminal buds because it was

formed by repeated trimming.

Every time I go to the shop to buy

aquatic plants, I always wonder if I

should buy the plants in emersed or

submersed form. Which form of plant is easier

to grow?

If we have to choose either one of

them, we recommend you to pur-

chase the plant in emersed form and

grow it in the aquarium to develop submersed

leaves, since it is easier for the plant to adapt tothe aquarium environment and therefore the

risk of unsuccessful growth is minimized. In

general, submersed leaves can easily get dam-

aged during transportation and they may often

be unable to adapt to the changing environ-

ment. The submersed leaves grown from a

plant in emersed form usually grow vigorously

because of the plants nature to keep up with

the sudden change in environment. Further-

more, the chance of having the trouble of a

melted bottom stem is lower in the emersed-

form of stem plants. When you use importedaquatic plants sold in emersed form, you have

to be careful of residual pesticide.

ADAs Wabi-Kusa consisting

of various types of

emersed-form stem

plants is free from

pesticide for

users peace

of mind.

I heard that red stem plants are diffi-

cult to grow. Could you tell me how

difficult it is?

Red stem plants are regarded as diffi-

cult to grow for the following reasons:

Red stem plants prefer mildly-

acidic soft water.

Requires high light conditions and accord-

ingly, sufficient CO2injection.

Requires continuous iron supplementation

to maintain the plants leaf color.

When Oiso sand was used as the main substrate

material, not so many years ago, it was difficult

to prepare and maintain mildly-acidic soft

water. In addition to this, growing red stem

plants was also a tough job because these

plants are demanding in terms of light, CO2and

nutrient conditions. Now, it is no longer very dif-

ficult since the water quality issue can be re-

solved by the use of Aqua Soil with which youcan have mildly-acidic aquarium water just by

placing it on the substrate. Among red stem

plants, Rotala Macranda is one of the most diffi-

cult species. It is because the plant very often

melts and wilts except the terminal bud portion

if the plant is sold in poor condition; and it is

therefore very hard for it to develop submersed

leaves adapted to the aquarium environment.

Pogostemon stellatus and Gratiola sp. have

vivid red tint when grown under high light con-

dition and supplemented with ECA or other

types of additives containing rich iron, but theylose their beautiful red color significantly with

low light or insufficient iron supplementa-

tion. If you wish to maintain the red color

of stem plants, you need to add iron

supplements on a continual basis.

Wabi-Kusa consists of various

types of emersed-form stemplants.

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We welcome your questions and inquiries about NatureAquarium. Please feel free to send your questions to the

ADA Editorial Department by email ([email protected]) or toour postal address listed at the end of this magazine.

Send us your questions!

I learned that NA Lamp was devel-

oped under the concept of higher

blue spectrum. How is the NA Lamp

different from other types of fluorescent

lamp? And I would like to know how the red-

range of the spectrum is utilized in NA Lamp.

NA Lamp was developed based on

the concept that the light consisting

of a higher blue spectrum is effective

for the growth of aquatic plants in an aquarium

environment because blue light is attenuated

the least and penetrates farthest in water. The

light from fluorescent lamp consists of red, blue

and green and the characteristics of the fluores-

cent light are determined by the balance of

these three colors. If the rate of blue component

is higher, the red and green must be reduced

accordingly. Keeping a good balance amongthese three colors is a tough aspect of the light

control. Ordinary fluorescent lamp contains

more red wavelengths of the spectrum and the

aquarium looks dimmer and yellowish under

the light emitted from such a lamp. Some fluo-

rescent lamps for aquarium use features higher

blue spectrum only, but it makes the aquatic

plants in the aquarium look pale and unnatural.

On the other hand, NA Lamp makes the aquatic

plant colors look more vivid and enhances the

natural color of plants with its excellent pen-

etration rate and also by the combination of the

green- luminescence peak at 540nm

(nanometer) and luminescence sub-peak at

520nm (new green phosphor), which is associ-

ated with spectral reflectivity. For red spectrum,

it is adjusted to have the peak at 620-630mn.

aquarium should be less than the amount of a

fish-only aquarium. This is because a balance

must be kept among the elements of nitrogen

produced by fishes, nitrogen degradation by

the bacteria within the filtration system and the

absorption of nitrogen by aquatic plants. For

your aquarium size, the advisable number of In-

paichthys kerri must be about twenty. If there

are more fish in the aquarium, the amount of

food feed and feces produced is also a large

factor. This condition increases the nitrogen and

phosphate level of the aquarium water and

eventually triggers algal bloom. It is recom-

mended for you to keep your fish in a separate

aquarium if possible. If algal problem persists,the poor condition of the filtration system can

be suspected. In this case, it is advised to

remove Bio Rio from the filter and rinse it in a

pail. In addition, you should replace the absorp-

tion filter media such as activated carbon and

zeolite with NA Carbon, which has an excellent

absorption capacity. This is necessary in light of

the fact that the absorption effect of such filter

media will be lost as the filter is used for a long

period of time. Meanwhile, having Crossochei-

lus siamensis is an effective anti-algae measure,

but the number should be increased to two orthree and on top of it, ten to twenty Cardina

japonica should also be added when the algae

problem is serious. Having a great effect on

fighting black beard algae cannot really be ex-

pected just with a small amount of Neocaridina

denticulata. If Cardina japonica bites your Echi-

nodorus leaves, their numb

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Aqua Journal 12-2012