Takashi Amano

Takashi Amano was a professional track cyclist, photographer, designer, and aquarist. He was the founder of Aqua Design Amano, a company that provides aquarium equipment and products for planted tanks. He was also the author of Nature Aquarium World, a three-book series on aquascaping and freshwater aquarium plants and fish. He introduced the Amano shrimp, a species of freshwater shrimp that can eat large quantities of algae, to the aquarium hobby. He also developed a distinctive style of plant layout that incorporated Japanese gardening concepts such as wabi-sabi and Zen rock arrangements. His tank compositions sought to mimic nature in their appearance and harmony. He used his own line of aquarium components, known as Aqua Design Amano (ADA), to create his aquascapes. He also published the book Aquarium Plant Paradise, which featured his works and techniques. He was a prolific nature photographer, who visited the world's three major tropical rainforests, namely Amazon, Borneo and West Africa, and pristine forests in Japan. He captured the minute details of nature with his large-format cameras, using extra large size films. His works were exhibited and published internationally, and he won several awards for his photography. He also gave lectures on his experiences in nature and advocated for tree-planting programs to protect the earth's environment. He died of pneumonia in 2015 at the age of 61.