This small section is dedicated to Mr. Takashi Amano, who's skills, knowledge and achievements are well know and recognized around the globe. I met Mr. Amano in Washington at the AGA'04 convention, exchanged some ideas about photography, talked about ADA, culture, aquatic hobby and last but not least, had couple drinks. Great and down to earth individual !!! Takashi Amano was born in Maki Town, Nishikanbara Gun in Niigata Prefecture on July 18th 1954. He became interested in aquatic plants and animals at early age and won the prefecture prize for scientific research for his Korean paradise fish studies in junior high school. He began studying and experimenting with the relationships between fishes and plants at this time. Using his inherent keen interest and the approach of studying nature through the medium of nature aquariums, Mr. Amano improved his unique point of view by studying nature closely. In 1976, he began publishing photographs and essays on tropical fishes and plants from his travels in Africa, Asia, and Japan's southern islands. He started building and photographing plant aquaria in 1972. Mr. Amano was a professional cyclist from 1974 to 1990, but at present he devotes his energy to running Aqua-design Amano, a specialty store and maker of plant aquarium products. Links: Aqua Design Amano - Japan (*english) Aqua Design Amano - Japan Aqua Design Amano - Europe Aqua Design Amano - Thailand Aqua Design Amano - Korea The Nature Aquarium Photography - Aqua Journal