Amano, while his aquariums are a spectacle indeed (mainly when he feels they are in a decent enough state to warrant a photograph for public release), really irritates me.
Many out there achieve fabulous looking aquariums without buying into his unique philosophy or product line, and they do so by means of using their own aesthetic ideals and a good deal of scientific know-how.
Why then, is this guy worshipped throughout the world? Because he has a great many sound ideas for creating a beautiful FW planted setup, but it can greatly be attributed to commercial marketing which plays on the “guru” marketing strategy i.e. This man possesses a gift from god which few could ever obtain because you are not worthy and are a dork, so maybe after 30 years of adhering to the BS and buying my products, you too might one day be able to join my ranks- recall the Spongebob Squarepants episode with Kevin the sea cucumber…OK, many of you don’t have a clue what I am talking about…never mind.
Granted, the vast majority of his products work very well and that is because they are practically scientifically viable for aquatic life-support and flourishing, and a few that don’t and are intended for aesthetic purposes such as foreground sand beds etc, but Amano’s whole public relations strategy and occasionally obtainable so-called practical advise is frequently vague, clouded and occasional counter-logical. The reason for this is that Amano feels the need to maintain some kind of mystical aura of authority for which us mere mortals can merely hope to acquire, in order to obtain his “status” and make a monetary fortune in the process.
Bear in mind that Japanese culture is heavily rooted in a deep regard for aesthetics, whether they be visual, aural, etc, therefore his intentions are not completely unjustified, but the whole of his publicly perceived legacy/empire is not so wholesome.
Recall how his books (deliberately published in limited extent in languages we can actually read as part of the marketing “ooh ahh” factor) are swooned upon by wishful and aw-struck audiences. The whole Amano entity oozes of 80’s mentality where financial wealth and untouchable pseudo-style was all the rage. Once again bear in mind that most middle-eastern/ far-eastern cultures are a good 15-20 years behind western aesthetic culture due to socio-political reasons.
My advice is to analyze the Amano philosophy for what it is worth and extract the valid (scientifically valid) and aesthetic content as you see fit, and use you own 21st century enlightenment to determine what is best for your own aquaristic endeavors, and don’t get sucked into the frequently financially draining mystical BS.
If you have been on the planted aquarium scene long enough, you will know what works (fertile substrate, adequate light, water column quality, CO2, pH, KH, GH, unique fish/plant needs), and the rest is up to and what you personally feel constitutes a great visual aquarium.
Amano aquarium products and aesthetic philosophy has much to offer the modern aquarist, but please DON’T swallow the hook and become a lemming and get sucked into the ugly human black hole of BS and ignorance, for if you do, you may as well be a goat farmer in Bangladesh. No offence to Bangladeshis with a computer. Political correctness has its place, but is not the be all and end all!
There is no substitute for knowledge, but ignorance is as sinful as committing genocide.
Many out there achieve fabulous looking aquariums without buying into his unique philosophy or product line, and they do so by means of using their own aesthetic ideals and a good deal of scientific know-how.
Why then, is this guy worshipped throughout the world? Because he has a great many sound ideas for creating a beautiful FW planted setup, but it can greatly be attributed to commercial marketing which plays on the “guru” marketing strategy i.e. This man possesses a gift from god which few could ever obtain because you are not worthy and are a dork, so maybe after 30 years of adhering to the BS and buying my products, you too might one day be able to join my ranks- recall the Spongebob Squarepants episode with Kevin the sea cucumber…OK, many of you don’t have a clue what I am talking about…never mind.
Granted, the vast majority of his products work very well and that is because they are practically scientifically viable for aquatic life-support and flourishing, and a few that don’t and are intended for aesthetic purposes such as foreground sand beds etc, but Amano’s whole public relations strategy and occasionally obtainable so-called practical advise is frequently vague, clouded and occasional counter-logical. The reason for this is that Amano feels the need to maintain some kind of mystical aura of authority for which us mere mortals can merely hope to acquire, in order to obtain his “status” and make a monetary fortune in the process.
Bear in mind that Japanese culture is heavily rooted in a deep regard for aesthetics, whether they be visual, aural, etc, therefore his intentions are not completely unjustified, but the whole of his publicly perceived legacy/empire is not so wholesome.
Recall how his books (deliberately published in limited extent in languages we can actually read as part of the marketing “ooh ahh” factor) are swooned upon by wishful and aw-struck audiences. The whole Amano entity oozes of 80’s mentality where financial wealth and untouchable pseudo-style was all the rage. Once again bear in mind that most middle-eastern/ far-eastern cultures are a good 15-20 years behind western aesthetic culture due to socio-political reasons.
My advice is to analyze the Amano philosophy for what it is worth and extract the valid (scientifically valid) and aesthetic content as you see fit, and use you own 21st century enlightenment to determine what is best for your own aquaristic endeavors, and don’t get sucked into the frequently financially draining mystical BS.
If you have been on the planted aquarium scene long enough, you will know what works (fertile substrate, adequate light, water column quality, CO2, pH, KH, GH, unique fish/plant needs), and the rest is up to and what you personally feel constitutes a great visual aquarium.
Amano aquarium products and aesthetic philosophy has much to offer the modern aquarist, but please DON’T swallow the hook and become a lemming and get sucked into the ugly human black hole of BS and ignorance, for if you do, you may as well be a goat farmer in Bangladesh. No offence to Bangladeshis with a computer. Political correctness has its place, but is not the be all and end all!
There is no substitute for knowledge, but ignorance is as sinful as committing genocide.
. And it tells more about the followers than about Amano himself if his fans treat him as godlike 
.