The creativity of this piece is probably in my combining of various well developed concepts. This aquarium is so reminiscent of traditional ikebana (Japanese flower arrangement) that it could be said to be an ikebana-- with living plants and fish being the only major difference. I made this arrangement with the thought of a winter ikebana, where the plants are brought to the front of the lay out in order to bring a sense of lush warmth to the viewer in these cold winter months.

Though all the plants, fish, and shrimp are representative of a Hawaiian stream, the lay out-- possibly because of the ikebana motif-- is pervaded strongly by a sense of wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is the classic Japanese aesthetic sense, whose essence seems derived from nature, as nature is in Japan.

When making this lay out-- despite staying strictly to Hawaiian stream species-- I did not intend to make biotope nor a truly natural sense. In real life, these plants would not grow in this fashion together. However, I wanted to make a thrilling fantasy of strong wabi-sabi. The dense planting is meant to give a sense of nature over-flowing. The vibrant and colorful guppies are a choice made to extend this fantasy. While such colorful guppies could never be formed without man, they are natural because man has bred them for his fantasies.

Stats:
Volume: less than 2 gallons
Light: 19watt PC
CO2: none
Fertilizing: none
Special note: Water change with Nu'uanu water 3 times a week.
Fauna: Fancy Guppy, Neocaridina denticulata "wild"
Plants: Unknown Hawaii species