Career
His interest in aquaria led him to create the Japanese company Aqua Design Amano. Amano was the author of Nature Aquarium World (TFH Publications, 1994), a three-book series on aquascaping and freshwater aquarium plants and fish. He has also published the book Aquarium Plant Paradise (TFH Publications, 1997).
A species of freshwater shrimp is named the “Amano shrimp” or "Yamato shrimp" (Caridina multidentata.
Previously Caridina japonica) after him. After discovering this species" ability to eat large quantities of algae, Amano asked a local distributor to special order several thousand of them.
They have since become a staple in the freshwater planted aquarium hobby. He also developed a line of aquarium components that are known as American Dental Association, and his "Nature Aquarium" article series appeared monthly in both Practical Fishkeeping magazine in the United Kingdom, and Tropical Fish Hobbyist magazine in the United States. He died in 2015 at the age of 61.
Takashi Amano wrote about freshwater aquascaping.
He established a distinctive style of plant layout. His tank compositions sought to mimic nature in their appearance. Amano also made extensive use of Glossostigma elatinoides and Riccia fluitans as plant material, and used shrimp as a means of controlling the growth of algae.
He founded Aqua Design Amano Company, Limited. in 1982, providing aquatic plant growing equipment.
His photo books of what he called the "Nature Aquarium", Glass no Naka no Daishizen, published in 1992, followed by Mizu-Shizen eno kaiki, were translated into 7 languages. Starting in 1975, Takashi Amano visited tropical rainforests in Amazon, Borneo and West Africa and pristine forests in Japan, creating a series of photos focusing on "untouched nature" with large-format cameras.
He captured minute details of nature on extra large size films (up to 8×20 inches). Amano gave lectures on his photographic expeditions and his experiences in nature around the world, and he advocated for the environmental importance of tree-planting programs.
G8 Hokkaido Toyako Summit
Two landscape photos of Takashi Amano were displayed at the 34th G8 summit Working Lunch / Outreach Working Session of Hokkaido Toyko Summit held from July 7–9, 2008.
The photos of a cedar forest on Sado Island taken with an 8×20 inches large format camera were exhibited on the 4.0×1.5m panels.