I wish I had done a better job with the timing and lighting of these photos, but, as they are, they give you a good sense of how my 6-gallon Amano experiment has evolved.

October 8, 2003

Dwarf subulata, Japanese fan, Java moss netted to stone, background Acorus, and Glossostigma would not survive long.

November 12, 2003

One month later, Riccia thrives. Replacement plants for the original batch included Ludwigia repens, Rotala indica, and Cryptocoryne wendtii. Some glosso straggles.

November 30, 2003

By end of month, Riccia continues to entertain, Cryptos surplant Glosso, and Micro sword frames Ludwigia and Rotala. Small white stones for stream bed feeling. Best new addition: netted clot of Java moss shoved into hole in side of driftwood.

January 16, 2004

Riccia at its peak, two weeks before the fall. Java moss blooms. New Myriophyllum in background adds color and texture, but gets plucked within two weeks: too big and messy. Lobelia in foreground nice, but its days are numbered.

February 16, 2004

Whole new lawn of Riccia, from scratch. Lobelia: history. Ludwigia and Rotala finally forest. Cryptos making a slow comeback.