In Nature Aquarium, the beautiful layout is maintained with the support of a small ecosystem in which aquatic plants, fish and microorganisms including bacteria coexist. Among the components of Nature Aquarium, the one of the greatest significance is the substrate. The substrate serves as the place where aquatic plants are planted and spread their roots to support them. At the same time, the substrate is also the place where decomposition of organic matter by bacteria takes place. The decomposed organic matters will eventually be absorbed by the aquatic plants through their roots. The microorganisms and aquatic plants have a symbiotic relationship within the substrate, which means there is a small ecosystem in the substrate under the ecosystem of the entire aquarium.

Prior to the establishment of the Nature Aquarium system, the substrate existed mainly for the purpose of holding the roots of aquatic plants with the sand laid on the bottom of the tank to prevent the plant from floating up. After much trial and error, Nature Aquarium now offer a living substrate that promotes the building of bacteria colonies and the healthy growth of aquatic plant roots with particular focus on the symbiotic relationship between microorganisms and plant roots. The beneficial bacteria in the substrate decompose organic matter as their food and convert them into mineral nutrients that can be absorbed by aquatic plants via their roots. These beneficial bacteria are aerobic bacteria that require oxygen to survive and have a tendency to colonize the places with abundant oxygen. Since aquatic plants carry the oxygen generated in the course of photosynthesis to their leaves and their roots, a lot of aerobic beneficial bacteria are present around the aquatic plant roots where the oxygen level is relatively high. As seen from the above, aerobic bacteria and the roots of aquatic plants are inseparable partners in this symbiotic relationship. Without the presence of aerobic bacteria, organic matter is not decomposed into organic nutrients and absorbed by aquatic plants. On the other hand, if there were no aquatic plants in an aquarium, the amount of oxygen to be supplied to the substrate would be very limited and this will result in the dominance of anaero-bic bacteria in the substrate. The “living substrate” cannot be attained in such a circumstance as harmful substances including hydrogen sulfide are generated in the decomposition process of organic matter by anaerobic bacteria.

To achieve a healthy, functioning ecosystem within the substrate, we first need to plant aquatic plants to increase the aerobic bacteria in the substrate.  Nature Aquarium  includes some innovations to achieve this “living substrate”, including Substrate like Power Sand and Soil like Amazonia/Tropica which contain organic nutrients that serve as food for aerobic bacteria. These innovations, combined with an adequate level of bacteria and abundant oxygen, promote the effective growth of beneficial bacteria within the substrate. In order to attain this, the building of the substrate for Nature Aquarium involves the use of substrate additives.