In your average aquarium, the water plants are an afterthought. Most people never even include real ones. They throw in some fanciful fake coral, strands of plastic algae, and perhaps a fake water lily or two. No thought is given to a consistency, and the whole effect is rather fake and tacky ? like putting a plastic treasure chest at the bottom of the fish tank. In my case, however, the water plants were the first thing I thought of. The interest in fish came next.
You see, I have been interested in under water plants for as long as I can remember. Plant growth in water used to be mysterious and vaguely terrifying to me. We went to a very murky lake to go boating when I was a kid, and I used to be frightened of the giant strands of algae that would stretch to the surface all the way from the bottom. I would picture them getting tangled up in the propeller, then slowly climbing aboard to grab us and drag us down. I was so frightened of them, in fact, that it was difficult for my dad to even convince me to go swimming.
Somewhere along the way, my water plant phobia became a love of them. I don’t know when the change happened, but by the time I was in college, I was studying marine ecology. I was interested in the growth of plants in water, and how it was affected by environmental pollution. In the area I was living at the time, you see, this was a big issue. Water pollution was making algae blooms occur in the lakes. This had the effect of turning many previously clear lakes into swamps within a few years. It was wreaking serious havoc with the watershed, and we wanted to understand the process.
Of course, nowadays water plants are more of a hobby for me. I have a koi pond in my backyard, but the fish are not the main attraction. The pond plants are. I have many plants that, at least according to most experts, shouldn’t be able to grow in a small backyard ponds like mine. I have certain secrets that I’m not willing to divulge, and they have earned me a well-deserved reputation as a master of underwater ecosystems. My aquarium is no less impressive, and people come by to see it all the time, as well they should. After all, what else does a retired ecologist do with his time?
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