Articles

Water Plants

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?