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RE: fast plant growth

In Aquatic Plants Digest V2 #895, Harold Pachtman said:

"In my opinion, all the fancy expensive lighting people talk about are
a waste of money. I wouldn't want my plants to grow any faster, for fear
of not having room for fish."

This raises a general question. I cannot see why aquarists want either 
plants or fish to grow at the maximum possible rate. Wasn't someone 
complaining a while back that his plants were growing too fast, and the 
trimming was a nuisance?. I think that the ideal is to allow them to grow 
to a size that's suitable for the tank, then stop growth altogether.  This 
ideal assumes that they can be held at a given size in a perfectly healthy 
state. Different species of plants and fish will vary in how satisfactorily 
they can be held "in stasis".  I think that the concept is very 
under-researched.  To stunt a tree merely requires trimming of the roots. 
 It must be possible to hold back at least some of the plants we use in 
aquaria.  The same applies to the fish. One of my tanks is quite small 
(16") and holds soft acid water containing tetras and gouramis,  and a 
bright yellow "lemon cichlid" (N. leleupi).  He is a runt - about a third 
of normal adult length - possibly because the water is not hard & alkaline. 
Furthermore, he had been in a tetra tank at the fish shop (also soft & 
acid) for over a year, quite healthy. I have had him for a further year. He 
is very active, feeds well, has recently been cleaning a nest site 
(although no female in sight).  His behaviour suggests that he is in the 
pink of health (or the yellow, in his case).  Being stunted makes his size 
more appropriate to the small size of the tank and other fish.  As he is 
healthy, I would not want him to grow - nor the Anubias barteri in the same 
tank, which is small, but just a comfortable size for the tank. Does anyone 
have other experiences on stunted but healthy plants/fish?

Ross Drewe
email: rdrewe at melbpc_org.au


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