[John N.]

I'm not sure if you were like me, but when I first got into planted aquariums I ran around different plant shops and online sites getting my hands on as many different species of plants as I could. In the process, I kepted on adding more and more aquariums to the house. However, each tank was not for aquascaping, but instead designed to grow all the different and rare plants out there as quickly as I could.

So I packed 10 and 20 gallon aquariums with over 60-110 watts of Compact Flourescent light to send growth into overdrive. Later I even purchased expensive T5H0 fixtures to get more lighting bang for the buck so to speak. After a period, I learned and could grow almost any plant in the book. From relatively easy stem plants like Ludwigia repens and Rotala species, to more tempermental plants like Pogstemon stellatus, Rotala macranda and the occasional Tonia species.

Now, sure sending your plants to overdrive with high intense lighting will grow plants quickly, but is that what we really want when we begin to get serious about aquascaping?

Sometimes I want the answer to be yes. I don't have the patience to wait around for a month or longer for plants to fill in the aquascape. I want results and I want them now. But the problem is, many plants require and do better in different lightiing conditions. Some start growing too quickly, some plants don't grow fast enough. When you employ a lower lighting scheme you'll have less maintenance issues, trimming won't be as tedious, and best of all, you'll have an aquascape that will develop in balance. Ever try to grow a carpet of Hemianthus callitrichoides (HC) in a 60 gallon aquarium from a small 7x7 inch patch with several fast growing stem species always shooting to the surface?

Overall I think it may actually be better and follow the motto "slow and steady wins the race". You'll get a better looking and harmonous aquascape out of it.

-John N.