When I took a look at my 29 gallon planted aquarium today, I was reminded of my readings in class. In particular, I was reminded of The Birthmark. I always try to make my aquarium look absolutely perfect with the intention that an aesthetically pleasing aquarium will bring me happiness. Even though my aquarium might not be perfect, I am still somewhat with what I had. Prior, almost all of my aquarium plants died, so my present sucess more than makes up for my shortcomings in the past. However as I gained progress, I always found myself nitpicking for any possible imperfections: staghorn algae, green spot algae, brown algae, the plants are growing sideways, the midground plants do not offer a nice contrast to the background plants, unwanted aquarium snails, hydras,  some plants are growing too fast, some plants are growing too slow, the equipment that runs the tank is clearly visible, etc. Despite the imperfections, I am adequately satisfied with what I do have. Ironically my aquarium plants grow best when I do not do anything except turn on the lights and add liquid carbon dioxide.