The Aquarium (So Far)

Slowly, slowly, our new aquarium is taking shape.  First we needed to wait until everyone left to clear out space for the whole shebang.  We set up the table with the aquarium (empty) and hood to see how it would look--and it looked great!

We liked the way it looked so much that we used it as a light in the evenings when we were downstairs.  Very cozy, even without anything in it!  After it was set up that way, we found a timer to plug the light into, so it turns on and off by itself.  Also, once we have fish, they will be getting the correct amount of light each day.

Once we did that, we needed gravel, plants, and a bucket.  We headed to the pet store and debated what color of gravel to get, and what kinds of plants we should have.  While we're definitely not done with the decorating, here's what we've got so far.

These pictures were taken not long after we filled the tank--so there are still bubbles on the glass in the pictures.  Those are gone now.  It's really difficult to get a good picture of the aquarium.

Once our tank had been going for about a week, our heater just quit.  So we have to see if we can get that exchanged.  It's a good thing we're taking it slowly getting this going--otherwise our fish might have been really stressed out and gotten sick from the heater dying in the middle of the night.  It was cold by morning.

We've got some ideas for fish now.  It's taken us a while to research what kinds of fish do well together, would fit in our tank, and how many of each kind we need (some are schooling fish and need to be together in groups, others fight if there's more than one in the tank).  There are still a few things we need to do and to get before we add the fish, and I think that's ok.  I've heard rumors of warmer temperatures by the end of the month, and that might be a better time to bring home the new family members!

Stay tuned for more...