Beginnings

1/30/04
For three years I've enjoyed freshwater planted fish tanks, but always considered marine tanks far too much work--both in research beforehand and in maintenance afterward. But I began reading about them, and after about a year of reading finally moved from keeping my distance to planning to own one, and finally to jumping in. The "jump in" happened largely because I found a knowledgeable local store owner who was willing to spend time with me and talk me through my worries.

We purchased a 75 gallon aquarium this afternoon. Curiously, a few hours earlier I had been ready to say “forget it” and give up my dreams of a saltwater tank. I couldn’t figure out where to put it without totally messing up the layout of our somewhat small house. Then we thought of moving the couch and chairs to put their backs to the window. The focal point now becomes the aquarium, not the picture window. Scary. Can I create a living window into a fake world that will be as worthy of our attention as the window looking at the real world?