Day One (Or is it?)

Hi there!

So we've finally decided to take the plunge, so to speak. D has been talking about getting in to the aquarium hobby for years but the undertaking just seemed so huge that we were a little overwhelmed just figuring out where to start. We finally managed to get past that a week ago, when we went with D's parents (who have a nice 150-gallon freshwater tank) to River City Aquatics and found a pretty awesome 120-gallon tank with a nice stand and canopy on consignment. SOLD.

So now we've got a tank. Now what? The people at RCA have been super helpful, and D's joined the Austin Reef Club to make some contact with people who know what they're doing and have been brand new at this before. We have a long way to go just to get the big tank ready for water. We're moving a little bit at a time, paycheck to paycheck. But hey, at least we're moving!

At some point, I decided that aquariums look like fun. I'm not big on the delicate, intricate work involved with a big multi-species ecosystem like D's. I've decided to get a mantis shrimp. Lucky for me, they require significantly less space than a full-blown reef tank like D's will eventually be. So we wandered back to River City Aquatics today and found a pretty sweet deal on a 20 gallon setup that includes pretty much everything but water. Luckily, RCA can supply me with the water, too. :-P

So, as of today, we have one empty 120 gallon tank chillin in our living room and on the other side of the living room there's a 20 gallon future mantis habitat that is on day one of its cycling process. According to the guys at RCA, the tank should only need about a week before our mantis can actually take up residence. Cool! So in the battle of Dale's tank vs. Mere's tank, I'm winning. Because my tank actually has water in it. YEAH!