Hehe... yeah most of the time you do stare at an empty tank, but there are compensations. With my tank, the decor looks really nice and natural so it's pretty to see. And my biggest reward for having a tank comes when she cruises around almost every night. As long as we move slowly, which we do no matter what now when passing her tank, she doesn't react much to us watching her. To me, that's the main advantage to having a tank. :)