no need to wait any longer!!!!!

and yes, i did lift with my hubby's legs rather than my own

I'M DONE!

whew... my hubby was a GREAT help! normally he doesn't assist at all but today he was wonderful!

so.... here's the pics.

starting off... so many people forget the number one most important part of setting up a tank... make sure it's level! the stand may be level... but the floor may not be... so always check!!!



and filled...



the tank is a little high for me... it was tough reaching the bottom... okay i can't but i almost can

and then the move of the oscars... oh man are they grumpy now! you can see brindi in the right hand corner (white and orange) and felix is behind her (black and orange). they are mad... hey refuse to leave their corners!



and... my first ever DIY project. i went to home depot and bought some of the grating for ceilings ($19 for the two pieces)... and i cut it to size and made a lid... and then used a flourescent lighting fixture ($34) and a set of daylight tubes from home depot ($9) and voila! a tank lid!!!



the fluval fx5 is great. it is working like a charm... very pleased with the flow so far. it has a dual direction head... my absolute favourite part!

of course the tank stand will be finished with a hog island boa enclosure on one side and a set of shelves for our tarantulas on the other side... and behind it - the fluval fx5 will reside!

and yes... as i get more done... i'll update with pics!