In a couple days I'm gonna have me a 125 gallon aquarium!

[Rabrrrrrr]

I went and got estimates the other day on the 125er versus the 55er, and, apart from a sizable in increase in the cost of gravel for 125 versus the 55, the rest of the costs aren't all that much major. Oh, sure, the filter is more for the 125, but unlike the gravel, which is a 200+% increase, the filter is only about a 25% increase (an extra 30 bucks) and more for water treatment (but that's pretty darn cheap stuff anyway - a 6 dollar difference, which is about 250%, but still, it's only 6 bucks); and the water heater was only about 15% more.

Even the squarium and the solid oak stand was only about 10% difference between the two (because the store owner guy had gotten a hell of a deal from the factory for the 125 gallon setup, since it's being discontinued, but not for any bad reason - just a style change in the stand).

I figure, all other things the same, why settle for a 55 gallon when I get a really beautiful 125 gallon one for what works out to only about 20% more?

(though that doesn't include the obvious other price differentials in terms of amount of fish and fake plants and increase in fish food, but those considerations weren't significant to me in my calculations - I had really thought the upfront cost would be out of control different for the two different sizes; but they aren't).

WOO HOO!!

I'm so glad, because, as determined as I was to get a 55 gallon tank, when I walked into the store and saw this 125 gallon my first thought was "Holy shit! That would look so utterly perfect where I want a tank!!" but I figured it was a pipe dream. But it wasn't! Woo hoo!!!

Of course, I still need to get me a little 10 gallon hospital tank...but first things first.

Now, what color gravel should I get?

My living room theme is "black, stone, and metal" but I have white walls and white carpeting and, sadly, a fireplace that's done in that modernly-fashionable shitty oak wood "faux country" crap style, as well the miserable pathetic molding and trim. Why do people like that shit? It looks awful. Anyway - I love black, but I think black gravel is pushing it. I'm thinking that lustrous east-side-of-hawaii-pacific-ocean deep blue might be nice. Or else sand-brown color.

Ah, it's all so exciting. I can't wait for it to get here.