Beginning in February, Kevin decided to dedicate more of his time to fishkeeping, so he joined a fish forum and started looking for a large fish tank. In March he found this 450 gallon tank in Boise. He and his dad drove up there, while Luna and I held the fort down and discovered that Luna likes to lay on snowbanks when she gets too hot while on walks. Kevin and his dad were able to meet up with an aunt and two cousins while there. This picture was taken the next day, after we enlisted some members of our ward to help move it into the garage.
This is the beginning of Luna's career as a fish tank model.
Around the same time, we started to finish our basement, so we had to change our original plans around to accommodate the fish tank.
Pretty much the entire basement is now framed and sheet rocked which is a very nice feeling. It also remided us how much stuff we have. We both need to go through boxes downstairs and see what we want to keep and what needs to go away.
This is our stingray sand. Kevin was quite thrilled when he found this at a good deal online. I just feel bad for the delivery person that delivered it to our house. It was quite the load. We spent some quality family time rinsing it. It was great fun.
Kevin wanted to add wood to his aquarium decor, so he went up to Butterfield Canyon and got the wood below while I was slaving away at work. The above picture is a piece of driftwood he found in Francis in a neighbor's field.
Kevin was worried that he would find a better tank after buying the L-shaped tank. Apparently this tank was a better tank. Fortunately it was in Kaysville, and we were able to sell the other tank for more than we bought it for (plus we got a bunch of extra stuff with it, so we definitely made a profit. This tank is 600 gallons. It is 10 feet long, 4 feet front to back, and 2 feet deep.
Here is the beginning of the tank stand:
It took Kevin a couple of days, but here is the completed stand. Kevin joins Luna in the tank modeling world.
With the help of a three neighbors and Kevin's dad, the tank was carried down the stairs and onto the stand. There were only a few dents in the wall when they finished.
By the beginning of July the tank was fill up and Kevin started to add decorations. Sadly, he found the tank was leaking shortly thereafter, and he had to take the fish out for a little bit.
Unfortunately, when the fish were put back in the tank, something was wrong with the water. Once Kevin realized this he removed all of the fish and tried to nurse them back to health. However, despite Kevin's best efforts, his new Kelberi Peacock Bass died (only a week or so after we bought her from a friend). Kevin was very devastated, which was hard to watch. I think it was one of the only times I have seen him cry. We were able to save Jack, the fish that Kevin brought with him when he moved here from Washington once Kevin got a tip on a different type of fish medicine. He was able to make a full recovery and became quite the glutton for awhile.
Kevin decided to use unconventional lighting, but at least we are "green."
Here is the most up to date picture of the tank that I have. Kevin being Kevin has rearranged it quite a few times in the last month since this picture was taken. It is still a work in progress, but at least it has fish in it.
And for your further viewing pleasure, here are some more random fish pictures.
This is our first peacock bass. We bought him in Ogden last February. He was at a really cool fish store that had the coolest collection of coral, as well as some awesome salt water fish. We brought him home in a bucket, and Kevin was paranoid that he was going to get too cold, so we had the heater full blast. I thought Luna, who was in the backseat was going to melt (as was I).
We got these two fish in March.
Our freshwater lion fish (also known as a rock fish). He hung out in our sump tank, so we didn't get to see him much. Thus, we sold him about a month ago to a family that seemed like they would enjoy him a lot more.
This is the super red severan. He was a fantastic addition to our fish tank, but sadly he died shortly after we put him in the 600 gallon tank in the basement. Case of death was unknown.
We got two more bass from our friends, the Dickson, in Brigham City. I make fun of Kevin because most of his friends were found on the internet, either through the fish forums or xbox. These three ended up dying after they knocked the air supply line off of the bubbler. It is now cemented in.
Kevin also bought a breeding trio of bushy nose plecos. We had bought a whole bunch of these in the Spring, but most of them died. These have laid eggs three times, and we have been able to keep a few of the babies.
This is our chameleon fish. We got him for free, along with three other fish of the same type. They weren't kept in the best of conditions, and the other ones died. This one is doing well and thriving.
Dane, our friend from Brigham City who sold us to other bass, sold us this bass for an amazing price. She was a beautiful fish, but unfortunately she died when the water in the 600 gallon tank went funky. As I said, Kevin took it really hard.
That is all of the fish pictures I have on my computer. There is of course more, but I think this post is long enough.
