I’ve been sick since Tuesday night, and finally started feeling good enough yesterday afternoon to go out and get some fresh air. My wandering found me at Pet Smart where I decided to finally make the leap: I bought a new freshwater tank.

I picked up a Top Fin 37-gallon Starter Kit which came with:

• The tank (30.25″ L x 12.5″ W x 22.75″ H)
• Hood with a 20-watt, 30″ fluorescent bulb
• Glass canopy
• Adjustable 200-watt heater
• Strip thermometer
• Top Fin Power Filter 40 with cartridge
• Sample fish food, water treatment pack

I also bought:

• Black stand with doors
• (4) new Money Wort plants
• (4) Neon Tetras
• Glass thermometer
• Blue background
• Extra carbon pellets

After getting home, I drained the 20-gallon temporary tank that was on the kitchen counter and relocated the fish into a plastic tote, then did the same with the 10-gallon tank and put those fish in a different tote (alone with the new tetras and plants).

I was then able to tear apart the 10-gallon tank and move the old stand from it’s resting place. I built the new stand and put it in place, then placed the tank on it. After mounting the blue background and properly trimming it, I pushed the entire system against the wall, mounted the filter and heater, and prepped all the electrical.

After emptying the 10 and 20-gallon tanks, I cleaned all the gravel and got the 25-lb. bag of gravel from the closet and rinsed it too. That all went in the tank, and then I added the fake rocks and plants, and mounted the thermometer.

Lastly, I added the water in. After starting up the filter and heater, I tested the pH and found it to be higher than 7.6, essentially meaning it was off my chart. I added some pH balancer before going to bed. After waking up this morning, I retested and the pH was still at the 7.6+ level, so I added in another batch of treatment as well as some balancing pellets. I’m hoping the water is ready for the plants and fish in the next few hours.