Today, on the 7th day of my newly installed tank's stabilization period, I went and picked up a few supplies:

- A water-quality testing kit
- 15-watt bulbs to replace the hot bright 25-watt bulbs that came with the aquarium
- A replacement filter cartridge
- A motorized gravel vacuum and some tubing

Fun stuff. The bulbs, called Aqua-Glo, are specially designed to bring out the radiance of colored fish (or is that fish of color). Since I've decided on bright Neon Tetras, who like a little less brightness, the lower-watt bulbs should suit them nicely.

Testing the water was great fun, reminiscent of my mad scientist days with boyhood chemistry kits. My nitrites clocked in at 0, my ammonia at 0, my chlorine at 0, and my general hardness (the water's, that is) at 7, which is soft, although I'd like it a tad softer for the Tetras. Unfortunately, my pH is 7.2, which is quite a bit higher than the Tetras will enjoy (6.0 is ideal). So, I'm going to have to order a pH adjuster and use it, along with a conventional treatment for ammonia, chlorine, and chloramines, every time I do a water change. We'll see how the addition of life forms changes the readings I get.