I'm now 6 days into the development of my fish habitat. Of course, I still have no fish, but that's not the point of this important period. You don't wait until a day before your child is born to build a nursery, do you? Although you could buy a crib, diapers, blankies, rubber nipples, bottles, and some mobiles the day before a kid is born, you won't. Distraction in the face of responsibility will require preparation.

Right now, I'm just waiting for the water pH and hardness to get where I want them (about 6.0 acidity for Tetras, in anticipation possibly of Kribensis or Cherry Barb (months down the road, of course, if ever)).

Temperature (77F) is generally where I want it. I don't like the fact that the bulbs, when on, increase the water temperature by as much as 4 degrees. It's one of those environmental details I'm going to have to change. A lower power bulb should do the trick.