Fish Family

We are the very lucky recipients of a hand-me-down fish tank from a friend.  I knew it was a nice tank, but I guess I didn't realize it was THIS big. It is really amazing!

The base was a natural pine that didn't really fit with our living room decor. A quick coat of paint helped it match our other furniture quite well.



Lily was ready for fish right away. As the tank filled, she kept asking where the fish were, because she couldn't see them yet. We plan to keep cichlids in this tank and after doing quite a bit of research online, it looks like we need to let the tank cycle for anywhere from 3-6 weeks before adding fish (for best results). That is a long time for a 3 year old. To help add a little "life" to the tank, I decided we needed to add a photo of our very own fish family. I set up my lights in the kitchen and took a family photo, carefully placing our bodies in such a way that we could be seen behind the tank ornaments. I wanted us to be exactly life-sized, so I meticulously measured our head size and had a 20x30 print made.



I attached it to the back of the tank and voila...





I just love the way it turned out. It definitely takes guests by surprise.