Known for their vibrant exotic colors, saltwater aquarium fish can be a breathtaking addition to your home. If you've been following me and my projects for any amount of time, you know that I absolutely LOVE to infuse color into my clients home. One of the first items on my client's "Wish List" during our initial Design Consultation was a salt water aquarium, and true to my client's nature, he wanted it to be NEXT LEVEL!
My knowledge of "next-level-salt-water-aquariums"? Pretty much zilch. We are blessed in San Diego to have the Birch Aquariums at Scripps which I have visited on a regular basis with my family. A new challenge, is honestly one of the things that I absolutely love about my job!
The first outing I went on with my bachelor client was to Aquatic Warehouse to check out their salt water tanks. I absolutely fell in love with this eel as well as all of the aquascapes in the aquariums! Aquascaping, by the way, is it's own craft! It is the craft of arranging aquatic plants, as well as rocks, stones, cavework, in an aesthetically pleasing manner within an aquarium—in effect, gardening under water. That was it, we were sold and ordered a custom 400 gallon tank on the spot!
Now, I had to figure out logistically, where we were going to place it. I decided to create a pony wall with it right behind this seating arrangement.
It looked like the ideal spot to me....this is one of the first spaces that you see when you enter the great room, it provides some separation but you can view it from where ever you are standing.
On installation day, several trucks arrived to deliver the aquarium. GULP! I knew that my measurements were correct but seeing three trucks roll in at the same time and to finally get a glimpse of how large this aquarium and the base were in real life for the first time gave me a little jolt of anxiety. Actually, I think it was really excitement but they sometimes feel the same in the body, amiright?!
This turned out to be a perfect spot for it!
Fortunately, it fit just right, but boy, this base sure isn't cute....at all! The other thing to note, if you ever decide to get one of these bad boys, is not to expect to see any fish in there for quite a while! There is a stabilizing period for the aquarium once all of the water, additives, salt and accoutrements are placed inside. So this is what it initially looks like.
It's exciting to watch the process of the water clearing...
My client had decided to have a holiday party in the meantime so we had to have fish added to the aquarium (in safe quantities of course). AND we ordered a black and white eel just like we saw at Aquatic Warehouse except we had NO IDEA that it would only be a couple of inches long and would have to grow in the tank! This is truly one of the best ways to bring nature into your home! They are exotic, colorful and cheerful and bring life into this single dad's bachelor home. They are also so relaxing to watch and they stole the spotlight at my clients holiday party!
It would be remiss for me not to mention that in Feng Shui, water is the bringer of life and the fish symbol is associated with abundance and wealth. In Chinese culture, the fish symbol has two qualities. The first one is abundance because of their ability reproduce quickly and in large quantities. The second, is loyalty companionship because many fish swim in pairs. As we wrap up 2018 and set intentions and goals for 2019, my wish for you all is abundance, prosperity, health and companionship!
My mission in 2019 continues to be to help you live more beautifully.
Your home. Your life. In style.
