As for feeling guilty, keeping fish is no different than a cat or dog. Most fish are farm raised. Very few are wild caught. "Most" fish sold now are hybrids and are a little more colorful than their wild cousins. Also, in a properly maintained and established tank, the fish usually outlive the wild ones. A far as low maintainance, it depends on your water chemistry and quality. Not meaning your tap water is safe to drink and has no bacteria, just pH,nutrients and hardness. For example tap water that is hard and higher in pH is going to be more work for the fish that require a more acidic environment, also the type of plants that will do well in it. This can be reversed for acidic water for the needs of hard water fish. Any way you can save alot of money by building your own tankstand. They usually cost as much as an aquarium kit. For live planted tanks with the "red" plants you like (my favorite also), you need a high amount of light. A few plants do well in the low light that is usually provided in "complete" kits. I can go on and on (I normally do), so I'll post a few sites for you that I found usefull. This first is all around the best IMO. P.S. Goldfish only become a problem if the tank and filtration isn't sufficient. A bowl is way too small for them. When they grow they emit more ammonia and poison them selfs. Also they can grow to 12"+, a min 30 gallon tank with good filtration will work great. Here is a link that might be useful: Best info IMO

ya_think i read some of your posts on that other thread ...way to funny. tntw did you check into American Range? try dvorson's restaurant equipment thats where i got my best price. although i went with the 48". we cook for 3 but on holidays it's more like up to 20. it works great. great for making lots of cookes or cupcakes for school. cut DW cooking time in half for parties and holidays. she sometimes caters professionally. great range, looks great, great customer service! not all the bells & whistles to break down. john

Thanks for sharing, there is a meyer lemon (since my meyer lemons just keep coming) scone I'm ready to try on there..

Thanks Lisa, I'll check it out. I must say that ever since making that shrimp pilaf that Pranjal (sp?) posted recently, I've been really interested in playing around with Indian more. In fact, I just asked Santa for the cookbook that made the James Beard top 20 that was posted yesterday: Classic Indian Cooking by Julie Sahni (William Morrow, 1980)