I received this stand as a gift from a friend last christmas. he made it in college and had it functioning in his house for many years until he decided to get out of aquariums for a while. we went to art school together and he knew i loved my tanks and would take good care of it. when i set it up i thought putting an actual octopus in the tank would seem kind of cliche, so i have my fish in it, placed between the kitchen and the living area.