How to be a complete Idiot and waste all your money and time.
 

Well, that's it.... I am so frustrated and angry, annoyed, you name it.

I ordered a 24" Aqualight Pro from a reefer... just arrived today (you don't understand how much I've been looking forward to getting this and setting it up)

Ran into a couple (dumb) problems along the way of setting it up... but after a while I got it ready to go.

Go take off my old fixture.... to put the new one on of course aaaand........

It doesn't FIT!!!!!!!! :twised: :twised: :twised: :twised: :bad-word: :bad-word: :bad-word:

Can you believe that? Well, maybe you can... I can't. All that money, the time.. everything, wasted. I am so dumb... I didn't even THINK to get the measurements... I seen 24" and thought "that'll fit over my 20g tank"

Like seriously folks... wouldn't you be seriously annoyed? I know this is 100% my fault.. but it's just the fact of all the money spent and what not....

Anyways, I had to vent.. I had been anxiously waiting for it to arrive and it finally does and I can't use it due to my own stupidity. Great.... What the heck do I do now... let it sit under my bed and collect dust for a long while I guess.

Anyways, I've cursed for an hour or so.. I'm done for the night.. so long.

Scott couldn't you still use it over your tank if you hang it from the ceiling? You don't say if it is too long or too short but either way if you went with a hanging fixture wouldn't it still work 'cause the fit has to be pretty close isn't it?

Yes, if you hang it off the tank but centered, it should make a great light for your system.

Sorry, haha I am so ticked off right now!

It's too wide... not too long. With an AC500 on the back as well as AquaC Remora... but that's not even where the problem starts... it just is too big either way... for a standard 20g tank.

I can't even hang anything from the ceiling... the parents already gave me the big hell no on that one.

So I don't know what to do !

Sorry to hear about your mistake and all the pain it's causing you :cry:

Weren't you tanlking about getting a larger tank soon? Why not build it to suit your new lights :biggrin:

couldn't you try selling it again?

I could sell it again, but I really don't want to hahah... ahhh I have wanted an actual fixture for so long. I've been using a PVC fixture with a modded flood lamp... somewhat ghetto, no where near as nice on the eyes as the Coralife.

Bev, I have no clue when the new tank will actually be up.. money is the biggest issue... BUT, having said that.... I did just get a sweet price on a custom built cube. Maybe it will just force me to save save save and gett'er done...

So frustrating is all.... on top of a crappy Monday, that's all I needed to finish the day off.

I will have to sweet talk the rents and just say, like how bad can two holes in the ceiling be? They can be re-filled... I think, haha...

But won't I have to buy the hanging kit for it ? And I bet they cost a pretty penny locally.

Well that makes things more challenging for sure! Not sure how close your tank is to the wall but would it be possible to use say 2 shelf brackets on the back wall and use those to hang the light? I know it would probably be a little high in order to clear the skimmer and fuge but maybe you can sell that to your parents as you can then put a shelf on top of the brackets to store your fish stuff and books and clear up some of the clutter (if you have any - I know I sure do)
I use 2 plant hangers to suspend a light over my 24g Nano and it works just fine - I couldn't suspend it from the ceiling as it was not strong enough to hold the light.
Worth a try.

Glass lid
 

You could also just get a glass top and lay it one that, might look kinda silly if it's too long but I would work.

I use a couple really long shelf mounts and made my own quasi shelf. I figured it's easier to fill a couple holes in the wall when I move than in the ceiling.

http://members.shaw.ca/gregkubasek/halide.jpg

Well, I am going to talk to the rents about putting a couple holes in the ceiling... but then I'd need to fork out even more doh for the hanging unit. So perhaps the shelf idea ... but at the same time, I DO plan on setting up a new tank within the next 3-4 months .. I would just hustle more to get it going, as I really want to use my new fixture.

I'll keep you guys updated....

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions, I appreciate it.

Oh, and PS: I can't use the glass lid idea, because the fixture is too wide, it's bigger than the top of my tank, and with the skimmer and AC500, it's a no go unfortunately. :sad:

You can also build a frame off the back of your stand... no holes in walls, no holes in ceiling... Parent friendly :lol:

Make a frame out of 3/4" shed 40, hang it from the frame

Ha
 

The shelf idea so far seems the best idea to me, because even if you upgrade your tank later on, the shelf can still come in handy for other things and even modified to be a bit more attractive and useful.

You can never complain about having more shelf space....

And no worries man, everyone here has some form of equipment they find useless and is stowed away somewhere. I don't think anyone here can claim they've never made a mistake when purchasing something...

I bought the completely wrong lights for one of my canopies once (the 4 or 2 pin thing...ugh)...fortunately I was able to return them. :P

How heavy was this light!? Butterfly hooks can take a lot of weight.

Sorry to hear about your mistake dude, but all is not lost you can always re-sell the fixture or use it on your new tank if you are unable to get it to work on your current tank. I know it sucks, but it could always always be worse.

Not to hijack Scott's thread but it is my ceiling that needs to be replaced in that part of the house. The light probably only weighs like 35lbs but it is an old log home and in that part of the house there is still that kind of old almost mushy tiles that is just not strong at all. I wouldn't trust it to hang a plant from.

Ahhh, it's a new day (haha) I am still annoyed, but hey.. what can I do.

Thank you all for the suggestions and mounting options, really appreciate it. It's nice to have a few options. I don't think I would be able to make a frame off the back of my stand because there are only a few inches to work with behind the stand. The shelf idea, or hanging the unit are the only suitable options for me. Man, I seriously don't see the big deal about putting two tiny holes in the ceiling. But , if all else fails I will simply have to wait to use the fixture on my new cube.

In the meantime.... I am going to swap out my 20k Ushio today and put in the 13k Geismann that is in the AqualightPro. I think the old bulb is the reason I'm getting so much cyano and algaes. I hope...

There should be studs to attach to above the tiles. If they dont line up correctly, you could install a 2x4 between the studs and anchor the light to that.


Good to hear you are feeling a bit better scott.

Ah I was always feeling good haha, just pretty annoyed more than anything. Seeing as it was my first "big" purchase from another reefer, having it shipped.. it all added up I suppose, and then I screwed it up haha.

Anywhoo, I'll let you guys know what happens, and I'll let you know how the 13k looks over my tank.

Take before and after pictures to see the difference in the bulb.

Good call :wink:

Although, I am pretty sure the Ushio is done for... at least I think it is... I'm not too familiar with MH bulbs yet.

Sounds like it's time to get a larger tank.

Yup.. plans are in the making. Got a quote on my cube.. so I just need to have that built and build a new stand and I am good to go !