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

[Ruth]

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.

[Coderad]

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.

[digital-audiophile]

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.

[OCDP]

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.

[AndyL]

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

[BlkWolfe]

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

[Petcrazy]

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

[TheReefGeek]

Originally Posted by Ruth

fine - I couldn't suspend it from the ceiling as it was not strong enough to hold the light.

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.

[Ruth]

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.

[OCDP]

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...