What to do, what to do?!?!?

Y-DesygnGuy · #1 01/08/2008, 10:47 AM

So the day before Christmas I bought a new MH fixture. I finally just got it in last night and set it up this morning. I bought it for my Red Seamax 34 gallon, the reason i bought the RSM was because of the clean look and complete package. Now the fixture was a smoking deal I think... 250 watt HQI MH and 2 96 watt Auctinics 8 blue moon lights. The cost was $159.00 plus $39.00 shipping, so just under $200 for everything.

I am all about the looks of things, if it doesn't fit into the look of my house then it's gotta go.

So here are some before and after shots.

Stock RSM hood.

New fixture.

Stock RSM hood.

New fixture.

So I know this question is a personal preference and all, but I was looking for other opinions. Do you think it looks ok? Does it look to tacky and hodge-podged? If I keep it I was going to get a new Phoenix 14k bulb and a new ballast. Since these items are the weak links in the fixture I think the 15k bulb they gave me with this is very yellow and the ballast weighs like nothing. I read over 120 pages on this fixture and after everyone replaced the bulb and ballast people loved it.

kirstenk · #2 01/08/2008, 10:59 AM

I am all about the looks of things, if it doesn't fit into the look of my house then it's gotta go.

I am sooo the opposite when it comes to my tank. How it looks in the room is of little concern. WHAT is inside and its health is where I personally am at.

From your pics, I think it looks great. Not tacky at all. The black looks good with your entire interior design. What does look hodge-podge (to moi) are those plants. They look cramped and pushed there to make room for the tank and the terracotta pot is tacky compared to other things around. Prolly should pick up a nice black one. Trim off the dead leaves.

Well.......ya asked.

kirstenk · #3 01/08/2008, 11:02 AM

PS........if ya can zip tie the electrical cords and stuff them behind the stand...that would look better too.

Y-DesygnGuy · #4 01/08/2008, 11:05 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by kirstenk
I am all about the looks of things, if it doesn't fit into the look of my house then it's gotta go.

I am sooo the opposite when it comes to my tank. How it looks in the room is of little concern. WHAT is inside and its health is where I personally am at.

From your pics, I think it looks great. Not tacky at all. The black looks good with your entire interior design. What does look hodge-podge (to moi) are those plants. They look cramped and pushed there to make room for the tank and the terracotta pot is tacky compared to other things around. Prolly should pick up a nice black one. Trim off the dead leaves off too.

Well.......ya asked.

LOL totally agree with the plants! They were spread out nicely and they got crammed into that location when the Xmas tree was here. I haven't moved them back out yet, HATE that pot as well. That plant and pot will be leaving in a month when the girlfriend moves out and I get my life back!!!

I very much want to try to accomplish both form and function. I am so excited to be able to keep sps corals now... So torn on this being a graphics person I have to have everything in its place and lined up correctly and has to fit in. I drive my self crazy sometimes with that!

ps. Oh yea they will get put back behind the stand for sure, I just haven't gotten that far yet. I was like a kid at Christmas this morning. I got the fixture last night at almost 8pm and I didn't set it up until this morning. So i was tearing through things to get a look at it.

kirstenk · #5 01/08/2008, 11:17 AM

hmmm.....I don't think its related to a graphic artist type thing. More anal retentive...OCD...Dectective Monk related.

Did ya drive the ex crazy too?

I AM just funing with ya!

Y-DesygnGuy · #6 01/08/2008, 11:33 AM

LOL OCD yeah you could say that with certain things! You mean because I like my pantry set up so I have everything lined up and in order is a bad thing?!?! I hate my plans being screwed up and the plans for my day messed with, things like that.... LOL I am very much a schedule and routine person if you mess with any of it i get cranky!

Yes it does drive her crazy and she

at me all the time!

hermanx7 · #7 01/08/2008, 11:39 AM

Looks great. I like the new fixture better. Gives it a custom look.

kgouso · #8 01/08/2008, 12:14 PM

The looks fine.. (I do see the yellow you are talking about)

I personally would remove the end table and lamp...and slide the tank over just a little to center between the couch and window.

With the tank lights...are you really going to need that lamp anyway???

Y-DesygnGuy · #9 01/08/2008, 12:25 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by kgouso
The looks fine.. (I do see the yellow you are talking about)

I personally would remove the end table and lamp...and slide the tank over just a little to center between the couch and window.

With the tank lights...are you really going to need that lamp anyway???

Well the end table(s) cost me as much as that tank did, so it's staying for now. No the lamp does not need to be there it's not even plugged in. I hate those lamps as is it, they were free and I never replaced them. If I remove one table then the other has to go, if I remove one lamp then the other one has to go, i can't take it lopsided.

I think need to look and think about it all day and maybe even sleep on. I love the look of the tank with the new light. I would imagine with a real ballast and a real bulb it will look even better. Nanotuners would be an option, but it would cost me several hundred more. But I would get to keep the stock look. hehe this is one of those decisions I was hoping someone else would make for me, lol yeah right!

kgouso · #10 01/08/2008, 12:33 PM

Quote:

If I remove one table then the other has to go, if I remove one lamp then the other one has to go, i can't take it lopsided.

[/B]

Sounds to me like you need to trade in the end tables and lamps for another identical tank for the other side of the couch...

Y-DesygnGuy · #11 01/08/2008, 12:35 PM

LOL I sooooooo thought of that already! I was going to put the tank in the corner so I didn't have this problem.

Dirt4dinner · #12 01/08/2008, 12:59 PM

Looks like you should pick up the Solana Light fixture.

jasonh · #13 01/08/2008, 01:05 PM

Why not DYI your old RSM hood?

I think the new fixture looks good. The only thing I don't like is the stuff you can see at the back of the tank that used to be covered by the hood.

Y-DesygnGuy · #14 01/08/2008, 01:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jasonh
The only thing I don't like is the stuff you can see at the back of the tank that used to be covered by the hood.

I agree, you can see the skimmer and all the other stuff. Part of what I don't dig about the open top look.

Thanks for all the comments, keepem coming I take nothing personal so feel free to fire away!

*edit* and I so suck at diy stuff, I still have to go lefty loosey, righty tighty!

If I did something like diy the hood, I would never been able to sleep at night, i would be waiting for a fire, or everything to fall into the tank.

jasonh · #15 01/08/2008, 01:52 PM

Maybe some type of black acrylic cover? I think that'd be fairly easy to pull off.

Y-DesygnGuy · #16 01/08/2008, 02:13 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by jasonh
Maybe some type of black acrylic cover? I think that'd be fairly easy to pull off.

Wow you are a mind reader today! I was just out in my garage looking through my photography backdrops and came across a black acrylic one and thought the same thing!

jasonh · #17 01/08/2008, 02:35 PM

haha. Well, great minds think alike

azhorsegal · #18 01/08/2008, 03:15 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Y-DesygnGuy
LOL OCD yeah you could say that with certain things! You mean because I like my pantry set up so I have everything lined up and in order is a bad thing?!?! I hate my plans being screwed up and the plans for my day messed with, things like that.... LOL I am very much a schedule and routine person if you mess with any of it i get cranky!

I take it you don't have kids.

I'm also a little anal about how things look (after having kids I'm not as bad as I used to be). I think the tank looks better with the new lighting and I really like the idea of doing the black acrylic to put around it so you can't see it, but keep the back open so it doesn't get to hot, an issue you have to think about if you cover it.

Y-DesygnGuy · #19 01/08/2008, 03:30 PM

hehe well... I actually do have a daughter, she is 16 though. My girlfriend has two kids that live with us, they drive me crazy because of the chaos! They are all over the place messing with everything and I do go off the deep end sometimes. Wait until you all meet me in person again, you will look at me and say... 16 year old daughter, no way! She being 16 is enough stress as it is let me tell you! I am being paid back for all the crazy crazy things I did at 16.

Yeah heat will be a big issue, wow so much more to think about than I originally thought!

jasonh · #20 01/08/2008, 03:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by azhorsegal
I take it you don't have kids. I'm also a little anal about how things look (after having kids I'm not as bad as I used to be). I think the tank looks better with the new lighting and I really like the idea of doing the black acrylic to put around it so you can't see it, but keep the back open so it doesn't get to hot, an issue you have to think about if you cover it.

Oh, I don't know about him, but I was referring to just covering the skimmer and junk in the back. Leave the rest open

GustavoAZ · #21 01/08/2008, 04:02 PM

I think it looks good but I really like the more modular look of the old hood.

badfish · #22 01/08/2008, 05:36 PM

It looks fine ya freak.

Helfrich’s Chic · #23 01/08/2008, 07:05 PM

^ Yea I have to agree!!! Didnt you see my light when you came over!?!?!?!? Now THATS a homade eyesore~! LOL it looks GREAT! I know your like me and just anal but honestly its very clean and looks great. Plus you will have the added benefit of the air movemnt under the light, will help when its summer time. You better get some screen to acclimate the corals thou. I will have to come by to see it asap.

30reef · #24 01/08/2008, 08:09 PM

Is this for real?

Y-DesygnGuy · #25 01/08/2008, 08:27 PM

Hmm not sure how to take your comment... Lets see... I work from home and no one was around today. I had no one to ask their opinion on the look of the thing. The last I checked this was a "Community" of like minded people (reef related) what better place to ask? I have not had experience with a MH system before, as well as a open top tank. I was on the fence with the look vrs spending a lot more to retrofit the stock hood. So yeah I would say that this is for real, what part of it did you think was fake?