i am SO proud of myself

[m3rma1d]

in case anyone ever didn't figure this out, i am a ditz..an airhead.
it's cool, i havelearned to accept it.

it's not that i have no intelligence, it's just that i'm more on the artsy side of the brain than the technical. it's not low self-esteem, it's just a fact that i have a very short attention span, making me seem very flighty..you know..

well anyway, the knob on my hood broke, and the light wouldn't come on...i got really irate cos i only had $40 to my name. i called the LFS and they said the single light ones were $35.95 and the double one were $59.95. i only had $40, but didn't want to spend almost all of it to get a single when i really want to *upgrade* to a double (se previous thread entitles "so blue") and i get paid thursday so i'd have to hold off and wait for the double, but i didn't want to go with NO light till then, although the LFS assured me it was ok seeing as i dont have a whole lot going on in my tank right now, i still like a ight cos, well....you know, it's better than TV.

so i put my new snails in the tank (traded in the blue legged hermits see thread about that too if ya want) and i got a couple peices of live rock...i was starting to get kinda peeved cos i like to WATCH when i put new stuff in...so i busted out my screwdriver and went to work...

first i unscrewed the light holder thing from the top of the hood enclosure. then i fiddles around & jiggled a few wires. i kept it plugged in cos i wanted to see if it would come on with some tampering...nothing. then i unscrewed this, screwed in that, fiddle fiddle fiddle...

finally i got PI$$ED OFF and ripped the **** knob right out. but the two wirey things were enclosed in the back part of the knob. i ripped the plastic encasing off, and stuck the two wires together and there it was...that little reassuring "clickety click click hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm" sound that gives me the will to live....and i had a soothing blue light on my leg...

i did it. i actually did it.

i unplugged it, taped the ends of the wires together, put it all back together (minus the knob)

and i am proud to report, nothing blew up, caught on fire, smoked, or made a funny sound. nor did i get electricuted.
i feel a *tiny* bit uncomfortable having to unplug it & plug it in to turn it on/off, but it will get me thru to thursday when i can get the two bulb deal i need so badly...


i'm really proud because i don't know about how things work...i barely remember how to turn my computer on sometimes....

but the funny thing about fish tanks is that i am actually MOTIVATED to figure things out....i mean, you gotta be an electrician, a scientist (for all those test kits & whatnot), a zookeeper, a priest (for the "last rights" of ill creatures) and all types of other things....and i'm proud because it helps me get out of my ditz mode. it's nice to "know" about things and wow yer friends when they always thought you were a moron....

*taking a bow*

[Spanky]

I am absolutely, positively, 100% sure of one thing - no one in their right mind, or worth fooling with, would think you're a moron!

In the mean time, hook up a timer and no more plugging and unplugging.

I'm proud of you too!
Jerel

[Doug1]

good Girl Be careful playing with hot electricity tho. By the way you can get one of the cheap Intermatic timers at WalMart or similar for about $6 and plug the light in there and set the on/off time
That way you wont have to plug/unplug the fixture and the tank will like being on a schedule. When you get the dual light fixture are you going to run all three lights, that will give you more light and options. This is on the 20g, right
Oh I see Spanky is on it

[nickg]

Hey, good job on fixing the light fixture! However I must recomend to the kids at home to unplug before going in, as to avoid a shock or two. Thursday is right around the corner, just a thought, if your gonna spend 60$, maby lfs has a 1 strip power compact for just a little more. You could use the old NO strip for the atinic, and you'd be set for lighting. Just a thought, good work

[gregt]

Congrats! Now just add plumber to your list and you'll truly be a pro.

[asmith]

Congratulations. Having a reef tank has forced me to become a pro at a few things myself (mopping comes to mind). Just make sure you are always careful around electricity. It is not very forgiving if you make a mistake.

Andrew

[Jimbo]

Good job!

Something you might want to get is a LOA floodlight. $29 at Home Depot and it would give you a large amount of light, probally enough to keep soft corals in your tank. You would have to wire the floodlight to 120v but it's not that difficult. This hobby turns us into electricians, plumbers and ecologists.

Have a great day!

[MontanaRocknReefer]

Excellent job! You sure we are not related!!! LOL Sounds like my wiring projects!! Johnny

[beach bum]

, Let's hear it for the airheads (just by being blonde I qualify, lol)!

[m3rma1d]

hey everyone, thanks for the pats on the back

jerel--moron might be too strong a word..."flighty" is the term more often used...i take no offense, i know if i could pay attention better i'd prolly rid myself of this problem entirely, but it's really all about laziness :P

doug--i think i will get a timer...how many hours should the light be ON anyway? right now it's on about 8 hours at a whack, but the sun shines in the room waking everything up in the morning as it is

nick--what is an NO bulb? i dunno about these things really...

greg--i'm sure plumber is next

andrew, my tank is on a carpeted area..no mopping! LOL

jimbo--i have to stay AWAY from home depot....when i go in there i spend WAY too much money finding new projectys for our apartment....

johnny--heehee maybe we are related...my motto is:
"duct tape is like the force, luke..it has a dark side, a light side, and it holds the universe together"

beach bum--i'm not a true blonde, but my hair color changes about every few months

[Doug1]

8 hrs is fine for Fish only, About 12 for a reef, set the actinic to come one an hr or so before the white lights and stay on an hr later
NO= normal output as opposed to VHO(veryhi output) or PC (power compact)

[FishDaddy]

Way to go Girl!!!
A big part of this hobby is learning to do things you never even dreamed about with stuff you've never even heard of before!
Dick