I need some idea guys & gals

[Kevin McG]

Well I am switching out my lighting next week from a 72" hqi aquaspacelight and going with single 250w single ended bulbs with parabolic reflectors. I need some ideas and possibly pictures of how you have your light mounted(Non Hood)

For those that have not viewed pictures of my tank it is a 180 in-wall so a canopy is really not needed. I was originally thinking of just mounting the reflectors on a pulley type thig-a-ma-jig for raising or lowering the lights when working on the tank.

I would love to see some in-walls with this type or configuration


Thanks in advance everybody

 

[Kevin McG]

Bumping for the Sat morning crowd. Come on man I know there are some in-walls out there with retro lighting

 

[customclimates]

What about just basic unistrut from home depot or Lowes painted white for ascetics.
View attachment 27991
Although very simplistic it would be functional. Mounted parallel with the front & one with the back of the tank.
View attachment 27992
View attachment 27993
This would make it very easy for left to right justification adjustments. A pulley on the hooks could make it very easy for height adjustments for maintenance using 1/8 vinyl coated cable. View attachment 27990
All available at home depot for a total cost of about forty dollars.

 

[Kevin McG]

That's a great idea! I didn't realize they sell that stuff at Lowes and the HD.

With hanging pulleys the only problem is mounting them to the drywall ceiling? I am sure if I look lowes has some anchors for anging stuff from the drywall on ceilings

 

[customclimates]

If you run them parallel with the tank I am sure a few 3” stainless steel screws with washers will hit joist in the ceiling. Just mark out the joist or strapping first. By using the unistrut you would not have to worry about critically centering them because the holes are 3/8 apart making adjustments easy down to 3/8 increments left to right

 

[Kevin McG]

Most excellent! thank you! I am heading to the depot today and will see if they have everything I need

 

[Kevin McG]

Check out what this guy did
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&postid=9927329#post9927329

That is perfect and I do have the room

 

[Yaktop]

thats what I'm doing for my 270 or maybe the ligt rail mover if I can figure a way to slow it down. no luck so far.

 

[customclimates]

Wow! That is awesome. I always have that dexion metal in stock for work. They sell it at home depot for about 15 bucks per 10' in the electrical department. Let me know how you made out when your done

 

[clamm]

why are you getting rid of the aquaspace light again? Maybe I missed something?

 

[Kevin McG]

why are you getting rid of the aquaspace light again? Maybe I missed something?

Going to single ended bulbs with better refectors

 

[clamm]

Going VHO for actinic. If you can afford them nothing beats the lighting of 10K xm's with VHO's off an icecap... I couldn't afford the electric for vhos though.

 

[besl]

Kevin, are you selling the 72" fixture?

 

[Kevin McG]

Kevin, are you selling the 72" fixture?

Ya but it's sold already

 

[Kevin McG]

I drove around looking for some tracking for the lighting to slide out from over the tank as well some pulleys for lowering the lighting as needed. Found exactly what I was looking for at McMaster-Carr but would really like to find some locally cause of my time frame.

Here is what I am looking for

I would mount the reflectors to a 1x12 board in which would be mounted to these track-rollers via a coated cable on a pulley. So they would be able slide out/in as well as up/down. Everything would be painted white for ascetics.

Anybody ever see something like this at your local hardware stores?

 

[customclimates]

If this is what you need & have any trouble I have 10' of it on hand at all times. I use it every install to hang equipment in the attics.
Sorry, They call it superstrut in home depot!
View attachment 28034

View attachment 28035

 

[reefinghabit]

im sorry to hear that you are down sizing your light. but maybe you could build a suspension system like mine. i used 2x3 peices of wood. i secured them to the left and right side of my stand with carriage bolts in the center. then connected them together with another 2x3 stained them oak. then i hung my stainless steel suspension cables from them. my light sits about 6 inches off the top of the water. maybe you can do this behind the wall where your tank is built in. just an idea. i know there are so many more advanced designes offered here.

 

[Kevin McG]

im sorry to hear that you are down sizing your light.

Downsizing? I'm actually upgrading