Building a conduit Light mount. Need input/help

[JohannesFTL]

Could use some input from people that know what they are doing (since I have no clue) on if this setup would work.

This is what I came up with for hanging my 3 Chinese full spectrum LEDs.

Would this work? Should I make any tweaks to the design? Most importantly, is this strong enough to hold 3 x 165w black box LEDs?

 

[dorky]

it would be better if you do it from the behind instead of the side so it can support the weight and it look better. just my 2cent

 

[Brooks87]

Here is mine. Back mounted like dorky suggested. If your using 1/2 inch conduit a 6ft run may flex in the middle. Not sure how much those 3 fixtures would weigh.

 

[JohannesFTL]

it would be better if you do it from the behind instead of the side so it can support the weight and it look better. just my 2cent

Do you think that the 1' piece at the bottom would not be able to support it? Only way for me to mount to rear is draining the tank and then sliding it out. Would rather avoid this, hence the extra bend at the bottom as a "support."

The 3 fixtures together only weigh about 27-30lbs max.

 

[icebrg5]

Here is what i did on my moms old tank.Still using the same conduit setup with her new tank but i do not have a very good picture of it.

Bracketed to the sides of the stands at the base of the stand and at the top of the stand.

 

[icebrg5]

Picture of her new tank.

Can see the light rigging a little bit.

 

[JohannesFTL]

Here is what i did on my moms old tank.Still using the same conduit setup with her new tank but i do not have a very good picture of it.

Bracketed to the sides of the stands at the base of the stand and at the top of the stand.

Thanks. That is kind of what I was wanting to do. But I want the vertical pieces near the back and then a horizontal bend towards the front so lights are centered by another pipe going left to right.

 

[Brooks87]

Draining the tank is a bummer. Go with your plan and use 3/4 or 1 inch.

 

[JohannesFTL]

Draining the tank is a bummer. Go with your plan and use 3/4 or 1 inch.

Ok. Thanks. Was planning on 1" already. (I've dropped LEDs in a tank before. Really want to avoid that this go around.)

 

[billdogg]

Any reason you can't mounth them on the wall behind the tank? Here's a couple shots of mine.







hth

 

[kmcochran0010]

Go from back or wall of possible. I think you will regret going on the side.

 

[RocketEngineer]

I would remove the bend at the bottom. Also, when you bend the pipe make sure the horizontal portion is longer than you need/want. With those two changes its possible to trim the uprights to both the height you want by cutting the bottom and the reach you want by trimming the horizontal portion. I used the same idea on my 40B and am glad I could trim them as they ended up slightly different.

Something to consider is to mount the horizontal bar with short lengths of chain so you can adjust the bar front to back. I placed eye bolts in the horizontal portion of my risers so my chains can only move so far. It is nice to be able to move the fixture out of the way when working in the tank.

 

[ahhwataday]

I would recommend using wood. You could mount the light back to acanopy or build it so that it fits perfectly on tank. I have a PVC light rack but it is mounted from the back and also has a brace/leg that sits on the other side of the tank. 5 things those lights are too heavy and the weight would cause them to sag

 

[UFO8MyCow]

get rid of the bend on the bottom. The clamps on the top and bottom will hold it just fine. . 1/2 should be fine for the uprights but the cross bar should be made of at least 3/4 or something else so it doesn't sag in the center

 

[JohannesFTL]

Building a conduit Light mount. Need input/help

Just figured I'd update this thread. Decided to go with a couple of shepards hooks I picked up locally ($12) and I just mounted them to the side of the tank then used a closet rod across. Looks decent and works great and was under $40 total.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Gsxkid]

Man that one with the wooden pole is so sketchy. If that thing gets bumped wrong it's game over for those lights and anything in that tank. Why not go with a pendant style light bracket. There's a few versions in this thread.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1970214

 

[mfinn]

That's the first time I've seen someone use a iron gardening shepards hook.
It's not too bad IMO. I like when people think of different ways to make things work.

I might have continued with the metal look and used a painted galvanized pipe for the cross piece, maybe with caps on the ends.

But all in all, not bad.

 

[BlurrVT]

Might take the last two comments and combine them. Go with a metal pipe and put an elbow or tee on the end so in the event it does get bumped, it won't fall out as easily. Looks like the wood is already sagging as well. It will probably hold, but is it worth the risk?

 

[Esquare]

Great outside of the box thinking on the Shepherds Hooks!

 

[scuzy]

Building a conduit Light mount. Need input/help

Those lights looks like it's sagging. Can't you get aluminum or steel square piping to make it look nicer?