Mounting Hydras

[TURKLET0N]

Hi,

I am planning on buying 3 hydra HD 26's. I'm running into a mounting issue and I'm looking for advise. I cannot mount them to the back since it's a double viewed tank. I know I can buy the EXT rails but in order to mount them how I was it would cost $200-300 just for the hardware which IMO is ridiculous after paying over $1,000.00 for the lights. Any advices would be appreciated.

I want to mount them on one bracket that goes from left left side all the way to the right side so I will be able to hide the wires.

 

[Postal]

I have seen some pretty nice DIY light stands/racks made out of t-slot aluminum

 

[anbosu]

In my opinion the EXT rails are garbage anyway, especially given the price.

 

[Webmanny]

Is hanging from the ceiling an option? If so, you may want to buy to L brackets and build yourself the frame and hang it from the ceiling. I like what postal recommended, but they are expensive too. You may still end up paying $200 to $300 for all the T-Slots parts.

I paid close to $130 for the simple wall mounted one I have.

 

[TURKLET0N]

I'm going to Lowes today to see if they have them in stock. For online prices of the 80/20 I could do it for half the price of the EXT rails. I don't want to hang them from the ceiling bc I don't want wires hanging down and I don't feel like putting an electrical outlet in the ceiling or attic.

 

[Mr.Mulley54]

I'm in a similar situation the hydra mounting options suck. I don't have he lights yet and may not purchase them because of this prob. My tank is already set up and 4 inches from the wall so I can't use the stand mount and the rail system has the lights sitting to close to the water. And I too don't want wires hanging from the ceiling . So I have not idea how I'm going to mount them been trying to figure it out before I spend 800 on a set of hydra. , why they couldn't supply a simple tank mount gooseneck like the Kessils or radions is crazy.

 

[Webmanny]

If you go with 80/20, you can do something similar to what I did, but instead of supporting it from behind, you would do it from the side. I'm not sure if this would work, but maybe worth looking.

These are not my pictures, but I did the same thing and spent about $130.00 in all the parts.

 

[TURKLET0N]

I'm probably going to buy the 80/20 extrusion T slot aluminum 10 series but has anyone seen how to actually mount the hydra to the aluminum itself?

https://www.amazon.com/80-20-T-Slot...1469725111&sr=1-5&keywords=80/20+extrusion+97

 

[anbosu]

The older model lights came with screws that would slide into the slot - not sure about the HD series.

 

[Webmanny]

You may want to stop by the local 80/20 distributor. They are in Brandon and the will help design and list all the parts needed. This way you are sure things look correct and you get everything you need.

I think they are called Adams Air and Hydraulics, Inc. and they are on Adam dr. near 301 in Brandon.

Good luck and don't forget to share your build.

 

[TURKLET0N]

I purchased my 80/20 in black with 90 degree inside corner connectors from Amazon. 3X cheaper than the EXT rails and better.

I'll have to update my build not that things are progressing much faster

 

[CrazyEyes]

Checkout a site called misumi, they're so much cheaper than the 80/20 brand.