Aquatic Life Debuts LED/T5HO Hybrid Mounting System Fixture Reef Hobbyists Have Been Waiting For!

[siggy]

Create the larger hole needed for the 360X and then have a rubber bushing on the inner perimeter that will reduce the hole size

Sounds like a wiener that would also benefit you other line of LED's

 

[siggy]

Dave you could always just include a sheet of pre-cut adhesive rubber to apply to the holding tabs. A plastic sleeve or bushing might inhibit ventilation

 

[TheHarold]

Assembly was pretty straightforward. The only thing I was confused about is where the included wire organizers/clips are supposed to attach. Do we use the extra screws to put the wire organizers in the same track that the LED mounts screw to? @AquaticLife

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The fixture initially seemed pretty flexible, but once I mounted the lights in, it stiffened up nicely with the cross-members. The mounting system is awesome in that you can put any fixture anywhere- in my case I have a larger gap on the sides of the unit, where it overlaps my hood and the puck would be wasted. Here you can see why I didn't need another XR30 end LOL.

My plan was either 6 XR30s, or this hybrid of 4 XR30s and 2 XR15s with the aquatic life fixture. Same price- actually this was a bit cheaper. I am pretty sure it was the right choice; t5s for better light spread with acros


The cable routing features are nice, but the wiring does come out both sides of the fixture. I would prefer if it came out one side, and may do that later with zip ties and stickies. I have 5 wires coming from each fixture- 3 from the LEDs and two for the bulbs.

I got them connected to reeflink last night, what a breeze. Such user friendly software. I was surprised when the reeflink detected 7 devices, until I realized that the Vortech was wireless.

The fixtures are hanging so that I can easily raise them to remove the canopy while still having light to work in the tank. All in all, pretty happy with this fixture so far. Note: There is nothing covering the bulbs to protect from salt, so is probably not meant to go inside a canopy. Other t5 fixtures I've seen have acrylic/polycarb covering the bulbs.

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Assembly was pretty straightforward. The only thing I was confused about is where the included wire organizers/clips are supposed to attach. Do we use the extra screws to put the wire organizers in the same track that the LED mounts screw to? @AquaticLife

We kept them with the unit if for some reason the decorative end covers were not used. I have used them a few time in the same channel as the LED brackets upside down to support the LED wires in the fixture.

The setup looks great!!!!!

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Dave you could always just include a sheet of pre-cut adhesive rubber to apply to the holding tabs. A plastic sleeve or bushing might inhibit ventilation

I was thinking of small pieces like the photo below. Only use a few around the perimeter to keep them from shifting without hurting ventilation or scratching the housings.

 

[Whipples]

Has anyone had success hanging these with the Kessil AP 700 mounting arms? They have a slick tube system for tucking away cords, just not sure about the total weight of the fixture + LEDs given an AP700 weighs about as much as a business card in comparison. Glass is 1/2" for reference.

How are you guys adjusting your LED schedules to account for the T5 and when do you have them going on?

More mounting ideas, please! Strongly considering this to supplement my Mitras LX7s.

 

[jasonamyers]

Has anyone had success hanging these with the Kessil AP 700 mounting arms? They have a slick tube system for tucking away cords, just not sure about the total weight of the fixture + LEDs given an AP700 weighs about as much as a business card in comparison. Glass is 1/2" for reference.

How are you guys adjusting your LED schedules to account for the T5 and when do you have them going on?

More mounting ideas, please! Strongly considering this to supplement my Mitras LX7s.

I wanna mount mine to some Kessil Arms as well.

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Our biggest concern is mounting a fixture to the glass directly with a mount. I have seen the stand mount options so the weight is on the stand and not the glass. That is the way I would go.

 

[Kyl]

Going to chime in again. Having bumped into my fixture a couple of times while just doing tank things, I would hate to do so and have it be followed up by a CRACK and there goes the tank. Not worth the risk imo.

 

[Whipples]

Our biggest concern is mounting a fixture to the glass directly with a mount. I have seen the stand mount options so the weight is on the stand and not the glass. That is the way I would go.

Going to chime in again. Having bumped into my fixture a couple of times while just doing tank things, I would hate to do so and have it be followed up by a CRACK and there goes the tank. Not worth the risk imo.

I 100% agree with that concern. Thank you for your replies!

 

[Yellowsound]

Hi there.

My tank is 36x18x21. I’d like to install the 36” version inside my canopy, but unfortunately the internal dimension of my canopy is on 35”. Couple questions:

-If I were to get the 24” fixture & mount it 6-7” above the water, would there be enough spread from the T5s? Or would there be darker/shaded areas at each end of the tank?
-Does the Reefbreeders Photon v1 work w/ this fixture?

Thanks for any help!!

 

[mitch91175]

Hi there.

My tank is 36x18x21. I’d like to install the 36” version inside my canopy, but unfortunately the internal dimension of my canopy is on 35”. Couple questions:

-If I were to get the 24” fixture & mount it 6-7” above the water, would there be enough spread from the T5s? Or would there be darker/shaded areas at each end of the tank?
-Does the Reefbreeders Photon v1 work w/ this fixture?

Thanks for any help!!

The areas on the ends of the tank won't be dark, but you won't get as much PAR in those areas which isn't necessarily a bad thing. You can use the side to put coral that do not need as much light.

 

[TheHarold]

Top view of 48” fixture. Wires do come out both sides, but it makes sense given there are 5 thick cords- if they were on one side, the fixture would be pretty unbalanced and hard to hang. I used their provided wire organizers with the extra screws, screwed to the same channel that the fixture mount screws into. Works well.

Raising and lowering the fixtures for tank maintenance is a breeze. Here is some light ****, with them raised for tank access. If you are hanging them like I did, make sure you organize your wiring with enough slack to size the fixtures.

@AquaticLifeProducts what material is your power cord made of?! It’s so nice and flexible compared to normal cables. Silicon instead of rubber? Clever, so it can do that initial 90 degree turn easily.


Ignore the un-trimmed zip ties lol

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Not sure myself, I know when we went to the 8' cords the wire was a little softer. I will have to check with the supplier.

Setup is looking good.

Did you join the two fixtures or no need since they are in the canopy?

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Hi there.

My tank is 36x18x21. I’d like to install the 36” version inside my canopy, but unfortunately the internal dimension of my canopy is on 35”. Couple questions:

-If I were to get the 24” fixture & mount it 6-7” above the water, would there be enough spread from the T5s? Or would there be darker/shaded areas at each end of the tank?
-Does the Reefbreeders Photon v1 work w/ this fixture?

Thanks for any help!!

The 36" fixture would be right at 35.5" with the end plates. The Reefbreeder is wider than 7" I believe, so it would require the 24" LED brackets and the end plates. Not sure that would work for you.

I know there are some retro T5 fixtures that might fit inside the canopy like LET or Reefbright. They may be too long too but worth checking out.

 

[Reefpro]

Big shout out to aquatic life!!! Purchased the 24” extension kit with end caps for my t5 hybrid set up and the cable kit was too short for the fixture now. Emailed Dave and got immediate response and advised he would send out correct length cables at no charge. Great customer service and excellent products!!!

 

[Raxnar]

Any update on the development of the dimming feature? or perhaps consolidating to one Power cord (if possible)?

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Any update on the development of the dimming feature? or perhaps consolidating to one Power cord (if possible)?

It is going for tooling this month. Hoping all is good for 1st quarter launch.

 

[TheHarold]

It is going for tooling this month. Hoping all is good for 1st quarter launch.

Was that a response to dimming, 1 cord, or both?
(I personally dont like T5 dimming... I blast em!)

 

[AquaticLifeProducts]

Was that a response to dimming, 1 cord, or both?
(I personally dont like T5 dimming... I blast em!)

The dimming unit with a single power cord. If the demand is there for the single cord without dimming I'm sure we could put that in the assortment. The new unit will not be modular like the current unit as it will be fully assembled.