I run a pair of Maxspect Ethereal LED's and recently decided I'd like to provide a boost by adding a pair of T5 HO fixtures. However my setup is a little unusual with a built in wall design and a small fishroom. Here was how I had my LED's mounted originally off of TV mounting brackets:
I needed a suspended frame that would fit my LED's, provide something to mount two single bulb T5 fixtures, and allow me to raise or lower the setup as needed. I decided to utilize 80/20 extruded aluminum as a base for the frame (also called T-slot). If you are not familiar with this product, they market themselves as "the erector set for adults" and it is all that and more. I bought all my hardware and material through http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale at a reasonable price. 80/20 even has a CAD design program on their regular website you can download and play around with. All the hardware I purchased was stainless steel to avoid corrosion.
I also found a light suspension system that is used in horticulture applications. It utilizes plastic pulleys and nylon rope instead of cables which is ideal for over a marine tank.
Assembly was very simple and the extruded aluminum can be easily cut with a carbide tipped finish saw blade:
The Maxspect Ethreal's have a flange around the perimeter that conveniently fit inside the slot and allow me to slide them back and forth for positioning.
I added a cross brace to both hold the T5 fixture and to act as an attachment point for the lift system:
I chose Sunpower single bulb T5 HO fixtures because of the price point. These are also designed for horticulture applications but they are not a sealed fixture like the reef brite. I came up with an unusual solution to help protect the bulb end and tombstone from any moisture. I used toe/finger protectors that are made from medical silicone which did a nice job of providing a snug fit:
The lift system itself was easy to install using a 1x4 attached to ceiling joists. The whole rig weighs less that 30 lbs. so I have more than enough support. The frame attaches to the lift system and once leveled, can be raised or lowered manually and maintains it's horizontal position.
I used one Blue+ and one Coral+ ATI bulb and have them on a schedule managed by my RKL. I'll start them off an hour a day and slowly extend the photo period until around 6-8 hours. In the meantime, I'll back off my LED intensity by about 20% to hopefully help acclimate everything. Here's a shot with only the T5's, so it does add quite a bit of light and hopefully growth as well!
Total expenditure excluding the bulbs themselves was around $200.
![O0vp7N2h.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FO0vp7N2h.jpg&hash=946b6e98f3303a6042edcaf8ed9df3cd)
I needed a suspended frame that would fit my LED's, provide something to mount two single bulb T5 fixtures, and allow me to raise or lower the setup as needed. I decided to utilize 80/20 extruded aluminum as a base for the frame (also called T-slot). If you are not familiar with this product, they market themselves as "the erector set for adults" and it is all that and more. I bought all my hardware and material through http://stores.ebay.com/8020-Inc-Garage-Sale at a reasonable price. 80/20 even has a CAD design program on their regular website you can download and play around with. All the hardware I purchased was stainless steel to avoid corrosion.
![ulATVzHh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FulATVzHh.jpg&hash=80277ef53c3ec36f10c95e10ab825927)
I also found a light suspension system that is used in horticulture applications. It utilizes plastic pulleys and nylon rope instead of cables which is ideal for over a marine tank.
![Aa7VhCMh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FAa7VhCMh.jpg&hash=07d9fd0d684fd9aae0ef5f1e35c05f2a)
Assembly was very simple and the extruded aluminum can be easily cut with a carbide tipped finish saw blade:
![tta0Uvqh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Ftta0Uvqh.jpg&hash=1b66dd5a1500b985cff6396c8bf1d82d)
![M3SyeVZh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FM3SyeVZh.jpg&hash=9cd6c00eb406ab7f7f8aed835e174e6c)
![3SdQtyYh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F3SdQtyYh.jpg&hash=a1d5d22751d8da6d2bc0185242a45a7f)
The Maxspect Ethreal's have a flange around the perimeter that conveniently fit inside the slot and allow me to slide them back and forth for positioning.
![oEuPCHRh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FoEuPCHRh.jpg&hash=83cffbacbd0e79b1c200d97c23a2d791)
I added a cross brace to both hold the T5 fixture and to act as an attachment point for the lift system:
![knz5zcqh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fknz5zcqh.jpg&hash=6133e73b255542971976232687e6bf91)
![NynYVtJh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FNynYVtJh.jpg&hash=487a92f87e8cfaba894367a908b27462)
![NGKcfOfh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FNGKcfOfh.jpg&hash=dedb726f05b052910013d4c941e269ec)
![UZMXTuch.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FUZMXTuch.jpg&hash=dbcb7f132f4966221197ac074f19f0e4)
![YoGmquhh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FYoGmquhh.jpg&hash=f81bd4283243e10b9cfdacef5d9de328)
I chose Sunpower single bulb T5 HO fixtures because of the price point. These are also designed for horticulture applications but they are not a sealed fixture like the reef brite. I came up with an unusual solution to help protect the bulb end and tombstone from any moisture. I used toe/finger protectors that are made from medical silicone which did a nice job of providing a snug fit:
![DW2fLJ0h.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FDW2fLJ0h.jpg&hash=296953dfebba4d4999eb2b326f82b0f7)
![IAiKRwTh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FIAiKRwTh.jpg&hash=5bd8b355f82e918bc1f97a48eede1d0b)
![ttjsvO5h.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FttjsvO5h.jpg&hash=a7ae492271540cc4108a939d13daca40)
The lift system itself was easy to install using a 1x4 attached to ceiling joists. The whole rig weighs less that 30 lbs. so I have more than enough support. The frame attaches to the lift system and once leveled, can be raised or lowered manually and maintains it's horizontal position.
![lv4yCwEh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Flv4yCwEh.jpg&hash=065837bf500cef00c840eaaeda0d62a8)
![h8vxwzah.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fh8vxwzah.jpg&hash=09c05575126ef501bb35a1b7cca0c357)
I used one Blue+ and one Coral+ ATI bulb and have them on a schedule managed by my RKL. I'll start them off an hour a day and slowly extend the photo period until around 6-8 hours. In the meantime, I'll back off my LED intensity by about 20% to hopefully help acclimate everything. Here's a shot with only the T5's, so it does add quite a bit of light and hopefully growth as well!
![0c31j8Dh.jpg](/proxy.php?image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F0c31j8Dh.jpg&hash=06096b08b363fb5111ceca18c410a4dc)
Total expenditure excluding the bulbs themselves was around $200.
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