How to mount a Aquatic Life T5 HO Hybrid 4-Lamp Mounting System Fixture

statru · Apr 8, 2018

I plan on getting an Aquatic Life T5 HO Hybrid 4-Lamp Mounting System Fixture, 48-Inch for my 90 gallon mixed reef. I really don't want to suspend it from the ceiling (for several reasons) so I'm looking for ways to mount it on top of the rim of the tank. I haven't seen any alternatives to hanging them. I would think there would be some sort of legs to stand it on each end of the rim. It would be nice to be able to adjust the height according to preference and to achieve the light spread more evenly. I don't think I would trust using any of the screw-on 'necks' I've seen used on other lighting systems because of the weight of the 4 T5's and the 2 or 3 HD Prime HD's combined. Any ideas or examples would be appreciated. I'm open to suggestions. Thanx

Crabs McJones · Apr 8, 2018

statru said:
I plan on getting an Aquatic Life T5 HO Hybrid 4-Lamp Mounting System Fixture, 48-Inch for my 90 gallon mixed reef. I really don't want to suspend it from the ceiling (for several reasons) so I'm looking for ways to mount it on top of the rim of the tank. I haven't seen any alternatives to hanging them. I would think there would be some sort of legs to stand it on each end of the rim. It would be nice to be able to adjust the height according to preference and to achieve the light spread more evenly. I don't think I would trust using any of the screw-on 'necks' I've seen used on other lighting systems because of the weight of the 4 T5's and the 2 or 3 HD Prime HD's combined. Any ideas or examples would be appreciated. I'm open to suggestions. Thanx

If you won't want to hang it from the ceiling, then some sort of wall bracket would probably be the better bet for you. To my knowledge there aren't any leg mounts available yet. I'm told its in the works for a future release.

statru · Apr 8, 2018

crabs_mcjones said:
If you won't want to hang it from the ceiling, then some sort of wall bracket would probably be the better bet for you. To my knowledge there aren't any leg mounts available yet. I'm told its in the works for a future release.

Wall mount won't work for me. It's a peninsula setup and there's a cabinet between the tank and wall. It looks like I have some further homework to do before taking the leap. :/

LV3 · Apr 8, 2018

LV3 · Apr 8, 2018

8020 light rack

statru · Apr 8, 2018

I really like the appearance it casts. What is the supporting post attached to? Where are they sold? Manufacturer info might help me do a little research on it too. TY LV3

LV3 · Apr 8, 2018

statru said:
I really like the appearance it casts. What is the supporting post attached to? Where are they sold? Manufacturer info might help me do a little research on it too. TY LV3

There is a vertical post that runs between the stand and the wall. Corner brackets secure the horizontal run over the tank. The material is extruded aluminum t-slot profiles from http://www.8020.net.

LV3 · Apr 8, 2018

statru · Apr 9, 2018

LV3 said:
There is a vertical post that runs between the stand and the wall. Corner brackets secure the horizontal run over the tank. The material is extruded aluminum t-slot profiles from http://www.8020.net.

I appreciate the share, but upon further thought I really don't think this application will work for me either. There's a 30" cabinet between the wall and the tank /stand with no space between them. Above the base cabinet there it a wall cabinet that has a door that swings open toward the tank and is lower than the tank top rim by 10 inches or so. Back to the drawing board again I guess. It looks like I either have to wait for Aquatic Life to develop legs that have adjustable height or else I have to DIY something myself. Thanx again, Louie! Kewl setup and beautiful reef!

statru · Apr 9, 2018

I contacted Aquatic Life over night and received several promising answers this morning:

"Thank you for considering the Aquatic Life T5HO Hybrid fixture for your peninsula aquarium.
We do not offer legs because we do not know how much weight people will place inside the fixture. Every manufacturer’s LED’s weight is different and we would not want to the weight to cause a frame mount to break and have the fixture fall into the aquarium.
We do have suspension arms that can be mounted on any side of most stands. You can see the arms pictured in the attached brochure.
We think two of the mounting arms would be enough for the 48” fixture plus 2 AI Primes.
The suspension arms are made of steal and powder coated to resist rust in the saltwater environment.
MSRP will be $69.99 each. It will be up to the seller to set the actual sales price. We will begin shipping these to our distributors in the next 2-3 weeks."

He also enclosed 2 PDF's that showed a 2-page brochure of the setup and another one with installation instructions and diagrams. But, I don't know how to post PDF's here. With this concept I would have to attach the vertical rods on one side of my cabinet. I'm not sure I am fond of the idea, but might have to get accustomed to it of i can't come up with something else.

statru · Apr 9, 2018

statru said:
I contacted Aquatic Life over night and received several promising answers this morning:

"Thank you for considering the Aquatic Life T5HO Hybrid fixture for your peninsula aquarium.
We do not offer legs because we do not know how much weight people will place inside the fixture. Every manufacturer’s LED’s weight is different and we would not want to the weight to cause a frame mount to break and have the fixture fall into the aquarium.
We do have suspension arms that can be mounted on any side of most stands. You can see the arms pictured in the attached brochure.
We think two of the mounting arms would be enough for the 48” fixture plus 2 AI Primes.
The suspension arms are made of steal and powder coated to resist rust in the saltwater environment.
MSRP will be $69.99 each. It will be up to the seller to set the actual sales price. We will begin shipping these to our distributors in the next 2-3 weeks."

He also enclosed 2 PDF's that showed a 2-page brochure of the setup and another one with installation instructions and diagrams. But, I don't know how to post PDF's here. With this concept I would have to attach the vertical rods on one side of my cabinet. I'm not sure I am fond of the idea, but might have to get accustomed to it of i can't come up with something else.

Let's see if this works as far as attaching the brochure:

BantyRooster97 · Apr 9, 2018

Not sure if it was this forum or "the other" but I've seen people use 80/20 and build stands that rest on their tanks, using a piece of angle at the bottom, is your tank rimless?

I used 80/20 to make my LED light holders, I couldn't hang them from the ceiling. Mine attach to the back of my stand, which I know you said was a problem. 80/20 is amazing stuff. If you can draw it or think it up, you can buy stuff from the to build it,

Maybe if you posted a pic of your set-up we could help.

statru · Apr 9, 2018

1st pic is the living room side. 2nd pic is the kitchen side. Don't mind the mess. The pics were taken during our kitchen remodel.

statru · Apr 9, 2018

BantyRooster97 said:
Not sure if it was this forum or "the other" but I've seen people use 80/20 and build stands that rest on their tanks, using a piece of angle at the bottom, is your tank rimless?

I used 80/20 to make my LED light holders, I couldn't hang them from the ceiling. Mine attach to the back of my stand, which I know you said was a problem. 80/20 is amazing stuff. If you can draw it or think it up, you can buy stuff from the to build it,

Maybe if you posted a pic of your set-up we could help.

1st pic is living room side of the stand/tank. pic #2 is kitchen side.

Taby · Apr 9, 2018

Guess I have to wait for the leg mounts. It'll give me time to collect my pennies.

statru · Apr 9, 2018

Taby said:
Guess I have to wait for the leg mounts. It'll give me time to collect my pennies.

Taby, they aren't planning on developing legs for the fixture from what I was told this morning from their Customer Service Rep. "We do not offer legs because we do not know how much weight people will place inside the fixture. Every manufacturer’s LED’s weight is different and we would not want to the weight to cause a frame mount to break and have the fixture fall into the aquarium. We do have suspension arms that can be mounted on any side of most stands." Yeah, I wasn't pleased to hear it, but was glad to know they realized people need other ways of mounting the fixture than the way they originally prescribed.

Taby · Apr 10, 2018

statru said:
Taby, they aren't planning on developing legs for the fixture from what I was told this morning from their Customer Service Rep. "We do not offer legs because we do not know how much weight people will place inside the fixture. Every manufacturer’s LED’s weight is different and we would not want to the weight to cause a frame mount to break and have the fixture fall into the aquarium. We do have suspension arms that can be mounted on any side of most stands." Yeah, I wasn't pleased to hear it, but was glad to know they realized people need other ways of mounting the fixture than the way they originally prescribed.

I really do appreciate the info. I was looking forward to getting that set up. I don't really have a stand to stick the rail to and hanging mount is not an option. Guess it wasn't meant to be

BantyRooster97 · Apr 10, 2018

You can totally build a light stand for that with 80/20. Everything is custom & cut to fit. Get 2 square pieces to rest on top of your aquarium on each end. Attach a flat plate that is double the size of the square, so that the square pieces will not fall into the tank. Attach a square post in the middle of each side (going up) & a long square piece the length of the tank that sits on top of the end posts. Bam, stand that will hold any combo of light you put on it. All you have to decide is how high you want the lights.

Or make the vertical posts taller & have the middle (length wise piece) fit between them, rather than on top. Then it is adjustable. They make adjustable corner brackets & angle braces so that piece doesn't slip & fall into the tank.

This stuff is easy to work with, once you put your mind to it. Plus, they have grooves to hide wires & covers to cover the grooves.

If I'm not making since, PM me and I'll draw you something up. cheers!

Greybeard · Apr 10, 2018

I know you said you didn't want to ceiling mount it, but it sounds like that's probably your best solution. I didn't want to ceiling mount either, but ended up going that way... it was that, or build a very large metal hanging rig, and I didn't want that either. The ceiling mount, even on an odd ceiling, ended up working well for me. Unobtrusive, stable, full access to the tank... I'm pretty happy with it.