I have the new hanging hybrid light mount!

[Makers Marc]

Have a look at the hardware store, it will say on the box what they are rated for. They make different sizes, plastic and metal. I think they hold at least 50 LBS each.
They work really well and I doubt you would find anything better to attach directly to drywall with a screw.

Considering the 61 inch fixture is only 22 lbs, it makes sense that no studs are needed.

Just want to make sure.

 

[gobble]

https://www.homedepot.com/p/E-Z-Anc...ickid=wFC3rV0H5xyJRKuxTp3WVUkrUklWrxzhr1evXo0

These worked for crap. I used one on the first hole then leveled the bracket and marked the other two holes. When I went to undo that first screw to remove the bracket and install the other two anchors, the entire thing came out and left a big hole in the wall. I had to use one of those toggle anchors on that spot because of the big hole.

A 61 inch fixture may only weigh 22 pounds but don't forget the bulbs and the Radions or whatever you put in the middle.

 

[TheGreatWave]

You usually install the plug with a large screwdriver first. Yes a screw will come out if you turn it counter clockwise.
They are not perfect but really the only thing that works at all and works very well considering. You could have screwed the plug right back in lol.

The limiting factor is the drywall not the plug. If you over load them, a chunk of drywall rips out, the plug doesn't break or come straight out without leaving serious damage.

If it bothered me that much well I guess I would have to man up and cut the drywall out and install solid blocking, then replace the drywall. Other wise those plugs rated for 75lbs a piece(assuming straight down shear force on a vertical wall) seems like a great compromise. 4 of the small ones gives a theoretical 300lbs rating almost seems to good to be true. If you are subjecting them to an overhead load, or outward pulling load I guess that would have to be considered, verify the the 75lbs is also rated overhead (Though they may not explicitly say that due to liability reasons.)

 

[siggy]

Electrician for 35 years and owning 4 homes there is only one thing that I would use to hang a heavy load on drywall and that's the original toggle bolt.

 

[TheGreatWave]

Electrician for 35 years and owning 4 homes there is only one thing that I would use to hang a heavy load on drywall and that's the original toggle bolt.

So you're the guy that keeps using these things!

 

[OldManSea]

You usually install the plug with a large screwdriver first. Yes a screw will come out if you turn it counter clockwise.
They are not perfect but really the only thing that works at all and works very well considering. You could have screwed the plug right back in lol.

The limiting factor is the drywall not the plug. If you over load them, a chunk of drywall rips out, the plug doesn't break or come straight out without leaving serious damage.

If it bothered me that much well I guess I would have to man up and cut the drywall out and install solid blocking, then replace the drywall. Other wise those plugs rated for 75lbs a piece(assuming straight down shear force on a vertical wall) seems like a great compromise. 4 of the small ones gives a theoretical 300lbs rating almost seems to good to be true. If you are subjecting them to an overhead load, or outward pulling load I guess that would have to be considered, verify the the 75lbs is also rated overhead (Though they may not explicitly say that due to liability reasons.)

They note in the detailed description that direct overhead you should downrate by 50%. For this fixture it is neither overhead nor directly on the wall. Since the fixture hangs out from the wall the force to pull the anchor out though the wall is much greater, particularly high on the bracket since the cable goes very far out.

I did mine using 3 of the EZ Anchor 100 lb metal toggles on the bracket that did not have a stud behind it. Love those things for real loads - the rating is for thicker 1/2 inch drywall, much lower for thinner drywall where the drywall can be more readily ripped through.

 

[Makers Marc]

They note in the detailed description that direct overhead you should downrate by 50%. For this fixture it is neither overhead nor directly on the wall. Since the fixture hangs out from the wall the force to pull the anchor out though the wall is much greater, particularly high on the bracket since the cable goes very far out.

I did mine using 3 of the EZ Anchor 100 lb metal toggles on the bracket that did not have a stud behind it. Love those things for real loads - the rating is for thicker 1/2 inch drywall, much lower for thinner drywall where the drywall can be more readily ripped through.

Can you share a picture of your setup?

 

[Wolla]

Bump

 

[gobble]

I finally had time to start transitioning between tanks and hang my light on the new mount.

The good:
- Well made
- It looks really nice. I really like how clean the mount is compared to the hanging bars I used on my last tank.
- Adjusting height is relatively easy. Adjusting front to back level also isn't too bad.

Room for improvement:
- If you spread the lights to 24" with the optional brackets then try to hang the fixture the full 3" from the wall, the hanging cables aren't long enough. I can only manage 2.5" from the wall.
- The instructions say to insert the hanging screws into the fixture once the fixture is sitting on some supports (I used wood) above the tank. This doesn't really work though because the end plates need to come off to slide the screws into the tracks. I had to take the light back off and take an end bracket off to get the screws in.
- I think the nuts/screws were missing from my box that hold the back of the light to the bracket. I just used a screw from the old hanging cable and bought two 5mm cap nuts from Menards. No big deal.
- I think those metal things at the top back of the hanging wires turn to adjust the cable (for leveling). The instructions are silent on this however.

My mistakes:
- I used two toggle bolts on the left side where I couldn't screw into a stud. The top of those bolts is rounded and the bracket won't slide past it. No big deal though since I'd never mount the light lower then the center screw.

Don't mind what's in the tank. I'm in the middle of moving everything over.

 

[Lor]

Thanks for the info, i bought mine this weekend. Hopefully i get it next week.

For the older t5 hybrid fixture, i too anticipated i will have issues mounting because of what you said.

how far out can you slide it forward? looks like just couple of inches.

thanks

 

[tqpolo]

Is there any way to get the fixture to hang 5” from the wall? The 3.75” max is too tight for me.

 

[Makers Marc]

Is there any way to get the fixture to hang 5” from the wall? The 3.75” max is too tight for me.

It's a big eliminating factor for alot of customers. I know most tanks have pvc behind the tank and need to be further from the wall.

 

[tqpolo]

It's a big eliminating factor for alot of customers. I know most tanks have pvc behind the tank and need to be further from the wall.

Seems like an easy fix with a slightly longer bracket. It looks like the structure itself can support extending the fixture out further since Aquatic themselve suggests washers.

 

[Makers Marc]

Seems like an easy fix with a slightly longer bracket. It looks like the structure itself can support extending the fixture out further since Aquatic themselve suggests washers.

Will see if they make any mods to it. Prob wait for a bit more feedback from first buyers I would guess.

 

[TheGreatWave]

You can get a few lengths of black anodized 2020 T-slot and make your own mount pretty easily.

Some places will even cut it for you if you know the lengths ahead of time.

I've seen a few tanks with it, it's nice enough.

 

[gobble]

What do you mean aquatic life recommends washers?

I don't know if I'd want the fixture hanging farther from the wall. That starts to put a whole lot of leverage on the bracket.

As for 2020 T-slot, for the price of this thing it doesn't really make sense to research what you need for 2020 they try to cobble something together. It would probably end up costing more and be 10X the work.

 

[tqpolo]

What do you mean aquatic life recommends washers?

I don't know if I'd want the fixture hanging farther from the wall. That starts to put a whole lot of leverage on the bracket.

As for 2020 T-slot, for the price of this thing it doesn't really make sense to research what you need for 2020 they try to cobble something together. It would probably end up costing more and be 10X the work.

I don't have the mount I I figure another 1.5" can't hurt. This is Aquatic's response on another post.

We can only extend from 1” to 3.75” but I guess a well mounted spacer could help add to that.

 

[gobble]

I should have said in my post that I'm out 3.5" from the wall, not 2.5". The length of the cable limits me to about .5" shorter then the bracket allows. I guess you could put spacers behind the sliding bracket. You'd then need longer screws that secure that bracket and lock it from sliding. The also don't give you any excess cable length to play with if you extend the bracket.

The other thing too is my tank (like most tanks) has most of the coral towards the back of the tank. If the light sits a little more towards the back that's probably a good thing.

 

[tqpolo]

I should have said in my post that I'm out 3.5" from the wall, not 2.5". The length of the cable limits me to about .5" shorter then the bracket allows. I guess you could put spacers behind the sliding bracket. You'd then need longer screws that secure that bracket and lock it from sliding. The also don't give you any excess cable length to play with if you extend the bracket.

The other thing too is my tank (like most tanks) has most of the coral towards the back of the tank. If the light sits a little more towards the back that's probably a good thing.

From the photos it looks like your light is much closer than 3.5" from the wall. Your tank too is literally off the wall. Not many tanks are like that.

 

[gobble]

I'll have to measure the distance when I get home. My tank sits about 2" from the wall because of the ledge on the top of the wood on the bottom of the wall.

I would think the majority of tanks are even closer to the wall than mine. If this tank was sitting farther from the wall it would look pretty dumb.