Wanted: Ideas for Custom Light Rack Design

[22bfan]

The ask:

Ideas for a light rack design that can be suspended from the ceiling or mounted to the back wall behind the tank that can be moved out of the way for tank maintenance.

The caveats:

It has to look presentable and if possible be automated by motorized crank, servo, etc. The "bones" can be tactfully covered with a facade.

The details:

This will be above a 72" wide x 36" front to back tank and will currently host the following lights/fixtures:

3 - Lumenbrite Large MH fixtures
6 - AI Hydra 52 classics
1 - Reefbrite 72" XHO Blue

My deep dimension tank has 2 top braces making for 3 equal open sections over the top of the tank. My thought is for each of the 3 open top sections to have a MH fixture mounted over the center of the opening, a pair of Hydra52 fixtures, and a single ReefBrite XHO Blue strip that spans the entire width of the tank sort of like this:

~ ~ ~
OOO
~ ~ ~
_____

~ = Hydra 52
O = Lumenbrite Large MH Fixture
_____ = 72" Reefbrite XHO Blue


Im looking at a few materials that might be suitable (extruded 80/20 aluminum) but am not set on anything specific. I have a friend with a TIG so a welded frame is an option.

Thanks in advance for any ideas!!

 

[sbash]

Nice! Lots of potential here...

My first thoughts would be, yeah, 80/20 T or V slot aluminum for the basic frame.

Suspended by cabling on a motorized reel... Of course a pulley or two would be needed...

If you really want to get fancy, use an arduino and/or raspberry pi to control it remotely... You could leave the framing visible to give it an industrial look, and just use a valance to cover the pulleys and the reel...