Easy way to hang your LED's by yourself.

My ATI fixture is finally here. It came with a hanging kit and at this time, I have the fixture sitting immediately on the aquarium rim. The suspension kit is ready and figured out (its my first one ever), however, it's just me. I have no help to center, measure and pinpoint the exact spot where they will go. Let alone, actually suspending the fixture.

Here are the pics of what I have to work with:



My predicament lies in the hanging procedure. Being that my friends do "Fun stuff" with their weekends, I'm forever alone with my aquarium. My tiny wife (she is tiny, call her "my pocket size girl") can help me, but I don't think she will have the patient to put up with my OCD and I'm afraid I'll be less than nice if something were to happen to the lights.

The main thing is; How will I center the light and hang it exactly where it needs to be? I do have a regular level to make sure it's even once suspended, but no knowledge on how to measure and do this on my own and I need any help I can get. Can you guys give me ideas?

I thought about supplementing with boxes or things to have the lights sitting higher, find the spot and drill away, but due to my HOB overflows and return pipe, I can't sit the lights exactly centered with the aquarium. I'm about 2 inches away from the back wall.

Please, please, please! I'm sure I am not the first one to have this issue and that our smart reefing community has already gone through something like this. I need your advise

Additionally, is the big 'ol & heavy cable that hangs from the fixture:


The cable is soooo big! It's a bit bigger than half an inch in diameter!! I'm afraid it will get in the way and mess with the balance of the fixture, making it come slightly to the right towards where wight of the cable is. Gravity will have to play a role, I'm sure.


Any advise? Threads you can point me to? I found a video from ATI on how to hang it, but they're conveniently hanging it on a table, with nothing to center it on.

Thank you in advance for your help, 3reefers!

 

Man your title had me lmao!!!!Easy yeah o.k..If you want it perfect it can be done for sure.Not easy though especially with that monster.Jeez couldn't you find a bigger one???
If you want a ceiling mount then you will need a plumb bob.You can make one with a simple washer and string.I can walk you through hanging it if you need help.

 

What does your wife look like?
- while holding up the fixture of course

You did say that's an LED, right?
Certainly you can measure, get up on a chair, step ladder, etc. to pencil mark where the hangers will go.
**Cover the tank so that the light will NOT go swimming- a board, cardboard, etc.
Try making a bridgelike support with two structures such a chairs and boxes, ladders, etc.

Good luck, you'll get-r-done

 

I may have accidentally omitted a question mark on purpose Hey, don't judge me, I needed help!

So, I figured it out, it wasn't easy though. I will post pics of what I did tomorrow. The fixture is a 48" ATI powermodule LED/T5 combo. It has 4X54Watts bulbs and 3 strips of LED's.
http://www.aquacave.com/48-ati-powermodule-light-fixture-3x75w-led-4x54w-t5.html

But it's finally up. Longest time ever putting those up! It was harder to figure it out than to actually do it and if it wasn't because of my pocket size girl, I would not have been able to do it.

I'm playing around to start some kind of acclimation. They're sitting 14.5" from the rim... meanining about 16.5" from the water.

Now to research acclimation. I'm using 1 new bulbs (1 Coral Plus, 1 Purple Plus, 1 Daylight 6500K and 1 Blue Plus). It's as bright as the flipping sun!

:-0

 

Unfortunately mine do not come with acclimation mode like Cheryls'.

 

you can always do a conduit light stand. not the finest looking things around but they can be made to look nice. if not thst then maybe pvc? I personally can't hang mine from the ceiling because my wife is a bit of a "derp" and we'll leave it at that.

 

Doing it forever alone wasnt the way to go. Here's how I ended up doing it. I removed my HOB overflow. Then used 2 pieces of 1 x 2's this way:





That allowed me to get above all things that go over the rim, like that return pipe towards the left and to perfectly center the light where I wanted it.

The next step was a little more difficult. I set a chair on each end of the aquarium, my wife and I each on one end. It was difficult but not complex. The trick was for my wife to grab the fixture by the wire and pull straight up about a quarter of an inch. Then on my side, I had the wire 1 inch short from the ceiling, so now that one end was floating (my wife's) I was able to take a few things as reference and lift that extra inch, marking the ceiling where the hole went. Did the same with the other side and once the holes were drilled the rest was super easy.

I now have things at about 30% during acclimation.

 

I did not think about that. This would have made the one person install absolutely possible.

Beautiful & sexy, of course! Wait... my wife, not the lights.... Shannon looked like she was having a hard time holding the lights by the hanging cable.

I have seen them, but I wanted to hang them for a cleaner look. God knows there's enough clutter as it is already.

 

I have to do EVERYTHING myself.lolIf you know what I mean..
What you did looks great to me though so good job bro/and lady.You will love the looks and adjustability of that fixture.
Todd you hound.

P.S. And before any of you people ask.No its not Sponge Bobs cousin.

 

I had one for over a year. That is an amazing light. You'll be very happy.