Hydra 52 Mounting Ideas

Discussion in 'LED Aquarium Lighting' started by civiccars2003, Jan 25, 2016.

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  1. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    Hi. I recently bought (3) Aqua Illumination Hyrda 52 HD lights for my 220. Currently I have (3) MH fixtures. They are mounted to a 2x4 and three metal ropes hold the assembly up that is hung from the ceiling. I have 'j' hooks that I can use to raise the lights durning maintenance. I am looking to do something similar. Below are some questions for LED users...

    -How high should I mount? My tank is 30" deep mostly sps.
    -Does it matter if I mount them parallel or perpendicular to the length of the tank?
    -If this is a Home Depot project, is there any suggestion as to mounting?

    IMG_7483[1].JPG
     
    Last edited: Jan 25, 2016
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  3. kornaco40B

    kornaco40B Spaghetti Worm

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    It appears AI mentions 12" height frequently in their descriptions. Sounds like a decent starting point for height. I'm thinking you orient the lights parallel, utilizing the rectangular shape to cover the length of your big'o tank. They sell hanging kits which you could use to attach to your 2x4, I bet. Or DIY the kit with parts from HD or Lowe's. Point being, keep your 2x4 and go from there. It gives you more flexibility in my opinion to raise and lower all 3 fixtures at once. Good luck!
     
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  4. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    12-18 inches what I was thinking. I like running the lights parallel to the length of the tank as well. To raise and lower the whole assembly is important to me, similar to what I have now for my MH. I might look into something that is lighter like aluminum though. Thanks for the reply, thats sound advice.
     
  5. kornaco40B

    kornaco40B Spaghetti Worm

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    No problem whatsoever. I'm utterly jealous of your fish room setup--being able to keep your "stuffs" behind the scenes is awesome! My LED fixture is attached to my canopy with a wooden L-shaped mount. I cut the horizontal portion in half and added a couple of hinges so you can flip it back out of the way. Unlike your sweet setup, mine is viewable though. Definitely go with something adjustable though--I know the LEDs shine a more concentrated, directional pattern in general, so being able to tweak the height would be a bonus.
     
  6. chris adams

    chris adams Purple Tang

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    Very nice Civic.. My led are 14" above(not hydro though)

    wondering if you considered

    1) Not sure how the shadow effect are on the hydra but there is no doubt "from my experience" shadowing does occur and is noticeable on the coral structure. Any plans to supplement with T5?

    2) Mounting the lights to allow for individual height adjustment? You may find that with your rock structure you may want the middle 1 slightly lower since the rock structure dips down there. Or you could turn up intensity of that 1 I guess.

    3) hope you have a par meter or know someone that has 1.. I think a lot of us led users struggle with percentage/intensity/height to run the fixtures at. Par meter would go along way to helping make correct adjustments. So wish I had 1!

    Jealous love those lights :)
     
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  7. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    It is a dry heat, yeah right !
    Mount parallel, 12-14 inches. Raising the lights if you see too much shadowing should help. With 3 Hydra 52 I think you have it covered pretty well.

    Do not underestimate the intensity, do a acclimation mode of 50% for at least a week or so.

    I absolutely love my Hydra 52. The storm mode is the bomb. I love the sun rise and sunset lighting. The lights gives a great shimmer, just like MH, but no heat issues, lower power bills and some easy ways to play with coloration.

    I use the rack that you can get at Marine Depot, BRS.....I am sure a guy like you can figure out a similar DIY rack.

    Occasional check the fixtures to ensure that the screws have not become loose, over time they do, unlikely both screws would fail at the same time, but you need to check them about every 2-3 months.

    Congrats.
     
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  9. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    Love the comments and suggestions...keep them coming. So one of my three lights showed up and I am speechless at how awesome this light is. Mounting them on the other hand will prove to be a challenge. I didnt realize that the fan was on the top of the fixture, so my idea of mouting them to the 2x4 will not work. The other two lights will be here today. With that said I am thinking of this...

    Go get some long aluminum bar stock to slide through the cooling channels of the light. All three lights will be attached to two bar stocks on each side, sort of creating a rail effect. Then I can suspend each side up to the ceiling with wire rope to the "eye" hooks. I can then attach a couple "j hooks" to the bar stock and use this to raise and lower the whole assemebly. Thoughts?

    And oh yea when I build this this weekend I will take pics and post.
     
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  10. kornaco40B

    kornaco40B Spaghetti Worm

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    The ole Union Pacific Railroad technique, this is a smart idea! I like it. Thumbs up. (as for the previous 2x4 concept---was imagining the fixtures hanging from the board, board attached to adjustable source...if that makes sense...) (double hang job, sorta) But, anyway, the metal sounds just a good---will it be small enough to fit through these channels yet strong enough to hold all three fixtures at about 6-7' long?
     
  11. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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    Lights will be mounted shortly. Pics to come
     
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  12. civiccars2003

    civiccars2003 Great Blue Whale

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