Aquarium DIY Hanging Light Fixture: How To Suspend Lights Over A Saltwater Tank
I had a financial dilemma a short while ago.
I had hung two Ecotech Radion XR15 Pros over my frag tank using the Radion Premium Hanging kit. See this article for more info.
Now one of my XR15 LED’s was playing up badly and the quoted repair cost was about the same as replacing it with another second-hand unit (which also had the potential to break at any moment).
As this is only for my frag tank, I was unwilling to spend too much.
A little bit of googling and I found a great alternative. A brand new all in one 4 tube T5 fluorescent unit, which cost less than a second-hand XR15 LED.
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My Replacement Light Unit
I decided on a light fixture made by iQuatics which included 4 T5 tubes and reflectors.
I have been using Radion LED’s for years now, but the light spread and spectrum of T5 is well known to be beneficial to corals, and the cost comparison was dramatic.
My main concerns prior to the purchase of this unit were the weight, and how to hang it, because they are not manufactured to hang. This required a bit of DIY.
Check out the video below…
Hanging The Light Fixture
As you can see in the video, the iQuatics light unit comes with handy extensions on each side. These are meant to be used to support the fixture on either side of a tank. In my case, they are perfect for securing a hanging wire.
The weight of the 100cm light is approximately 4.5Kg which I was happy with, as I would be hanging it from a plasterboard ceiling using GripIt Plasterboard fixing capable of supporting 71Kg each.
I intentionally left the hanging cables long allowing for ease of tube changing and maintenance. I simply bound the excess cabling together with a cable tie.
Using The Radion Premium Hanging Kit
This is what truly made this an aquarium DIY hanging light.
Ecotech never intended for this hanging kit to be used as I did. In fact, IQuatics never did either. This was one of those think outside the box scenarios.
This kit is available from Charterhouse Aquatics
So There You Have It
This was a simple enough fix and a cheaper option than replacing the defunct Radion LED. Hopefully the growth and color of frags will be the end result.