par38 hanging

[nemo13]

Looking for diy par38 hanging way im kinda lost im hanging two of them over my ten fir the first time on a year and a half old 10 gallon

[lnglostsurfer]

Two par38's over a 10? Seems like overkill but I just hung one over my 5.5 gallon. You can look in my thread in my sig but basically it's just a lamp kit from lowes. There's the light socket, then the cord coming out of it. Used a houseplant hanger to hold it up. Just make sure you tie a knot in the cord inside the light socket so that it hangs from the knot instead of the connections. Kind of hard to explain but hopefully you get the idea.

[nemo13]

Its got alota lps and sps so gonna like the light

[nemo13]

Looking too make it look more in place and nice its in my room no ugly stuff

[IanM]

 

Looking too make it look more in place and nice its in my room no ugly stuff

 

Mic Flange mount -- $4

18" Mic Gooseneck -- $8

Studio Single light holder -$6

 

Light holder > gooseneck > flange.

You can even run the cable inside if you put a new plug on the light holder.

 

DIY <$20 Gooseneck for pars. Table mount them or wall mount the flange to a stud. Or replace the flange with a mic clip and clip it to the tank.

 

 

That's how I mounted my 38 on my 5g

[joy13]

This is overkill but this is a really nice idea http://reefbuilders.com/2011/07/30/aquarium-lighting-design-led-spotlight-ikea/

[lnglostsurfer]

For my 20L build (still planning) I was thinking about taking a downward facing wall sconce or bathroom vanity fixture and tying that into the wall or possibly a narrow box held onto the wall to house the cords (so I don't have to tear holes in the wall to run wiring.)

 

Just another idea

Pretty much any light fixture that points straight down would add some serious style to the light

[nemo13]

 

Mic Flange mount -- $4

18" Mic Gooseneck -- $8

Studio Single light holder -$6

 

Light holder > gooseneck > flange.

You can even run the cable inside if you put a new plug on the light holder.

 

DIY <$20 Gooseneck for pars. Table mount them or wall mount the flange to a stud. Or replace the flange with a mic clip and clip it to the tank.

 

Parmount.jpg

 

That's how I mounted my 38 on my 5g

 

 

 

this is badass think ill try this itll look clean and like it belongs

[dtitus1]

I just got a shelf from lowes, two metal A-B boxes, porcelain screw in bases, wired them together, and a bout five minutes with some dry wall screws it be lookin fine. Whole thing was like 18 bucks best way I know how to do it. I do want to add a bit of trim to the edge of the shelf just to cover the wire but it's no big deal.

[Kellie in CA]

I'm looking for an attractive hanging option too. If someone could invent one, I'm sure there is plenty of money to be made!

[Gooburz]

I'm looking for an attractive hanging option too. If someone could invent one, I'm sure there is plenty of money to be made!

 

Ikea carries a similar product to the above pic with multiple options for lamp shades and colors that doesn't take away from the PAR38 lighting. You can also find similar at Home Depot or Lowes and just choose the lamp shade you like. Most of the hanging style "lamps" come with a 20+ foot heavy gauge cord.

[Chew_Magna]

Two is a bit overkill for a 10, I had just one over a 15 and it seemed too much.

 

But to the question, I have two par38 bulbs hanging off a homemade shelf I installed over my tank.

[bertyboy69]

make a conduit hanger to attach to the stand, i made two for my frag tank for less than 25$

you need 1/2 inch metal conduit ( appropriate legnth needed)

a 1/2 90 degree sweep

the couplers to attach them (will have a set screw on btoth sides)

then you need a coupler for the end which has a set screw on one side and female threads on the other side for the ends over the tank

then you need an outdoor light socket, there in the electrical aisle at home depot (cost 2$)

 

they will thread right into the end of the connector, and boom your done ! just wire an extension cord to the outlet and your ready to reef !

 

if you need more info i can link to the peices on homedepots site

[Chew_Magna]

if you need more info i can link to the peices on homedepots site

I wouldn't mind that. I don't recall seeing any of that at my local HD.

[bertyboy69]

okay sorry i dont have much time right now i will get to it asap ! and ill snap a picture of mine as well

the first time i looked at making one i thought the person was crazy too, i had enver seen or heard of any of these little peices but they are there ! hahah

[Lamilvelo]

I'll second you posting a list and a picture. Sounds like a pretty sweet idea

[nova423]

Use an ikea lersta lamp.

[tibbsy07]

There used to be a DIY thread that I made about this, but I can't seem to find it.

 

What I did was use 1/2" diameter conduit, and bent it to the right length. Then I used a PVC T fitting on the conduit, with the bottom of the T being attached to the conduit. I then got a standard bulb fixture/cord and ran the cord up through the top of the T so that the fixture was flush with the end of the T, facing towards the tank. I used electrical tape to keep that in place, then ran the cord from the upper part of the T back down the conduit, using zip ties to keep it in place. This also helped secure the fixture in place and kept it from falling. I then used brackets to bolt the bottom of the conduit into the stand so that it wouldn't fall. There should be a picture of it here http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/296972-tibbsys-12g-ap-so-long-and-thanks-for-all-the-fish/ somewhere. I can't find it right now, but if you do you'll see what I mean.

[davidquad]

This is what I did, I think it looks pretty nice and it gives me full range of motion to adjust exactly where I want the bulbs to be:

 

 

I used 3/4 inch metal conduit that I had Home Depot bend into 90 degrees for me. Then I cut them down to size. Then sprayed them white. They are attached to the back of my stand with the metal clamps that are sold with the conduit, the clamps are not fully tightened so that I can sway the pipes left or right. The cable that holds the bulbs are $5 bulb hanging kits from Ikea, then I just wrapped the cables around the conduit and down the back of the stand. This allows me to adjust up/down and left/right and forward/backward.

 

There really is lots of ways to do this so you just gotta pick the one that makes sense for you.