ryancamaratta
Active Member
I'm currently working through some issues I ran into while going to mount my light (ATI T5 fixture) where the studs in my walls are hard to find or very warped. I'm not very handy at all when it comes to sizing things, household stuff, etc. Capable, just no knowledge there whatsoever.
The plan was to mount two 13in tall L brackets that come out 19 inches, run a set of ratcheting pulleys to a pair of carabiners that would be attached to the cables coming out of the light fixture.
The pulley system, not very aesthetic but best I could find:
iPower GLROPEMG4 1/4 Inch Adjustable Rope Clip Hanger (300lbs Weight Capacity), 1-Pair, Black https://a.co/d/2iQsiSD
The brackets I'm using:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-19-5-in-Shelf-Bracket/1000069209
The original plan was to use 2.5in wood screws to mount the brackets to studs exactly 4ft apart, the fixture and tank are 4ft so wanted it to be uniform. I can't really get a solid read on the studs, and they're not quite uniform lengths apart. I don't want to go the bent conduit route due to not wanting to drill them into the back of the cabinet (and would run into the same stud problem if I wanted to mount them to the wall).
I feel like there's a good way to do this as it seems something other hobbyists must have done time and time again, so in the interest of getting a really functional mounting setup right off the bat, I'd like to hear any opinions, thoughts, recommendations, etc from others. The only other hardware I have on hand are 4 toggle bolts, something I've never used before. I searched for similar setups and found a lot of people using toggle bolts for mounting light fixtures, I just can't wrap my head around how an anchor biting into the back of my drywall would be enough to hold the fixture and brackets securely, maybe I'm dense and/or paranoid though
the benefit of toggles is I could keep the measurements I already have marked off with tape for where the tank/stand will sit, and not have to adjust this to where studs are in the wall behind..studs that I cannot reliably find.
This will be right in my dining room and as much as I think the focus will be on the tank, I'd like to make it a fairly aesthetic setup. That being said, functionality still takes precedence (hence looking into a ratcheting pulley system like I linked above). Example of poor functionality: I have my chihiros mounted on a different tank with the legs that screw onto the back glass, and I really don't like that setup. It puts stress on the glass if the light is moved, it's a pain to raise or lower, and the brackets are usually under the water line and take some extra cleaning. I want a pretty robust system where it would be stupid easy to adjust height, adjust front to back coverage, move back and forth while doing tank maintenance, and even remove the light fixture completely for cleaning/changing bulbs/whatever.
I'm wide open on suggestions to all of the above, but first task is to figure out how to mount these brackets as best as possible and then where to go from there. Fixture in question is an ATI Sunpower 6 x 54w, I know it's not hundreds of pounds or anything but it's not exactly a lightweight fixture (there's a good pun in here somewhere..)
The plan was to mount two 13in tall L brackets that come out 19 inches, run a set of ratcheting pulleys to a pair of carabiners that would be attached to the cables coming out of the light fixture.
The pulley system, not very aesthetic but best I could find:
iPower GLROPEMG4 1/4 Inch Adjustable Rope Clip Hanger (300lbs Weight Capacity), 1-Pair, Black https://a.co/d/2iQsiSD
The brackets I'm using:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Blue-Hawk-19-5-in-Shelf-Bracket/1000069209
The original plan was to use 2.5in wood screws to mount the brackets to studs exactly 4ft apart, the fixture and tank are 4ft so wanted it to be uniform. I can't really get a solid read on the studs, and they're not quite uniform lengths apart. I don't want to go the bent conduit route due to not wanting to drill them into the back of the cabinet (and would run into the same stud problem if I wanted to mount them to the wall).
I feel like there's a good way to do this as it seems something other hobbyists must have done time and time again, so in the interest of getting a really functional mounting setup right off the bat, I'd like to hear any opinions, thoughts, recommendations, etc from others. The only other hardware I have on hand are 4 toggle bolts, something I've never used before. I searched for similar setups and found a lot of people using toggle bolts for mounting light fixtures, I just can't wrap my head around how an anchor biting into the back of my drywall would be enough to hold the fixture and brackets securely, maybe I'm dense and/or paranoid though
the benefit of toggles is I could keep the measurements I already have marked off with tape for where the tank/stand will sit, and not have to adjust this to where studs are in the wall behind..studs that I cannot reliably find. This will be right in my dining room and as much as I think the focus will be on the tank, I'd like to make it a fairly aesthetic setup. That being said, functionality still takes precedence (hence looking into a ratcheting pulley system like I linked above). Example of poor functionality: I have my chihiros mounted on a different tank with the legs that screw onto the back glass, and I really don't like that setup. It puts stress on the glass if the light is moved, it's a pain to raise or lower, and the brackets are usually under the water line and take some extra cleaning. I want a pretty robust system where it would be stupid easy to adjust height, adjust front to back coverage, move back and forth while doing tank maintenance, and even remove the light fixture completely for cleaning/changing bulbs/whatever.
I'm wide open on suggestions to all of the above, but first task is to figure out how to mount these brackets as best as possible and then where to go from there. Fixture in question is an ATI Sunpower 6 x 54w, I know it's not hundreds of pounds or anything but it's not exactly a lightweight fixture (there's a good pun in here somewhere..)
