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Light in tank

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
I sit hear at 4am and wonder if it's worth all the aggregation and heartache anymore.
I heard a loud gurgling noise and then like a draw or something closed. I assumed wife couldn't sleep and was watching something in her laptop. Just to loud and was done. I roll over and she is sound asleep; I get up to see what that noise was and notice a horrible sight.
I see one side of the 300 watt VipraSpectre light is in my tank at this hour. I unplug everything take light out which was full of water, it's draining in the tub as I write this. The wall bracket came loose and pulled through the wall.
No idea what coral or fish were injured or if it put our any electric shock.
Needless to say extremely upset.
 
Those blackboxes are kinda heavy. Not sure where you are but if you are anywhere near 07109 (or give me an excuse to go by ACC... Haha) I have a couple extra 165W blackboxes in the closet
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
@Roca1357, I had it mounted with steel plant brackets and toggle bolts; 2 per bracket. Each bolt supposed to hold 80lbs so thought that would work. I couldn't catch a beam, to far out.
Thanks for the offer but I have 1 spare I can use 165w, VipraSpectre. Also, now that 3 things happened I should be good for awhile, I hope anyway.

@amado, plan to use the single 165w I plucked up from you. No more wall mounting and plan to get 2 pieces of wood and lay across the top and place light on it over tank.

Will leave it like this until I build the office and decide what to do light wise.
 

amado

Dal
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member

amado

Dal
Staff member
Board of Directors
NJRC Member
@Roca1357, I had it mounted with steel plant brackets and toggle bolts; 2 per bracket. Each bolt supposed to hold 80lbs so thought that would work. I couldn't catch a beam, to far out.
Thanks for the offer but I have 1 spare I can use 165w, VipraSpectre. Also, now that 3 things happened I should be good for awhile, I hope anyway.

@amado, plan to use the single 165w I plucked up from you. No more wall mounting and plan to get 2 pieces of wood and lay across the top and place light on it over tank.

Will leave it like this until I build the office and decide what to do light wise.
You have to mount them on a stud. Sheetrock won’t hold the weight.
I use tv mounts and that works really good and it’s clean and only $14
 
@Roca1357, I had it mounted with steel plant brackets and toggle bolts; 2 per bracket. Each bolt supposed to hold 80lbs so thought that would work. I couldn't catch a beam, to far out.
Thanks for the offer but I have 1 spare I can use 165w, VipraSpectre. Also, now that 3 things happened I should be good for awhile, I hope anyway.

@amado, plan to use the single 165w I plucked up from you. No more wall mounting and plan to get 2 pieces of wood and lay across the top and place light on it over tank.

Will leave it like this until I build the office and decide what to do light wise.
I assume the bracket held fine and the sheet rock broke under the wait of the light and the lever and fulcrum created by the hanging method. A very easy fix is to toggle a piece of wood. Somthing nice like a 3/4 piece of oak or maple perhaps routed around the edge for looks to the wall. Then mount brackets to the wood. This allows you to use more toggles and spread the contact points. Guarantee it won’t fall. And will look better.
 
If you were still worried it wouldn’t hold (it will) you can take it one step farther and mount the wood perpendicular to brackets. And screw directly to the studs. Just need larger price of wood. But could hold 100’s of pounds
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
You have to mount them on a stud. Sheetrock won’t hold the weight.
I use tv mounts and that works really good and it’s clean and only $14

You did mention that to me before. However, the fixture is 30" long and still just as wide as the single and couldn't find a TV mount to fit. So I went this route.
 

MadReefer

Staff member
NJRC Member
Moderator
glad you weren't hurt Mark and hopefully your using gfci

The outlets are not GFCI but the power strip was. I already considered that for the office.
Still missing 2 fish and Nepthea got slammed by the light so one side looks horrific. Hopefully, will recover.
 
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