Custom 120g Reef

[cybermeez]

After some trial and error, thanks to saltwaterinbrooklyn (a really awesome guy!) I finally got the lights up. I didn't want to have to drill the concrete ceiling of my apartment to hang them, so I asked him to build me some custom brackets for my pair of Pacific Sun Python LEDs.

The brackets are made out of welded metal and painted black. They were a very reasonably priced and the craftsmanship is really outstanding:

We initially tried to use just one arm on the bracket, but the fixtures were just too heavy and we had to start over. Using heavier guage steel and two arms on both sides of each bracket, this is the final result.

Pretty excellent huh? If you want custom mounts for your lights (or I imagine other sorts of metal work too) saltwaterinbrooklyn is your man!

This is the original thread tracking this tank's progress from the very beginning.

 

[pauliwalnuts]

Pretty cool idea on the wall brackets.:cheers:
Btw, where did you get the light fixtures from?

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

Are the lights just sitting on top of the brackets holding them?

 

[aznt1217]

Dude great set up.

One warning though. I also own the Pacific Sun LED Units and that open top can be a problem for the lights. I have a glass canopy over the top of my tank but I noticed rust on the screws of the lights. So if you could I'd cover the corners with screws. You also have to watch for salt creep on your lights and more important your cables and connectors.

 

[cybermeez]

I got the lights last June from a Canadian importer. Unfortunately he doesn't carry Pacific Sun products any more. However, recently a US shop in Massachusetts has begun to carry the line, though I've never done business with them.

The brackets have a small lip around the edge. I just set the light on the mount and the lip keeps the fixture in place. I previously was using the hanging wires that came with each lamp and did have some trouble with rusting on the outer edges of the lamp housing thanks to a full grown Foxface who likes to splash. The way the bracket is constructed should prevent any further exposure of the edges to salt spray.

My biggest problem has been with the drivers for the LED themselves. Within the first few months some of the blue diodes stopped lighting. I've been in contact with Pacific Sun in Poland and they have been working very hard to make things right - very good customer service. In a few weeks I'll have a surprise to post!

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

Thanks for the bracket info =)

 

[Chiefmcfuz]

Dude great set up.

I think you mean dudette

 

[cybermeez]

Thanks for the bracket info =)

Anytime. Saltwaterinbrooklyn does really outstanding work!

 

[cybermeez]

I think you mean dudette

Not enough of us chicks in the reefing hobby. Though if you saw what my living room looks like after a long weekend of tank tinkering, you'd think it was a bachelor pad.

 

[xxxAngeloxxx]

Hey do you mind sending me the link on where you got your 120G custom made btw is it arylic or glass?

 

[cybermeez]

Hey do you mind sending me the link on where you got your 120G custom made btw is it arylic or glass?

It's acrylic and was made by Midwest Custom Aquariums. I really like that the stand is also acrylic. I can now spill all the water I want and never have to replace another wooden stand again. I went with their filterstand design where the sump is actually built in as part of the stand.

 

[aznt1217]

Oh I mean dudette haha.

I wonder what this surprise is (full replacement? please let me know what they did because I hesitated to contact Pacsun in Europe because I bought my lights from Rafal/Felix who are nonexistent now).

I have an issue with my Pacific Sun LEDs. Your's look like the Gen 1s (the 1 watt versions right) with glossy casing.

Mine are Gen2s where the casing is this weird rough sandpaperlike material. My issue is that when it gets too hot the fans stop working and my LEDs flicker until I blow onto them and the fans start going and the lights start working again. It's pretty annoying in the summer.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Great setup robin you did great setting them up thanks for the challenge

 

[cybermeez]

Great setup robin you did great setting them up thanks for the challenge

You don't happen to also patch sheet rock, do ya? Just kidding.

 

[saltwaterinbrooklyn]

Lmfao

 

[kenconnect]

Brackets looks great really a clean look..