Show Me Your Light Rails!

[apt220]

I'm in the process of setting up a 100g (48"x24"x20") tank with a 48" ATI powermodule. The thing is I don't want to hang it from the ceiling since I rent an apartment. I would like to have rails that are secured on the back of the stand. It would be nice to be able to "swing" the fixture away from the tank for maintenance purposes.

Something similar to this tank that I came across on youtube would be perfect since it could be swung front to back. (1:55 is a good picture of them):

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Where can I find these rails?

Also show me some other ideas. Thanks!

[apt220]

Seriously nobody?

[Felixc395]

I'd be interested to hear as well.

[poppafish29]

those look custom to me

[teddyzaper]

i dont have any pictures, but my dad had a 275 gallon tank and he used barn door rails with a motor. but he used them to move the light back and forth over the tank.

[apt220]

So I did some researching of my own and found a website that sold extruded aluminum. Here is the website:

http://www.automation4less.com/store/categories.asp?cat=1172

I bought two 50" pieces and two 25" pieces of 10 Series. I used the 50" as the vertical legs and the 25" inch as the vertical legs.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1807.jpg
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1806.jpg

Here are the accessories I bought to hold the rails together:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1808.jpg

Basically, all those pieces were used to make this:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1844.jpg
The joint is held together by an inside "L" bracket and an endplate on each side for further support.

I bought other pieces to secure the rails to the stand:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1833.jpg

I needed a way to hang the light from the rail and found these bolts at Lowes in which the head of the bolt fit perfectly into the grooves. This bolt also screwed perfectly into the cable mount that came with the ATI powermodule:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1837.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1838.jpg

So once I had the rails assembled, I secured them to the back of my stand in progress (and no that is not the skimmer I'll be using--only old school reefers know about that skimmer :) ) I used stainless steel screws to mount the rails to the stand.
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1834.jpg

http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1835.jpg

[apt220]

Here it is. Mounted (BTW that is my future sump, not the future DT):
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1839.jpg

Side view:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1840.jpg

Finished it off with some black endcaps:
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1843.jpg

Put on your sunglasses!
http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn25/atirona/Light%20Rail/IMG_1842.jpg

The rails are pretty sturdy. The powermodule weighs in at 40 lbs, so this causes the vertical rails to bend forward slightly. I'm confident, however that will hold. It is possible overtime that the rails will continue to progessively lean forward. A simple solution (but slightly more expensive solution) is to buy the "double barrel" extrusions for the vertical supports. However, I think it will be fine in my case and any fixtures that are less heavy. Anything heavier would probably need the double barrell.

Oh almost forgot to mention that the light doesn't slide easily on the rail. It is too heavy and their obviously aren't wheels to slide it. It, however, with a little umph, can be moved forward or backward pretty easily when I need to do maintenance.

[Sharpie_]

I'm not very old school but I run that and the V2 =], i know unrelated but your rails look awesome.

[Tang Salad]

Great job!

And nice find with that aluminum. It looks very useful.

As for the difficulty sliding it, how about using mini ball bearings like these (http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inventory/Radial-Bearings/730/MR691-1x4x16). Two on an axle connected to the head of the bolt. Obviously, a smaller bolt head would be needed. Alternatively you could use the side tracks, a bearing in each, connected by a U bracket, from the bottom of which hangs the light.

[apt220]

I'm not very old school but I run that and the V2 =], i know unrelated but your rails look awesome.

Thank you. If you use the Kent venturi and a powerful pump, the Berlin performs much better. I always kept it thinking that someday I'll covert it into something else like some kind of reactor.

Great job!

And nice find with that aluminum. It looks very useful.

As for the difficulty sliding it, how about using mini ball bearings like these (http://www.bocabearings.com/bearing-inventory/Radial-Bearings/730/MR691-1x4x16). Two on an axle connected to the head of the bolt. Obviously, a smaller bolt head would be needed. Alternatively you could use the side tracks, a bearing in each, connected by a U bracket, from the bottom of which hangs the light.

Those are great ideas. I may fool around with that stuff in the future!

[masharp1126]

Not a great picture, but the only one I've got right now. I made a light rack out of ez-tube and used this overhead door tracking hardware to mount it above the tank. Works pretty good.

http://i91.photobucket.com/albums/k286/masharp1126/Nanocube/450g%20Plywood%20Build/Tank2010001.jpg

And the tracking hardware I used was Stanley model # 403925. You can do a google search for it. Took two sets for mine.

[apt220]

Nice job masharp1126