22bfan

It's a good idea to acclimate every time even lights are the same. Corals are stressed from being moved so give them a bit of a break from light intensity while they settle in and get used their new tank and water parameters.

Thanks for all the ideas. The sliding rails are pretty cool but i need the bracket system to go up and down since i want to use it to adjust PAR of the metal halides and for getting in the tank (literally) to do maintenance. No doubt i will use some of the items in that build thread.

Love the Lumenbrite reflectors in the background too!!

Bravanc - that is super cool!! Could i bug for a listing of parts to set up the roller movement?

Thanks for all the replies. I think I found a good source for 80/20 extruded (Zoro). They even have anodized black. The part i'm struggling with is how to set it up so it is motorized to go up and down for intensity adjustment on the MH's as well as maintenance . . . I was thinking about something like a garage door opening style belt drive but not sure that would be smooth enough and would definitely require a lot of modification to shorten the travel compared to a normal garage door track.

Great question. Ceiling is 9ft. If i had to guess, the top of the tank comes up to about 5'5".

The ask: Ideas for a light rack design that can be suspended from the ceiling or mounted to the back wall behind the tank that can be moved out of the way for tank maintenance. The caveats: It has to look presentable and if possible be automated by motorized crank, servo, etc. The "bones" can be tactfully covered with a facade. The details: This will be above a 72" wide x 36" front to back tank and will currently host the following lights/fixtures: 3 - Lumenbrite Large MH fixtures 6 - AI Hydra 52 classics 1 - Reefbrite 72" XHO Blue My deep dimension tank has 2 top braces making for 3 equal open sections over the top of the tank. My thought is for each of the 3 open top sections to have a MH fixture mounted over the center of the opening, a pair of Hydra52 fixtures, and a single ReefBrite XHO Blue strip that spans the entire width of the tank sort of like this: ~~~ OOO ~~~ _____ ~ = Hydra 52 O = Lumenbrite Large MH Fixture _____ = 72" Reefbrite XHO Blue Im looking at a few materials that might be suitable (extruded 80/20 aluminum) but am not set on anything specific. I have a friend with a TIG so a welded frame is an option. Thanks in advance for any ideas!!

Oh no!! Didn't realize you got sick????

Brian - So glad the new tank is thriving!! Can you detail what you are using for lights, filtration, pumps, etc

Lol, I want to know which Petco you guys go to and find any coral that compels you to spend money. All 4 Petco's near me usually only have near death looking LPS or polyps with little to no color. Usually their lighting is bright white and growing algae as well.

Welcome to WAMAS!! My tank is overgrown with various montiporas. Your welcome to come over and grab a few frags if your tank isn't full already I'm just around the corner in Martinsburg.