How do I mount LED light to canopy?

Ok, so I want to get a pair of Aqua Illuminations LED lights for my 26 gallon tank. Why two? Because the tank is such a weird dimension where 1 isn't long enough to light the whole tank. Two is too much light, but I was just going to dim them. Anyways, I was wondering if anyone has ideas on how to mount these two units inside of a shallow canopy. I have maybe 6-7 inches of space above the water to work with. They come with mounting rails, but it seems like they are made to be used on an open top tank. I like the canopy because it keeps the light in the tank rather than splayed all over the wall and ceiling.



Has anyone seen these mounted in a canopy?

can u put up a pic of your canopy and the rails that comes with them?

Anything is possible it's just how is the question

Don't have the lights yet, wanted to make sure I could use them the way I want first. I could probably get a pic of the canopy tomorrow.

Well since coverage is not an issue that means they can be as low to the water as you need them. So what I would do is not buy the rails, because if I remember right they cost extra? Instead I would just use some kind of chain or plastic coated stainless cable to mount them with an s hook. Should be to difficult and you know what they say. "Where theres a will theres a way!!"

I was more wanting to attach them to the lid of the canopy (the whole top lifts up for access rather than having little doors on the side). The lights now are attached via bolts and just lift up with the lid, I guess I was wondering if they're 'boltable'.

you can always drill a small hole in the heatsink and use some wire to hold it to the lid

That does sound like something I would do.... But wouldnt that void the warranty?

idk. That would be something to take up with the vendor or manufacturer. I sure wouldn't think a small hole in a fin would ruin a warranty.

the modules have 2 screws in them at the top. you could use some wire between them then hang them from that. or you could drill the perfect set of 4 holes through the top f the canopy and just screw them directly in there. the rail kits [rails and hanging wires]cost about 40-50$ though. AI's come with real short legs. just as a piece of advice, spiny, there is not much light spilling out anyway. mine are 14" above the water in my 75 gal and not much light is wasted at all.
see? daytime

nighttime

Hmmmm, I could drill through the canopy, that would work. Gracias!

Ok, another question. Would having the top of the fixtures against the canopy cause problems with heat buildup and lower the performance of the lights? The heat sinks seem like they need a fair amount of air.

it might. Is there any way to mount a small fan in there?

in theory the wood would absorb some of the heat from the heat sink and help move the heat away from the bulbs - adding another layer to your heat sink.... (at least thats the way my crazy mind is theorizing it) - almost seems beneficial... but, not sure if it would be as efficient at heat transfer as the aluminum used in the heat sink...

i'd put a fan in for peace of mind but if you have good air circulation in the room itself, you might be just fine (like a ceiling fan, or a small box fan pointed over the tank)

fans are built in and are temp activated. even if they run 24/7 they have a long life expectancy, acc/to AI info. i'd say as long as the lights are not directly up against the wood, it's ok, enough circulation. ai has great customer service. give em a call on monday.

You might notice that the fans will turn on often. This is because the ai units are passively cooled. The air circulation will be restricted because of the canopy. Wether the fans turn on is irrelevent to this fact because good circulation will cause the fans to turn on less often. I have a similar setup with a different led fixture. I noticed a substantial decrease in the fans turning on by drilling 2 2inch hols through the top of the canopy above the fans. This allowed more circulation when the fans are not on and better cooling when they are. I had a reduction in fans turning on to roughly 50% as often.

Ok, I suppose I could take a hole saw to the top of the canopy, sounds easy enough. The whole back of the canopy is open too to allow the HOB skimmer and various plumbing bits, so that should help with air circulation.

I wouldnt mount it directly to the wood. I would place a few washers or some kind of spacer between the light and the canopy. Wood is an insulator, and would get heak soaked pretty quickly. What you could do is leave a small space between the unit and the lid, then cut 1 or more large holes for a computer fan into the canopy, having the fan suck air from the led and blow it straight up. Ive built several computers, when you over clock you learn alot about fans and cooling a small box lol. Of course I dont know how hot these leds will get so it may not be needed. That is how I would do it though. It would draw air from under the canopy, across the LED's and out the top. You may not even need the fans, the holes in the canopy may cause a nice convection current and do enough.

Is there any reason that you cannot simply mount the AI rails to the canopy and that would allow for enough space between the led's and the wood while also allowing you to move the lights without any difficulty.


This is an installation that somebody uses a different brand of track similar to the AI track for mounting inside a canopy -
AI SOL Blue Installation

This is from Page 5 of the users guide for the AI fixture -
http://www.aquaillumination.com/supp..._userguide.pdf

Hood or Canopy Mounting
To mount the Aqua Illumination light fixture within a hood
or canopy, ensure 3+ inches of clearance exists above
the entire top surface for adequate ventilation. Exhaust
vents with fans are recommended near each end to allow
air to exit. Vents may also be needed directly above the
fans for fresh air. (Fans push air downward towards the
light fixture). In some aquarium hoods/canopys, additional
fans may be needed for sufficient heat dissipation.
The Aqua Illumination fixture may be mounted inside
an aquarium hood/canopy using stainless steel #10-
32 bolts and hardware of necessary length. The #10-32
hardware uses the same bolt holes as the suspending
hardware. Two stainless steel #10-32 bolts can support
an Aqua Illumination light fixture up to 6 feet long.
The mounting legs may be used to support the Aqua
Illumination light fixture inside a hood/canopy if space
allows.

I wasn't sure if the stock rails would even fit, they have to be 29 inches long to fit. I lime the T track idea, that might work quite well to allow for adjustment.

there's stuff at home depot you can use, cheaper.
the r/c thread on AI par has pics and info on pg 54
AquaIllumination PAR Measurements - Page 54 - Reef Central Online Community
if you're handy, should be no prob. tried to put up a pic in case u can't get on to r/c, but pic is too big