# ADA style light bar, HQI for cheap



## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

In case you are curious, this is what a bender is, quite simple really



















You can extend this design for longer systems and attach one end to the ceiling also. Or make a left and right matched pair of these and attach it along the back and use a connector in the middle for longer hoods, this will add more support and get the rails off the sides and not just have J style pipes pointing right out at you.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## moogoo (Dec 7, 2007)

Looks neat. I was thinking of doing something similar to hang my strip light instead of leaving it on the pitiful little plastic stands it came with. My only concern is the farther away the light is from the top of the tank, the less light actually going into the tank, correct? 

At least w/ my CurrentUSA strip lights, it seems like the light doesn't all go straight down (maybe the AHS ones do? Never tried them), so by hanging my strip light say 10" above the surface, I would be losing a lot more light, no? Sorry if I'm being confusing.


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## Jareardy (Jan 29, 2008)

You could even cut a small line up the bar to about parallel with the fixture to hide the cord in. That way it would be much more *minimalistic* and then paint the cord gray.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

The wire will get tied the rail BTW, I ain't done
Just most of the work is done.

I just did a larger version of this same design using 3/4" pipe for a 24" Aqualight pro coralife hood(150 HQI + 2x 65w).

I'll tie two together for the 72" and 48" hoods with a connector.

They are pretty study. 

And look good.

With using the wire hanging kits, you can adjust from right at the water surface up about 2 ft.

This gives me a wide range of light intensities to play and work with.

If any one wants, I also have some new zip rapid adjustors from Sunlight direct(4 pairs) for sale(20$ ea plus shippping cost). I opted to use nothing but the wire adjustors and bought the Coralife hanging kits as well.

The adjustors are pretty nice, but not my thing.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Big Bone (Jan 29, 2008)

Ok, you've probably already thought of this but I figured on saying it just in case. Why not drill a small hole in the pipe and run the cord through it? Sure beats tying it off I think.
Looks great BTW.

BB


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## kornphlake (Dec 4, 2007)

that's a great idea, a trick I learned from my Dad for fishing wires in conduit is to use piece of thread or other light string with a fluffy wad of tissue tied to the end, poke that through the hole then suck on the end of the pipe with your vacuum cleaner to pull the thread through. Once you've got the thread through, you can pull a piece of larger string back the other way and use that to pull the wire.  It works so much easier than trying to get a piece of limp string around bends and out the end of the pipe.


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## dekstr (Oct 23, 2007)

Hey PB,

Very neat DIY project. I have thought of building something like this before but never got any good ideas. Thanks for input.

Also, I was wondering if you also have information on the tank stand. What materials and what is the design like?

Thanks,
Dexter


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## Jens (Apr 21, 2006)

Where did you get the fixture, Tom? 

BTW, nice DIY!


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## AndrewH (Dec 24, 2007)

Very nice DIY project. I love it.

I was also thinking about running the power cord through the conduit. Should be pretty simple and would make it that much more sleek.

Definitely keep the updates coming. I can't wait to see the tank and other accessories on the stand with the lighting on .


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## bgoodwins (May 3, 2007)

Youd have to cut and extend the cord to get it in there. IMO its easier and just as clean to ziptie it.


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## AndrewH (Dec 24, 2007)

moogoo said:


> Looks neat. I was thinking of doing something similar to hang my strip light instead of leaving it on the pitiful little plastic stands it came with. My only concern is the farther away the light is from the top of the tank, the less light actually going into the tank, correct?
> 
> At least w/ my CurrentUSA strip lights, it seems like the light doesn't all go straight down (maybe the AHS ones do? Never tried them), so by hanging my strip light say 10" above the surface, I would be losing a lot more light, no? Sorry if I'm being confusing.


Well the actual distance the light is above the tank isn't extremely important as far as loosing light from the fixture to the tank. With the extra height, say 10" in your case, the light only has to travel through air for the 10", not water. You will loose a little light while it's going through the air but nothing like if you were trying to light through an extra 10" of water. If you say, raised the light to 24" or something more extreme you might start loosing a significant amount of light, but it's still not as much as if trying to light that distance through water. I guess what I'm trying to say is, the rules for lighting through water don't apply when lighting through air.

That being said, there is another factor that might allow less light into the tank the higher you raise the light source above the tank. The light's reflector can be so wide that as you raise the fixture, it eventually starts to go outside the tank.


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## AquaticaLTD (Jan 4, 2008)

Nice work Tom! 

I guess Im cheap, I bent my pipe before I left Lowes instead of buying the bender.  

The conduit works like a charm, heres the one I made for the zero-edge, holding a 250DE pendant.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

If you leave the tag on the bender, you can also return it and say they already had one at the job site

That's cheap too
But I'll keep it for when I want to build and install things, I have other projects outside this hobby they are useful for.

Here's the newer one I did fpor the 60 Gallon cubes, note: this hood weights 24lbs, so these things are pretty strong, this is a 3/4" pipe and stands about 80 inches tall. Pretty stable too.










Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

The wood for the stand is just some cheap ply from Home depot.
I use angles for construction framing, also very cheap and strong, and I can use screws. It also helps to pull imperfections in the straigthness of the wood and seal up any gaps.

I use exterior acrylic paint I had laying around after a shed rebuild. So 3 coats, + 2 coats of urethane seal clear after. Dries quick. Any water/dirt just wipes right off then.

You can sand it and then spray paint it for a nice mirrored finish, but it really did not matter too much to me.

It suited the goal.

Having spent a lot of time making cabinets and other items, I take short cuts and also no longer have access to a nice wood/plastics shop, so I try and makes things that look decent, but I can build 1) Fast, 2) Most any shape, 3) Cheap.

Otherwise, simply based on time alone, it's worth it for me to simply hire a cab maker.

These tanks are being set up pretty slowly, but I have less time than many folks and I have 5 to set up.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I'll likely do the larger tank coming up this weekend, and set up the 60 gallon cube. So I'll post some more as it finished up.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Here are the other 2 tanks:

This is a 120 gallon, 48x24x24 rimless with a Sexy series 2x150 HQI+ 1x70W HQI on a 4 ft small hood fixture.










I placed 4 brackets per rail in this case and used the basic J shape, I was not going to save any pipe due to the added weight of these longer hoods, so no double bends, but you could link two of the S shaped double bends and join them in the middle if you wanted. I would suggest making a large tall U shape and bend that first while joined, then make the horizontal bends in the other dimension... once it had the first bends done to make the U shape.

Matching them and trying to get them balanced would be a PITA otherwise.
I left the taqgs on the benders and took them back for a full refund.
Cost me about 6$ per rail after that.

Here's the 180 Gal rimless with the ADA As in place and rails up, you can see where the hangers will hold the 72" Coralife hood.

I have some 8000K HQI bulbs also.
I'll see what I like the best once I get things set up and running.

I have some 9325K for the 24" hoods and 8000K's as well.
96 W PC lights do not come in that many colors however.










Also, I checked out the Sun lift Adjustable hanging kits for lights, they are ugly and do not work well and cannot hold that much weight.

I used thin sleek wire and furrels instead, they are easier to adjust IMO, IME, look a lot better, and cost less.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## mrkookm (Apr 4, 2007)

I'm really feeling that driftwood.


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## EdTheEdge (Jan 25, 2007)

> This is a 120 gallon, 48x24x24 rimless with a Sexy series 2x150 HQI+ 1x70W HQI on a 4 ft small hood fixture.


That whole setup is Sexy!


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

mrkookm said:


> I'm really feeling that driftwood.


I can get more.
But it's a bit of a drive.
And you need big tanks.

The pantanal and R pusilla is going in there.
And a few others.

The wood turns black when submersed and will not have much of anything attached to it, bright colors and dark wood make a nice contrast.

The 120 is going to be a Tangy Rift lake planted tanks, mostly Val, some pondweeds, all of which are native to the lake.

The 60 Cube will be a West African, with mostly epiphytic plants on the wood, and a light colored white sand and darker plants, good contrast I think.

Other cube is a marine tank.

The first tank will be a 38 gal and will be fairly open design, otherwise the Whimple piranha hide all the time.

So 5 tanks total, I'll move the two 20 Gal tanks to the lab and donate them to the school.

All tanks will have good high flow canisters, HQI MH's, Rimless high grade glass, CO2, nice stands, these light bars, wire suspension, easy access, not over 48" in total height to the lip of the tank(easy to prune and work on), garden hose drain that back flushes the canister filters everytime I do a weekly water change, and a simple valve turn to refill via the same port.

Drains fast and cleans the filter, and then refills fast and I never touch a bucket to drain or fill anywhere.

All Schedule 80 thread dual gasket bulkheads.

Bill H. in the SFBAAPS club had used the Sun Lift adjustable level for the wire risers, I did not like them, and decided to use the wire furrels and eye wire pins instead. They where weak, wimpy, ugly, large and plastic. Did not fit well with what I wanted.

I am still thinking of how to do the moving Worm drive rail method, but the logistics and another month of not getting these tanks moving. 

Maybe when I buy my own home, I'll add them inside the ceiling , no more hanging bars for me.

Then I can go 110% crazy.



Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

AquaticaLTD said:


> Nice work Tom!
> 
> I guess Im cheap, I bent my pipe before I left Lowes instead of buying the bender.
> 
> The conduit works like a charm, heres the one I made for the zero-edge, holding a 250DE pendant.


Yes, this looks pretty nice also.
Perfect for that light. Can you adjust it up and down or is it fixed?
I like the zero edge tanks, cost a lot and shallow, which is good for corals.

That's really their market.

I'm painting the pipe silver to match the hoods better.
I thought about white and tried it, but it stands out much more than steel/silver color.

I just need to wait for one more hood to come and then set up the plumbing and hook things together.

Then dry start for the 180, then when the 38 gets here, dry start that, and I can start the 60 West african right away though.

The 120 is still being fixed, it was dropped when we moved it into my house 

So that will be another 2-3 weeks now for those 2 tanks.

Slowly but surely.

But I am a patient person.
So I do not mind.



Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## NeverEndingNinja (Jan 4, 2008)

I mind. I wanna see pictures! :icon_lol:

Looks good so far. Can't wait to see pictures of that 180 planted though. Very nice hardscape.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

I take it that's 1/2" and 3/4" EMT you used. I was wondering how much weight EMT would hold before sagging, looks pretty solid. Very nice. :thumbsup:

You know, they make shiny knock-out caps for junction boxes called snap-in blanks that will fit in the ends of that pipe. You can get them at an electrical supply store or maybe even the BORG.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

plantbrain said:


> The light is a HQI fixture I got for 135$+15$ shipping with a 10K bulb and ballast. It's every bit as good as the Ocean lights From Aqua Medic.


Can you tell me more about this light fixture? How many wts is your HQI? This looks really nice.


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## youareafever (Mar 18, 2008)

looks like an aquamedic ocean light pendant. comes in 70watt 150 watt and 250watt version (it does go higher) and a magnetic ballast.


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

youareafever said:


> looks like an aquamedic ocean light pendant. comes in 70watt 150 watt and 250watt version (it does go higher) and a magnetic ballast.


In the quote Tom says, _"It's every bit as good as the Ocean lights From Aqua Medic"_


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

hehe..I was going to say that...:hihi: The AM are pricey, over $200.


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## roybot73 (Dec 15, 2007)

waterfaller1 said:


> Can you tell me more about this light fixture? How many wts is your HQI? This looks really nice.


I'm pretty sure the fixture is from www.fishneedit.com


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

roybot73 said:


> I'm pretty sure the fixture is from www.fishneedit.com


Yep, cost: 130$ or so with your choice of bulb.
I have AM lights and I have this as well, I like this and cannot in honesty suggest they are not that much different.

Well, except 100$ less per light............

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## jaidexl (Sep 18, 2006)

plantbrain said:


> Yep, cost: 130$ or so with your choice of bulb.
> I have AM lights and I have this as well, I like this and cannot in honesty suggest they are not that much different.


Tom, how is the spread, do you think two of them would be enough for a 4' tank, 30" deep?


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

Thank you for the reply.


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## Choco (Dec 8, 2007)

i know this is an old thread..but I have a related question.
I saw the other day there are some solid aluminum tube...and they seem to look so much nicer than the pipe...

Anyone has experience with bending solid aluminum tube? How easy or hard is it? (since it is solid, I am thinking I can get away with like a 1/2" or even a 3/8" tube instead of .75-1"


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

jaidexl said:


> Tom, how is the spread, do you think two of them would be enough for a 4' tank, 30" deep?


Yep, 
Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Choco said:


> i know this is an old thread..but I have a related question.
> I saw the other day there are some solid aluminum tube...and they seem to look so much nicer than the pipe...
> 
> Anyone has experience with bending solid aluminum tube? How easy or hard is it? (since it is solid, I am thinking I can get away with like a 1/2" or even a 3/8" tube instead of .75-1"


Should be fine.
Steel is cheaper and you can paint it, no need for bare metal look, chrome paint etc can be used etc.

They also sell steel chromed pipe as well.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Just throwing another idea out there...if folks don't like the open end of the conduit, silicone an appropriately sized carriage bolt in the hole. I did this and it worked like a charm. Looks slick too.


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## tazcrash69 (Sep 27, 2005)

Why not try something like these:








You should be able to find them locally, but they also have them here:
http://www.stockcap.com/prod_detail.asp?id=167&cat=13


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## macclellan (Dec 22, 2006)

Those are nice too, Taz, especially if you plan on painting the conduit black, as I imagine lots of folks will do. Thanks for mentioning them. 
But if you prefer the metal look and don't plan on painting the conduit, then carriage bolts.


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

I was looking for a easy way to hang my light and found this thread through google. 











I intend this to be a reef tank. The light is a 36" Odyssea fixture. 
Using the pipe works rather well , only problem is when using 3/4 you can't get the bends that close to one another , you have to give a certain amount of room between bends. To solve that problem I bent thepipe away from the tank so that the part over the tank was more centered. 

A question for Tom aka Plantbrain , what is the peice you are using to keep the wire tied over the top on the 3/4's pictures? 

I was going to use the same bracket that holds the pipe along the back of the tank. I could use either side to hang it from , either tie the cable around the screw , or use it like this , using the provided wall hanging hardware.


It took me 4 peices to get it right , the one I decided to use isn't perfect but it's close enough to get by. I turned the scraps into a sculpture. 








Hoping I can still return the bender. :biggrin:


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## imeridian (Jan 19, 2007)

Your sculpture reminds me of when Homer Simpson tried to put together his backyard barbeque grill.


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## DarioDario (Nov 8, 2008)

imeridian said:


> Your sculpture reminds me of when Homer Simpson tried to put together his backyard barbeque grill.



HAHahah great episode

"Le grille! What the hell is that"


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

It's great. Until it falls down in the middle of the night and scares the crap out of you.


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

Looks like Plantbrain hasn't logged on in awhile.

Does anyone know what he is using to to tie the cord together in the pics w/ 3/4 piping?

I looks like it clamps down on two parts of the cable to hold it in place. 
What is that?


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

GrenDeL0501 said:


> Looks like Plantbrain hasn't logged on in awhile.
> 
> Does anyone know what he is using to to tie the cord together in the pics w/ 3/4 piping?
> 
> ...


Find it at Home Depot/ Ace hardware with the Steel cable. Looks like this. Only a couple of bucks each. They work great. :

http://www.acehardware.com/product/...451.2626206.2626272.2626265&parentPage=family

Craig


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

Appreciate it Craig.

------------------------


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

Next time I go to HD I will check and see if they have some.

For now I did it like this this.


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

Well I got it hung , I tried to put one cable as far to the left as possible so it's not pulling down on the unsupported end of the pipe.

Even so it still bends quite a bit. You can't see it that well in this pic , but it is very noticable. 










I took a picture with my level ontop of the bar but you can't really see the bubble. It was very far to the left side. 


For anyone who has run one of the 3/4 pipes with a large 20-30lbs fixture , did the weight of the fixture eventually bend the pipe to the point that a new one had to be made? 

What would be a way around this?


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

GrenDeL0501 said:


> Well I got it hung , I tried to put one cable as far to the left as possible so it's not pulling down on the unsupported end of the pipe.
> 
> Even so it still bends quite a bit. You can't see it that well in this pic , but it is very noticable.
> 
> ...


A much stronger method is to use two bent pipes, one at each end of the light, inverted "L" shaped, with the cable tied to the short leg of the "L", and that end of the "L" pointing towards the front of the tank. To see examples of various ways of hanging a light over a tank, use google images and you get about 4 million pics to look at.


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

Tom has a pic on the first page , where he used 3/4 to hang what looks like my exact fixture , and from the looks of it , his pole isn't bending at all. There are two pipes in the picture and orignally I thought the fixture was connected to both , but when I looked closer I noticed it was only on one of the poles.

I guess I played with my pipe too much and weakened it.

One thing I do like about the single pipe setup is , I can swing the fixture over , to get to the top of the tank. 








Pretty useful for getting to the tank.


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## waterfaller1 (Jul 5, 2006)

That is slick.:thumbsup: I wish I could do this.


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

waterfaller1 said:


> That is slick.:thumbsup: I wish I could do this.


Not very hard at all.

Originally I intended to make a shelf to hang my light from , but my buddy with a table saw was always to busy. I went looking for a easier way and found this. 

And it really is easy/cheap. The bender is $40 and the pipe is $5 a peice. Also if you want you can return the bender. Only costing you the price of the pipe. I figured out how to use it by the second peice.


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## fishyboy (Nov 16, 2003)

Made something similar out of 1" steel 1/8" wall I believe for my 3 foot square tank project. Just a simple L welded together and ground down till it was smooth.


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## [email protected] (Jul 17, 2008)

Next time, don't quite finish the horizontal bend. Leave it a couple of degrees greater than ninety. That way the weight will simply straighten things out. 

I never would have thought about pivoting the whole thing. That's brilliant. By the way, one inch plastic caster sockets will fit very snugly in 3/4 inch conduit. That will help keep you from marring the floor when you move the fixture.


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## chuukus (Jun 17, 2008)

For the new 38 gallon tank are the bulkheads going to be in the bottom also?


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

[email protected] said:


> Next time, don't quite finish the horizontal bend. Leave it a couple of degrees greater than ninety. That way the weight will simply straighten things out.
> 
> I never would have thought about pivoting the whole thing. That's brilliant. By the way, one inch plastic caster sockets will fit very snugly in 3/4 inch conduit. That will help keep you from marring the floor when you move the fixture.


 I used metal endcaps that were in the eletrical section of home depot , helps it pivot better and makes the visible end look much better.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

I liked the idea of single pole, but the 2 pole method is better since you can move the light back and forth also, you really cannot with a single pole, only pivot from one side in an arc.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

plantbrain said:


> I liked the idea of single pole, but the 2 pole method is better since you can move the light back and forth also, you really cannot with a single pole, only pivot from one side in an arc.
> 
> Regards,
> Tom Barr


You have a pic on the first page where what looks like my fixture is hung from a single pole.

Did that pole eventually sag under the weight?

I'm thinking I might have to keep the bender , I am keeping a close eye on the distance between the light and the tank on the right side , to see if the pipe is bending more over time. Hoping it stays as bent as it is and doesn't bend anymore.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

A metal pipe like that will not "creep" under stress. It will either support the weight, bending enough to do so, or it will fail, allowing the fixture to fall in the water. Of course, when the pipe is under a high stress from the weight of the fixture it may only take a little more stress to cause it to fail completely.

When you hang the fixture as you have, the fixture weight loads the pipe a long way from the supported end of the pipe, compared to when you use two pipes for support, with the ends pointed forward. That increases the deflection of the pipe from the load.


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

GrenDeL0501, did you ever return the bender? How much was it inlcuding tax?


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

ddtran46 said:


> GrenDeL0501, did you ever return the bender? How much was it inlcuding tax?


 Depends on the size. A 1" bender is like $60 , while a 1/2 and 3/4 bender are about $30-40. You can get them at lowes or home depot , right next to the EMT piping.


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## ddtran46 (Jul 8, 2008)

GrenDeL0501 said:


> Depends on the size. A 1" bender is like $60 , while a 1/2 and 3/4 bender are about $30-40. You can get them at lowes or home depot , right next to the EMT piping.


ok thanks alot:thumbsup:


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Then you can leave the tags on the bender, be careful and return them to get the $ back:icon_redf

Cost: 2$ for the pipe and your time.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

ddtran46 said:


> Thanks for the tip Tom Barr:thumbsup:. I see you go to the SAPS meets every first Tuesday of each month. If i come to the one on the 3rd, can you bend the pipes for me(yours look very good).


That would be a hoot! Imagine the reaction of the Roundtable staff, seeing a 10 foot piece of conduit being bent alongside the table!:icon_eek:


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Hoppy said:


> That would be a hoot! Imagine the reaction of the Roundtable staff, seeing a 10 foot piece of conduit being bent alongside the table!:icon_eek:


That's not going to happen:icon_eek:

Some did the bending right there in Home Depot they said:icon_roll
then left the bender and walked up and paid for the pipe.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## Craigthor (Sep 9, 2007)

I did my bending at HD  The employee offered to help told him I was fine...


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## brion0 (Sep 28, 2008)

Pb,

I read a inteview you did, said you used to skate alot. I was wondering if you still have a board? I picked up a blank last year, an after seven years without one, found I could still do a few tricks. Also found my joints are rusty, an im out of shape, still had a lot of fun.

Nice light stand, should try an find some plugs to put in the ends of the pipe, give it a finished look.


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Craigthor said:


> I did my bending at HD  The employee offered to help told him I was fine...


This may not be true everywhere, but my local HD has totally changed it's staffing. Now you walk in the door and someone immediately asks if they can help you. You stand looking at a display and a guy asks if he can help you. You walk out of the store carrying something, and a guy offers to carry it for you. I'm still in a state of shock!

With that in mind, I suspect the store staff would happily help you bend the pipes, or bend them for you, carry them to the checkout line for you, then take them to the car for you, follow you home and install them for you


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

brion0 said:


> Pb,
> 
> I read a inteview you did, said you used to skate alot. I was wondering if you still have a board? I picked up a blank last year, an after seven years without one, found I could still do a few tricks. Also found my joints are rusty, an im out of shape, still had a lot of fun.
> 
> Nice light stand, should try an find some plugs to put in the ends of the pipe, give it a finished look.


I skated because bikes got stolen and could not be brought into classes etc, and the board was cheaper/no flats etc. I can still tic tac and do 360's etc, grind here and there, but I weigh 2X as much as I did then, likely still do 1/2 pipes, snowboarding is fun in the winter and MT biking most of the time or trail running. 

Here's the 180 pipe:










And what I'm more likely to be seen riding these days:

















5500ft of decent through sierra pine forest.

Road cycling is good too:









That's Mt Tam loop, looking down over Bolinus Lagoon 2000ft below(yes, you starg at Sea level go up and down and few times), about 45 miles and 4500ft of climbing, dang good downhill when you take a curve at 45 mph Deep redwoods, awesome views, lakes, few cars, and some nice examples of aquatic plants along the way.

Here's Lily pond about 1/3 of the way:









There are no atheist here. A world far removed from what many live.
Amano use to race bikes, maybe this is why? I asked Hi, but he does not do it anymore. I'd be more inclined to do a MtTam Loop or Dowieville downhill than babble about plants with him.

We'd both have more fun.


Regards, 
Tom Barr


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## GrenDeL0501 (Jan 18, 2009)

ddtran46 said:


> awwww. ok. I just wanted a well known person to help me out. (I dont know why, but Tom Barr is like the 2nd Takashi Amano to me) Thanks for the tip anyways:thumbsup:


 I promise it's not hard to figure out , and with the pipe only being $3 (1/2) or $5 (3/4) for a 10' long peice. Restarting isn't expensive.

Try it out , I had it figured out by the second peice. Hell , my first peice was pretty close to what I wanted.


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## leoslizards (Feb 2, 2007)

Good job guys! These fixtures look great.



plantbrain said:


> That's not going to happen:icon_eek:
> 
> Some did the bending right there in Home Depot they said:icon_roll
> then left the bender and walked up and paid for the pipe.


This is a good way to get some pipe bending practice also. Simply pick up a pipe and bend it, and if you mess it up, discreetly place it back on the shelf get a new pipe and try it again! lol :biggrin:


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## Honky Magoo (Dec 29, 2009)

This is half of my problem solved. Thanks for the freaking excellent post! Really, really made my evening. Im giddy as a school girl, as the adage goes. 

Now I hope to stumble blindly into the solution for the rest. lol.

I do have a question.. How much length will a single 90 degree bend use? Example, I'll be using two of the single 90 degree bent pipes, one on each side. If I want to have 14" of pipe over the aquarium for the fixtures to hang on, I still have to consider the bend. I need 14" to be straight. If I mount the pipes to the rear of the cabinet, how far over the tank will the bend protrude before it straightens out for the fixture? Does that make sense?

Ok, here's a crappy little photoshop of my question. Essentially, what will be the distance between the two red lines? This will determine how I mount them to the cabinet or to the wall.


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

bump for those interested


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## Hoppy (Dec 24, 2005)

Yikes! We let this question go unanswered for 2 years? But, sorry, I don't know the answer.


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## trackhazard (Aug 24, 2006)

It depends on the size of the EMT.

http://www.elliottelectric.com/References/EMT_coduit_bending_guide.aspx

According to this website, the takeup for 1/2" is 5" so that should give you approx 5" radius from the center of the bend.

-Charlie

3/4" = 6"
1" = 8"

-Charlie


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## zenche (Feb 9, 2011)

thanks  

i'm gonna go to HD this weekend to figure out ways to put my lights up, and this will be one option.


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## dru (Mar 9, 2013)

I know this is an ancient thread but I wanted to bump it to ask if a dual pole setup could handle a 5lb light with only one bracket on each tube attached to the stand?

I guess using 1/2" conduit


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## jsarrow (Jun 10, 2008)

classic.. I read that too about Amano being a former roadie. Wonder how many other cyclists/plant tank folks are out there. Many rides I do parallel creeks and I'm always glancing down at them, usually thinking about the fish, but sometimes the plants and scapes of the creeks.




plantbrain said:


> There are no atheist here. A world far removed from what many live.
> Amano use to race bikes, maybe this is why? I asked Hi, but he does not do it anymore. I'd be more inclined to do a MtTam Loop or Dowieville downhill than babble about plants with him.
> 
> We'd both have more fun.
> ...


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## sumer (Feb 6, 2010)

I was not sure if I wanted to do this conduit but after going through this thread, I am convinced. I am gonna do this.


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