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Message: <blockquote data-quote="sarahgo" data-source="post: 9379577" data-attributes="member: 135144"><h2 style="text-align: center">DIY Light Box for Two Radion XR30Pro</h2>First off, I am not a fan of the prospect of shadowing in my tank. Secondly, I am not sure at this point whether this tank will be SPS dominated, LPS, or mix. I have never had an SPS dominated tank before, and I would like to make a contingency plan to allow my system and lighting to accommodate whatever I decide for the future. After ordering two XR15 and placing them over the tank, then exchanging those for one XR30, I ultimately decided to order one more XR30. I was having a hard time with the recommended spread, both from recommendations on Radion website, but also considering the BRS video on optimal light placement regarding light type/dimension. The Nuvo 75EXT dimensions are about 36X24, a weird mix between square and rectangle. Two XR15's don't cover the recommended spread from front to back, and one XR30 doesn't cover the long way. I mean, you could totally get away with one, but with my rock work, one created too many shadows at the far ends of the tank, IMO.I  really wanted a “floating” appearance above the tank, but more importantly, I wanted to minimize light spill into my entertainment room where we listen to records on a regular basis. I had ordered the mounting bracket for the lights, and just didn't like the bulky appearance in this corner of the room. I wanted something a little more elegant. Since prebuilt mounts weren't working with my theme, I opted to build something. I had in the past built one for my 100 gallon (above in my past tanks and critters entry photos) which turned out well, so I knew I could do it again! The configuration would be as pictured from TOP DOWN:[ATTACH=full]2344248[/ATTACH]I visited Home Depot and picked up some finished <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Swaner-Hardwood-Poplar-Board-Common-1-in-x-8-in-x-R-L-Actual-0-75-in-x-7-25-in-x-R-L-467629/100075813" target="_blank">poplar boards</a>. At almost 8 inches wide by about 1 inch thick, I felt this would be aesthetically substantial enough to look somewhat professionally made. Furthermore, to prevent light spill, I concluded the box dimensions should be deep enough where the lights can sit up inside the box and above that tank at the recommended 8 inches above water. Lastly, the OD of the box would need to be smaller than the perimeter of the tank. If you choose to create a hood style light box, where the wood meets the glass, you don’t have to decrease the size of the box. However, for a floating configuration it seems to matter. For the finished size, If you can see the light peaking between the water line and the underside of the box, you will have light spill. If you can see the light only while looking up and through the water, then light spill should be non-existent. I decided on a dimension that would be 3 inches smaller than the tank when centered above it, so basically, I measured the tank minus 6 inches, and this was the size of my box. I needed a bracket to mount the lights to, and for this I used an <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-x-36-in-Aluminum-Angle-with-1-8-in-Thick-801397/204273997" target="_blank">aluminum “L” bar</a> from the metals section of Home Depot.[ATTACH=full]2344443[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344444[/ATTACH]I chose aluminum because it is easy to cut with a hack saw, but I knew I would have to paint it to prevent corrosion over time. I cut the box to size and used deck screws to hold it together. Since I don’t have a miter saw, I just cut at a 90 degree. I cut them in a way where the front of the box would be seamless from the front view. This hides the seam from the front perspective, and creates a more finished look.[ATTACH=full]2344812[/ATTACH]I finished the screw holes with counter sink bits and wood filler for a smooth look once painted.[ATTACH=full]2344464[/ATTACH]It was also helpful to use clamps to align the pieces, followed by predrill, countersink, and then screw it together. To mount the metal L brackets to the inside of the box, I used a <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-1-in-Steel-Zinc-Plated-Corner-Brace-4-Pack-13619/203170051" target="_blank">zinc coated corner bracket</a>. I drilled holes in the aluminum to fasten the lights to the bracket, and to fix the brackets to the inside of the box. For fixing to the box, I used a simple, <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Everbilt-3-4-in-Zinc-Plated-Corner-Braces-20-Pack-12554/315016179" target="_blank">two-hole corner bracket</a>.[ATTACH=full]2344468[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344493[/ATTACH]So I didn’t have to mess around with measuring where my lights would be, I drilled three sets for each light for spacing options after it’s installed over the tank. I messed up on a few of the holes, but at this point in the build, I didn’t feel like replacing the bracket for aesthetic purposes.[ATTACH=full]2344470[/ATTACH]<img src="https://media1.giphy.com/media/5XPb0FvIqylqg/200.gif" alt="Angry He Man GIF" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="width: 422px" />Another thing that didn't turn out the way I wanted was the smoothness of the boards. These were supposed to be finished poplar, but I noticed about halfway into the project that a couple of them were wavy, although sanded. I assume that the saw got a little choppy while they were being cut. I didn't really want to bother with going back to the store to buy more, so I just picked the best sides, (front an back were wavy), and faced the worse sides to the inside of the box. I did a dry fit of the lights prior to painting:[ATTACH=full]2344492[/ATTACH]I decided to use the outer most holes for two purposes. This spacing feels wide, but it was in line with the BRS video on par and light placement, but I also wanted the lights to be as close to the inside of the box a possible to further prevent light spill. I primed the box with <a href="https://www.lowes.com/pd/KILZ-2-Interior-Exterior-Multi-Purpose-Water-Based-Wall-and-Ceiling-Primer-Actual-Net-Contents-128-oz/50252047" target="_blank">KILZ weather proofing latex primer</a> and painted it with white gloss latex paint to match the trim on my staircase; it is the same paint. I used <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/BEHR-12-oz-Black-Flat-Interior-Exterior-Spray-Paint-and-Primer-in-One-Aerosol-B002144/310275636" target="_blank">Behr matte black spray paint</a> on the inside of the box because I wanted it to minimize light reflection in the room. The brackets were painted with a <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Rust-Oleum-Painter-s-Touch-2X-12-oz-Gloss-Black-General-Purpose-Spray-Paint-334026/307244831" target="_blank">high gloss Rustoleum spray paint</a>. I used steel brackets to reinforce the joints in each corner (pictured above). When finished, I did a dry fit over the tank to make sure everything looked good. I particularly liked the contrast of the matte black and the gloss black. Fresh.[ATTACH=full]2344512[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344513[/ATTACH] Finished box, scaffolded above the tank:[ATTACH=full]2344730[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344737[/ATTACH]To mount the light box, I use two <a href="https://www.bestbuy.com/site/rocketfish-full-motion-tv-wall-mount-for-most-19-39-tvs-black/5171301.p?skuId=5171301" target="_blank">TV mounts</a> to achieve the "floating" look. In retrospect, it would have been fine with just one centered for three reasons: 1. the mounts turned out to be pretty robust, and 2. I found out that I have a stud pretty much dead centered behind the tank, and the other was offset to the left, and 3. I ended up scaffolding the box to the wall anyway for extra piece of mind. In the end due to the placement of the studs, the mounts are offset when viewed from the front of the tank, but this doesn't bother me too much. To scaffold the box, since TV mounts are made largely for vertical load, not horizontal, I utilized small gauged <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/OOK-100-ft-10-lb-24-Gauge-Galvanized-Steel-Wire-50136/202341129" target="_blank">galvanized wire</a> from HD. I used four <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Hillman-1-5-8-in-Stainless-Steel-Screw-Eyes-Lag-Thread-10-Pack-4277/204775013?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&mtc=Shopping-VF-F_DYNM-G-D25H-025_003_FASTENERS-HILLMAN-NA-NA-PLA-NA-NA-MK467923325_9016247706_FY21_4648_Hillman_SMART&cm_mmc=Shopping-VF-F_DYNM-G-D25H-025_003_FASTENERS-HILLMAN-NA-NA-PLA-NA-NA-MK467923325_9016247706_FY21_4648_Hillman_SMART-71700000085764848-58700007295799702-92700065505447358&gclid=Cj0KCQjwnJaKBhDgARIsAHmvz6fdJgZvga_eF5MgNu9oP-sFV9wBAEkYGVag5Pi1FqbVKE-JKV2DGBAaAmsyEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds" target="_blank">eye hooks</a>; two in each inside corner of the front pane, and two to connect the wire to the wall from the box. to secure the wire to the eye hooks, I used <a href="https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zareba-Gritted-Crimping-Sleeve-for-9-Gauge-Smooth-Wire-25-Pack-HTGCS4525/203416818" target="_blank">crimping sleeves</a>, and to secure the eye hooks into the wall, I used a bit of silicone (since this is not load bearing and the mounts do 90% of the work). lastly, you can see this offset if you are in front of the tank, but this doesn’t bother me. I may eventually paint the mount on the wall side white to camouflage it. To me, it looks pretty darn good anyway, so there.[ATTACH=full]2344804[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344780[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]2344782[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344781[/ATTACH] [ATTACH=full]2344788[/ATTACH][ATTACH=full]2344787[/ATTACH]Let me know what you think! Thanks for sticking with my build! Stay tuned for the next section which will cover my rock scape!  </blockquote>

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