How to Secure an Aquarium Pendant Light

Light gives life to fresh water aquarium plants and marine invertebrate animals, such as corals and anemones. Many hobbyists do not want to use a tight-fitting aquarium hood that contains a light because this canopy cuts down on oxygen entering the tank. Modern aquarium lights with their ballasts are also often too heavy to be placed within aquarium canopies that are positioned directly onto the tank. For these reasons, many hobbyists prefer to use pendant lights, which are light units suspended above the aquarium.

Things You'll Need

  • Horizontal pendant light (light unit)
  • Stainless steel cables
  • Two ceiling eyehooks
  • Two threaded eye bolts and nuts (optional)
  • Drill
  • Two plastic plugs
  • Two short ladders
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Instructions

    • 1

      Cover the aquarium to prevent dust and debris entering it while you're drilling the ceiling holes.

    • 2

      Drill two holes into the top of the light unit (unless there are existing eyehooks) and secure the threaded eyebolts (use the nuts on the back of the bolts for added safety).

    • 3

      Locate a ceiling joist above the aquarium. It is important that your light is secured in such a ceiling beam, or it may pull free and smash into the aquarium.

    • 4

      Measure and mark points on the ceiling where the eyehooks will be positioned. The distance between the two must correlate to the distance between the eyebolts on the light unit. Check that the light will hang directly over the aquarium.

    • 5

      Drill two holes in the ceiling and place a plastic plug into each one. Place an eyehook into each plug. Turn it in tightly and pull on it to ensure it is secure. To be completely safe, hang an object of similar mass as the light unit from the hooks to check that they are secured correctly and will hold the weight of your light.

    • 6

      Attach the stainless steel cables to the eyebolts in the light unit. Place two short ladders next to the aquarium.

    • 7

      Request an assistant to stand on one of the ladders and to hold the light unit above the aquarium.

    • 8

      Stand on the second ladder and attach first one and then the other cable to the ceiling hooks.

    • 9

      Ask your assistant to gently release the light unit so that the cables carry the full weight of the light.

    • 10

      Plug the light unit into a wall power source and turn it on. Remove the ladders and sit back to enjoy your aquarium.