- Hey, it's Thomas here.
And today we're going to be checking out a brand new
mounting option for the Reef Breeders,
Photon V2 lineup of Lights, the BOT, or Back of Tank mounts.
We're going to get them on the fixture,
see what they look like, see how they perform,
and ultimately see if they will get this fixture up to the
BRS recommended mounting height, which is pretty high.
So, let's dig into it.
The Photon LED line from Reef Breeders is one of the most
popular mid tier priced lighting options out there, with a
cult following of Reefers that grow everything from simple
softies to jaw-dropping SPS under these admittedly pretty
simplistic looking fixtures.
Up until now, there have only been three basic ways to
mount these light fixtures, a standard hanging kit,
the included side mounted legs and a mounting arm
that lack the typical adjustability that most Reefers are
looking for.
But Reef Breeders now has a solid set of BOT or
Back of Tank mounts available that fit both
rimless and trimmed aquariums.
They can firmly hold your Photon V2, V2 Plus,
or V2 Pro over your tank with a range of adjustability in
both height and width.
So, you can get the best spread while centering the fixture
over your tank and look great while doing it.
They are very much the type of mounting solution that these
lights were missing and that most Reefers would prefer to
use.
So, let's get these ones out of this box and onto this 24
inch Photon V2 Plus that I have here,
so, we can get a really good idea of how they look and how
they function.
Let's get into it.
In the box, you'll find a pair of U Brackets,
a pair of Right-Angled Arms,
a pair of Extending Rails and a hardware pack
that includes 4 Nylon Thumb Screws, 4 Metal Thumb Screws,
4 Pairs of Sliding Bolts and Black Cap Nuts as well as a
Hex Wrench and a small card that will link you to the setup
guide.
These BOT mounts are designed to fit aquariums with panel
thicknesses anywhere between a quarter of an inch,
up to one and a half inches,
whether they're rimless or trimmed with black acrylic shims
included for those that need to use them.
The top rails are adjustable and are sized to fit aquariums
with a width between 16 inches and 24 inches front to back
with the ability to extend them,
to place the fixture between 9 inches to 12 inches on
center,
you can easily adjust the length of those rails in half inch
increments by depressing the simple spring lock that will
pop back up to hold them in place.
They are also height adjustable up to 14 inches,
which is great and makes them perfectly capable of reaching
our BRS recommended mounting height for these fixtures,
which is right at 13 inches off the water with an inch or
more to spare.
Another notable feature is the Mount's ability to slide in
the track on the top of the led fixture,
which means you can adjust how far apart or close together
the mounts are on the light,
which can be a helpful tool to accommodate overflow boxes,
return plumbing,
even pumps or feeders that are on the back of the aquarium.
Adding just that little bit extra to their flexibility.
The mounts themselves are built from sturdy Aluminum with a
matte black powder coat finish and come with all the
necessary hardware along with a Hex Wrench for installation.
Like I mentioned earlier,
they also include a pair of quarter inch thick black acrylic
spacers,
which can come in handy between the thumbscrews and the
glass,
especially on thinner panels or to make up for that gap left
by trimmed tanks.
They're really easy to put together and install,
and just as easy to adjust,
you can change the height and length of the mounts
without any tools,
which is great for moving the light around or just out of
the way during maintenance.
When it comes to cable management,
it can easily be accomplished with some inexpensive Velcro
ties or even Zip ties and the black cable of that light
fixture hides a really easily against the matte black
mounts. So if you've been holding back from a Photon V2,
because mounts like these weren't available yet,
or you've been waiting to swap over from your current
mounting solution on your existing photon fixture than I am
guessing these probably max your Reefing mantra. If so,
you can grab a pair for yourself by clicking right here.
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