# Risers for Finnex LED Lights



## christinamac (Jan 2, 2016)

I currently own one Finnex Stingray LED Clip Light and one Finnex Stingray 12" LED Light. I switched to the Clip Light because the standard Finnex Stingray was positioned too close to the top of the aquarium, and I had no way of raising the light to reduce the light intensity. The Clip Light sits at a maximum height of about 6" above the top of my aquarium. The standard light was maybe 2" above the top of my aquarium. The only thing I don't like about these lights is that there is no easy way to adjust the height of the fixture above your aquairum. 

I stumbled on someone who has come up with a solution for adjusting the height (and therefore intensity) of Finnex Stingray LED lights. He makes 3D printed risers that can raise your light by 3 inches, 4 inches, or 6 inches. You may be able to contact him about making risers of a custom height. 

I have not personally tried these risers, but I plan to sometime in the future. 

Finnex LED Risers - Han Aquatics


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

That's an awesome idea. Right now I am trying to decide between the clip light or the 10 or 12 inch for a tank I am building. It is a 5.5 gallon that I am trying to recreate a Fluval with. So you like the standard one better?


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## Nova betta (Dec 5, 2014)

@CollegeBettas I have the standard on my 5.5 and the clip on on my fluval chi. I prefer the standard 12 inch. It looks better, it looks more sleek and fits the look of a nano tank. They are both very nice lights though!


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## christinamac (Jan 2, 2016)

CollegeBettas said:


> That's an awesome idea. Right now I am trying to decide between the clip light or the 10 or 12 inch for a tank I am building. It is a 5.5 gallon that I am trying to recreate a Fluval with. So you like the standard one better?


Right now I prefer the Clip Light because it is positioned higher above the tank than the standard Finnex LED. I have a 3 gallon aquarium that is obviously not very deep. Being able to position the light higher above the aquarium to reduce the light intensity is important, especially in a low tech setup like mine. 

If I were to use the 3" Risers with the standard Finnex LED, I may prefer it over the Clip Light. I find that taking the height of your aquarium divided by 2 gives you a good estimate on how high above the aquarium the lights should be positioned in order to get good spread and light intensity (at least when using the Finnex LED lights).

The height of my aquauarium from the top of the substrate to the top of the aquarium is about 6.5 inches. So, I would ideally like my light to be positioned about 3.25 inches above the top of my aquarium. The Clip Light I have installed is 3.5 inches above the top of my aquarium, which is perfect. I'd say the light intensity is medium to high. Even so, I use black plastic crochet mesh as a lid to help diffuse the light and reduce its intensity. 

Keep in mind that if you purchase the risers to go with the standard Finnex LED light, you have to add the riser height to the standard height of the light. Since the light itself sits about 2 inches above the top of the aquarium, if you use 3 inch risers then the light will sit about 5 inches above the top of the aquarium.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Remember to factor in the influence of a glass canopy on lights; especially if it isn't kept crystal clear all of the time. If the tank is open that's a different story. When I was searching for a fixture suitable for low-to-medium lights Finnex recommended the Stingray.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Addendum: These risers would be perfect for people who bought the Planted+ and find the lights too strong for their low-light plants or are plagued by algae. Really interesting web site.


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## Kaxen (Mar 3, 2013)

Gosh I wish I had seen these when I was ordering floaters from them. 

x_x every time I think I have beaten the hair algae, it finds a corner of the tank where I wasn't looking.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

Wanted to add: I asked and these risers can be used with canopies. Great customer service.


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## CollegeBettas (Feb 23, 2016)

I just wanted to say that I ordered these risers (the shortest ones) and put them with my new stingray on the planted "fluval". I have only had them up for a couple hours, though, but they look really nice.


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## RussellTheShihTzu (Mar 19, 2013)

That's great! Thanks so much for sharing.


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