# Finnex Ray 2 vs. Marineland Aquatic Plant LED



## echoskybound (Apr 23, 2012)

I'm looking for LED lighting for a 20 gallon high. I'm hoping to be able to keep medium to high light plants. I'm looking at two particular LED strips right now:

*Finnex Ray 2*:
http://www.aquavibrant.com/lighting...ray-ii-ultra-slim-led-db-10000k-actinics.html

*Marineland Plant LED*:
http://www.marineland.com/products/...led-aquarium-lighting-for-aquatic-plants.aspx

Does anybody have any preferences? I'm looking at the 24" models of each. I think the Finnex is cheaper, but I'm unclear about what the light outputs of both are. The Ray 2 says is has 20 watt 10,000k actinic light output. The Marineland says it has 23 x 1 watt 6,500K bulbs (and 3 rgb bulbs). It looks like they would both produce roughly 1wpg.

I appreciate your responses!


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## sarahspins (Sep 24, 2012)

For plants you want this version of the Ray 2 - the one you linked is for SW  

http://www.aquavibrant.com/finnex-ray-ii-ultra-slim-led-ds-dual-7000k.html

WPG isn't the only measurement of light... there is a PAR chart for the Finnex lights in their section of the forum.


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## Mantis992 (Feb 13, 2013)

First of all, do not get the ray 2 with actinic light. Actinic light is mainly for corals so your plants will not really benefit. I would opt for the dual 7000k version of the ray 2. WPG is not really a great measurement tool for planted tanks anymore. It would be far more beneficial to compare the par charts for the two lighting fixtures. If you google, "finnex ray 2 par data" you should be able to find the information for that fixture pretty easily. I am not completely sure where you would locate data for the Marineland fixture, but maybe with some web searching you can find it. Measure your distance from the proposed light fixture to the top of the substrate to calculate your tank depth. Then use that number to find your par rating. In my experience par >50 is plenty to grow medium-high light plants. Unfortunately it is hard to light high tanks in general because the increased tank depth makes light penetration more difficult, thus substantially decreasing par readings at the substrate.


Hope this helps.


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## owens81jw (Feb 7, 2009)

i have a Ray 2 on my 20 H tank!!!! i luv it!!!!!!!!


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## Rawkout (Jan 8, 2013)

I use the Marineland LED you linked. It's awesome!

It certainly is more expensive, but the output is great and will grow anything you want. The construction is sturdy and the low profile adds a little class to your tank. The built in timer settings are easy to use and are very handy to quickly change your photo-period settings. I'm also a sucker for lunar lighting, which the Ray2 doesn't offer.

Not to downplay the Finnex products at all (I have their Fugeray and PX360 filter on my office nano and they rock), but if money is no object, get the Marineland light.

Oh, and here's the specs from Marinelands site:

http://www.marineland.com/products/...um-lighting-for-aquatic-plants.aspx#technical


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## Atari (Jan 13, 2013)

From the LED Lighting Compendium

Finnex Ray II
PAR Data(Source) PAR vs. Distance from source
16" fixture: 130 PAR @ 6", 49 PAR @ 12", 27 PAR @ 18"
18" fixture: 153 PAR @ 6", 72 PAR @ 12", 37 PAR @ 18"
24" fixture: 179 PAR @ 6", 87 PAR @ 12", 55 PAR @ 18"

I'd rather have the Marineland with the additional colors (the red is supposed to help growth) and built-in timer but the Finnex is half the price. If you have a deep tank (24") and higher light plants, you may need the Marineland.


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## Smitty06 (Mar 25, 2012)

For how much you could pay for the crappy marineland, you can go to buildmyled.com and design your own for a little less than the marineland, and you would have a much better fixture.


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2013)

*Question on these two lights*

I currently have a 10g just starting out with java fern and anubias, and have only had the tank set up for a couple weeks. I currently have an Aqueon with 3 strips, but only because it was on clearance for ridiculously cheap. I'm looking to choose a decent medium/high lighting fixture and will be moving forward with a CO2 system soon.

So, between these two lights, which one is better? The Ray2 is fairly cheap at under $90. The Marineland is $140, but comes with a built in timer, spectrum timing, and higher overall output. I guess the question is whether those features/output are worth the extra $50.


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## Bettafins (Apr 9, 2013)

I have the Marineland over my 10 gallon and it is a lot of light! I would go for the Finnex Ray 2. The marineland puts out so much light you will struggle to keep up with growth and algae. Running co2 with the finnex should give nice results.


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## Gooberfish (Mar 27, 2012)

I have the 24" Marineland Aquatic Plant LED fixture on my 20g High. The plants LOVE it. I love the integrated timer on it and my whole setup shines beautifully with this light. I may look into buying a Monster Ray to enhance the colors and balance out the light a bit more. The light shines on the middle of my tank more than the edges. Perhaps I need to raise it. 

A lot of people get a Ray2 and a Monster Ray. If I were to start over, I would do that. But the Marineland Aquatic Plant LED light fixture is very good.


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## TwoHeadsBrewing (Aug 28, 2013)

If I bought the Marineland, which is probably too much light, could I run it only for 8 hours at full power and control algae growth? Or is that not enough time for plants to grow properly?

I think at this point I'm leaning towards the Ray2. My major hangup is if I decide to get a larger tank in the future. The Marineland would likely still be plenty of light for a 20-25g, but the Ray2 would not.


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## Gooberfish (Mar 27, 2012)

TwoHeadsBrewing said:


> If I bought the Marineland, which is probably too much light, could I run it only for 8 hours at full power and control algae growth? Or is that not enough time for plants to grow properly?
> 
> I think at this point I'm leaning towards the Ray2. My major hangup is if I decide to get a larger tank in the future. The Marineland would likely still be plenty of light for a 20-25g, but the Ray2 would not.


I don't own any finnex lighting fixtures (yet), but I am pretty darn sure a Ray2 would still provide sufficient light on a 20-25g. 

I think the finnex LEDs disperse light more evenly throughout the tank than my marineland aquatic plant LED. It shines the middle pretty well but the front and back of my 20g high is more dim. The plants are growing really well still front and back, but it's aesthetically displeasing. If I were you, go Ray2+MonsterRay.


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