# Satellite LED+ pro or Finnex 24/7 SE



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi All4Fish,

Possibly this comparison will help you decide.


----------



## All4Fish (Jun 23, 2014)

Hi, thank you, I saw that. I think I am looking at something else though, the current satellite led plus pro, $230, 60w and the Finnex 24/7 "SE" $156.


----------



## Seattle_Aquarist (Jun 15, 2008)

Hi AllFish,

LED's fixtures are great, economical to run not so much on electricity but in not having to replace bulbs. What isn't so great is if something goes wrong, other than the power supply (aka driver) repairs can be difficult (at best) and sometimes it is just less hassle to replace the fixture. 

Eventually everything needs breaks and needs repair. That's where a warranty comes in, if a fixture dies after 7 months do I have to purchase a new one or will it be under warranty and repaired or replaced free? I liked the Fluval fixtures because the units have good PAR ratings, are fully sealed to a UL specification (most common failure for LED fixtures after the power supply is the circuit board), and a three (3) year warranty backed by an international company (Rolf C. Hagen) that has been in business for over 60 years and as an (800) number and service department to call if there are any problems.


----------



## All4Fish (Jun 23, 2014)

Yeah, good points! I was lucky with the eco-exotic; it lasted 4 years!


----------



## msncookie (Jul 14, 2015)

I've had the Satellite Plus Pro for 2 years. I'd give it "4 stars" ... pros: holds program indefinitely during power outages, super bright (see below), and white and RGB LEDs can be programmed for individual power levels (0-100). Storm effect is not practical - kids might disagree - but the cloud/sun effect is actually quite pleasant to watch. Keep in mind, the effects override your daytime program so when you're done impressing your friends and family, you must hit "resume" to go back to your normal daylight (plant growing) program.

As a low-tech user myself, I discovered the hard way that this light is extremely bright, even for a 24" deep tank. I couldn't figure out why I was getting so much brown algae (and mediocre plant growth) until an LFS suggested I turn the thing way down. Sure enough, at 40% white and (I believe) 50% Red, Green, Blue, my brown algae is completely gone and the plants are growing just fine. Everything looks cleaner and healthier. If I ever decide to do Co2, then I can always turn it back up and it's nice to know the power is available.

I remove "1 star" only because it's a little quirky to program... the program modes time out quickly if you don't know what you're doing so keep the manual handy.


----------



## Piedmont (Jun 12, 2017)

I chose the Finnex 24/7 SE, though it was incredibly close. Two reasons. The first, the Finnex gives an option to be on pretty much the entire time and I liked the different moods as it cycles. Sometimes I'm awake at 6AM, sometimes I go to bed at 1AM, sometimes I go home for lunch. The only time the 24/7 is off is between 3AM and 6AM. I figure I'm there to enjoy my aquarium as much as possible throughout the day, and the fact the 24/7 lets me see the aquarium for all but 3 hours outweighs the benefits of other models with a timer. The other reason is, the Satellite Pro you adjust the color & output, then adjust when it turns on/off with the timer. You can do that with the Finnex, you set the brightness/color and purchase a timer and the timer will control when it turns on/off and it remembers your last color/brightness so it becomes like the Satellite Pro with the one exception if the timer turns off you can't use the remote to turn the light back on you have to turn on the timer first. 

So given the Finnex can do pretty much what the Satellite Pro can do, but the Satellite Pro can't do what the Finnex can do, I opted for the Finnex.


----------



## All4Fish (Jun 23, 2014)

Hi, thank you msncookie and piedmont; very, very helpful!!! On the Finnex, if I use the channels to set the colors I want, how do I use a timer to ramp on and ramp off? Which timer would you recommend? Sorry, I am new at the who controller/timer thing! I think the Satellite Pro is a lot like my ecoexotic which is tricky and frustrating to program. So still tossing coins. I did hear the Finnex 24/7 SE is coming out with a new light which will allow the 24/7 mode to be programmed, which would be way cool. I can't wait though as my current light is dead!


----------



## jeffkrol (Jun 5, 2013)

All4Fish said:


> Hi, thank you msncookie and piedmont; very, very helpful!!! On the Finnex, if I use the channels to set the colors I want, how do I use a timer to ramp on and ramp off? Which timer would you recommend? Sorry, I am new at the who controller/timer thing! I think the Satellite Pro is a lot like my ecoexotic which is tricky and frustrating to program. So still tossing coins. I did hear the Finnex 24/7 SE is coming out with a new light which will allow the 24/7 mode to be programmed, which would be way cool. I can't wait though as my current light is dead!


What died? 
Most of the time it usually just needs a new power supply..
Sat. Plus Pro is a cheaper brother to the ecoxotic..


----------



## Robo-snickers (Sep 19, 2017)

Which one did you end up getting? Im debatting on one of these fixtures for a 72 bow front. I want to use the 24/7 on a low to med light tank woth CO2.


----------

