# Finnex planted+ 24/7



## Veritas (Aug 9, 2013)

it's isn't out yet. May 15th.

Finnex is a sponsor, more info is in their section


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## natebuchholz (Sep 28, 2013)

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=821505


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

natebuchholz said:


> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=821505


In particular, be sure to check out post #29, which is a video review from someone who got an early sample... it even has some PAR tests in it.


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## pferris (Aug 19, 2014)




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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

I forgot to check the vendor area. That was a great video. Thanks!


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## Lowe (Nov 11, 2011)

Freemananana said:


> Has anyone been able to get their hands on one of these? Or find the par values for it? I am very interested in this light! I just found out about it recently, but my searched has come up empty so far. Amazon said they will stock it March 15th, 2015. So I thought it wasn't released yet, but maybe someone has an inside scoop! :hihi: Judging by the number of LEDs, it won't be as strong as the Ray2, but it has way more RGB LEDs than I anticipated.


I'm sure a few hands on reviews will pop up :icon_smil


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## ahem (Dec 27, 2014)

I was just about to start a thread for this light after finding it on Amazon and saw this one. I cannot wait to get this light! Before I knew it existed I was considering trying to have something like it manufactured believing there should be a big market for it. Because it is LED based, each LED can be individually controlled in terms of dim level and time on/off. This combined with implementing multiple colors creates a level of flexibility that could never exist with traditional lights. 

I have setup night to day transitions for my tank but am using 4 digital timers, a bunch of little light bars in addition to my regular Finnex Planted +, and lots and lots of wires to accomplish it. The 24/7 light will make a much neater job of it.

The price point is great with what you get. I notice there are some LED controllers on the market that are more expensive and/or lack the features this one seems to have. 

Now if I can just figure out how to get one early. May 15th is so long to wait!


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## Aceman (Aug 16, 2014)

I wish I could get the light, but the won't ship to Canada


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## ahem (Dec 27, 2014)

Aceman said:


> I wish I could get the light, but the won't ship to Canada


You mean when it comes out or ever? It's on Amazon so you should be able to get from their right?


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## Aceman (Aug 16, 2014)

Both, I went on Amazon and they won't ship it to Canada and Amazon.ca doesn't carry it


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## rick dale (Feb 26, 2014)

*light*

not yet


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## Aceman (Aug 16, 2014)

They won't at all


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## Beefy (Mar 6, 2015)

Aceman said:


> They won't at all


You could use a cross-border shipping service; Shipito or similar.

Or if you live close to the border, have it shipped to a parcel pick up service at the US border then drive down and pick it up yourself.


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## Aceman (Aug 16, 2014)

They won't even warranty it if I'm in Canada


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## 67beetle (Jan 26, 2014)

Mine comes Wednesday. Can't wait!!! Ive been running Marineland Single Brights on my 75 gallon (3 of the 36-48" and 2 of the 18-24") just to achieve medium-low light. They grew java fern like crazy, as well as steady growth of my anubias and green and bronze cypts, but I'm ready for some different plants. I ordered the 48" Finnex Planted+ from Amazon for $135. I'm like a kid the night before Christmas.


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## aquarium hippy (Feb 7, 2013)

I have the Planted+ currently and am planning to run the 24/7 with a mid day burst of both fixtures.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

67beetle said:


> Mine comes Wednesday... I ordered the 48" Finnex Planted+ from *Amazon..*.


How did you get it before May? :icon_eek:


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Freemananana said:


> How did you get it before May? :icon_eek:


I believe they ordered a Planted+... not a Planted+ 24/7.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

WOOOPS. My bad! haha. Thanks for that. I was just filling in the blanks for no reason. My mind was stuck on topic and didn't spend as much time reading.


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## adamfish (Feb 3, 2015)

Is the main advantage of this light over the current usa plus the increased par?

I'm considering a current usa to run with a single t5ho


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

In my mind, yes.. 

There's some bits regarding the pre-programed light settings and the various dynamic modes, but I would say the increased PAR is the biggest differentiator between the two.

Some may argue the 24/7 mode is also a big differentiator, but I personally just consider it another dynamic mode, albeit one with a 24-hour long cycle... I'm not really a fan of any dynamic mode on either light, but that reflects my tastes.

There's also the general difference in how Finnex does their tank-adjustments vs how Current does... Current, at certain sizes, you end up getting a fixture noticeably smaller than your tank and extending the arms out creating unlit sides. Finnex does the opposite, where if you need a size they don't make, you'd buy one bigger and have lighting hanging off the ends, as their legs retract to be smaller, but not really longer than the fixture body.


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## OhioTank (Mar 11, 2015)

I believe there is another difference between the 24/7 and the current planted +, the 24/7 according to what Ive read will use RGB LED's where as the current planted plus has 660nm Red LED specifically for plant growth. May not be a huge deal but the 660nm is best for plants. That being said, i have one on pre-order so I can play with it and see how it does!


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

OhioTank said:


> I believe there is another difference between the 24/7 and the current planted +, the 24/7 according to what Ive read will use RGB LED's where as the current planted plus has 660nm Red LED specifically for plant growth. May not be a huge deal but the 660nm is best for plants. That being said, i have one on pre-order so I can play with it and see how it does!


The question was not about the Finnex Planted+ vs Finnex Planted+ 24/7.

The question was about the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 vs Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED+

The list of differences between the old planted+ and the 24/7 would be considerably longer, starting with having a remote control, and dimability, in addition to the RGB LEDs.


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## ahem (Dec 27, 2014)

mattinmd said:


> The question was not about the Finnex Planted+ vs Finnex Planted+ 24/7.
> 
> The question was about the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 vs Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED+
> 
> The list of differences between the old planted+ and the 24/7 would be considerably longer, starting with having a remote control, and dimability, in addition to the RGB LEDs.


What are the other competitors to the planted 24/7 besides Current USA? When I mean competitor I mean a total light solution (both accent and grow), dimmable WRGB, either a true multi setting 24 hour timer or IR capability and <= $150. I see some fringe ones on google shopping that look fresh from China and Marineland has something that doesn't meet all the criteria.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

I think you've pretty well covered the state of the low-cost end of the market as I understand it...

IR remote based:
Current Satellite Freshwater +
Finnex 24/7
Finnex Planted+ 2 (?? details unclear on this upcoming fixture)
Cheap LED strips with remote (some are RF, some are IR)
Cheap dimmable PAR LED lamps with remote (again, some RF, some IR)

Customizable timer models (generally over $150):
Current Satellite Pro
Finnex Elite (?? details unclear on this upcoming fixture)
Marineland Aquatic plant LED.
Ecoxotic E series


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## micheljq (Oct 24, 2012)

I am curious to see how the Planted+ 24/7 will compare to the Ray 2 DS 7000K in terms of PARs.

Michel.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

micheljq said:


> I am curious to see how the Planted+ 24/7 will compare to the Ray 2 DS 7000K in terms of PARs.
> 
> Michel.


There's some PAR measurements over in the other thread that's going on in the Finnex vendor area...

Post 91 has par data extracted from the video review earlier in the thread.. That said, they say 20" deep in that post, but it is really on a 20 gallon high aquarium, or 16" deep.

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=821505&page=7


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

That was my post, I corrected it. I misinterpreted the information I was hearing. 



> All readings at 16" deep.
> 
> 60 par - MAX setting
> 
> ...


I do have a question, if anyone can point me in the right direction. Does anyone have par data for the planted+ at depths up to 24"? I am interested in this light myself because I like the little 24/7 gimmick. Even if it isn't the best, it would be a lot of fun for a couple weekends.

EDIT: Found the information.



> 3": 185
> 6": 117
> 9": 88
> 12": 61
> 15": 45


15-16" is negligible in my opinion. So I would say the planted+ 24/7 is more powerful than the current planted+. It actually comes out stronger than the Ray 2 par information I found. I'll have to continue some research.

Here is the data for the RAY 2









Another bit of information I found on it:


> You'll see the Finnex Ray II 24" listed.. at 20" it says about 50 PAR.


 -Sorry for the bad quote. sdaugherty. 

EDIT 2: Current SAT+ par data


owens81jw said:


> So I took some par reading with the current plus LED system with my 20L 12.5in from par meter to the light
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Basically, the planted+ 24/7 is on the level of the current Ray 2 for par data from what I am reading. The 20" readings are quite similar, 50-60 par on either unit. I think after adding a few inches, less than ideal water, and floaters, it would bounce back down into the 40's on my tank. That seems like a decent deal to me.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Freemananana said:


> That was my post, I corrected it. I misinterpreted the information I was hearing.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Do be careful here... there's no commonly accepted PAR data for the Planted+ available anywhere that I know of...

Those particular numbers were published by Finnex based on university lab measurements of a pre-production model 24" long fixture.

There's some question as to how valid those numbers are, as there no indications if the final fixture actually is the same...

Also keep in mind that the numbers we have for the 24/7 were measured with an apogee, but no correction factors were applied. The apogee reads cool-white LEDs at about 4% higher than actual PAR.

That said, I do think the general conclusion for the 24/7 being higher PAR than the original planted+ is likely correct.


As for the Ray2.. that 50 PAR value comes from Hoppy's chart...

The Finnex provided PAR data I know of for the Ray2 calls it 39 PAR @18" deep for the 24" model... That said, that image is no longer on Finnex's thread here, so it may have been pulled by them as inaccurate.. but if you do some searching you can find the image on other forums...


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=189944

Finnex posted that image here. The thread is closed so I cannot quote it directly. But the image is still available on this website. 

You are saying Hoppy's chart is...? I am fairly new here, so I don't have an opinion formulated on much.

Par is just a guideline at best anyway. I do realize nothing is set in stone and there are a ton of factors. But based on what I have found online, I think I may be going in the right direction. 

Nothing is official on the 24/7 yet anyway. These are off of pre-production models too. So I'm just dancing in circles, thinking out loud.


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## mattinmd (Aug 16, 2014)

Freemananana said:


> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=189944
> 
> Finnex posted that image here. The thread is closed so I cannot quote it directly. But the image is still available on this website.


Nevermind, I don't see a 24" model in that thread, but if I recall correctly that's a internet filtering mishap here.. when I look at it elsewhere the 24 is in it.





Freemananana said:


> You are saying Hoppy's chart is...? I am fairly new here, so I don't have an opinion formulated on much.


I'm saying getting consistent PAR data is difficult, as there are a large number of variables affecting measurement... 

Air vs water? Water bends light and tends to focus lighting increasing PAR, but also absorbs some of the spectrum decreasing it over distance.

How many inches of headspace vs water? This affects how wide it spreads in air before being bent to a narrower angle by water.

Are the tank walls clean, shiny, and reflective, or dirty? Reflections off the sides increase par.

Is there dark or light substrate present? light substrates will reflect some of the light back up, and some of that will get reflected back down off the surface of the water. Small effect here...




Freemananana said:


> Par is just a guideline at best anyway. I do realize nothing is set in stone and there are a ton of factors. But based on what I have found online, I think I may be going in the right direction.
> 
> Nothing is official on the 24/7 yet anyway. These are off of pre-production models too. So I'm just dancing in circles, thinking out loud.


I guess that depends on what you classify as pre-production..

Personally I've always assumed that Planted+ was effectively a true prototype "first working example" made early in the process, early enough to still subject to design changes and part substitutions by Finnex. Those measurements were taken 5 months prior to expected shipment (May 2013 vs October 2013), but I'm not sure what actual first shipment date ended up being. They did a similar batch of Planted+ production samples to a few TPT members in September 2013 (ie: much later in the game).


These 24/7 units are clearly ones that were made by the production line, and should match the final production run, save minor tweaks to fix quality issues ("20% have scratches on the right-side").. We're only 2 months away from full production volume release.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

Very true. I'm sure they are dialing everything in pretty closely. But I wouldn't be surprised to see tweeks to the programming or material changes compared to what we have seen thus far. 

I pre-ordered one just for kicks. I was contemplating a planted+ when I bought the SAT+


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## adamfish (Feb 3, 2015)

Just run a current usa and a t5ho and call it good.

Best of both worlds.


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## Freemananana (Jan 2, 2015)

adamfish said:


> Just run a current usa and a t5ho and call it good.
> 
> Best of both worlds.


How so? Most of the t5ho fixtures are about the cost of the planted+ 24/7 and you still have to factor in bulbs. As far as par is concerned, they seem to differ even more than LEDs depending on the housing and bulbs you buy.


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## adamfish (Feb 3, 2015)

2 lights are better than 1?  I don't know, will be fun to play around with.


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