# Finnex 24/7 full review.



## mattinmd

So, I've had a Finnex 24/7 for about a week and a half now, and while I've spread around a few bits of technical measurements, I think it is time to collect everything, and add on my subjective impressions into a review.

So, subjectively, looking at the light itself, it is clearly based on the ideas that went into the stingray's design. A simple, thin, black metal bar suspended on clear plastic legs. However, this fixture is a bit different from the stingray. First, it is clearly quite a bit wider. Also the top metal wraps all the way down the sides, creating a smooth front edge, while the stingray has a "stepped" edge. In addition to the wire for the power cord, a wire sticks out the other end with an infrared reciever on the end of it. This should allow you to place the sensor whereever you need it. It comes with a bit of stick-tape velcro to help mount it. However, I have found that the tape doesn't stick particularly well to the front edge of the fixture (which is convenient for my tank).

Here's some comparison shots of my 30" 24/7, 30" planted plus and 20" stingray (click to view larger):
 

*Output levels*
So, one of the first things I did with the fixture was to put it on a stand, stick a par meter under it just close enough to make "max" register as 100 PAR (7.5"). I specifically chose 100, as it should allow anyone to treat these readigns as a percentage, and use that to scale numbers meaured for "MAX" mode at any given depth. I then used a time-lapse recording app and an old iphone to record a video of how the PAR varies over time in 24/7 mode. Note the meter used is a hoppy 2015 DIY PAR meter that he made made by modifying a LUX meter with a different sensor and recalibrating it.

You can see the raw video here: note the timestamp in the lower right is aligned within a minute or so of what the fixture is set to.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J10MIv4YIXI

I then went through the video and extracted the PAR readings at 15 minute intervals, creating a graph of how the PAR varies over time. Creating this little graph.

edit: 5/31: The text data used to generate this graph can be found attached to this post:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=7847849&postcount=222

I next made some quick in-tank par measurements with the fixture on MAX, using the same Hoppy meter. Due to obstacles of the setup, I couldn't measure directly under the fixture, hence my 1" offset. Regardless, these are a few numbers you can work with to give you some rough ideas:


Code:


depth/offset    1"     6"
        12" -   75
        16" -   65
        18" -   48    45 
        20" -   45    40

Note: I found Max, Sunny and 3pm to all be exactly the same light level, and confirmed this in a few exchanges with Finnex. Apparently some early firmware versions had sunny at 80%, but this was decided to be confusing.

Note2 9/23/2015: These numbers are measured in-water. Finnex has released PAR charts for some of their other products that were measured in-air, which will read lower (air-water boundary focuses light, increasing par). If you want to compare it against models, this is very close to the Planted+ light level, maybe a tad brighter. The Planted+/Planted 24/7 are brighter than the Stingray and Fugeray original, but not as bright as the Ray2 in the general sense. The 30" Ray2 is a bit of an oddball since it is really a 24" fixture.

I also made some power usage measurements, which you can find over here:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=7833057&postcount=205

*Growth:*

So, I did a one-week growth experiment. This is in my 36 gallon tank with a glass versatop on it, I run low-tech + 5ml CO2 booster daily, overstocked with fish, and EI low-light fertilizers with half-dose KNO3 and extra K2SO4. 

Some of the growth is hard to judge as they plants are laying differently in the currents, but there are a few good indicators. One is the rotalla on the left, in front of the filter intake sponge. The other is the crown of willow hygro on the right. Notice how in the second shot, it is now shadowing the front-right side (and causing the camera's white balance to change). Please forgive some of the scaping, my 8 year old has some input in the tank design.

Start:


After one week:


At this point, I'm not noticing any algage issues, or snail explosions (another indicator of algae growth).

*Operating the fixture:*

Using the remote is for the most part striaght forward. Aim the remote at the fixture, press a button, and voila. The fixture also briefly blinks whenever it registers one of your button presses, as sometimes it can be hard to tell if your button actually had any effect. 


There are a few more steps when dealing with 24/7 mode. To enter 24/7 mode, you hit the 24/7 mode button, then one of the time buttons (to set the time) and press 24/7 again. 

However, if you forget to press 24/7 again, two things happen. First, the fixture doesn't progress in time, it just stays at the color of the time you set. Second, the fixture won't allow you to press any non-24/7 buttons. If you press "max" or "sunny" it just ignores you. Only the 24/7 buttons and the power button will register as best I can tell. If you find your fixture ignoring you, press the 24/7 button and see if that corrects it.

Also, as we all already knew, the 24/7 mode itself doesn't have any adjustability beyond changing the fixtures idea of what time it is... Once engaged, it does what it is programmed to, and doesn't offer any customization.

The bottom section of the remote allows you to create custom colors. There are 4 channels, white, red, green and blue, and each can be set in 10% increments from 0% to 100% brightness, which offers you 10,000 possible light settings total (some more useful than others). 

When you create a custom color, just press one of the M1-M4 buttons to store it, and then you can recall it at any time just by hitting that button again.

However, this brings up another pitfall. If you tinker with the color buttons and don't want to save your color, make sure you don't try to jump to one of your memory settings, that will over-write the existing setting. Instead jump to something like "cloudy" or "max" before going to one of your stored presents.

*Internal build:*
Of course I took the fixture apart a bit, although I don't suggest doing so yourself. The wires are actually quite short and it is difficult to get things apart without straining the wires.

Regardless, here's a picture of the controller board. The build quality seems reasonable for typical commercial work. There is some skewing is visible on one of the resistors right-of-center (black thing with 103 on it), and the solder flow on the right pin of the crystal (large metal can on the left) is a bit uneven. None of this is particularly bad, it is just minor imperfections. All of the connections appear to be solid, and none of the work is shoddy by any stretch of the imagination.

Also, another thing I noticed is the whole board is coated in a thin layer of conformal coating. Notice how the 2 transistors over by the wires on the right look wet? This is good as it protects the board somewhat from water, a real danger in aquarium use. However, it also means modifying the board in any way is more difficult, for anyone who was thinking of doing such things.




*Overall impressions:*

So, after a week of using 24/7 mode, I like it, at least on my 20" deep tank. If you've got a noticeably shallower tank, the 24/7 mode may be too much light for you, but I don't really have a good way of testing that myself. Anyway, I find myself liking the fact that the aquarium is at least lit well enough for me to watch the tank in the morning and late evening, but the light isn't on very strongly at these hours, not enough to cause any major algae issues.

*Summary:*
Hits 
- I generally like the light level choices and colors for 24/7 mode.
- excellent value, bright, adjustable, and not expensive
- Bright fixture with customizable colors at a low price
- 24/7 mode is a bonus
- slick looks
- stands taller than older Planted+, getting better light spread.
- build quality is reasonable, even in places most don't look.

Mixed feelings
- blinking on button press makes it easy to be sure your command registered, but makes the fixture somewhat Arduino+IRRemote automation unfriendly.

Misses -
- Sunny appears to be duplicate of MAX, making the buttons redundant.
- Moon mode is brighter (by PAR) than cloudy, which is not intuitive
- Getting in/out of 24/7 mode can be confusing if you forget a button press
- Easy to accidentally over-write one of your memory buttons if you are tinkering with light settings.

Things I wish the fixture had, but realize would have raised cost (Hey, I can dream can't I):
- Ability to limit the peak brightness of 24/7 mode (I probably don't need this, but shallower tanks might)
- Ability to bypass the blinking when commanding with the remote
- An indicator light in the IR pod telling us 24/7 mode is actually running (which could also be blinked instead of the whole fixture).
- Included free European sports car :hihi:


*Price point and competition*

It is obvious that Finnex made some trade-offs to keep the cost of the fixture down. The current price at Amazon is right around the same price as the original Planted+. Admittedly the Planted+ has 660nm red LEDs in it, while the 24/7 uses more normal RGB LEDs with a 620-630nm red component, but adding the microcontroller and its software is a major price driver too.

Competition wise, this fixture is obviously priced to compete with the Current USA Satellite+, at least looking at prices on Amazon. The 24/7 offers higher light output, and the 24/7 mode, but with fewer dynamic modes (ie: only one storm mode instead of Current's 3). 

Current USA's Satellite+ Pro model appears to offer an even brighter light, with a customizable day/night timer built in, but that day/night timer only has 2 programmable levels, day and night, with a fixed 15-minute ramp between the levels at your chosen time. This offers you more control, but no constantly-changing "day cycle". This fixture is also around twice the price of the 24/7.


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## Fullycaffeinated

This is a great review! Can't wait for mine to come in. Would you say this light would be about the same light intensity at max as a planted+ or stingray?


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## Blacktetra

You've mentioned it isn't super expensive but may as well give a ballpark figure to keep people from needing to look it up themselves. It might be nice to give a comparison to other similar lights as well for comparison reasons.
Aside from that this is FANTASTIC, the work you put into this is obvious, and frankly I don't think you could really ask for more. This is EXACTLY the information I would like to have if I was considering getting one.


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## mattinmd

Well, to be honest, pricing is always a dynamic thing, so I kinda left it out on purpose..

Right now Amazon has prices on the 24/7 ranging from $71.69 for the 20" to $134.61 for the 48". These are very close to, and actually slightly less than, the prices Amazon offers the Planted+ for. 


I also considered doing a compare/contrast with some of Current USA's products, but I don't actually own any of those fixtures, and I don't think it would be fair for me to do much review wise comparing against a product I don't own. I can read the spec sheet and compare those, but anyone can do that much...


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## sousvide

Thanks for the super helpful review. I really like the looks of it over the planted+ that I have now...just wish it wasn't out of stock at amazon.


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## Freemananana

A direct comparison would be nice. I would have easily let you 'borrow' my SAT+ for that, but I think a SAT+ PRO is what you should tackle. I was hoping all the aftermarket control available for the SAT+ would just slide over to the 24/7 with different IR commands. The blinking really deterred me. I'm going to give it time and I may get it for my 75g in some time.


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## mattinmd

I decided to add a brief blurb at the bottom about the price point, and some general comparison with Current's products... I didn't go into any great detail, but at least a few of the high points are mentioned and someone can go off and research those further.


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## jonsnow

What a spectacular review! Thanks for putting the effort in


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## SDK

Thanks for the detailed review. I am going to pick one up and see how it does vs. a dual T5HO on my 40B


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## Lowe

The guys here _thank you_ Matt for such a fine review. Glad to hear it's working out for you


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## Veritas

man.....now I want one.


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## chicken

Thank you for this review. Some very useful information.


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## mattinmd

SDK said:


> Thanks for the detailed review. I am going to pick one up and see how it does vs. a dual T5HO on my 40B


My general expectation is it would be slightly behind a dual T5HO in a really good fixture, like a Catalina (somewhere around 76 PAR at 16" based on Hoppy's chart), but well ahead of ones with poor reflectors like a coralife dual T5HO (around 39 PAR at 16"). 

My best guess is the 24/7 is somewhere around 65-70 PAR on max for a 36" at 16" deep, in water with no glass lid.


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## SDK

mattinmd said:


> My general expectation is it would be slightly behind a dual T5HO in a really good fixture, like a Catalina (somewhere around 76 PAR at 16" based on Hoppy's chart), but well ahead of ones with poor reflectors like a coralife dual T5HO (around 39 PAR at 16").
> 
> My best guess is the 24/7 is somewhere around 65-70 PAR on max for a 36" at 16" deep, in water with no glass lid.


That should work out quite well. I am currently running a Nova Extreme. While not the top of the heap, it is a fairly powerful, well reflected fixture. Even suspended above the tank it is borderline too much for my low tech system. I think the slight reduction in PAR won't be an issue. 

I'm also looking to switch for a few other reasons;



More control options other than just on and off. 
This tank is in my living room, and the light spillout from the suspended fixture is a bit distracting. 
I will also gladly take the reduced heat and power consumption, although neither is a primary concern.


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## Freemananana

mattinmd said:


> I decided to add a brief blurb at the bottom about the price point, and some general comparison with Current's products... I didn't go into any great detail, but at least a few of the high points are mentioned and someone can go off and research those further.


I still feel like too many people are going to say this light is better than the SAT+ PRO in every way, which I do disagree with. But for the price, it really is nice. There is finally a dimmable Planted+ fixture. :hihi:


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## Beefy

Freemananana said:


> I still feel like too many people are going to say this light is better than the SAT+ PRO in every way, which I do disagree with. But for the price, it really is nice. There is finally a dimmable Planted+ fixture. :hihi:


I was initially gung-ho about the 24/7 - I really liked the idea of the daily cycle, and I figured I could match all my other parameters to the light levels. But I ended up with a Sat+ Pro because I didn't want to wait.

After much trial and error, I run the Sat+ Pro at no more than 30% power because anything higher causes terrible hair algae problems. I just can't reliably get steady/sufficient CO2 in the water in my small tank. So I think that the 24/7 under its intended usage mode would have made my tank an algae factory, and I fear this will be the problem for most 'normal' people and a big source of complaints.

So I eagerly await V2, with dimmable 24/7 cycle, and I don't care if it costs more - I paid the extra for the Sat+ Pro after all......


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## DCost

This is great Matt, but I have a question myself.

The Stingray comes with mounting clips, and given the 24/7 is somewhat similar in shape, does it do the same?


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## mattinmd

Mine did not.. just the clear plastic legs, which are over-sized versions of the ones that come with the stingray...

Now, that said, the unit I got was a "pre-release"... I don't believe they would have left out parts without telling me (they went out of their way to tell me the packaging wasn't a final box design) but it is always possible that changed since they shipped mine...


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## Freemananana

If the legs are the same as the stingray, they do not like the rim on my 55g and are too small. Just an FYI, some rims may be too thick. My 55g is new-ish too.


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## mattinmd

The 24/7, like the stingray and the planted+, has a removable piece of the legs to allow them to sit on tanks with large rims....


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## Freemananana

mattinmd said:


> The 24/7, like the stingray and the planted+, has a removable piece of the legs to allow them to sit on tanks with large rims....


:hihi: I must have the wrong piece in mine then. Mine came with clear legs. Let me search some more.


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## mattinmd

The "inside" tab at the bottom of the clear legs is removable... 

Removing it creates an L shaped leg bottom that sits on top of your thick rim, instead of a U shaped one that straddles the sides of a rimless tank.


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## mattinmd

Agreed, it's not better in every way.. 

They've clearly gone very different paths in terms of 24-hour automation, with drawbacks and benefits to each approach. 

Finnex - no adjustability, but nice constant-changing day cycle
Current -adjustable, but only 2 light levels with fixed 15-minute ramps between them.


Also, If these PAR measurements are right:
http://imgur.com/BXbbg3n

Then the Sat+ Pro is a tad brighter to boot.


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## mattinmd

FYI, breaking the leg of a 24/7 down (stingray legs work the same, they're just smaller):

Finnex instructions:



Together:


Slid to one side: This step was pretty hard on mine, I had to set it on a bench with one edge hanging over, and tap the movable part a couple times with a mallet to get it to slide... 


removed:


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## Jcstank

Question: Can I still use a light timer on the power cord with the 24/7 feature enabled and not lose the time/memory when the light timer turns the light back on? I'm thinking of having the timer turn the light off from say 12:30-3:30 to cut out the part of the cycle that has too much PAR for my 75 gallon tank. I'd like to also have the lights completely off at night (no moonlight) because this tank is in my bedroom and the complete darkness gives my Cory cats a chance to get some bottom pellets without the other fish eating them before they do. Will the Finnex 24/7 hold its memory if I run this fixture on a custom setting (I'd dim the white to reduce the PAR for low-tech) and use a regular light timer on the power cord? 

I currently have an Odysea dual T5HO fixture that gives me about 50 PAR at 20" according to Hoppy's chart and its too much light for my tank. I do fertilize and dose with the recommended amount and as long as I have enough fast growing plants the algae stays at bay but its still an issue. I guess I could always run this Finnex fixture on manual mode with the whites dimmed down and on the timer to help reduce the PAR. Wish Finnex had made it so we could reduce the PAR to our liking and still keep the 24/7 mode. Are you listening Finnex because I'd pay a little more for this feature to be added as an option. Adding this feature alone would make this fixture near perfect for us low tech non CO2 guys and gals. 

Great writ-up by the way. Thanks for taking the time to do that.


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## xxoczukxx

can anyone tell me how it compares to a ray2 in terms of light and growth?


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## Freemananana

xxoczukxx said:


> can anyone tell me how it compares to a ray2 in terms of light and growth?


Compare this to Matt's (is your name even Matt?) graph. It would appear to be the same amount of light. If this is true, next month the entire forum will be overran by people with algae factories due to the 24/7 mode. The Ray2 is a monstrous light putting out enough light to grow carpets at 24" with CO2. I've seen it in several journals on this site. 

NOTE: Matt's readings are with a DIY par meter and should be taken with a grain of salt when comparing to the numbers released by a company. With that said, par is still just a guessing unit for measuring light when it comes to LEDs. There are spectrums of light that are hard to quantify. Your mileage may vary.


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## mattinmd

My name is Matt... Matt in MD (Maryland)...

Regardless, comparisons between the Finnex data and my data can be misleading. It is further misleading to compare any Finnex 30" against a Ray2 30".

1) I use a 30" 24/7 fixture in my testing, and it is really a 30" fixture with LEDs more-or-less edge-to-edge... The 30" Ray2 is really a 24" fixture with a 30" housing... Thus, there's no fair comparison between Ray2 and a 24/7 at 30" (or any other Finnex 30", as the Ray2 is the only one with an oddball)..

2) Finnex's published numbers are also measured *IN AIR* which result in lower values than I get.. I measure in water, and the air-water boundary focuses light increasing PAR.

Regardless, the 24/7 is very close to the same light level as the Planted+, being only slightly stronger. 

The Ray2 is noticeably higher output... *except* in the case of the 30" Ray2, because at that point you're comparing a 24" Ray2 vs a real 30" fixture.


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## Dmarksvr

Blacktetra said:


> You've mentioned it isn't super expensive but may as well give a ballpark figure to keep people from needing to look it up themselves. It might be nice to give a comparison to other similar lights as well for comparison reasons.
> Aside from that this is FANTASTIC, the work you put into this is obvious, and frankly I don't think you could really ask for more. This is EXACTLY the information I would like to have if I was considering getting one.


In no way trying to steal Matt's thunder, I somehow missed this review till now (great job!), but here is a stat comparison that includes pricing...

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=877474&highlight=

P.S. 
I noticed the moon/cloudy thing and the thing about max, 3pm, and sunny too...

I think those 4 buttons should all do some kinda dynamic lighting since you have 4 memory slots for any preset colors. 

Like maybe a night time storm FX with the dim blue moonlight constantly on, cloudy day that slightly shifts color temp/intensity, maybe a disco mode that slowly shifts through different colors... stuff like that. 

Oh and it needs to play a rain/thunder sound loop in storm mode :hihi:


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## J-Sun

I have a 65g that is 25" deep. I was thinking one light might not be enough. Would two 24/7's give me more PAR? Please forgive me as I'm new to this. I'm looking to grow HC at the lowest part of my tank substrate, so approx. 23". Thanks!


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## mattinmd

J-Sun said:


> I have a 65g that is 25" deep. I was thinking one light might not be enough. Would two 24/7's give me more PAR? Please forgive me as I'm new to this. I'm looking to grow HC at the lowest part of my tank substrate, so approx. 23". Thanks!


Two lights will give you twice the par if they are really close together (theoretically they'd have to be at the same spot, but that's not really possible).

Two lights spaced out 6" or so will give you a bit less than twice the par, but better coverage.

I'd go for 2 planted+ on a 65 gallon for carpeting HC. (HC doesn't really do well without CO2, so I'm assuming that pressurized CO2 is a given)


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## J-Sun

mattinmd said:


> Two lights will give you twice the par if they are really close together (theoretically they'd have to be at the same spot, but that's not really possible).
> 
> Two lights spaced out 6" or so will give you a bit less than twice the par, but better coverage.
> 
> I'd go for 2 planted+ on a 65 gallon for carpeting HC. (HC doesn't really do well without CO2, so I'm assuming that pressurized CO2 is a given)


Yes, pressurized co2 for sure. Thanks Matt!


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## electromango

Thanks for the review! As someone who's debating which fixture to use this is very helpful. I have a few question though. 

1. Is there an actual "dimming" feature or do you sort of play around with the customizable lights to lower the light intensity?

2. Would the 24/7 mode be too intense for a low/medium tech 40 gallon breeder, dirted, Excel capful dose everyday, 16" depth? If so, could I adjust the light to give less intense lighting?

3. How's the light bring out the color of the plants and tank when compared to the planted+? 

4. Overall, would this be a suitable light for a medium tech dirt tank (dirt and just excel dosing) with a 16" depth? Do you recommend any other lights?

Thanks again for your time and help!


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## mattinmd

Ok... so, I tried to indicate this in the review.. but regardless...

1) Yes, the 24/7 fixture can be used as a dimmable light, you can create your own custom color blends from the 4 light channels (white, red, green, blue) in 10% increments on each channel. In this regard it functions much like a Current-USA Sat+, but the maximum brightness is a tad higher... you'd use this mode with an ordinary external lamp timer.

2) 24/7 mode is probably too bright without CO2 at 16".. it's really a solid upper-medium or even lower-high light running at max at that depth. 24/7 mode is not adjustable other than changing what time it is. It will always be at max brightness at 3pm. The interesting bit is that this light has a relatively short duration of max brightness... I'm really not sure how that affects algae. Time will tell.

3) At "max" I'd say it intensifies blue a tad more than the planted+, but red is not as strong. However, either through manual adjustment or 24/7 mode there's a wide variety of color balances possible.

4) It will definitely be suitable if you don't plan on using 24/7 mode.. It might even work in 24/7 mode, but my guess is that will be a bit too much light. I only have experience running it in 24/7 mode on a 21" tall 36-bowfront.


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## Tron

I'll be setting up a 24" tall tank with a 24/7 on it in the next week or two so I'll let you guys know how it does. I have a second 24/7 to throw on it if I don't get the growth I want.

Sent from my USCC-E6762 using Tapatalk


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## RainSong

Subscribing ... I have a 24" deep tank and would like to do the same.



Tron said:


> I'll be setting up a 24" tall tank with a 24/7 on it in the next week or two so I'll let you guys know how it does. I have a second 24/7 to throw on it if I don't get the growth I want.
> 
> Sent from my USCC-E6762 using Tapatalk


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## pascallee

*About voltage*

Hi there,
I am looking to get one of these. May i ask about the operation voltage of the 24/7. I am overseas(Mauritius) and running AC230v. I actually have the old planted plus with the bundled power supply supporting my voltage. Does this fixture come with the same external power supply which is compatible with 230v?
Thanks,
Pascal


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## DHElder

Matt, you mentioned 10,000 possible combinations with the custom colors. I can only seem to get one color saved to the memory. If I press a second color that first one goes off. Is it possible to set all four colors, then save that combination to memory.

I love this light. I have the 30" model for a 20 gallon long and have been using the 24/7 since July 31st. Been great so far. Little algae but plants are growing fine. Pennywort is starting to get out of hand.


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## mattinmd

Set all 4 channels, using the up/down arrows, then hit a memory button. The w/r/g/b buttons set that channel to max, and all others to off, so you can't use them except on the first color. I find it a tad unfortunate there's no way to "max all" and allow you to tweak down individual channels to taste...

So if i wanted 90% white,+ 50% red on m1 I would:


-hit "w" - setting white to 100%, all others off.
-then white down once, bringing white down to 90%
-then red up 5 times, raising red to 50% on.
-then hit m1, storing it.

Note that if in the middle I had hit "r" then red-down 5 times, it would have turned the white channel off entirely.

You effectively have 10 levels of white * 10 levels of red * 10 levels of green * 10 levels of blue = 10,000 combinations.


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## DHElder

Thanks so much for the information. Worked like a charm. :icon_smil Certainly wasn't intuitive.


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## rtfish

Think my one 38" is enough if I am going to be adding CO2 to my 40breeder or will I need more light?


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## mattinmd

rtfish said:


> Think my one 38" is enough if I am going to be adding CO2 to my 40breeder or will I need more light?


That depends on what you plan to be growing and how fast you want it to grow.

I can say that on a 40b, it is probably too much light without CO2, but is it enough light? Maybe.. 

You're looking at around 65 PAR directly under the light. That's enough for all low/medium light plants, and even many high light plants that aren't extremely demanding. A few folks have suggested that if you want the brightest red out of red plants, you'll want 80+ PAR. Some will insist life doesn't start till 100 PAR... Different strokes for different folks..

The corners of the tank are probably going to lean more towards medium light..


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## rtfish

mattinmd said:


> That depends on what you plan to be growing and how fast you want it to grow.
> 
> I can say that on a 40b, it is probably too much light without CO2, but is it enough light? Maybe..
> 
> You're looking at around 65 PAR directly under the light. That's enough for all low/medium light plants, and even many high light plants that aren't extremely demanding. A few folks have suggested that if you want the brightest red out of red plants, you'll want 80+ PAR. Some will insist life doesn't start till 100 PAR... Different strokes for different folks..
> 
> The corners of the tank are probably going to lean more towards medium light..


So if I have floaters on 80% of the tank surface as well, then add CO2, what do you think I am looking at? Much less Par? Think I should look at a second light to augment this one and just put it on a dimmer and timer?


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## mattinmd

Floaters will substantially reduce the overall light... 

Generally speaking it is really hard to get high light at the substrate if you've got a surface full of floaters... Most tanks using them are growing low light plants under the floaters. If they want high light plants, the floaters are only one small part of the tank, and the rest is open for high light plants..

Look at what is going on in the tank in this post:

http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1907090&postcount=16

They've got floaters in the back left corner, but under it there's a lot less plant density.


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## rtfish

mattinmd said:


> Floaters will substantially reduce the overall light...
> 
> Generally speaking it is really hard to get high light at the substrate if you've got a surface full of floaters... Most tanks using them are growing low light plants under the floaters. If they want high light plants, the floaters are only one small part of the tank, and the rest is open for high light plants..
> 
> Look at what is going on in the tank in this post:
> 
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1907090&postcount=16
> 
> They've got floaters in the back left corner, but under it there's a lot less plant density.


Yeah most of mine are corralled in the middle..directly over my dritwood and anubias. Really.. I think I need to have two lights.. one towards the front of the tank and one towards the back. All of my plants are mostly around the perimiter and away from dead center...


----------



## plantetra

Not Hijacking but I wanted this topic for discussion. I have 30 and a 20 finnex planted+ 24 hours for my 20 gallon. I have CO2 injection and everything is in control so far. What is your opinion about the duration of lighting? I feel that it is too long for a day and really short nights. Will this stress the fish in any way?


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## mattinmd

A lot of this depends on how bright you consider to be your threshold for "day" vs "night"... 
Taken to extremes:
If you only consider it day at max brightness, it's only day for a half hour...
If you only consider it night when it is fully off, it is never night.

Personally, I feel the "brightest part of day" is actually a bit too short... 50% or greater brightness only occurs for 6.5 hours per day. Natural sun would be closer to 8 hours a day in this region during near equatorial summer, and would be longer further towards the poles.

That said, the period between 5:30pm and 10pm for "sunset/dusk" is rather long IMO, and a bit on the bright side.

As for fish stress? Perhaps some species might be.. But some fish might be stressed by the overall brightness of this light as well. 

Natural periods of "daylight" vary considerably depending on where you live on the globe.. If you live close enough to the poles, it's daylight 24 hours a day in summer.

The summer solstice in Anchorage Alaska is a 19 hour, 20 minute sun-up day, with less than 5 hours of sun-down. And that sun-down, never gets dark enough to drop below civil twilight thresholds. 
http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/anchorage?month=6&year=2015

Honolulu Hawaii only gets 13 hours 25 minutes of sun-up day. 14.25 hours if you include dusk/dawn for all of civil twilight.
http://www.timeanddate.com/sun/usa/honolulu?month=6&year=2015

I don't think either of these extremes will stress fish much, unless they are a very sensitive species. However, that's opinion, but opinion based on the fact that fish have to deal with nature, and that requires at least some adaptability.

For my tank, my Mollies, Platies and Cories show no signs of stress, and regularly "sleep" during the "dusk" period.

edit:
I'd also say that the "conventional" way of turning the lights on and off suddenly is also prone to causing fish stress. I've personally seen fish freak out when the lights suddenly make the tank go from midnight to noon at the blink of an eye..

Thread cross-reference:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showthread.php?t=929073


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## Argus

rtfish said:


> Yeah most of mine are corralled in the middle..directly over my dritwood and anubias. Really.. I think I need to have two lights.. one towards the front of the tank and one towards the back. All of my plants are mostly around the perimiter and away from dead center...


My tanks is only 12" front to back (36x12x16) and I find two lights work well. 

I had originally purchased a Fluval Aquasky LED with the tank, thinking I could use a ramp timer with it. Didn't work with the ramp timer and I wanted to get away from the instant on/instant off. So I got a 24/7. I run the Aquasky during the peak time of the 24/7 (11:00 am-4:00 pm) so the instant on/off is not that noticeable. 

The 24/7 is near the back and the Aquasky is just front of center. The rear plants like brighter light than the front plants. This setup illuminates the tank nicely, IMO.

Bump: I'm wondering if the 24/7 was optimised to output PAS/PUR areas of the spectrum during the twighlight and moonlight phases (for optimal plant growth), and maximize PAR for fish during the daylight phase? 

"That is my theory, it is mine and belongs to me, and I own it and what it is, too." — Anne Elk


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## plantetra

Thanks Mattinmd. I just realized that day light is only for 6.5 hours a day. I am guessing that you have used Planted 24+. I have my CO2 on timer. a recent addition after the frustrating year of DIY CO2. When do you recommend turning on and turning off CO2 W.R.T to the light timing?


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## mattinmd

Of course I have used 24/7.. This thread starts with *my* review of the fixture. I've had it since early June. I'm the one who made those par-over-time charts, took the measurements, etc.. I suggest reading the "first" page button and reading the review.. there's a lot of info I've posted there.

That said, I use mine in low-tech, no CO2 injection at all. So I'm not really the best one to ask about that..

There's some discussion of it over here:
http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/910954-finnex-planted-24-7-co2.html


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## plantetra

Oh WoW!!! Ya that video with par measurements made me buy Finnex planted + 24. Thank you for the video. I did read the reviews but I didn realize that you had started this post. I liked it soo much that I bought 2 of them and both are time aligned but offset by 2 hours to actual time so that I can see the tank till i go to sleep. I wasn comfortable with normal lights on timer because when its turned on an off, the fish used to freak out so I had 2 timers to turn off one light after the other.


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## mattinmd

Glad to be of help... 

I'm also glad to hear that someone is using them in pairs.. I theorized you could sync up 2 of them without issue, but I've only got one fixture and haven't really tested that theory...


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## plantetra

mattinmd said:


> Glad to be of help...
> 
> I'm also glad to hear that someone is using them in pairs.. I theorized you could sync up 2 of them without issue, but I've only got one fixture and haven't really tested that theory...


It is very easy to sync. They both react to 1 remote. So I haven't even removed the plastic tab from my second remote. Issue is when you want to to turn one off. You will have to cover 1 IR receiver and turn off the other.


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## mattinmd

That makes sense, and is exactly what I (and others) would have expected..


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## sushantV

Everyone seems to be happy with this but I guess I made a mistake. I sold my ray2 to get a planted plus 24x7 and it's a big time downgrade. I've a 18 inch deep tank and I've started to feel that the light isn't good enough to grow demanding plants. My plants are no more peeling like they used to, with ray2.

Should not have gave in to the hype. 

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk


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## mattinmd

The 24/7 is not as bright as a ray2... I'm not sure where you would have gotten the idea it would be as bright as a Ray2, but it isn't designed to be. 

If you compared my PAR measurements against Finnex's charts... be aware that the Finnex charts are measured in air, and mine are measured in a tank with water... Since the transition between air and water bends light inward, in-water measurements are generally considerably higher than in-air. Water also absorbs light more than air does, but for relatively shallow depths of water used in most tanks(ie: 30 inches/75cm or less) the focusing tends to outweigh the extra loss by a considerable amount. 

Regardless, the Ray 2 is hands-down the brightest product in the Finnex LED lineup, with the possible exception of the 30" model, which only has 24" of lights in it. In that one case the 30" Planted+ and 30" Planted 24/7 are very comparable in brightness.

In general the Finnex lineup from lowest to highest light output falls as:

Stingray
Fugeray (original)
Planted+ and Planted 24/7 (24/7 is slightly brighter than Planted+)
Ray2 (except 24" model)

I'll add a note to the original post...


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## sushantV

mattinmd said:


> The 24/7 is not as bright as a ray2... I'm not sure where you would have gotten the idea it would be as bright as a Ray2, but it isn't designed to be.
> 
> If you compared my PAR measurements against Finnex's charts... be aware that the Finnex charts are measured in air, and mine are measured in a tank with water... Since the transition between air and water bends light inward, in-water measurements are generally considerably higher than in-air. Water also absorbs light more than air does, but for relatively shallow depths of water used in most tanks(ie: 30 inches/75cm or less) the focusing tends to outweigh the extra loss by a considerable amount.
> 
> Regardless, the Ray 2 is hands-down the brightest product in the Finnex LED lineup, with the possible exception of the 30" model, which only has 24" of lights in it. In that one case the 30" Planted+ and 30" Planted 24/7 are very comparable in brightness.
> 
> In general the Finnex lineup from lowest to highest light output falls as:
> 
> Stingray
> Fugeray (original)
> Planted+ and Planted 24/7 (24/7 is slightly brighter than Planted+)
> Ray2 (except 24" model)
> 
> I'll add a note to the original post...


Actually my tank is 30" wide and I was indeed using the Ray2 30" (essentially a 24 incher). Since the 24x7 is full 30" array (and I read that the same 7000K white LEDs were used, as are in the original Ray2), I was hoping the light to be similar at least. Its is like 70% of what Ray2 was.

And it looks so superficial. The colors somewhat look worse than they were on Ray2.

I was so confident that the 24x7 would prove to be better than Ray2 that I sold the Ray2, before 24x7 arrived. Now I am stuck :|


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## mattinmd

Is that 70% comparing the light level on "MAX" against a Ray 2? Or are you using the light in 24/7 mode and comparing growth?

The reason I ask is that 24/7 mode really doesn't run the light at peak intensity very long.. it's a lot different than the conventional approach of running the light full brightness for 7 hours a day on a lamp timer..


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## sushantV

mattinmd said:


> Is that 70% comparing the light level on "MAX" against a Ray 2? Or are you using the light in 24/7 mode and comparing growth?
> 
> The reason I ask is that 24/7 mode really doesn't run the light at peak intensity very long.. it's a lot different than the conventional approach of running the light full brightness for 7 hours a day on a lamp timer..


Yes I made the comparison at max.


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## mattinmd

sushantV said:


> Yes I made the comparison at max.


Interesting.. I'd not have expected that.. Heck, I don't think I'd have expected it to be quite as low as 70% even if you were comparing "normal" models like a 24" vs 24"...


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## sushantV

mattinmd said:


> Interesting.. I'd not have expected that.. Heck, I don't think I'd have expected it to be quite as low as 70% even if you were comparing "normal" models like a 24" vs 24"...


Would want to admit that I don't have specific set of tools to critically measure the dip but having spent a lot of time (like a year) with my Ray2, I threw out a fair guess. 70% might be little exaggeration but I won't take it beyond 80% in any case. Can bet my life on that.


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## mattinmd

Be a little careful using your eyes to measure brightness... your eyes *WILL* lie to you about how bright things are.

In particular your eyes are not very sensitive to red and blue light, and are outrageously sensitive to green light. If I showed you a green (~550nm) and blue light (~450nm) that are actually the same brightness (same photon density), you'd say the blue one was only 10% as bright. 

I don't think this effect will matter too much when comparing a Ray2 vs a 24/7 on MAX, but just be aware your eyes don't tell the truth about such things.

Eyes are positively evil little things that do lots of strange things with light... They tell us we see violet when there's red and blue light together... there's no violet there, it just looks violet because your eye responds the same. You simply can't tell the difference between single wavelength violet light and mixed-wavelength red+blue light (if mixed correctly).


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## sushantV

Let me give some time to the tank to see how the light behaves and what it does to my plants. 

In the meantime, can somebody tell me the correct procedure to setup the 24x7 mode? Something isn't working right for me. I pressed 24x7, selected the nearest time button (6AM), pressed 24x7 again to confirm. Yet I see no lights changing. It's already close to 9AM here and my lights still correspond to 6AM. 

Is the change gradual or suddenly it'd change to 9AM settings? 

Also I reconfigured my CO2 dosing schedule. 1bps, from 9AM to 3PM.

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk


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## mattinmd

That procedure is the correct one to get it into 24/7 mode.. That said, it can sometimes be hard to tell if it is cycling or not. It is important to make sure the light blinks after you press the last "24/7" to make sure it actually registered the command. If it missed that it will just sit at 6am..

The difference between 9am and 6am is pretty subtle color wise, and while it is about 3 times brighter, unless you see them in close time proximity it is really hard to tell one from the other. It doesn't really loose its pink hue until 10am or so...


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## rtfish

Also, if it is in 24/7 mode, touching another 24/7 time slot on the remote will not change the light. If you select 6AM and think you are in 24/7 mode, then try and select 3AM. If the light doesn't change, you are fine. Also works the other way. If in 24/7 mode, you can hit MAX and it will do MAX. To get it back in 24/7 mode, you have to hit the 24/7 mode twice, so two times the light should blink. One to go from MAX to 24/7 program mode, and then again when select 24/7 again and you lock in the 24/7 mode it will blink again.


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## sushantV

Alright got it. I wish they had these instructions laid out rather well jn the manual. I just don't get what the fixture does. I just randomly press buttons and hope that it'd somehow work. The instructions you gave do help a lot. Appreciate that. 

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk


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## micca

sushantV said:


> Alright got it. I wish they had these instructions laid out rather well jn the manual. I just don't get what the fixture does. I just randomly press buttons and hope that it'd somehow work. The instructions you gave do help a lot. Appreciate that.



http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/1...ction-manual-troubleshooting.html#post7957089


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## plantetra

About 24/7 mode, I had this issue more than once. Sometimes you click 24/7, then the time and when you do this click on different times to make sure that it is responding. Then hit 24/7 button again. What happens to me is that, its a 3 button cycle so I hit 2 and everything works but next time when I hit 24/7 after maybe few days, it still consider that click as confirmation from few days ago.


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## jingmeixin

great review!


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## sushantV

After trying the 24x7, I've moved back to Max setting on timer. The cycle is good but doesn't look like it's tuned well. I'd expect the lights to dim after 8 or 9PM which typically happens after 3AM. Also the max intensity period is probably too small. With Ray2 I had a lot of pearling. Never saw that with the 24x7 (all other parameters being the same). 

If I had an option, I'd have chosen to stay with Ray2. This one is just flashy, the real thing is the ray2.

Sent from my SM-N910G using Tapatalk


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## AboveBeyond

mattinmd said:


> *Output levels*
> So, one of the first things I did with the fixture was to put it on a stand, stick a par meter under it just close enough to make "max" register as 100 PAR (7.5"). I specifically chose 100, as it should allow anyone to treat these readigns as a percentage, and use that to scale numbers meaured for "MAX" mode at any given depth.


So if I understand correctly, if the 100 PAR test was at 7.5" and the height of my tank to the light is doubled at 15", my maximum PAR would be cut in half to 50 PAR?

I have the light on a 50 gallon tank (36Lx18Dx19H) and trying to figure out if I can use it as a lowtech tank (no CO2, heavily planted, weekly lowlight EI fert). If the max is 50 PAR, I should be okay?


Really helpful review by the way. :smile2:


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## mattinmd

AboveBeyond said:


> So if I understand correctly, if the 100 PAR test was at 7.5" and the height of my tank to the light is doubled at 15", my maximum PAR would be cut in half to 50 PAR?


No.. PAR does not drop linearly with distance, it's complicated and better measured than extrapolated.

Fundamentally PAR is the number of photons per amount of surface area, per second... Increasing the distance increases the amount of surface you are shining on, but how much the area increases depends on the light angle of the fixture.. 

Also, the 7.5" test is done in-air.. when you put a fixture over a tank, you now have an air-water boundary that bends and focuses the light into a narrower beam, increasing PAR.

The 7.5" PAR curves should really ONLY be used to get an idea of what relative percentage of "max" the fixture is putting out at any given hour of the day. They should not be used for trying to figure out what PAR you have in xyz tank..



AboveBeyond said:


> I have the light on a 50 gallon tank (36Lx18Dx19H) and trying to figure out if I can use it as a lowtech tank (no CO2, heavily planted, weekly lowlight EI fert).


If you look right below my par-graph, there's also a depth-chart that measures PAR in water at various depths, with the fixture on MAX.

I measured 48 PAR at 18".. So your 19" tank, give a bit for fixture height, take a bit for substrate, should be around there, at least when the fixture is running full bore. 

If you are using 24/7 mode, you should be able to take numbers off the par-over-time graph and use them as percentages of the 48.. so at 12:30pm, the fixture is at 90% of max, and you'd be at 43.2 at that time.. 17:00 is 50%, so you'd be at 24 PAR at that time, etc.



AboveBeyond said:


> If the max is 50 PAR, I should be okay?


If 50 is your max, you should be OK.. that said, 50 strikes me as really high for a low-tech tank... YMMV, but I struggle with algae above 35-ish PAR, even with excel supplementation and a bounty of snails.


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## redavalanche

Has anyone used a dimmer in line with power supply while in 24/7 mode?


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## mattinmd

That will definitely not work. You'd be cutting power to the 24/7's controller too.

Besides, stacking pwm dimmers generally doesn't work. They work by flicking the power on and off super fast, and changing the amount of "on" time in each flicker. The first on flicking the power off generally messes with the second unless it has sufficient capacitors to keep it powered.


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## prostudent4life

rtfish said:


> Also, if it is in 24/7 mode, touching another 24/7 time slot on the remote will not change the light. If you select 6AM and think you are in 24/7 mode, then try and select 3AM. If the light doesn't change, you are fine. Also works the other way. If in 24/7 mode, you can hit MAX and it will do MAX. To get it back in 24/7 mode, you have to hit the 24/7 mode twice, so two times the light should blink. One to go from MAX to 24/7 program mode, and then again when select 24/7 again and you lock in the 24/7 mode it will blink again.


Thanks! This was helpful to me. One question though...If I go from 24/7 mode to max, and back to 24/7 mode, will the light keep its time schedule? I set the mode a couple hours behind to preserve some viewing time under normal light when I return home from work. It can be a pain to remember to appropriately set the 24/7 time again if I've messed with it somehow.


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## mattinmd

Going to 24/7 mode inherently requires you to pick a time to start from.


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## Capecrusher

prostudent4life said:


> Thanks! This was helpful to me. One question though...If I go from 24/7 mode to max, and back to 24/7 mode, will the light keep its time schedule? I set the mode a couple hours behind to preserve some viewing time under normal light when I return home from work. It can be a pain to remember to appropriately set the 24/7 time again if I've messed with it somehow.


Yep! It will return to 24/7 mode in progress.


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## behemoth

Does anyones 24/7 put out a hum when on? It's similar to a 60hz hum and comes from both ends of the unit. However, it goes away if the light is put onto max. Not sure if I should be concerned. The light is brand new and I would rather return it while I still can. Thanks


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## mattinmd

I haven't noticed it on mine, but I have loud HOB filters going. That said, it is somewhat common for pwm dimmers to make a little noise, particularly at the low end of the light levels.


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## rtfish

Hey matt... If I wanted to amp up to high light with a second fixture to augment the 24/7 and use this second one as a timer only and high light time only... You have a recomendation?


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## AboveBeyond

Thanks Matt! I'm going to have to find a way to reduce the light. My options are:

1. Turn off 24/7 mode and do 50-60% dimmed light with timer for 6-8hours

2. Keep 24/7 mode and buy window screen to put on top of glass cover. I may need to play around to see how many layers I need to get 50-60% of the max light. A downside is that morning/night mode will be much darker because of the screen. :frown2:

3. Keep 24/7 and find a way to elevate/hang my lights to reduce it to 50-60%. 

4. I'm not sure about this one, but keep 24/7 and buy floater plants? A benefit of this is that I have more plants to consume the nitrate.


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## whonc

I'm rebuilding the tank of my father an all glass with an height of 30 inch from the light to the substrate. The tank is 80 inch long and I'm planing to use 3 of this lights. This is going to be a low tech tank and I'm wondering if the light on the substrate will be in the low to medium range?


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## Littlebirdy5

I have 2-planted +24/7 on my 72" long 30 inch high tank with about 3" inches of substrate, and I definitely would say I'm in the low to medium range. All my plants are doing great


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## sushantV

Moved to current usa satellite plus pro for couple of reasons: It's built better and is water proof. Also it's less gimmicky than the Finnex was. Sure the flashy modes (storm) are there but lot better tuned. Instead of having ever changing cycle in finnex, this one comes with logical high light (sunlight) and low light (moonlight) cycle. Both are adjustable and there is a gradual migration from one to another. Additionally there is a digital read out that enhances the usability. The light also is more intense than it was on the Finnex 24x7. Could be very close to the Ray2 I owned earlier (best light fixture, I ever owned). Also the shimmer effect is much more evident. I am using it on a 30 inch tank but the LEDs are spread only on the 24 inch central zone. The fixture is horizontally extendable and can be used for tanks upto 35 inches. Needless to say, tank's extreme ends get lesser light. Also it kind of sits too close to the water surface and there is no way to adjust the heifmght vertically. The Finnex used to sit like a couple of inches above the tank's level and was thus better structured. Sat pro is little expensive as well but I am pretty satisfied so far with the light. Definitely a step up from the planted plus 24x7 but not much. I would prefer to have ray2 with a built in timer. That'd be best of both worlds.


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## agro

sushantV said:


> Moved to current usa satellite plus pro for couple of reasons: It's built better and is water proof. Also it's less gimmicky than the Finnex was. Sure the flashy modes (storm) are there but lot better tuned. Instead of having ever changing cycle in finnex, this one comes with logical high light (sunlight) and low light (moonlight) cycle. Both are adjustable and there is a gradual migration from one to another. Additionally there is a digital read out that enhances the usability. The light also is more intense than it was on the Finnex 24x7. Could be very close to the Ray2 I owned earlier (best light fixture, I ever owned). Also the shimmer effect is much more evident. I am using it on a 30 inch tank but the LEDs are spread only on the 24 inch central zone. The fixture is horizontally extendable and can be used for tanks upto 35 inches. Needless to say, tank's extreme ends get lesser light. Also it kind of sits too close to the water surface and there is no way to adjust the heifmght vertically. The Finnex used to sit like a couple of inches above the tank's level and was thus better structured. Sat pro is little expensive as well but I am pretty satisfied so far with the light. Definitely a step up from the planted plus 24x7 but not much. I would prefer to have ray2 with a built in timer. That'd be best of both worlds.



There will eventually be a finnex fixture that meets your needs.


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## jeffkrol

sushantV said:


> Moved to current usa satellite plus pro for couple of reasons: It's built better and is water proof. Also it's less gimmicky than the Finnex was. Sure the flashy modes (storm) are there but lot better tuned. Instead of having ever changing cycle in finnex, this one comes with logical high light (sunlight) and low light (moonlight) cycle. Both are adjustable and there is a gradual migration from one to another. Additionally there is a digital read out that enhances the usability. The light also is more intense than it was on the Finnex 24x7. Could be very close to the Ray2 I owned earlier (best light fixture, I ever owned). Also the shimmer effect is much more evident. I am using it on a 30 inch tank but the LEDs are spread only on the 24 inch central zone. The fixture is horizontally extendable and can be used for tanks upto 35 inches. Needless to say, tank's extreme ends get lesser light. Also it kind of sits too close to the water surface and there is no way to adjust the heifmght vertically. The Finnex used to sit like a couple of inches above the tank's level and was thus better structured. Sat pro is little expensive as well but I am pretty satisfied so far with the light. Definitely a step up from the planted plus 24x7 but not much. I would prefer to have ray2 with a built in timer. That'd be best of both worlds.


you can hack this in to the RayII's w/ separate power supplies and control 5 of them if they don't exceed 4A per light.
at more than one you would need a beefier power supply though..









none of these exceed 4A:









finally may have found out why they seem more effective than many other "strip type" LEDs.. 3014 have an effective output angle of 90 degrees..different than the 120 usually found on the others..
http://www.osonled.com/2835-vs-3014-vs-3528/


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## BobbysAquaria

Awesome Review! I purchased the 24/7 about 3 months ago and I just love it! Seems to be doing great on my newly planted 40 gallon tank.


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## mysticalnet

My light arrived! 



























Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


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## Oana

Hello,

I've been reading this topic (and others) with the intention of buying a 24/7 Finnex lamp. I currently own a 60 liters (I think that would be 15 gallons) planted tank with 2x24 watts T5 aquarium dedicated lamps (giesemann tropica/superflora), pressurized CO2 (kept to 1-2 bubbles per second) and EI fertilizing. I'm thinking of getting a bigger one - 180l (45-50 gallons) tank, since my guppies multiplied and I also have a pair of growing ancistrus that I got to love. The Finnex daylight cycle mode really attracted me, as the tank is in my office and I get to see it a lot, but it's only lit 8 hours per day. The other gimmicks - remote control, storm effects - are of no use to me. 

I'd like to know - from those that used it - if it will be enough for growing plants. I'm thinking of getting the 36 inches one, as that will be the length of my tank. My plants are generally not the demanding kind, except perhaps the lawn - I have marsilea. I've seen somebody claiming they needed 2 of these to not have plants melting - which kinda worries me. I'd also like to add that I'd be ordering it from Europe, so transportation and taxes would add about 50% to the price and return is probably not an option.


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## mysticalnet

Oana said:


> Hello,
> 
> I've been reading this topic (and others) with the intention of buying a 24/7 Finnex lamp. I currently own a 60 liters (I think that would be 15 gallons) planted tank with 2x24 watts T5 aquarium dedicated lamps (giesemann tropica/superflora), pressurized CO2 (kept to 1-2 bubbles per second) and EI fertilizing. I'm thinking of getting a bigger one - 180l (45-50 gallons) tank, since my guppies multiplied and I also have a pair of growing ancistrus that I got to love. The Finnex daylight cycle mode really attracted me, as the tank is in my office and I get to see it a lot, but it's only lit 8 hours per day. The other gimmicks - remote control, storm effects - are of no use to me.
> 
> I'd like to know - from those that used it - if it will be enough for growing plants. I'm thinking of getting the 36 inches one, as that will be the length of my tank. My plants are generally not the demanding kind, except perhaps the lawn - I have marsilea. I've seen somebody claiming they needed 2 of these to not have plants melting - which kinda worries me. I'd also like to add that I'd be ordering it from Europe, so transportation and taxes would add about 50% to the price and return is probably not an option.


Amazon.com 's shipping is very reasonable and shouldn't be too bad, maybe check the site out. The planted+ 24/7 is slighlty weaker than the ray2, but still very strong so you should be fine. See my tank that is also 60L but only 2 feet long with ray2 below, I guess your tank is a 60L long that is only 12 inches tall? 



















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## Aparker2005

I'm planning on getting 2 36s for my 125g soon. Will this be enough for Java Fern, Amazon Sword, and water sprite? Have the regular Planted plus now and our sword isn't doing that great. 

Don't want an extreme algae burst either. We wanted the automatic cycle for our Discus. Less stress of automatic on/off quick lighting. 

Sent from my SM-N910V using Tapatalk


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## Oana

@mysticalnet - my 60l is @18 inches tall. I would be getting the Finnex lamp for the new 45 gallons tank, which will also be 18 inches tall, 36 inches long. I would idd get it from Amazon.com. I checked the Finnex Ray2, following this topic, but that model is not shipped to Europe, so it's pretty impossible for me to get - was surprised to see they ship the 24/7 (transportation and taxes are @60 dollars). Your tank looks lovely - I also have a red tiger lotus  - and I'm glad to finally see somebody with a lawn using LED lights. Would you say the difference between the Ray2 and the 24/7 is a deal breaker for plants?


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## mysticalnet

@Oana - you have a pretty tall 60L! My 60L is only 14" tall. Thank you for your kind comments, I'm glad you like it.  

Shipping for $60?! Wow! Hmmm... how much is that compared to you getting LEDs in your country? If it is so cheaper then I guess it is worth while. 

I wouldn't say that the 24/7 is a deal breaker comparing to ray2. I got the 24/7 for my new tank which I'm beginning to set up after reading many reviews of the 24/7. Although it is not as strong as ray 2, it should be strong enough. It was after careful consideration before I bought the 24/7. 

Heh yes the red tiger lotus is nice. How does your tanks look like? 

Here's a link on YouTube about the 24/7 PAR readings that you can check out, might help you decide:

Finnex Planted Plus + 24/7 PAR Ratings: http://youtu.be/UJsYweqNtig


----------



## Oana

I tried to look for LED solutions in Europe, but in all honesty, what I found was a fair bit higher priced that Finnex lamps (even with the transportation costs). Asked around, but got no answer. Everybody I know to use LED here has them crafted by local hobby-ists, and I'm not sure what kind of LEDs they use, and I'd like something actually designed for planted tanks. 

Here is my rather overgrown tank (and certainly not as pretty as yours): Imgur: The most awesome images on the Internet. I decided to give away some of the plants after I found my fish gasping in the morning (CO2 is stopped at night but reckon the plant mass is a bit high and the guppies made lots of babies :S) so now it's a little lighter (pulled out a huge echinodorus and all valisnerias from the back). Floating plants are the bane of my lights, I have to throw away a bucket of water lettuces every week. 

Thank you for the link, I had already seen it. My concern was both for the light intensity (not very used to PAR so not sure if the 45 pars I read about would be enough for carpet plants) and the LED aspect - as they are said to be more tricky with wavelength. Seeing your tank quite convinced me nice plants can indeed be grown with LED (the "old hobby-ists" here tried to convince me fluorescent is the only way to go for planted). I'll be ordering the Finnex lamp - and hope to set up the new tank for Christmas!


----------



## jeffkrol

for most carpet plants you only need high light if CO2 is limited.. most are fine under moderate light w/ good CO2 getting to them. 
circulation is a bit critical though then..

something you may want to look into. I've had literally hundreds of guppies in a 40 breeder and quite overgrown and never seen them gasping, though as surface feeders they do like to stay high..

you know w/ some help here you can tell a builder what you want and go from there..

Also consider DSunY direct from China..
I would bet your locals get a lot of their "stock LED's" from China direct..


----------



## mysticalnet

@Oana - exciting! Good luck with your new tank and set up! 

Sent from my GT-N7105 using Tapatalk


----------



## Oana

I keep my CO2 pretty low out of fearing of gasing the fish. I like plants, but not at the cost of fish lives. It's on a timer, starts one hour before lights go on and stops one hour before lights go out. Light program is 4 hours, one hour break, then 4 more hours. I have the occasional clado right under the tubes, but I'm not really mental about algae, I remove manually what I can, guppies seem to like eating it.

Offtopic: I'm probably around a hundred various sized guppies in a 15 gallon tank - sure they range from 1 mm to adults, but they are growing. I've donated when I could find people to want them, but not many want guppies, as they are very common. Right now, I'm waiting for some of them to reach adult size and I'll try take them to a petshop. Other than guppies I also have neeon tetras (8 of them), corries (4) and ancistrus (2) - so I really want to upgrade the tank. I first bought 5 neeons - as I always wanted some, and I only had 3 guppies then, but they became aggressive to each other and I was told they need a bigger group - so they became 8, and they seem to not be aggressive anymore. The corries were really small, got told they will stay that way...they didn't, but I really love them (they have been laying eggs for a month now, the other fish are probably high on omelets  ). I started with 3 guppies, they multiplied exponentially. Bottom line, the tank is way overstocked. Now, guppies would just stroll around the surface, the gasping I've seen on neeons. The new tank will have a better filtration system too (currently on internal). The corries and the ancistrus never seemed to have a care in the world, all I've seen is them going for a gulp of air occasionally, and then they retreat in their jungle.

Back on topic: On the China LEDs, yes, I suspect the locals stock from there, and well...I don't know much about chinese stuff, other that it generally breaks a lot. The price on the Finnex lamp is affordable enough, compared to the 300+ euros I've seen on stuff around here. If there's some tried Chinese lamps, I'm not refusing a better deal, but the stuff I looked at seemed more fit in a disco ). Even tried looking at grow-lamps, though I assume there's a reason I've never seen one used in a tank.


----------



## dukydaf

Servus @Oana,

not trying to derail the thread, but maybe other Europeans will see this. I was also interested in LEDs for my aquarium. I now have and ADA AQUASKY on my nano and like the white balance and power efficiency. Another good company that operates in Europe is daytime® ? eine Marke der WALTRON GmbH | made in Germany . It has customizable configuration and can be cheap or expensive depending on the options.

If you want ready made units Eheim also offers some interesting LED lamps but can be pricey for what is offered. Dennerle has the Scapers LED. Look around online shops in other countries UK, DE, FR, IT for example.
Wish you all the luck.

PS. US taxes on everything to Europe are very high and usually come on top of shipping.


----------



## jeffkrol

I had the same problem.. Gave away probably a few 1000 guppies by now. I had to switch to a more "natural" form of population control. 
A bit morbid but it is working. 
now at least I can separate them into another tank as I need to.

Our local Petco would take them and "theoretically" all the profits went to our local humane society.. theoretically..










Bump: do a search here on DSunY. They will customize them for you. If you want just strict whites .
Be aware that LED's are pretty low in Cyan so I always recommend adding them. 
Hits carotinoid absorption band and differentiates greens..

On a local level, it will be easier to repair the DSunY than a Finnex, "if" needed..

http://getaquariumfish.com/dsuny-led-reef-lighting-review-do-sun-yourself/


----------



## Oana

@Dukyduf, Ada stuff is a bit too pricey for me. Seeing a 60 cm lamp from them is in the range of 500 dollars, a 90-100 cm one would get pretty expensive. I could change decent fluorescent with those money for a while ).
I looked on the other site, bit difficult with german (hooray for google translate). Can't see any range of prices, I'll see if I can get them to send me some sort of offer. I'm traveling to UK in a week, so going to check things there too.

@jeffkrol - cruel, but that's how life goes. Wish there was birth control for them. Asked once, got replied: "sure, just keep one gender in the tank".
Checking the link - and yes, repairing it is a concern.


----------



## jeffkrol

Oana said:


> Asked once, got replied: "sure, just keep one gender in the tank".
> Checking the link - and yes, repairing it is a concern.


Yes you and I know "good luck w/ that" in a heavily planted tank.. 

PR blurb..
http://www.dsuny.com.cn/


----------



## Oana

jeffkrol said:


> Yes you and I know "good luck w/ that" in a heavily planted tank..
> 
> PR blurb..
> Shenzhen DSunY Electronic Science And Technology Co., Limited - LED Aquarium Light,LED Grow Light


I can only guess how many they are at the moment, I just know I took 5 out of the main tank for treatment at some point, 1 died, 4 survived and came back home with 40 babies. Strangely enough, babies are not interested in the food I feed, and I only see them pecking at plants. 

I got to the same page myself, and really confused: 90cm/36inch/90W led grow light for frsh water fish and plant 90 degree optics lenses specific color for plant, View led grow light for frsh water fish and plant, DSunY Product Details from Shenzhen DSunY Electronic Science And Technology Co., Limited - seems to be the right size for my tank. The LED combo they list somewhere down looks really nice (correct reds, nice ratio of blues, high whites), 90 watts sounds more convincing than the 30-something finnex sports (unless I'm not understanding something right), and the controller seems more ..controllable - not that I'm very fussy about that, as long as I get a nice 8 hour light period. Cost wise it would be a bit more expensive than the Finnex, but if it's a good product, I don't mind.


----------



## s_s

I'm thinking about hanging one of these above a blackwater 40B riparium. With the idea being I'd like to be able to grow my emergent plants, while sending dappled light down into the tank. 

So how much does this light spread? If I'm hanging 2 feet above the tank (aka 40" above the tank bottom, would a 30" fixture throw light way outside my 36" tank?


----------



## jeffkrol

s_s said:


> I'm thinking about hanging one of these above a blackwater 40B riparium. With the idea being I'd like to be able to grow my emergent plants, while sending dappled light down into the tank.
> 
> So how much does this light spread? If I'm hanging 2 feet above the tank (aka 40" above the tank bottom, would a 30" fixture throw light way outside my 36" tank?


Optics are 120, 90, or 60 degrees..

Using trig and just ballparking from the center, 40" above the tank will spread 80" at the tank floor..
At 60 degrees, 46"............

for l/r just take one and add the distance between left and right LED,,,
76" for 60 degree 30" light..


so 76x46 ellipse.. Mose light will be in a shorter area as light falloff at the ellipse perimeter is pretty large.

note that colors might not blend well till 6" below the light..hard to say though.,

Best bet would be to make sure all "colors" are on the inside 2 rows.. All whites on the outside 2 rows..
will screw up the "programming" on special features I suspect..


----------



## Oana

jeffkrol said:


> Yes you and I know "good luck w/ that" in a heavily planted tank..
> 
> PR blurb..
> Shenzhen DSunY Electronic Science And Technology Co., Limited - LED Aquarium Light,LED Grow Light


I sent a price inquiry last night about the 36 inches lamp from DSuny, they sent a 250 bucks offer back without taxes, and without mounting devices. I like the LED composition a lot, but they pretend a 300 PAR value at 60 cm, which sounds huge for me. Sure I could dim it, but feels a bit pointless to pay double for something I'd use at 25% of its power, if the 300 PAR value is really true.

For now, it seems the Finnex lamp is still looking like the best option for me.


----------



## jeffkrol

Oana said:


> I sent a price inquiry last night about the 36 inches lamp from DSuny, they sent a 250 bucks offer back without taxes, and without mounting devices. I like the LED composition a lot, but they pretend a 300 PAR value at 60 cm, which sounds huge for me. Sure I could dim it, but feels a bit pointless to pay double for something I'd use at 25% of its power, if the 300 PAR value is really true.
> 
> For now, it seems the Finnex lamp is still looking like the best option for me.


Is that the WiFi version. the non-wifi is only $189.99 sold "someplace else"
*



DSunY 4Channel Dimmable 90W Freshwater LED Aquarium Light Programmable 36" Light

Click to expand...

*Anyways at that low of power usage it should last forever..  

Either way should work..


----------



## Oana

jeffkrol said:


> Is that the WiFi version. the non-wifi is only $189.99 sold "someplace else"
> Anyways at that low of power usage it should last forever..
> 
> Either way should work..


Didn't ask for wifi, so it shouldn't be, as I really have no interest in it. I'm planning a set it and forget kind of thing. Any indication towards this "someplace else?" 

I even looked at their nano solutions, as 2 of them might work, though I'd have to give up the whole day cycle program thing. In the end, main things I'm interested in is PAR and wavelength, the programmable thing would be a bonus: Dsuny Perfect For Nano Tank Nano Led Aquarium Lighting For Aquarium Marine 25 Watt Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit - Buy Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit,Marine 25 Watt Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit,25 Watt Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit Product on Alibaba , and thinking of asking if one of those controllers can be fit for those.


----------



## jeffkrol

Oana said:


> Didn't ask for wifi, so it shouldn't be, as I really have no interest in it. I'm planning a set it and forget kind of thing. Any indication towards this "someplace else?"
> 
> I even looked at their nano solutions, as 2 of them might work, though I'd have to give up the whole day cycle program thing. In the end, main things I'm interested in is PAR and wavelength, the programmable thing would be a bonus: Dsuny Perfect For Nano Tank Nano Led Aquarium Lighting For Aquarium Marine 25 Watt Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit - Buy Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit,Marine 25 Watt Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit,25 Watt Diy Led Aquarium Lighting Kit Product on Alibaba , and thinking of asking if one of those controllers can be fit for those.


rhymes w/ free day.. 

331656535562

USA search using number above


----------



## Curt_914

So it has been 6 months, how is this fixture doing? 

I am in the process of searching for an led fixture for my 20 gallon high tank an dthe 24" version of this light is very intreaguing. I am currently between doing this lamp or the Current Sat+ pro. The sat + has some other features and claims to be brighter, and has a 1 year warrenty but is $100 more then th finnex.

I am at a stale mate as to what to chose as I am hopeing for a couple long term reviews of this light before I buy 

Curt


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## cromusz

Can anyone tell me the PAR using this light on a 60g. The tank is 24" tall, but 2-3" of that will be taken up with substrate.


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## mattinmd

I got 45 PAR on max at 20", with an inch or two of that being airspace. (20.9" tank, minus 2-3" of substrate, plus height of light above tank yielded 20" from face of the light to the substrate).

Your 24" tank would be less than that... if I had to guess I'd say somewhere in the 40-35 range, but that's guesswork on my part.

Also, be aware that if you use 24/7 mode, this light isn't at its max brightness very long, so it's not like plopping a 40-35 PAR light on the tank and setting that to be on 7 hours a day.


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## cromusz

Thank you for the info. I'm looking at running low tech. Since the ~40-35 PAR is isolated to a shorter period, it should still fit in the parameters of low tech. I'm hoping that I won't be creating too much of an algea habitat without doing pressurized co2.


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## Daplantkilla

I would using 2 fixtures on a tall tank double par readings? How would that work? I have a 56 column and am using 2 units. Think I have enough light? It's about 24 iinces I would say to the substrate. At least. That's why I got 2.


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## c9bug

Quick question about the 24/7 mode. Is it possible to run it with a timer and have it stay on schedule?


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## Dropline

c9bug said:


> Quick question about the 24/7 mode. Is it possible to run it with a timer and have it stay on schedule?


As long as the timer starts at 6am, I am pretty sure it resets to 6am when power is cut.

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


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## crawdads57

Can anyone tell me if the Finnex 24/7 will work with a Current USA Single Ramp Timer < Robot Check > ? I was thinking to either use it for a siesta in the early afternoon of the 24/7 program, or to use it for a regular ramp up / down with a custom setting. I'm building a low-tech, shallow tank with a sump and this look like a good solution for my lighting. Thanks in advance.


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## crawdads57

Maybe I should ask if there's a reason not to do this in case its a bad idea - or can anyone tell me if the Finnex 24/7 will work with a Current USA Single Ramp Timer? Thanks in advance.


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## Freemananana

I don't think it will work.


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## mattinmd

I would be floored if it worked without modification to the fixture. 

Keep in mind that the 24/7 has an onboard processor that handles its own dimming. The ramp timer's ramping would be throttling power not just to the light, but also that processor. Brownout resets are likely to ensue, resulting in flickers. 

If they have enough capacitance onboard to smooth it out, it may work, but I'd be surprised.


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## crawdads57

Thank you - so it sounds like I either have to run 24/7 or have a hard on/off with a regular timer with this light. If anyone knows how to accomplish a ramp on this light, I would love to know.


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## scott36854

what is the preferred time to have co2 come on and off with the 24/7 mode. i read it some where, now i cant find it.


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## relaxedcrazyman

scott36854 said:


> what is the preferred time to have co2 come on and off with the 24/7 mode. i read it some where, now i cant find it.


i also have this same question. :nerd:

Correction: also, how do you feel about the finnex fugeray planted+ vs the planted+ 24/7?

I had the fugeray planted+ and just got the 24/7, i feel like the fugeray planted+ is brighter overall than the 24/7 (subjectively)


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## mysticalnet

relaxedcrazyman said:


> i also have this same question. :nerd:
> 
> also, how do you feel about the finnex planted+ vs the planted+ 24/7?
> 
> I had the planted+ and just got the 24/7, i feel like the planted+ is brighter overall than the 24/7 (subjectively)


I imagine you would want CO2 on when it's on the high light setting during the 24/7 cycle, e.g 10am to 5pm. In that way you'll have 7 hours of good growth, yet not algae promoting with varying degrees of high light but no CO2. 

Sent from my SM-N910W8 using Tapatalk


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## wintu

anybody know if i loose the settings by shutting it off at night by the timer and also how easy is to hang this light i might need to hang it higher over my 60p
thanks


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## mattinmd

It keeps its settings, although 24/7 mode will loose its sense of time of day. But if you just have it on "memory 1, 50% white" it will remember


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## brig21

Great review. I just installed one on a new 75g tank I am setting up. 
If you have two of these running will the remote signal get confused between the two fixtures? Will one remote control both fixtures simultaneous (ideal situation)?

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk


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## mattinmd

I haven't tried, but others have reported one remote will do both if you put the sensors near each other...


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## ken123

Hi guys-

How many folks are just using the 24 hour and leaving it go? 

And if so, how is it going? Plants, algae, etc.????

On my other two set-up's I just have good old fashion T5s on a timer on/off on/off....


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## alcimedes

ken123 said:


> Hi guys-
> 
> How many folks are just using the 24 hour and leaving it go?
> 
> And if so, how is it going? Plants, algae, etc.????
> 
> On my other two set-up's I just have good old fashion T5s on a timer on/off on/off....


I have a 30g tank with Endlers in it, some anubius, swords and cabomba. Granted not very hard plants to grow, but they're going like crazy in the tank, and look very, very healthy. I'm trimming the cabomba back every week at least.


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## ken123

So you just set it and let it do it's thing? Cool. Mine is over a 29g and my anubius, swords do look good and growing. Maybe I should hide the remote from my wife...she likes to turn it up turn it down turn it blue blah blah blah which is fine, as all is well. Just wonder if it would be even better with it just doing the 27/7 thing.


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## alcimedes

I've just left it absolutely alone, and the plants and fish are thriving.


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## roostertech

I leave mine permanent on 24/7 mode


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## mattinmd

I am still running in 24/7 mode, with a dimmer hacked planted+ on 50% improving the brightness up front 8 hrs a day. 

About 3 months ago I stopped dosing co2 booster (excel alternative) and there are 2-3 dime sized algae spots on my glass now. Never had algae with the co2 booster. 

Been using the 24/7 since I got it and wrote the review that started this thread.


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## [email protected]

Running 24/7 on a 40b. Good plant growth. A little algae at times, which I suspect is more related to the use of DIY CO2 that the light fixture.


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## brig21

I was running 24/7 without issue. I'm currently trying to grow a carpet so I've been running Max during the day. I have a second light on order and will probably run both on 24/7 again. 

Sent from my MotoE2(4G-LTE) using Tapatalk


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## Seetide

Nice review!


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## Roarke

If I don't want to use the 24/7 mode, and just have it on a timer, is that possible? I was told if you set it to 3pm mode and unplug it and then replug it in it will not be in 3pm mode anymore.


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## mattinmd

Well, 3pm mode is part of 24/7 mode. It's just starting it at 3pm. 

In theory you can hit 24/7 then 3pm, without hitting 24/7 again to start it and it will stay at 3pm until power loss. However this isn't 3pm mode, this is "I started to set up 24/7 mode and never finished". This lends some truth to the question, but it really boils down to there being no such thing as 3pm mode...


However you can set up any light level you want, and store it in one of the memory buttons. Put it in that mode and it will remember it between power failures. 

Please read my review that is the first post of this thread, all of this and more is covered...


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## Aparker2005

Hey guys I'm wondering if for a 72", 24" tall 125g, 2 30" 24/7s on 24/7 cycle, along with 1 48" regular planted+ on a timer would be too much light without c02? 

I plan to stay low tech but my plants aren't seeming to get enough light with just the 2 24/7s. My wife and I love all of the different colors also so we'd like to keep them. Thanks


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## jimmyjam

Man this is a good thread. I guess my question would be for those with high light high co2, dosing EI or similar . I have been a t5ho advocate for years, and I would like to experiment with some LED on my 75 gallon high tech setup. I like the gimmicks of the 24/7 but Also require very intense lighting, with plant growth outweighing everything. Do you guys think one 48 inch 24/7 and one ray 2 will do the trick? Keep in mind, this will be a dutch style setup with heavy planting including hc as carpet. Thanks in advance guys, keep up the great work!


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## jeffkrol

jimmyjam said:


> Man this is a good thread. I guess my question would be for those with high light high co2, dosing EI or similar . I have been a t5ho advocate for years, and I would like to experiment with some LED on my 75 gallon high tech setup. I like the gimmicks of the 24/7 but Also require very intense lighting, with plant growth outweighing everything. Do you guys think one 48 inch 24/7 and one ray 2 will do the trick? Keep in mind, this will be a dutch style setup with heavy planting including hc as carpet. Thanks in advance guys, keep up the great work!


finnex 24/7 PAR est. 
20" - 45 40
RayII PAR:


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## dfucinari

I've been trying to decide between one of these and the Finnex Ray2. I don't really care about the 24/7 mode or any of the programmable modes, I would probably just leave it on max for the plant growth. This being said would I be better off going with the Ray2 for more light or is there something special about the 24/7 that makes it better for plant grownth?

Thanks!


----------



## jeffkrol

dfucinari said:


> I've been trying to decide between one of these and the Finnex Ray2. I don't really care about the 24/7 mode or any of the programmable modes, I would probably just leave it on max for the plant growth. This being said would I be better off going with the Ray2 for more light or is there something special about the 24/7 that makes it better for plant grownth?
> 
> Thanks!


Depends on if you believe red is important for plant growth..


















red is certainly needed for visual quality...


----------



## AbbeysDad

Great review and great thread!
I have the same question asked by jctanks but didn't see an answer. I too love the 24/7 feature but think it stays too bright later at night and would like to give the fish a period of darkness. So if it's in 24/7 mode but I put it on a timer to go off at say 2am, then back on at 7am, I realize it comes back on in 24/7 mode, but does it come back on at the same 'feature' time (2am) or does the real time advance so it will startup in 7am feature time???
Perhaps a simpler question is in the case of a power failure (same as a timer) does it restart 24/7 feature time where it was when the power was cut?
Or...If I'm in 24/7 and I turn off at say midnight, what will the feature time be when I power on at 7am?
I'll play around to answer these questions, but thought I'd ask to take the mystery out.

THANKS


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## Dropline

AbbeysDad said:


> Great review and great thread!
> I have the same question asked by jctanks but didn't see an answer. I too love the 24/7 feature but think it stays too bright later at night and would like to give the fish a period of darkness. So if it's in 24/7 mode but I put it on a timer to go off at say 2am, then back on at 7am, I realize it comes back on in 24/7 mode, but does it come back on at the same 'feature' time (2am) or does the real time advance so it will startup in 7am feature time???
> Perhaps a simpler question is in the case of a power failure (same as a timer) does it restart 24/7 feature time where it was when the power was cut?
> Or...If I'm in 24/7 and I turn off at say midnight, what will the feature time be when I power on at 7am?
> I'll play around to answer these questions, but thought I'd ask to take the mystery out.
> 
> THANKS


90% sure it starts back at 6am after power outage or timer turns off and on. So start it back at 6am.


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## AbbeysDad

Dropline - thanks I'll give it a go!


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## malANDmatt

Great thread. Thanks! Running these on my 10 gallon and 40 gallon.


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## AbbeysDad

It appears you were 100% correct! When in 24/7 mode, the power failure (or timer) shut off/turn on starts back up in 6am feature time.

Thanks again for the tip!

I quite like the sunrise to sunset, then moonlit / starry night, but feel the fish need a period of darkness. When I let it go all night, the fish remained very active until the wee hours and seemed almost sluggish the next day - after all it was an all night party! I don't know, but believe that fish require a period of darkness. After all, not all nights have full moonlight at the intensity 24/7 delivers from midnight to 3am.
So I setup a timer to turn off at midnight, then back on at 6am. My only regret is that I don't get the deep/dark night time blue that 3am provides, but otherwise, still love the feature - adding the timer is like having the cake and eating it too.

After just a few days I am beginning to see signs of algae on my sand. I did not have this with my std Marineland 60g with (18w) florescent lights (likely due to the two foot depth).
Also I'm optimistic and looking forward to some aqua gardening!



AbbeysDad said:


> Dropline - thanks I'll give it a go!


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## Aparker2005

I took the 24/7 feature off and it's doing much better on my plants and fish


----------



## Dropline

AbbeysDad said:


> It appears you were 100% correct! When in 24/7 mode, the power failure (or timer) shut off/turn on starts back up in 6am feature time.
> 
> Thanks again for the tip!
> 
> I quite like the sunrise to sunset, then moonlit / starry night, but feel the fish need a period of darkness. When I let it go all night, the fish remained very active until the wee hours and seemed almost sluggish the next day - after all it was an all night party! I don't know, but believe that fish require a period of darkness. After all, not all nights have full moonlight at the intensity 24/7 delivers from midnight to 3am.
> So I setup a timer to turn off at midnight, then back on at 6am. My only regret is that I don't get the deep/dark night time blue that 3am provides, but otherwise, still love the feature - adding the timer is like having the cake and eating it too.
> 
> After just a few days I am beginning to see signs of algae on my sand. I did not have this with my std Marineland 60g with (18w) florescent lights (likely due to the two foot depth).
> Also I'm optimistic and looking forward to some aqua gardening!


No problem, I think it was way back in this thread I saw it. I was going to add a timer to turn off at 3am and on at 6am myself. More just to keep it constant being we have had blinks in power it it did reset a few time. Thought about making a timer based on sunrise and sync it with that, may still do it down the line. Timer for me is more for knowing when I am gone for a week or so that the co2 and lights stay in sync.

I did battle algae for awhile and finally after I hired a new cleaning crew (otos) and adjusted ferts. Now I come home to daily pearls all over and the only algae I can see (algae is always there) is some hair algae in a few areas that don't get enough water flow due to plants in the way. So keep playing and you will get it working if you put in the time.

Think of it like this, your lights drive the tank like the engine for plants. You went from an old dragster style 100% throttle to something tuned by someone we hope knows what's up. Just need to learn to drive with new engine. 

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk


----------



## number1sixerfan

Has anyone used this light in conjunction with another regular led fixture? Does it drastically kill the effect of the various settings?


----------



## d33pVI

number1sixerfan said:


> Has anyone used this light in conjunction with another regular led fixture? Does it drastically kill the effect of the various settings?


I run a second fixture from 9-5 for a little extra light during the main photoperiod, and to get better coverage front-to-back on my 75. The 24-7 effects are still nice during the "off-peak" hours.


----------



## number1sixerfan

d33pVI said:


> I run a second fixture from 9-5 for a little extra light during the main photoperiod, and to get better coverage front-to-back on my 75. The 24-7 effects are still nice during the "off-peak" hours.


Just what I needed to know! Thanks!


----------



## Nazasaki

Would this be suitable for a low light, low tech tank? I have a 29 with anubias and marimo but I hate the look of t8s and I don't think I'm getting enough light.


----------



## Freemananana

I think it would be medium light in a 29g.

I have a 48" 24/7, does everyone else's still hum and buzz? Mine makes noise on the evening settings.


----------



## prostudent4life

I have two of them on my 75 and they certainly make some noise in the evening. I'm only using one in 24/7 mode, the other is on a timer. I've actually switched which light was on 24/7 mode because one seemed to be quieter than the other, though they both make some noise. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Freemananana

prostudent4life said:


> I have two of them on my 75 and they certainly make some noise in the evening. I'm only using one in 24/7 mode, the other is on a timer. I've actually switched which light was on 24/7 mode because one seemed to be quieter than the other, though they both make some noise.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Glad to hear it and not glad at the same time. On one hand, I remember this being mentioned before and I'm glad I'm not alone still. Back to the other hand and I'm a bit peeved it hasn't been fixed. Oh well, not a big issue.

Thanks!


----------



## prostudent4life

That's a good point. It's actually my newer light that makes more noise. There have been some slight design changes in the light since I purchased my first unit. The remote sensor is a different design on the new light. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## Freemananana

prostudent4life said:


> That's a good point. It's actually my newer light that makes more noise. There have been some slight design changes in the light since I purchased my first unit. The remote sensor is a different design on the new light.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Well darn. My light is brand new so I may have the louder one! Not a issue for the final destination, but the tank is currently sitting in my bedroom and is kinda annoying :grin2:


----------



## AbbeysDad

I believe that somewhere in this thread it was stated that 'sunny' and 'max' were the same. I've only had my 24/7 a couple of weeks and perhaps they changed it. I find that 'max' is just bright white light and 'sunny' has slightly less white (90%?) along with red. Making them both bright, but different. As I toy with a bit extra light during midday (compared to 24/7 mode) to give my newly planted tank (a 60g with a 24" depth) a kick start, I wonder how much, if any, red light contributes to plant growth over the brighter white light?


----------



## Dropline

AbbeysDad said:


> I believe that somewhere in this thread it was stated that 'sunny' and 'max' were the same. I've only had my 24/7 a couple of weeks and perhaps they changed it. I find that 'max' is just bright white light and 'sunny' has slightly less white (90%?) along with red. Making them both bright, but different. As I toy with a bit extra light during midday (compared to 24/7 mode) to give my newly planted tank (a 60g with a 24" depth) a kick start, I wonder how much, if any, red light contributes to plant growth over the brighter white light?


Red is one of the spectrums that plants use, I believe the most. 
I know most "plant" leds are White\Red\Blue but also the 24:7 red IS off a little being they use RGB LEDs that do all 3 colors, so not as "Red" as a true RED grow led. 
I think the Planted+ (Non-24:7) uses the better red LEDs. (IIRC)


----------



## LiQuiD SmoKe

prostudent4life said:


> I have two of them on my 75 and they certainly make some noise in the evening. I'm only using one in 24/7 mode, the other is on a timer. I've actually switched which light was on 24/7 mode because one seemed to be quieter than the other, though they both make some noise.
> 
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Hey Pro, 

Im about to buy my second one, and get my 75 gallon up and running. Have you had any algae issues at all? I use 1 of these lights on my 55 gallon, and I just feel that its not enough light. Im hoping for great plant growth in my 75 along with my Brightwell Aquatics FlorinVolcanit substrate.

Just curious, why do you not run both on the 24-7 feature? Too much light?

How long do you have the other set for and on what setting?

Thanks for the info!!


----------



## steveo

I need one final piece of information about the Planted 24/7. Is the 'dispersion angle' of their led lens 120 degrees? I posted a thread on this topic earlier in the week, and only got one reply that was simply someones opinion. I've searched all over the web and cannot find this info listed anywhere,

Other companies such as Current USA and Fluval highlight this information. I e-mailed Finnex with my question and didn't receive a reply. To me this makes a difference in determining front to back lighting coverage from this strip light.


----------



## steveo

steveo said:


> I e-mailed Finnex with my question and didn't receive a reply. To me this makes a difference in determining front to back lighting coverage from this strip light.


Sorry- I wasn't correct in stating this. Got an e-mail from Finnex today regarding dispersion angle of their led lenses. They stated:

"Our leds do not have any lens to project the light". Bottom line they were prompt at getting back and answered my question.


----------



## Wayne David

I am running 4 36" lights on a 210 gallon in 24/7 mode since beginning of April. No algae problems other than new tank set up. It was a fish only set up and I changed it to planted. I haven't noticed any noise from the lights at all. Plants seem to be doing ok to as well.

With the 4-36" lights am I at the "moderate" level of light do you think?

Thanks Wayne


----------



## Dropline

Anyone having issues with the time drifting with theirs? I have had to reset it a few times this week and wondering if I need to call Finnex.


----------



## jeffkrol

steveo said:


> Sorry- I wasn't correct in stating this. Got an e-mail from Finnex today regarding dispersion angle of their led lenses. They stated:
> 
> "Our leds do not have any lens to project the light". Bottom line they were prompt at getting back and answered my question.


I don't exactly expect that is quite true.. but assume a 140-120 degree dispersion angle..


----------



## Freemananana

Dropline said:


> Anyone having issues with the time drifting with theirs? I have had to reset it a few times this week and wondering if I need to call Finnex.


I haven't noticed personally. Not saying it isn't happening because I'm basically not around the tank.


----------



## Dropline

Freemananana said:


> I haven't noticed personally. Not saying it isn't happening because I'm basically not around the tank.


you would notice, it was off by HOURS both times. Should have been that 2-3am blue glow.. but seemed to be more like sunrise already. I hit 3am and it bounces back to the darker mode.


----------



## steveo

jeffkrol said:


> I don't exactly expect that is quite true.. but assume a 140-120 degree dispersion angle..


It is true, if I am to believe the response I got from Finnex yesterday (see post 164). I am not going to upload their e-mail, as it was intended for me. It was a response to my question on the dispersion angle of the leds on the 24/7 light. Please don't continue to make assumptions- instead contact Finnex yourself. 

Thanks Finnex for the quick reply to a customer!


----------



## jeffkrol

steveo said:


> It is true, if I am to believe the response I got from Finnex yesterday (see post 164).


your missing the point that OEM SMD diodes are usually "lensed"..sort of. There needs to be a protective "lens" on the LED from the factory.
So it is somewhat a matter of semantics...
SEE chart:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMD_LED_Module


----------



## prostudent4life

LiQuiD SmoKe said:


> Hey Pro,
> 
> 
> 
> Im about to buy my second one, and get my 75 gallon up and running. Have you had any algae issues at all? I use 1 of these lights on my 55 gallon, and I just feel that its not enough light. Im hoping for great plant growth in my 75 along with my Brightwell Aquatics FlorinVolcanit substrate.
> 
> 
> 
> Just curious, why do you not run both on the 24-7 feature? Too much light?
> 
> 
> 
> How long do you have the other set for and on what setting?
> 
> 
> 
> Thanks for the info!!




I have the second one turn on from 10-5. I'm still working to get things balanced. I made a lot of changes at one. I am getting some algae at the moment, but I had some to start. 

I don't run them both in 24/7 because I'm afraid it may be too much light for too long. 

I'm sorry I don't have more answers for you, but I just picked up the second light a couple weeks ago. I'm still trying to find the best balance I can with these lights.


----------



## LiQuiD SmoKe

Thank you for the reply, and please keep us updated on your progress. Im thinking I will try the 2 in 24/7 mode and see what happens.


----------



## PhilthyMcnasty

If anyone is interested purchasing the Planted+ 24/7, Drs. Foster and Smith has all the sizes on sale until June 16th. I'm thinking about getting the 30" fixture.


----------



## Sheraff

Since this thread is (so awesome and) still active, I have a question: does the Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 exist in 220V (planning to use it here in France and we have different outlets from the US...)? This fixture just seems so perfect for me!!


----------



## Freemananana

Sheraff said:


> Since this thread is (so awesome and) still active, I have a question: does the Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 exist in 220V (planning to use it here in France and we have different outlets from the US...)? This fixture just seems so perfect for me!!


Not to my knowledge, but you can buy an adapter almost anywhere for about $10-15 (US).


https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Star-F200-Travel-Converter/dp/B0045RU68U


:grin2:


----------



## Greg Robertson

Pricing is always a concern. How is it the suggested retail price of the Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Light for Aquarium is 269.00 or so, but offered on Amazon for 116.00?


----------



## Minhha2006

I wonder if the red wavelength from the 24/7 is as effective as the 660mm reds from the regular planted+. Does anyone have an answer or an educated guess about this?

Bump:


PhilthyMcnasty said:


> If anyone is interested purchasing the Planted+ 24/7, Drs. Foster and Smith has all the sizes on sale until June 16th. I'm thinking about getting the 30" fixture.



I think Amazon has the same price listed.


----------



## jeffkrol

Minhha2006 said:


> I wonder if the red wavelength from the 24/7 is as effective as the 660mm reds from the regular planted+.


given a choice I'd always go w/ the 660nm..
There seems to be good reasons most hort. LED's contain them.. 

Cree Expands Portfolio of LEDs for Horticulture Lighting


----------



## Minhha2006

maybe I will still get a 24/7 and keep my planted+ on as well. Ahh, too bad, I wonder why they made the change to the different wavelength.


----------



## Sheraff

Trying to see if I should get a 2nd Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 for my next tank: it's going to be slightly less than 20in long (or wide, it's square). Like probably 19.7". Will the 20" fixture fit? Or will it only fit 20" and more? Would it be imaginable to grind the legs of the fixture so that it fits?


----------



## jeffkrol

Sheraff said:


> Trying to see if I should get a 2nd Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 for my next tank: it's going to be slightly less than 20in long (or wide, it's square). Like probably 19.7". Will the 20" fixture fit? Or will it only fit 20" and more? Would it be imaginable to grind the legs of the fixture so that it fits?





> These plastic clips are quite sturdy, and can be shimmied past the housing to fit many lengths under the 20". I'm sure they can even be fit in backwards.


Finnex 24/7 LED w/ automated Dawn/dusk and FX settings (First impressions) - Dendroboard


----------



## Dmarksvr

Sheraff said:


> Trying to see if I should get a 2nd Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 for my next tank: it's going to be slightly less than 20in long (or wide, it's square). Like probably 19.7". Will the 20" fixture fit? Or will it only fit 20" and more? Would it be imaginable to grind the legs of the fixture so that it fits?


I don't know the exact length right off hand but if the included legs don't quite fit it's real easy to Mcguyver up some legs to hold the light off the top of the tank without much of the fixture hangin off either end.

I'd check the actual length of what ever fixture you go with, rather then the advertised length. Most are a little shorter or longer then "20 inches, or 18 inches or 30 inches... whatever they call it :confused1:

Dr. Fosters and Smith is pretty good about listing the actual length of the fixtures. Petsolutions and petmountain might be worth a look too.

Anyways...
I've started running finnex 24/7's or the vivagrow knock offs with new(ish) aqueon optibright+ lights. They have a 30min ramp period and you can set all 3 channels (white, rgb, and moonlight) to go on/off whenever you want. 

I feel like in most cases this is a better pairing then 2 24/7's or vivagrows or a 24/7 and vivagrow.... The 24/7's and vivagrow both have a fairly bright moonlight setting, so running 2 might be to bright for many people's tastes. Since you can shut the aqueons moonlight off completely you don't run into the double bright moonlight you get running 2 24/7s or knock off vivagrows.

A beamswork fixture of appropriate length on one of the various ramp timers (currentusa, sunsetter, fluval, etc...), would be another good and affordable option since the finnex or vivagrow will still give the tank a tinted dawn/dusk period and serve as the moon light... So any plain old white fixture on a ramp timer should do ya. 

The beamswork will probably be more bang for the buck but you gotta figure in ramp timer cost which will be around $30+ and the optibright +'s are pretty cheap and have the built in ramp. Since you're putting two fixtures on top: the optibright will probably be enough if the tank is 20 inches tall or less... More then that you might wanna go for a more powerful budget fixture like the beamswork with the 1w or 3w LEDs in it... depending on what you're trying to accomplish. 
*
Just be sure to get the Optibright + and not the older optibright, if you decide to try one of them.*



jeffkrol said:


> Finnex 24/7 LED w/ automated Dawn/dusk and FX settings (First impressions) - Dendroboard


Ha! that's my thread, I'm Dendro Dave over there.


----------



## Aparker2005

Hey everyone. I really miss the 24/7 effects from my previous Planted+24/7 light as does my wife. I have a 125 and had 2 30" lights on the tank in 24/7 mode. 

I was dosing EI method along with Excel in full and had nothing but melted plants and algae. I thought the problem was the lights. 

Sold the lights and got a 72" beams work led. Ditched every fertilizer I was using except the root tabs. I have the night on an 8 hour photo period split up into 2 4s.

Since then my plants are doing much better. My jungle Val is the only problem. It spreads instead of growing tall. Not sure what to do there. 

So now that I have what seems to be the issue fixed, could we go back to 2 36" 24/7 fixtures and stay where we're at? 

I was looking at the Vivagrow lights since they're more budget friendly. Any opinions? Thanks!


----------



## Nlewis

Aparker2005 said:


> Since then my plants are doing much better. My jungle Val is the only problem. It spreads instead of growing tall. Not sure what to do there.


Val's can be tricky like this, just be patient. I've had Val in several tanks that did he same thing. They would spread rapidly but never grow taller than 6 inches. Fast forward 6 months and all of a sudden they explode and grow over 4 feet.


----------



## ryannguyen

Can I program finnex 24/7 with a specific time as a timer? for example, turn on at 12 pm and turn off at 8 pm.


----------



## mattinmd

No, this light has no actual clock in it. However, you can use it without 24/7 mode as an adjustable light and use a normal lamp timer with it and turn it on sny time you want.


----------



## I'm Goat

*Finnex 24/7 full review*

Thank you for the review on this fixture. Your review prompted me to buy it for my 70 gallon tank that I pulled out of storage after 20 years and following the restoring my basement to usable space. I've had the fixture for about a week to test it out (no fish, no plants, no "nothing") prior to actually starting the tank up (having a tough time finding the proper substrate at my LFS... I may go to mail order). I realize there are fixtures with more/better features, but this one suits my needs and if it allows my future plants to propagate, I will be more than happy. The price was much less than what I had seen for others when I started looking at the LED-type fixtures, so that made me even happier.

In short... great review and I will look for more write-ups from you in the future.


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## Aparker2005

So is the concensus on the 24/7 cycle that it promotes too much algae growth and not enough for plants? I'm in a serious debate on whether to try this light again since I got my ferts down.


----------



## mattinmd

I haven't had any trouble with it. I currently run no co2, no glut, with just the 24/7 and am algae free except on my filter discharge and glass lid. But, like any light, algae depends a lot on your plant types, etc. I do have some trouble getting light in all parts of my tank with just that light, but I also have a 36 bowfront, where poor front lighting is a common problem. 

I've also not heard the algae "consensus" spoken by anyone that actually owns a. 24/7, just people theorizing that any light at night is a sure-fire way to cause algae. Apparently I have failed at that sure thing.


----------



## Nlewis

^^^^^
What he said. I run the 24/7 mode on my 55 with no co2 or ferts and have minimal algae at best, but every tank is different.


----------



## Aparker2005

Good to know. I'll only have swords, Java fern, and anubius. The first 24/7 I had like I said had algae and melted plants, but I'm fairly certain that was from the over fertilization. 

Hopefully if I move back to them everything works out in the 24/7 mode. It's definitely gorgeous to look at.


----------



## toycarfoushboy

I also have the 24/7 mode on continuously, however I use a plug in timer that cuts it off at nine pm and back on at 6am. This mode starts it's operation over from beginning everyday flawlessly at sunrise. Only algae is on cover glass. This is on a 55 gallon tank. I got mine from a drs ? & ? website. There is also a coupon you can search for online. Mine ended up costing @$116 for the 48". Great deal in my mind, and the service from same website company was outstanding. I made a mistake plugging in after water change and the sent me replacement free of charge. Highly recommend dr f & s.

Sent from my 5054N using Tapatalk


----------



## MikeyP

Does anyone have an idea if 2 of the 48"s will be enough for a tank that is 48"s wide x 24" front to back X 36" tall? 

Only portion that has water in it is the very bottom which is about 8"s. So please keep that in mind for the depth. So 2+ feet will just be air, then the water 8"s from the bottom. There will be medium light plants on the land portion and low to mid light needed plants in the water, but can change the plants in water for lower light if needed.

Hope my question makes sense! Been smelling DryLok and titebond glue as well as silicone all day finishing up my tank! lol


----------



## Freemananana

You don't happen to have par readings 12" off center do you?


----------



## Michael Rosario

*Finnex Planted+ 24/7 Fully Automated Aquarium LED performance after 1 year*

So i have a 29 Gallon Tall aquarium and installed the Finnex Planted+ 24/7 Fully Automated Aquarium LED

I used the 24/7 feature and I planted anubias, baby tears, and java moss, baby dwarf tears:

Here is before 1 year ago, i used Co2 for 1 month, then stopped:









And here is after a year:









notes: dwarf baby tears are still in the aquarium, but got overrun by the javamoss and baby tears


----------



## clownplanted

Awesome review. I just got the 24/7 for my 60 gallon 24" tall tank and am hoping it is enough par for my low/medium low tech plants. I am also dosing Seachem excel along with all the flourish so we will see how it goes. This is the best review I have seen out there so awesome job Matt as myself and others really appreciate the work you did to show the details to help people like me. I am just curious if I will need a second one. I am using it on the 24/7 mode and will see how it does. I measured from top of substrate to light is 23". My guess is I am getting between 30-35 par but have no way of being able to measure it and if that is the case my mediums might struggle. Time will tell if it works or if I need to get another one.


----------



## gorgin4325

Hi guys,

First post here 

I have a quick question. Does the Planted Plus only come with the clear rotating brackets? Or is it also supplied with standard wire brackets similar to let's say the Marineland Advanced LEDs or most other lights in the market? The reason I ask is because I like to install the LED bar as close to the water surface as possible. It is going on a 24 inch deep tank.

Thank you so much,
G


----------



## mattinmd

Mine came with clear plastic, as did my stingray, and my older planted+ came with gray plastic that work in a similar way. Afaik no finnex uses wire brackets. 

The finnex way forces you to get a light the same size as your tank, or bigger, and mounts higher. 

The marineland way forces you to get a light that is the same size as your tank, or smaller, and mounts lower. 

Which is better depends on what you are doing, but I would be hard pressed to call either one "standard".


----------



## gorgin4325

mattinmd said:


> Mine came with clear plastic, as did my stingray, and my older planted+ came with gray plastic that work in a similar way. Afaik no finnex uses wire brackets.
> 
> The finnex way forces you to get a light the same size as your tank, or bigger, and mounts higher.
> 
> The marineland way forces you to get a light that is the same size as your tank, or smaller, and mounts lower.
> 
> Which is better depends on what you are doing, but I would be hard pressed to call either one "standard".


Great. Thank you for the response.


----------



## guitardude9187

would this light be enough to do a high tech tank on a 60p?

I'm coming back after 9 years and unaware of what is currently being used. I have a quad T5 setup that I was using for my reef tank that I would run two bulbs but figured saving on the electricity and replacing the bulbs every 6 months would be a good idea. I've been reading a lot for the last 2 days but still can't come to a conclusion on what is actually required from and LED light setup to run a high tech tank. It's been up between twinstar, chihiros, finnex24/7+, and the satellite pro. The twinstar is not available from aquaforest (although I would still rather buy from amazon), chihiros doesn't have much info, then the other two seems equal.

Would one fixture do or will I need two? if so, is there a better light for around 200? I'm really leaning on the Finnex but can't pull the trigger. Help please?


----------



## guitardude9187

just bite the bullet and ordered the finnex 24/7 se and ray 2.


----------



## ernest

BE WARNED!!!
REMOTE goes bad and you are stuck with the setting you have 
I have contacted the company and no response so far (either trough amazon or direct email.. no phone offered on web site)
My Finnex Planted+ 24/7 remote not working at all. It started with a few clicks then 50 or more now is dead/ unresponsive. remote is emitting light as I can see it with phone camera but does not act. 
NO response from Finnex ( for what I read here they have very bad customer service).


----------



## jeffkrol

ernest said:


> BE WARNED!!!
> REMOTE goes bad and you are stuck with the setting you have
> I have contacted the company and no response so far (either trough amazon or direct email.. no phone offered on web site)
> My Finnex Planted+ 24/7 remote not working at all. It started with a few clicks then 50 or more now is dead/ unresponsive. remote is emitting light as I can see it with phone camera but does not act.
> NO response from Finnex ( for what I read here they have very bad customer service).


If the remote is emitting light chances are it is the IR receiver diode not working..
Usually a 3 leg design and one comes loose..

not that this helps anything..


----------



## Tillerjock

*finnex 24/7 vs Marineland planted tank light*

I have a 150 gallon 72"x 18" planted tank with tetra's and discus. I originally got 2 marineland planted tank lights one 48" and one 24" to span the 72" the 48" has lasted over 2.5 years. the 24" one stopped working after about 1 year.
I replaced it with a Finnex 24/7 light which has been working for about 1.5 years now.

I have had a 1.5 year comparison of both lights.
Both lights grow plants. I see no difference in growth rate between the 2 lights. I have a low tech tank with about 10-12 different species of plants and all do fine. Lighting duration is 12 hours on for the Marineland. No carbon addition, no fertilizer. I rarely do a water change. I find that the Finnex is easier to reprogram after a power outage than the marineland. The finnex is just a two button click. The marineland needs to have the time reset and the light duration reset for both the white and blue lights. If I had to choose another light I would go with the Finnex for that reason alone. Otherwise I don't think you can go wrong with either one.


----------



## Kayak83

ernest said:


> BE WARNED!!!
> REMOTE goes bad and you are stuck with the setting you have
> I have contacted the company and no response so far (either trough amazon or direct email.. no phone offered on web site)
> My Finnex Planted+ 24/7 remote not working at all. It started with a few clicks then 50 or more now is dead/ unresponsive. remote is emitting light as I can see it with phone camera but does not act.
> NO response from Finnex ( for what I read here they have very bad customer service).


I never touch the controller except for turning the light on MAX when I do tank maintenance. 99% of the time mine is on a light timer so it's resetting the 24/7 cycle every morning at 6AM and off at ~midnight. Doesn't it default back to 24/7 cycle every time the power is shut off on it? Or does it go to the last used? 

I'm surprised their support hasn't contacted you.


----------



## jeffkrol

Kayak83 said:


> so it's resetting the 24/7 cycle every morning at 6AM and off at ~midnight. Doesn't it default back to 24/7 cycle every time the power is shut off on it? Or does it go to the last used?


Be aware that this has been reported not to work w/ the SE........


----------



## LiQuiD SmoKe

guitardude9187 said:


> would this light be enough to do a high tech tank on a 60p?
> 
> I'm coming back after 9 years and unaware of what is currently being used. I have a quad T5 setup that I was using for my reef tank that I would run two bulbs but figured saving on the electricity and replacing the bulbs every 6 months would be a good idea. I've been reading a lot for the last 2 days but still can't come to a conclusion on what is actually required from and LED light setup to run a high tech tank. It's been up between twinstar, chihiros, finnex24/7+, and the satellite pro. The twinstar is not available from aquaforest (although I would still rather buy from amazon), chihiros doesn't have much info, then the other two seems equal.
> 
> Would one fixture do or will I need two? if so, is there a better light for around 200? I'm really leaning on the Finnex but can't pull the trigger. Help please?





guitardude9187 said:


> just bite the bullet and ordered the finnex 24/7 se and ray 2.


Hopefully you waited becuase they just announced the CC version. I have had multiple 24/7 P+ and SE's. I think if you want to do do true high light, you will need 2. Im currently setting up a 125gal and will be using these after lots of discussions.

AquaIllumination AI Prime HD | Aquarium LED Lighting | DrsFosterSmith.com



Tillerjock said:


> I have a 150 gallon 72"x 18" planted tank with tetra's and discus. I originally got 2 marineland planted tank lights one 48" and one 24" to span the 72" the 48" has lasted over 2.5 years. the 24" one stopped working after about 1 year.
> I replaced it with a Finnex 24/7 light which has been working for about 1.5 years now.
> 
> I have had a 1.5 year comparison of both lights.
> Both lights grow plants. I see no difference in growth rate between the 2 lights. I have a low tech tank with about 10-12 different species of plants and all do fine. Lighting duration is 12 hours on for the Marineland. No carbon addition, no fertilizer. I rarely do a water change. I find that the Finnex is easier to reprogram after a power outage than the marineland. The finnex is just a two button click. The marineland needs to have the time reset and the light duration reset for both the white and blue lights. If I had to choose another light I would go with the Finnex for that reason alone. Otherwise I don't think you can go wrong with either one.


My new tank is the same dimensions as yours, and Im just curious how many lights you are using and how you laid them out? Im selling my 2 Planted Plus 48" SE so I can go with 3 of these for better spread. AquaIllumination AI Prime HD | Aquarium LED Lighting | DrsFosterSmith.com 



jeffkrol said:


> Be aware that this has been reported not to work w/ the SE........


Not true in my case. I have both, and they are universal between multiple units.


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## jeffkrol

LiQuiD SmoKe said:


> Not true in my case. I have both, and they are universal between multiple units.


then they fixed it...

*



does Finnex 24/7 mode work with a timer?

Click to expand...

*


> I just got the latest model, seems like the 24/7 mode doesn't work with a timer. I know you are suppose to leave it on without using a timer but I sleep near my tank and the dim light is too much at midnight. So I put it on a timer but seems like when it turns back on the next day,* it continues where it left off last night* so the time of the day is messed up. Am I missing an option somewhere?


http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/10-lighting/1128186-does-finnex-24-7-mode-work-timer.html


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## seandelevan

ernest said:


> BE WARNED!!!
> REMOTE goes bad and you are stuck with the setting you have
> I have contacted the company and no response so far (either trough amazon or direct email.. no phone offered on web site)
> My Finnex Planted+ 24/7 remote not working at all. It started with a few clicks then 50 or more now is dead/ unresponsive. remote is emitting light as I can see it with phone camera but does not act.
> NO response from Finnex ( for what I read here they have very bad customer service).


Agreed. That's why mine is sitting on the shelf collecting dust.


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## bamaman

mattinmd said:


> So, I've had a Finnex 24/7 for about a week and a half now, and while I've spread around a few bits of technical measurements, I think it is time to collect everything, and add on my subjective impressions into a review.
> 
> So, subjectively, looking at the light itself, it is clearly based on the ideas that went into the stingray's design. A simple, thin, black metal bar suspended on clear plastic legs. However, this fixture is a bit different from the stingray. First, it is clearly quite a bit wider. Also the top metal wraps all the way down the sides, creating a smooth front edge, while the stingray has a "stepped" edge. In addition to the wire for the power cord, a wire sticks out the other end with an infrared reciever on the end of it. This should allow you to place the sensor whereever you need it. It comes with a bit of stick-tape velcro to help mount it. However, I have found that the tape doesn't stick particularly well to the front edge of the fixture (which is convenient for my tank).
> 
> Here's some comparison shots of my 30" 24/7, 30" planted plus and 20" stingray (click to view larger):
> 
> 
> *Output levels*
> So, one of the first things I did with the fixture was to put it on a stand, stick a par meter under it just close enough to make "max" register as 100 PAR (7.5"). I specifically chose 100, as it should allow anyone to treat these readigns as a percentage, and use that to scale numbers meaured for "MAX" mode at any given depth. I then used a time-lapse recording app and an old iphone to record a video of how the PAR varies over time in 24/7 mode. Note the meter used is a hoppy 2015 DIY PAR meter that he made made by modifying a LUX meter with a different sensor and recalibrating it.
> 
> You can see the raw video here: note the timestamp in the lower right is aligned within a minute or so of what the fixture is set to.
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J10MIv4YIXI
> 
> I then went through the video and extracted the PAR readings at 15 minute intervals, creating a graph of how the PAR varies over time. Creating this little graph.
> 
> edit: 5/31: The text data used to generate this graph can be found attached to this post:
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=7847849&postcount=222
> 
> I next made some quick in-tank par measurements with the fixture on MAX, using the same Hoppy meter. Due to obstacles of the setup, I couldn't measure directly under the fixture, hence my 1" offset. Regardless, these are a few numbers you can work with to give you some rough ideas:
> 
> 
> Code:
> 
> 
> depth/offset    1"     6"
> 12" -   75
> 16" -   65
> 18" -   48    45
> 20" -   45    40
> 
> Note: I found Max, Sunny and 3pm to all be exactly the same light level, and confirmed this in a few exchanges with Finnex. Apparently some early firmware versions had sunny at 80%, but this was decided to be confusing.
> 
> Note2 9/23/2015: These numbers are measured in-water. Finnex has released PAR charts for some of their other products that were measured in-air, which will read lower (air-water boundary focuses light, increasing par). If you want to compare it against models, this is very close to the Planted+ light level, maybe a tad brighter. The Planted+/Planted 24/7 are brighter than the Stingray and Fugeray original, but not as bright as the Ray2 in the general sense. The 30" Ray2 is a bit of an oddball since it is really a 24" fixture.
> 
> I also made some power usage measurements, which you can find over here:
> http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/showpost.php?p=7833057&postcount=205
> 
> *Growth:*
> 
> So, I did a one-week growth experiment. This is in my 36 gallon tank with a glass versatop on it, I run low-tech + 5ml CO2 booster daily, overstocked with fish, and EI low-light fertilizers with half-dose KNO3 and extra K2SO4.
> 
> Some of the growth is hard to judge as they plants are laying differently in the currents, but there are a few good indicators. One is the rotalla on the left, in front of the filter intake sponge. The other is the crown of willow hygro on the right. Notice how in the second shot, it is now shadowing the front-right side (and causing the camera's white balance to change). Please forgive some of the scaping, my 8 year old has some input in the tank design.
> 
> Start:
> 
> 
> After one week:
> 
> 
> At this point, I'm not noticing any algage issues, or snail explosions (another indicator of algae growth).
> 
> *Operating the fixture:*
> 
> Using the remote is for the most part striaght forward. Aim the remote at the fixture, press a button, and voila. The fixture also briefly blinks whenever it registers one of your button presses, as sometimes it can be hard to tell if your button actually had any effect.
> 
> 
> There are a few more steps when dealing with 24/7 mode. To enter 24/7 mode, you hit the 24/7 mode button, then one of the time buttons (to set the time) and press 24/7 again.
> 
> However, if you forget to press 24/7 again, two things happen. First, the fixture doesn't progress in time, it just stays at the color of the time you set. Second, the fixture won't allow you to press any non-24/7 buttons. If you press "max" or "sunny" it just ignores you. Only the 24/7 buttons and the power button will register as best I can tell. If you find your fixture ignoring you, press the 24/7 button and see if that corrects it.
> 
> Also, as we all already knew, the 24/7 mode itself doesn't have any adjustability beyond changing the fixtures idea of what time it is... Once engaged, it does what it is programmed to, and doesn't offer any customization.
> 
> The bottom section of the remote allows you to create custom colors. There are 4 channels, white, red, green and blue, and each can be set in 10% increments from 0% to 100% brightness, which offers you 10,000 possible light settings total (some more useful than others).
> 
> When you create a custom color, just press one of the M1-M4 buttons to store it, and then you can recall it at any time just by hitting that button again.
> 
> However, this brings up another pitfall. If you tinker with the color buttons and don't want to save your color, make sure you don't try to jump to one of your memory settings, that will over-write the existing setting. Instead jump to something like "cloudy" or "max" before going to one of your stored presents.
> 
> *Internal build:*
> Of course I took the fixture apart a bit, although I don't suggest doing so yourself. The wires are actually quite short and it is difficult to get things apart without straining the wires.
> 
> Regardless, here's a picture of the controller board. The build quality seems reasonable for typical commercial work. There is some skewing is visible on one of the resistors right-of-center (black thing with 103 on it), and the solder flow on the right pin of the crystal (large metal can on the left) is a bit uneven. None of this is particularly bad, it is just minor imperfections. All of the connections appear to be solid, and none of the work is shoddy by any stretch of the imagination.
> 
> Also, another thing I noticed is the whole board is coated in a thin layer of conformal coating. Notice how the 2 transistors over by the wires on the right look wet? This is good as it protects the board somewhat from water, a real danger in aquarium use. However, it also means modifying the board in any way is more difficult, for anyone who was thinking of doing such things.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> *Overall impressions:*
> 
> So, after a week of using 24/7 mode, I like it, at least on my 20" deep tank. If you've got a noticeably shallower tank, the 24/7 mode may be too much light for you, but I don't really have a good way of testing that myself. Anyway, I find myself liking the fact that the aquarium is at least lit well enough for me to watch the tank in the morning and late evening, but the light isn't on very strongly at these hours, not enough to cause any major algae issues.
> 
> *Summary:*
> Hits
> - I generally like the light level choices and colors for 24/7 mode.
> - excellent value, bright, adjustable, and not expensive
> - Bright fixture with customizable colors at a low price
> - 24/7 mode is a bonus
> - slick looks
> - stands taller than older Planted+, getting better light spread.
> - build quality is reasonable, even in places most don't look.
> 
> Mixed feelings
> - blinking on button press makes it easy to be sure your command registered, but makes the fixture somewhat Arduino+IRRemote automation unfriendly.
> 
> Misses -
> - Sunny appears to be duplicate of MAX, making the buttons redundant.
> - Moon mode is brighter (by PAR) than cloudy, which is not intuitive
> - Getting in/out of 24/7 mode can be confusing if you forget a button press
> - Easy to accidentally over-write one of your memory buttons if you are tinkering with light settings.
> 
> Things I wish the fixture had, but realize would have raised cost (Hey, I can dream can't I):
> - Ability to limit the peak brightness of 24/7 mode (I probably don't need this, but shallower tanks might)
> - Ability to bypass the blinking when commanding with the remote
> - An indicator light in the IR pod telling us 24/7 mode is actually running (which could also be blinked instead of the whole fixture).
> - Included free European sports car :hihi:
> 
> 
> *Price point and competition*
> 
> It is obvious that Finnex made some trade-offs to keep the cost of the fixture down. The current price at Amazon is right around the same price as the original Planted+. Admittedly the Planted+ has 660nm red LEDs in it, while the 24/7 uses more normal RGB LEDs with a 620-630nm red component, but adding the microcontroller and its software is a major price driver too.
> 
> Competition wise, this fixture is obviously priced to compete with the Current USA Satellite+, at least looking at prices on Amazon. The 24/7 offers higher light output, and the 24/7 mode, but with fewer dynamic modes (ie: only one storm mode instead of Current's 3).
> 
> Current USA's Satellite+ Pro model appears to offer an even brighter light, with a customizable day/night timer built in, but that day/night timer only has 2 programmable levels, day and night, with a fixed 15-minute ramp between the levels at your chosen time. This offers you more control, but no constantly-changing "day cycle". This fixture is also around twice the price of the 24/7.


ABSOLUTELY the best review I've ever seen on any sight for any product.. Very very very very very very very very well written and thought out.. Thank you for this 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


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