Finnex Planted+ 24/7 Aquarium LED Light, 660nm Plant Red, CRV Series, 30"

If you're looking at aquarium lights for your planted freshwater aquarium, I'm going to assume that you have done some basic research and know what you're looking for to some degree. This is my second Finnex 24/7 light - unfortunately the remote sensor on my previous model took a swim in the tank water and it no longer works - and I bought this as a replacement. What an awesome upgrade and excellent value/features for the price! I loved the previous model, and my positive experience with it made me immediately look at Finnex when I started looking for a replacement.I'm not going to review every little feature of this light and will, instead, focus on my experience having used this light for the last couple of weeks and its older sibling - the previous model - for the better part of a year. My goal in building my aquarium was to make it as simple and automated as possible, so the built-in 24/7 lighting feature was a huge sell for me, and I run my tank using the built-in 24/7 mode at all times. I also wanted something that would be powerful enough to be sufficient for a heavily planted, "high-tech" (CO2-injected) tank with nutrient supplementation, though I also use another LED fixture to supplement the Finnex light for 6 hours out of the day. For my purpose, this light has done extremely well so far, and I have no worries about lighting being the limiting factor to make my plants thrive.Some general notes and observations:- Compared to the previous 24/7 model, this version is a SIGNIFICANT improvement for two reasons: first, the IR sensor is now built-in to the housing, which makes for a much cleaner look, and second, there is actually some feedback in the form of an LED in the housing whenever you're making changes. These were my two least favorite usability aspects with the previous model, and both have been corrected with this version. Thank you!- You have the ability to create custom lighting profiles if you so desire, though as I mention above, I simply use the default 24/7 profile that's built-in to the light as it's "good enough" for my purposes. A new feature of this model, however, is to create your own custom 24/7 lighting cycle. I haven't availed myself of this feature, but if you'd like to have even more control over your lighting, you do have this option - another nice upgrade compared to the previous model. The included manual walks you through the process. Note, however, that you are only able to customize the lighting in 3-hour intervals. The light WILL smoothly transition between the settings that you set, but you do not have the ability to more finely tune the lighting interval beyond 3 hours.- I don't have a PAR meter so I haven't been able to test brightness myself. Both Finnex's own documentation as well as reviews online provide a PAR of ~60 at maximum brightness at a depth of 12". This is more than enough lighting for nearly all planted applications. My tank is ~18" deep so I assume my effective PAR is a little less than that (thus the reason I supplement with a second light). So far, I haven't had any trouble keeping some dwarf baby tears going at the bottom of my tank. Take that for what you will. This light is not magical and is not going to suddenly make your struggling tank thrive if there are other issues going on with your setup. You still have to do the basics: making sure that you're dosing nutrients (if needed), doing regular water changes and routine maintenance, and so on. However, if you have at least some idea of what you're doing and are otherwise maintaining your tank well, I don't think that this light will be the thing that holds you back.- The build quality of the light itself is solid with a nice aluminum housing. The included mounts are also an improvement compared to the previous model and add a little height above the tank, which I personally prefer. These mounts also offer the ability to "swivel" the light front and back, in case that's something that you care about.There's more to say about this light - and if you're interested in reading more about it, I would suggest reading reviews and discussions about it online at various aquarium fora - but I'm quite happy with it, especially compared to the previous model. Even if you've got a functioning, previous version of this model, you may want to think about upgrading to this version as, in my opinion, the changes that have been made increase the usability of the light significantly. If you don't currently have a light and/or are looking into creating a planted tank, I think this is an outstanding, relatively entry-level light to start off with. The 24/7 feature makes having a basic lighting setup easy to implement, and assuming you don't have an extremely deep tank, this light will be sufficient for nearly all applications. If you really get into the hobby you will likely outgrow this light and want something a bit more specialized (and expensive) in the future, but for your first lighted tank, you can't go wrong with this choice.Great work, Finnex!

Great plant light, reached the bottom of tall tank, plant growth is optimal, looks great on the tank, great timer setup easy to program

Using this product on a 20 gallon long (30") with CO2*** Pros- BRIGHT- WATER RESISTANT- LIGHT SPANS ENTIRE WIDTH OF TANK (NO DARK CORNERS)I tried a Satellite Pro and a Fluval. Both of which do not specifically have a 30" fixture, so I was forced to buy a 24" fixture. Which resulted in dark corners.- REDESIGNED MOUNTING BRACKETS ALLOW FIXTURE TO TILTWith the new brackets I can tilt the light which is useful. Due to the height of the tank and the height of my bed and the fact that I don't use a canopy, if the light is perfectly level, I can see the LEDs (which are very bright). The ability to tilt the fixture allows me to position the light closer to the front of the tank and tilt the fixture so that it is shining from the front towards the back. Then the LEDs aren't shining in my eyes.- PLANTS ARE HAPPYPlants with high light demands are flourishing.- GRADUAL INCREASE/DECREASE IN BRIGHTNESSI was feeling guilty turning on the light. Going from complete dark to 100% bright seemed mean. Understandably the fish were alarmed and darted about. Even warning them by saying 'Light!' wasn't helpful :-) So in order to reduce the number of fishy concussions, I finally decided to spend the money on a new fixture.- PROGRAMMABLEThis is useful to set light to your schedule. For example if you work 3rd shift and want the light on when you are awake instead of when most of the rest of the world is awake. Or if you want longer or shorter light periods different from default settings to reduce algae.- BLACK ALUMINUM BODYI've had Finnex products in the past that were the aluminum color (silver). Since I don't keep a canopy over my tank, they were (in my opinion) unattractive. The black is less noticeable and (in my opinion) more attractive. Plus, the body being aluminum makes it sturdy. It doesn't feel cheap. And I would imagine helps with heat dissipation.*** Cons- PROGRAMMING TRICKYAlthough I was able to figure it out, I can see that someone that isn't very technically inclined would have difficulty.- YOU NEVER KNOW WHAT TIME THE FIXTURE 'THINKS' IT ISSince there isn't a display, You have to trust that the time enter for the current time is what the fixture is using. Then you have to keep an eye over the next 24 hours to be sure that it is cycling according to your programming.There aren't numbers on the remote to enter a time. It has buttons labeled 12am, 3am, 6am, 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, or 9pm. To accurately set the time, you have to wait until one of those times. For example, to set the fixture time to 3pm, I have to wait until it is 3pm, push the 24/7 button, then press the 3pm button, and then press the 24/7 button again to save the time. If I miss 3pm, then I have wait and hope that I remember to push the buttons at 6pm.If you are looking for an easy to program fixture, I recommend the Fluval that uses an app on your phone/tablet. Even the Satellite Pro had an LED readout (although it was a bright red LED readout that also was not good for a dark bedroom).- STATUS LEDS ARE BIG AND BRIGHTThe fixture indicates its current mode by a white and a blue LED on one side of the fixture. The combination of whether 0, 1, or 2 LEDs are on, and whether they are flashing or solid, indicates the current mode. Since this aquarium is in my bedroom and I have it set to a customized 24/7 cycle, both indicator LEDs are on (not blinking). These LEDs are not conducive to a completely dark room when you sleep.I am going to have to cover them.- NOT AS SLEEK AS OTHER FIXTURESCompared to Fluval and Satellite Pro, this fixture stands very tall. The others were very thin and low profile close to the water.- THE PLANTS ARE HAPPYI have to do a lot of thinning because the plants grow so well. But this is an acceptable con.@FINNEXIf you are reading, this is my wish list for the next model.And I would be opposed to a complementary fixture in exchange for these great ideas :-D- PROGRAMMING VIA AN APPAdvantages include- Easier programming- No need for electrical tape to cover the LEDs that annoy me when I go to bed- Eliminate my wondering if the fixture knows what time it is- Automatic daylight savings adjustments since it would get the time from the phone- Eliminate the need to point the remote directly at the sensor- Easy management of multiple fixtures (I'm considering 2 24" fixtures instead of one 48" on my 40 gallon long)- It would make the 2nd and 3rd item on my wish list feasible- MULTIPLE CUSTOM 24/7 SCHEDULESI would like to be able to set a different programs for weekends and week days to better fit my schedule when I sleep in on the weekends.- LOCATION BASED PROGRAMBased on geographic location, set the amount of time that the light is on to mimic what's going on outside. Shorter days in the winter and longer days in the summer. Even better, set the weather profile according to my location. For example 100% brightness on sunny days. Less bright on cloudy days. Maybe even lightning during storms.. Full moon, new moon, etc.- ACCESSORY PLUG FOR CO2It would be nice to be able to plug my CO2 regulator solenoid into the fixture so that it was only on when the fixture was above a certain brightness. Currently I have to sync to my custom program with a separate automatic timer. Which means, if I change my program, I have to remember to change the CO2 timer too.In the past, I accomplished this with a timer that took 2 plugs. One for the light and one for the CO2. But the light was the old 0% or 100% brightness fixture and I already explained fishy concussions...

I really like this light,. It is not perfect but is the best LED system I have seen, thus 5* for the product. The programmability is not completely flexible, but is nice. The hi-output red lights are helpful for growing certain plants. I am planning to replace all of my older Tek flourescents with these units. I just bought my third one for a 24" high 120 gallon CO2-equipped tank. I started with one light on this tank, then quickly figured out more was needed. I ran with 2 for a month or so, and then just added the third. Tank is looking great, plant growth is very good.However, when I ordered the third light, it came in missing one of the leg assemblies. Amazon quickly shipped me a replacement and I returned the originally-shipped item to them. The replacement came a couple days later in a box that had obviously been opened and re-sealed. The contents were not packed correctly (I knew this as I had already unpacked three others ...), but nothing appeared damaged. The replacement fixture had both leg assemblies but one bag was open and was missing a nut. Also, the remote was missing. Since I could get a replacement nut at my local hardware store and I didn't really need the remote (one remote will work all three fixtures - a nice feature) I decided to keep it.I will buy more of these lights in the future, but am likely to purchase them elsewhere. Whoever is packing/shipping these is not doing a good job, and I think I may have received a previously-returned item (no longer "new") as a replacement. 2* for the service/delivery.