[jickey]

I finally got the stand for my daughter's 29 gallon delivered last night, so I put everything together. I had gotten her a Finnex Planted Plus 24/7 for it since she was going to have some plants in it (bacopa, wisteria, and moneywort.) I got it out of the box and took a look at everything.

Let me stop for a second and preface this by saying that my 60 gallon tank has a Current Satellite Plus Pro, so this is my baseline for the review

First of all, the mounts. Very cheap plastic. I had to pop off the plastic part that makes it work with a rimless tank - having to "break" plastic is a terrible customer experience and a really bad (and cheap) design. I got that done and put the mounts in - as I did that I noticed how flimsy the light fixture felt compared to my Current USA - granted, it's a smaller light and lighter may feel better, but I just wasn't fond of it. That's subjective, so I'll let that one go. Next was the power cord - the length from the transformer to the outlet was ok, but the length of the cord from the fixture to the transformer was very short. In fact, it was too short to reach from the top of a 29 gallon tank sitting on a 28" high stand. Again - evidence of a terrible design. I get it plugged in and my daughter is so excited - turn it on and notice how bright it is...boy, that's noticeable above her glass top. Ran a quick demo of the 24/7 mode and was impressed. I do like it. I had to take it down while we finished aquascaping, so I unplugged it and sat it on her bed. When we were done I put it back up, plugged everything in, went to turn it on - nothing. I played with wires and the remote battery and position for maybe an hour and I haven't gotten the thing to turn on yet. I placed a return with Amazon this morning.



Needless to say, I'm disappointed. Not only did I expect better build quality from something that gets such high reviews, but I'm disappointed that it doesn't work. DOA is acceptable to me - it happens...transit can bang things around. But working and then not working the next time you attempt to turn it on? Not cool.



Extra disappointed because I have a LOT of dwarf baby tears that will go in my 120 gallon that was supposed to get set up this upcoming weekend...but that's not going to happen since my custom stand is delayed. I need to float it in this 29 gallon for light, but that's not happening until Amazon sends me the replacement light. I have a lamp shining in the bucket until I can get it in the tank...I'm hoping it makes it.



I ordered 2 48" fixtures from Buildmyled for my 120, so I guess I'll be comparing all three of the "top" brands pretty soon.

 

[NatureGirl]

That sucks!! I have been looking at the planted plus as a replacement to my current light. Everything I have read thus far was positive until now. I may need to rethink this. Please do an update once you get the replacement and let us know what you think of the performance.

 

[Freemananana]

I don't think this is allowed, but I could be wrong.

Pictures would also help with credibility. I'm leery of a <1 month old account doing a product review.

Take care.

 

[Veritas]

every product on the market has a dud here and there.


I've had mine for a while - and love it. (48" model)


best of luck though!

 

[RWaters]

I don't think this is allowed, but I could be wrong.

Pictures would also help with credibility. I'm leery of a <1 month old account doing a product review.

Take care.

:thumbsup:

 

[691175002]

For what its worth I agree with many of his criticisms. The power adapters are very short, and the plastic is both bulky and flimsy.

I have a few Stingrays and ended up discarding those pieces and replacing them with my own.

The thing about Finnex is that they are great bang for the buck. Comparable fixtures from other brands can cost 3-4 times as much. A shame you got a dud, but sometimes that happens.

When I was a kid I got a gamecube for christmas and it was DOA. The second one was also DOA. I still remember this story because it sucked that much.

 

[mjalex007]

I also bought a Planted Tank Finnex a couple of months ago and I'm just not feeling the love for it. I agree it's flimsy but I think it will stand up to normal use. With the red, blue, white LEDs on the underside reflecting off the glass cover over the aquarium, you would think that the carnival was in town, but that can't be helped. Still, it's garrish looking. The moonlight effect is not something I would ever use. It's disco-tecky but I didn't buy it for that. What I can't warm up to is the color of the light. The colors of the plants and fish in my tank look washed out. With the dual T5s I used to have before the fixture crapped out, the tank's colors were much more vibrant. Then, there's all the new algae, a kind I've never seen before, that arrived soon after I installed the fixture that is carpeting plants and rocks and everything else. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about that. I can already see that I'm going to change fixtures ($145 down the tube). To what, I don't know. The last one is no longer made or I would have just stuck with that. In fact, I checked in here after a long hiatus to see what lighting options people were talking about.

 

[Drewet88]

I have the same planted+ that you are "reviewing" and I have to say I love it. I've only had it for a month and it is my 1st LED light so I can only compare it to the solo T5 I use to use and I can say my plants seem to be growing a lot better under it. I do use the 24/7 feature and I like it, it isn't to bright at nighttime but I can still see my tank clearly.

My tank isn't rimless so I didn't have to mess around with the plastic legs but I do agree they seemed a little flimsy. I also know there are aftermarket legs that you can purchase if you don't like the feel of the cheap plastic. I know when buying a new product you usually don't want to have to mod it but when comparing it to other lights I feel you get more bang for you buck.
@jickey I feel your pain about things working once and then not again but Finnex is replacing it for free right? If not screw them, but if they are I say wait and see how your next one is, maybe this one was dropped a few times or something.
@691175002 I feel your pain on the gamecube. I camped out all night when the xbox 360 came out and had to replace it 3 separate times, in the same year and after that they stopped fixing it for free and I bought a PS3. Now Microsoft seems like they know what they are doing, but I doubt I switch back from PlayStation anytime soon based off my original experience with them.
@mjalex007 I doubt it will be a full $145 down the drain, I'm sure there are plenty of people who would be willing to buy it off of you so you could make some of your money back. What would you change too when you get rid of the finnex? Back to T5s or just a different LED light?
Are you using the 24/7 feature?

 

[roostertech]

I have 2 of the 24/7, a 36" and a 20"

I agree that the plastic is a bit cheap but the light itself is awesome. They put up with my abuses and water splashing and keep on trucking. As for the cord length this is subjective lol. My power distribution is 3ft from the tank (12" tall) so cord length was perfect.

 

[Jeff5614]

I don't think this is allowed, but I could be wrong.

Pictures would also help with credibility. I'm leery of a <1 month old account doing a product review.

Take care.

Product reviews are allowed, but not vendor reviews.

 

[Couesfanatic]

It's probably the remote that the issue is with, not the 24/7. I had the same problem. Try replacing the remote battery if you haven't shipped it back yet. Mine ate batteries fast. They sent me a new one free of charge. No more problem.

 

[aja31]

The draw of the 24/7's is that they are by far the cheapest highish PAR controllable LED on the market. They let you grow any plant you want without having to spend a ton of money.

The downside of course is that it is a "cheap" fixture, so not everything is handmade custom alloys imbued with the power of master LED craftsmen. Of course once you put it on your tank you shouldn't ever need to touch it again so for most people the plastic legs aren't an issue.

If you are looking for higher build quality then try a BML fixture as they are made to order. It will cost 3x as much and you will need to spend an extra $100 if you want to control it in the same fashion as the 24/7.

If you want the ultimate in control and LED spectrum and build quality then I would suggest looking at the photon series of lights from reefbuilders. I am very happy with mine.

If you want to go even higher quality than that with even more control then you will need to build your own.

DOA's can happen with any brand, not much you can do about it and as long as they quickly replace it then it shouldn't be too much of an issue.

 

[roadmaster]

Am pleased with the Finnex planted plus 48 " model (not 24/7 model).
Provides medium light over 55 gal tank.(low light near the bottom)
Very much like the 7000K and red combo which I was aware of before I purchased it.

 

[Wilderman204]

Sorry to hear your bad luck. But I've had no issues with my 48" 24/7 model. It's over a 55 gallon the plastic mounts aren't that great, but other than that I Absolutely love the thing.

 

[sevendust111]

So I am not the type to start drama on a forum, but I think people are mistaking a general complaint or two for a full on review.

OP- The + pro is almost twice the price, hence the compromises. I agree with the poster who said it was most likely the battery in the remote. I had this problem. Open the battery compartment, take the battery out and reinsert. See if that fixes the issue, it did for me.

 

[jickey]

Reopening this can of beat down.

My account is now more than a month old, so I hope I have credibility now. I've been active on Fishlore quite a while but lurking here. Sorry for being a newbie.

A few points - yes, I played with the battery in the remote. I replaced it. I turned it over. It wasn't the battery. Amazon was nice enough to send me a replacement, which performs as designed. I agree with the lighting coloring. It looks...childish? But as multiple people said, it does grow plants and it's less expensive than others on the market. I now have a Current Satellite Plus Pro, the Finnex fixture, and two 6500k 48" Buildmyled fixtures controlled by the SoLunar controller. There are things that I like and that I don't like about each of them, but given the option I'd only buy the buildmyled fixtures again. Unfortunately, that's not an option, because they dropped their aquarium lighting line to focus on other things.