# Vivagrow led 24/7 finnex knock offs



## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

First time poster. Ive been lurking on this site for about a year now. Anyways, Just curious as to what the general consensus is in regards to this led fixture. I hastily pulled the trigger on this from amazon prime. 

Amazon.com : VivaGrow DN RGB LED Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant 24/7 Remote Automation (120cm - 48") : Pet Supplies 

Based on my own observation, it seems it just is not as bright as my 26 inch finnex planted 24/7. Although i cant really complain too much as the price is almost half of the finnex variant. Based on the specs (if they are to be believed), should i eventually plan on replacing it? Is this company even reliable?


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## Eloquentidiot (Feb 28, 2013)

See what kind of growth you get. If things look good in the tank, use it until it breaks. For that price, I wouldn't expect it to last as long but maybe their price is not as high simply because they're not established yet and want to get their name out there. 
Let us know how it works out for you!


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

I am very interested in your results with this light as well. The housing, LED diodes and remote look exactly the same as the Finnex planted + 24/7. I wonder if the 24hr 'cycle' is the same as well?

You never mentioned what size tank or tanks you're lighting. My finnex 24/7 is a great light but for bigger tanks you definitely want to use multiple 24/7 fixtures or pair one with a 6500k light source. Since the LEDs on the 24/7 fixtures don't have optics, the light penetration isn't that great.

Since you already bought it, I would use it until it breaks. If you're lighting a bigger tank or tanks, I would look into an additional fixture.


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

for comparison purposes, i have the 26 inch finnex lighting up my 20 gallon tall propped up about 2 inches from the glass top. The Vivagrow is around 4 inches from the top of my 36x18x18 exo terra. I should note that the vivagrow is a 48 inch long fixture. I will include 2 pics for comparison.

Although im not complaining about the light output. The finnex seems to be alot brighter. 

I will try to post more pics after work tonight to hopefully get a better visual comparison.

Things i have noticed right off the bat=
1. The 24/7 colors are a bit different at the same time settings.
The remote (almost darn near identical) doesnt program the same even though the instructions are the same as the finnex. you don't press the 24/7 button twice to program it, just once.

Here are the pics. I will post more later.

Vivagrow
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=211906&stc=1&d=1459619175

Finnex
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=211914&stc=1&d=1459619190

remotes
http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=211922&stc=1&d=1459619190


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## puppyfish (Apr 9, 2016)

You think the Vivagrow lights would be as bright if you lowered them down 2 inches, like with the Finnex?


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

puppyfish said:


> You think the Vivagrow lights would be as bright if you lowered them down 2 inches, like with the Finnex?


I have had a busy week at work. My apologies for not taking updated pictures. I will take some later tonight and drop the finnex down to match the vivagrow. 

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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

Here are the vivs set at the exact same time at 12 noon. The lights are set directly on top of the glass. I even cleaned and wiped both the top and underside of the glass.


Here is the finnex


















Here is the vivagrow


















I'm off work today so I can finally show you the lighting color differences between the two fixtures. I will upload that next 

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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

I would like to note that the moss and plants seem to be doing really well in the Vivagrow. Ignore the dying bromeliad in the vivagrow, it was trasplanted from a different tank that was far too wet. It seems to be getting healthier though. The other plants are only a few months old as well as the moss i purchased from ebay.

In my own opinion (and i would in no way say that im an expert at lighting) i would state that the Vivagrow is a justifiable purchase and im pretty happy with it. Im already planning on purchasing another for a row of 3 18x18x24s. If the light penetration isnt sufficient, i will apply it to my next 36x18x18 build.

So far there are no signs of the light failing.

once again i will follow up with those light color comparisons on the different time settings once it gets a little dark in my house.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

To me, and it may only be because of the screen I'm viewing it on, they look the same to me. Is there any way to check the PAR reading at the same depth in the tanks?
Thanks for this by the way, I'm deciding on whether to pull the trigger on the vivagrow or not based on this thread.


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

sorry, unfortunately i do not own a par meter, The ones on amazon are in the 200s! Im going based on visual observation only at the moment. If i buy a meter it wont be until months from now as im planning a wedding and a move next month. There go my resources  

I would hate to be responsible for you to buy something your not happy with. All i can really say is that for an 18 inch tall tank, the lighting is more than adequate.

My only real concern is that no one on this board has even mentioned these light fixtures and google search shows nothing on the quality or life expectancy of these units. As someone stated before i think Vivagrow is new to the game and trying to make a name for themselves, which may be why the price is low.

I will eventually buy 2 more before (im sure) the price will go up.


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## moore40 (Jan 29, 2008)

mac2284 said:


> sorry, unfortunately i do not own a par meter, The ones on amazon are in the 200s! Im going based on visual observation only at the moment. If i buy a meter it wont be until months from now as im planning a wedding and a move next month. There go my resources
> 
> 
> 
> ...




No worries, and I completely understand the money flow. I too tried researching these and came up empty. I think I am actually going to get them and try it out myself. I mean we have to start the testing somewhere and your last post helped support that we can get good growth out of it.


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## Gibbs.JP (Feb 16, 2016)

I'm currently looking at a Current Satellite Plus PRO light for my new tank, but curious how this compares. My tank will be about 24" from the top to the substrate, so not sure if either will be enough light for that depth...


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

Gibbs.JP said:


> I'm currently looking at a Current Satellite Plus PRO light for my new tank, but curious how this compares. My tank will be about 24" from the top to the substrate, so not sure if either will be enough light for that depth...


I wouldnt be able to compare the current satellite plus as i have never owned one. Id bet you would need at least 2 though to get some decent light to reach the bottom.


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## puppyfish (Apr 9, 2016)

They look just about the same brightness, right? I think I'll get one if that's the case


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

So I took these at 9pm. The I feel pictures don't really highlight the color differences as much as in person but I will post them anyways. 

Vivagrow 9pm









Finnex 9pm









For some odd reason the finnex is a bit more purple looking. The vivagrow is almost a baby blue. Side by side the colors wouldnt quite sync up. 


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

puppyfish said:


> They look just about the same brightness, right? I think I'll get one if that's the case


I have no official evidence to back up the claim of the finnex being slightly brighter, it does visually appear so. At its price point i would definitely pick up another vivagrow over the finnex though. I havent owned it very long so i cannot speak of its life expectancy.

i have bought cheap knock off 13 watt led lights (similar to jungle dawn) before. They were on amazon for half the price (seller was from china). They Died after 3 months. Im hoping that something similar doesn't happen with this fixture, i know its a completely unrelated product. Just my experience with knock offs. It really just made me not trust products from china.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Get a light meter app for your phone and stick it under both lights at the exact same distance in open air. Tell us what it reads at a couple distances right on center, IE 6,12, 18 inches. 

I own a vivagrow you can actually find some posts about it here. 

Since you do notice some differences at least now we know they aren't the exact same light being pumped out of the same factory and they are just slapping different stickers on them. (that happens with a surprising number of products)


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

Pubfiction said:


> Get a light meter app for your phone and stick it under both lights at the exact same distance in open air. Tell us what it reads at a couple distances right on center, IE 6,12, 18 inches.
> 
> I own a vivagrow you can actually find some posts about it here.
> 
> Since you do notice some differences at least now we know they aren't the exact same light being pumped out of the same factory and they are just slapping different stickers on them. (that happens with a surprising number of products)


What app on Android do you recommend there are quite a few. I can try to squeeze some time in tomorrow to measure the light if I find a decent app. 


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## puppyfish (Apr 9, 2016)

Hmm, now I'm on the fence. Thanks so much for the pictures.


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

How is the 24/7 cycle on the viva in comparison to the finnex ? Is the moonlight and daytime cycles the same? I'm considering one of these as supplemental lighting on my rack lighting the shelf below my finnex. I wonder if the cycles are similar.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

Mine is just called Lux Meter


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## mac2284 (May 30, 2015)

FrogTim said:


> How is the 24/7 cycle on the viva in comparison to the finnex ? Is the moonlight and daytime cycles the same? I'm considering one of these as supplemental lighting on my rack lighting the shelf below my finnex. I wonder if the cycles are similar.



The cycle has the same colors as the finnex just slightly different shades. for some reason the camera on my phone isnt giving a very good color comparison. I would definitely say the vivagrows moonlight is darker than finnex though.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

FrogTim said:


> How is the 24/7 cycle on the viva in comparison to the finnex ? Is the moonlight and daytime cycles the same? I'm considering one of these as supplemental lighting on my rack lighting the shelf below my finnex. I wonder if the cycles are similar.


Instead of a pure blue moonlight late at night,the viva does more of a turquoise, which I actually like better. It also cuts down the purple light period the finnex does after the blue moonlight before transitioning to red/orange sunrise color time. I'd rather it didn't do that, as I kinda liked the purple lasting longer, but some may prefer it has shortened it.

I still think the first half of the viva's early night moonlight is to bright just like the finnex, but overall the changes are minor and hard to quibble over when the 36-48 inch fixtures are like half the price of the finnex.

Overall I'd say finnex edges em out, but with the price cut I don't think I"ll ever pay the full price for a 36-48in finnex 24/7.... and if viva grow starts knocking off the 20-30in versions at similar price cuts the finnex are just going to to be hard to justify paying the extra cost.

Honestly they are so cheap buy a viva and return it or just live and learn.... for the cost it's worth the risk IMHO


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## BlueRidge (Jun 12, 2010)

Dave, would you recommend one Vivagrow 36" fixture over a 40G breeder size tank?


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## SLR (Jan 6, 2016)

The description says day to night cycle does this mean ramp up/ramp down ?
If so this is a great price.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

JaredJ said:


> Dave, would you recommend one Vivagrow 36" fixture over a 40G breeder size tank?


Ya I think one would do it raised up a few inches to get coverage. If not then one in the back and cheap beamswork on ramp timer would work well I think and still probably be near or even under the cost of the finnex version of the 36"



SLR said:


> The description says day to night cycle does this mean ramp up/ramp down ?
> If so this is a great price.


Ya both the finnex 24/7 and vivagrow knock offs have a preprogrammed lighting schedule that runs through a dawn/dusk period, and then 2 versions of moonlighting throughout the night.

My biggest complaint with both lights is that the dawn period especially last to long. You just don't get as much full sun as I'd like to see, and I feel the first half of the evening's moonlights on both fixtures are a bit on the bright side but the only thing that comes close do all that functionality is a beamswork on ramp timer and maybe some cheap strips hooked up to a tc420 to color the dawn dusk beyond simple ramp up/down of white, and would let you do a customized moonlight. A tc420 and a little diy applied to a beamswork on ramp timer can accomplish what the 24/7 or viva do, and probably do it better, but that is more then some would wanna mess with.

But for plug and play you just can't beat the viva or finnex unless your willing to spend more for sat+pro or ecoxotic e series or other more expensive lights.


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## SLR (Jan 6, 2016)

^
Good info,thanx...


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## SLR (Jan 6, 2016)

I received a vivagrow yesterday and need help programing the 24/7,
I followed the ultra vague instructions(press 24/7 button,press hour closest to time button,press 24/7 button a second time)and the light never goes off.
Is there something I'm missing or is it a crap shoot?
p.s. When the hour button is pushed the light flashes a reddish glow,then when 24/7 is pushed the second time the light is fully on.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

SLR said:


> I received a vivagrow yesterday and need help programing the 24/7,
> I followed the ultra vague instructions(press 24/7 button,press hour closest to time button,press 24/7 button a second time)and the light never goes off.
> Is there something I'm missing or is it a crap shoot?
> p.s. When the hour button is pushed the light flashes a reddish glow,then when 24/7 is pushed the second time the light is fully on.


There is something odd about them. The way to set the 24/7 mode does seem to be bit different. It doesn't work exactly like the finnex. You have to hit the 24/7 button twice maybe, or something. I forget exactly what the quirk is, but they will actually work once you figure it out 

If you haven't already, try just hit the hour button that corresponds to the time. LIke just hit the 3am button around 3am which should be turquoise/blue moonlight, and then wait awhile and see if it starts transitioning, or if you aren't up that late try whatever time your around that is closest to one of the settings buttons and is just before a major transition. Like 6am I think, or 9am... Basically once you hit the button on these, and the light might just be set with no need to lock it in by pushing the 24/7 button and within a few hours you should see the transition...

IF that doesn't work try hitting the 24/7 button twice, or 3 times... and if all else fails; read the instructions  

...I haven't compared the included ones to the actual finnex instructions so not sure if they are identical, but I did have the same problem you are having and I got them to work just by winging it with a little experimentation.

If I don't forget: next time I'm in the frog room I'll try resetting the 24/7 period to see how I actually did it, and post what I learn.


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## SLR (Jan 6, 2016)

Again Thank You Dave for your reply,I will start experimenting more.
The instructions are mostly identical...
It's obviously the same Co. is producing both,maybe by changing the 
programing they now can say they are different and under sell them.?
anyway the brightness was far less than the 4 tube Coralife hood
so I gutted the hood and added 2 LED strips I had left over from 
car project (back up lights) and now it is acceptable.Have to wait
and see how the plants fair(planted aquarium)


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

SLR said:


> Again Thank You Dave for your reply,I will start experimenting more.
> The instructions are mostly identical...
> It's obviously the same Co. is producing both,maybe by changing the
> programing they now can say they are different and under sell them.?
> ...


No prob...

I forgot to mention that depending on what buttons you've already pushed, and when: you might have to push the 24/7 button once or twice to get the light to be receptive to setting the Time again. Then from there you can experiment, or get it to allow you to experiment again.. You probably already know that but just in case, or for anyone out there that didn't... thought I"d throw that out there.

Also assuming your retrofitted led strips have the standard DC barrel connectors to connect them to a power supply: you can plug those into a ramp timer so the compliment a vivagrow, finnex 24/7 or any other automated lights by also ramping/up and down...

In fact since I personally think the finnex and vivagrow colored dawn/dusk periods are to long, I'd use those strips on a ramp timer to come on after the vivagrow starts its dawn ramp to get you closer to full sun faster and for longer, then have them ramp down before the vivagrow finishes it's dusk cycle, and let the vivagrow run on it's own through the night like you normally would.

If you just wired them directly to pwr supply then you can replace the connections for each individual strip with it's own dc barrel connector and run each strip (channel) into a 2 channel ramp timer like the new fluval ramp timer (cheapest 2 channel ramp I know of at under $30), or a currentusa dual ramp timer, or pro... but if you want the bells and whistles of the pro you are probably better off buying the knock off version called the sunsetter...

*Fluval ramptimer *(Cheapest and there have been some complaints about the buttons and stuff, but while I have several: i haven't took them out of the boxes yet so I can't vouch for them. I assume in the end that most of them do what they are supposed to do, and there were just a few bad eggs or people didn't know what they were doing)
Fluval LED Aquarium Lamp Timer | Petco Store

*Sunsetter *(This is probably the best bang for the buck, and I may have been better off getting more of these then opting for the cheaper fluvals... This is almost identical to the currentusa Pro ramp timer, that does 30min ramp, while the single and dual models only does a 15min ramp... which I think is to short. Oh and I have one of these somewhere, and it seemed to work fine when I was playing with it.
SunSetter Aquarium Dual Timer 12/24V Reef Coral Ramp Sunrise/Sunset Thunderstorm reef saltwater salt water

That guy also has them on ebay with a buy 2 for $10 off deal, but they are normally priced at 49ea on ebay so it seems you can get them for 20 off total if you buy 2 on his web site, but he has 8000k strips and other stuff people may be interested in so I'll post a link so they can see the ebay listing and easily find his store...
SunSetter Aquarium Dual Timer 12 24V Reef Coral Ramp Sunrise Sunset Thunderstorm | eBay
And his amazon which doesn't list the sunsetter as far as I can tell except as part of a package deal, but might list it individually in the future....
http://www.amazon.com/Aquarium-LED-Light-ReefBar-Actinic/dp/B00J5M1EEU/ref=sr_1_3?s=pet-supplies&srs=9031314011&ie=UTF8&qid=1465239491&sr=1-3


*CurrentUSA ramp timers*
*Single:* (one strip or fixture ramps up/down over 15 minutes. Next 2 fluval or having a 5 channel tc420 shipped from China, cheapest way to add ramp to a single channel fixture or strip)
Current USA Single Ramp Timer: Aquarium LED Lighting Accessories

*Dual,* (run 15 minute ramp period on 2 channels on 1 light (which allows for moon light if that fixture has it on separate channel), or 2 lights: one on each channel (So you can do 2 white fixtures, or 1 white fixture, 1 cheap red or amber strip for best plant growth and can also time it's ramp to create colored dawn/dusk FX, or substitute the red/amber for a cheap blue to use as a moonlight)
Current USA Dual Ramp Timer

*Currentusa pro* (buy a sunsetter, the remote control isn't quite as good probably, as in shorter range maybe??? ...but fine for half the price of the "real" one)
Current USA Ramp Timer Pro LED Controller: Aquarium LED Lighting Accessories

*Better prices on the 3 currentusa timers...*
Current Ramp Timers for Aquarium Lighting, Aquarium Lighting Accessories Online | PetSolutions

*And the bonus ramp timer *(meaning not sure any reason to buy it unless on sale)
*The Elive 15 minute ramp* (single channel I believe)....
Elive LED Inline Timer

*And if you wanna get fancy* and are willing to do some fairly minimal DIY, one of these tc420's can basically let you create your own 5 channel fixture (each channel individually programmable/rampable) out of a cheap beamswork fixture and cheap led strips. (The catch is depending on how much lighting you hook up to it, you may need a pretty beefy PSU and need to know how to calculate how large of one you need, plus I hear the pc program that comes with it is a lil cumbersome to use, but these do what they say they do...

TC420 1.4" LED Programmable Time Controller - Black (12~24V) - Free Shipping - DealExtreme
Here's a vid that may be helpful if anyone decides to try one of these...





Helpful plantedtank.net threads for the above...
Beamswork success stories. (Beamswork club)? - The Planted Tank Forum

Beamswork Double Hi Lumen 30 (gen4) - The Planted Tank Forum

VivaGrow 24/7 works with the TC420 - The Planted Tank Forum

*And if you wanna add sound responsive lightning FX* try this music controller and a cheap sticky led strip of your choice...
http://www.amazon.com/Lavolta-Adjustable-Activated-Controller-Lighting/dp/B00HFG6BCI/ref=sr_1_16?ie=UTF8&qid=1464326076&sr=8-16&keywords=lavolta+led (Have one, seems to work well... Don't buy the ultra cheap $5 lil black box sound controllers being sold now. The one I tried was so insensitive you had to hit to get the light to come on)

Probably one of the easiest ways to automate a storm, and snyc sound to a mist/rain system would be to have a spare (or cheap used one with wifi (so you can still download apps without need to add phone to your cell plan) off ebay) android phone running an MP3 alarm clock app, or the usb motion activated sound device with appropriate loop loaded in the links below...

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/parts-construction/168890-dendro-daves-vivarium-tech-finds.html

http://www.dendroboard.com/forum/pa...um-storm-weather-fx-idea-resource-thread.html


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## SwampThing (Jul 4, 2016)

After reading this review numerous times and viewing the picture comparisons I pulled the trigger and purchased the 48" model for a 40L tank (for an aquatic planted aquarium) but I want to make a vivarium also. Cost me $65.00 with free shipping. I can't find the wattage on any product description, does anyone know? *** And to those who purchased this product how is it holding up? Thanks for the guidance in advance!


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## GBR (Jun 7, 2013)

On the topic of setting up the automated 24/7...I found it to work by holding the time you want then pressing the "24/7" button once or twice. It'll flicker and will cycle from the time you've set. I also like the "moonlight" color on the vivagrow since it has more of a moon color and not the bluish moonlight on the finnex. Hope this helps with the timer issue! Happy frogging!


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## infamousnoble (Sep 17, 2014)

I've had the vivagrow 24/7 for a few weeks on my setup and it works pretty nice frogs are a lot more active and the plants I have in there are really doin well. Plus I have substantial miss growth that I wasn't expecting 


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## Frogsarefun (Nov 25, 2015)

GBR said:


> On the topic of setting up the automated 24/7...I found it to work by holding the time you want then pressing the "24/7" button once or twice. It'll flicker and will cycle from the time you've set. I also like the "moonlight" color on the vivagrow since it has more of a moon color and not the bluish moonlight on the finnex. Hope this helps with the timer issue! Happy frogging!


So I have been struggling with my new vivagrow 24/7. Mine never turns off.
Don't the frogs and plants need a dark/ black period for night?


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Frogsarefun said:


> So I have been struggling with my new vivagrow 24/7. Mine never turns off.
> Don't the frogs and plants need a dark/ black period for night?


Ya there is always some light because the "moonlight" never goes off. I'd prefer it was dimmer for longer, but I think the frogs will be fine. I've had viv lights on timers that have failed and the lights were on for months, maybe a year straight eek before I finally got around to replacing the timer, and the frogs were fine. But I didn't have the tanks set up with petri dishes/cocohuts and probably didn't even have a pair in most cases since I've always had bad luck getting both a male and female in my groups: so no breeding. So I can't comment on whether the frogs were disturbed enough by the light to cause problems.

But I think if people with pairs or breeding groups don't have any more of a problem getting frogs to breed in tanks with vivagrow or 24/7's on them that will be a good sign. I don't know how well the frogs can see the spectrum that these lights are in during "moonlight" phases so it's hard to say how much it might effect them in the long run. They may see almost no light from some of the spectrum periods these lights go through, or they may see it as being as bright as we do... hard to say.

I think it may be important for people using these lights to make sure they have some good dark spots in the vivs from large plants casting shadows, and/or hardscape elements like cork tubes or petri dish/coco hut combos that provide the frogs with dark places to hide.

The plants I've had in tanks with the lights on permanently seem to do fine once they get established, though it's hard to say how many new plants or plants that were struggling a bit, or just getting started were effected by the 24 hour on period... It's possible I lost plants that I may not have lost with a normal day/night cycle. Ultimately I don't think it's had a huge impact on the plants in those tanks, but a "moonlight" or a few hours full darkness is probably beneficial since plants do have a period in their metabolic cycle they go through during the night. I think with these lights the moonlight period is dim enough and the spectrum changes such that the plants will adapt and do what they would do at night during that "moonlight" period. 

I know that Ferrets supposedly live longer when they are given at least 8 hours off darkness, and I'd assume this is also important for other nocturnal mammals, but our frogs are diurnal. They are understory animals though that typically exist in dappled sunlit areas, and under the cover of the canopy and plants on the forest floor so it's possible they may benefit from complete darkness too. 

I don't know how much is known about frog vision, but researching it via "google scholar" might be helpful for people who have concerns. I haven't gotten around to diving into it yet, but based on my experience leaving lights on full blast for long periods with no seemingly ill effects I think the moonlight periods in these lights are probably dim enough, especially if the viv is well planted with dark places the frogs can seek out then things will be ok,* but ultimately it will be a judgment call. *

As we get more experience with these lights, we'll probably get more opinions on whether or not they are affecting our frogs negatively, but it's fair to say right now us "early adopters" are testing the waters and being a bit experimental... and some people may not be comfortable being in that position.


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## Pubfiction (Feb 3, 2013)

I have the 48 inch unit on a timer, it is pulling 22W according to my mPower pro if anyone was curious.


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## Dendro Dave (Aug 2, 2005)

Pubfiction said:


> I have the 48 inch unit on a timer, it is pulling 22W according to my mPower pro if anyone was curious.


In comparison...
Supposedly the 48" Finnex 24/7 uses 46. I'd be interested to see if that's what they actually run since so often lights don't actually run at the stated wattage.










I like the vivagrows as filler for the back of the tank where my tallest plants are usually. I'm running them with a finnex 24/7 or an aqueon optibright+ in most cases. The optibrights aren't extremely bright but I like that you can set the moonlight to go completely off part of the day, so I may move to all optibright+ in the future unless something cost competitive and better comes out.

The problem with for me with most LED strips is they are just to narrow to get full coverage on tanks that are deeper then a 10gal front to back without raising the light significantly, and I like to just lay the light on the top glass so I've been using 2 strips on most tanks.


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## godjockey (Nov 14, 2009)

I'm going to bump this to the top.

I'm looking for a 24/7 system and want to know if any of you guys have issues with the vivagrow. I have a 40g tank thats 24" deep - will one 36" light bar be good enough?


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

If you have any plants that require high light, no. A single Vivagrow will not be enough. For viewing and low-light needy plants it would be great. I have a 48'' vivagrow and a 36'' finnex 24/7. The finnex is much brighter and I see better plant growth. I use both fixtures as accent lighting with another LED as primary lighting for plants. The 24/7 cycles on both work great and I can't say one cycle is better than the other, just slightly different colors.


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## TheForSaken (Nov 21, 2016)

FrogTim, I also have a VivaGrow 36" and will be running it 24/7 along with my 36" evo quad, which it on a simple on/off timer.
I'm just building my background right now so haven't had a chance yet to play with the lights. 
I'm wanting to achieve an nice ramp up/down effect with the evo. How long are you running your supplementary lighting to achieve the ramp affect in conjunction with the vivagrow 24/7?


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## FrogTim (Oct 1, 2015)

TheForSaken said:


> FrogTim, I also have a VivaGrow 36" and will be running it 24/7 along with my 36" evo quad, which it on a simple on/off timer.
> I'm just building my background right now so haven't had a chance yet to play with the lights.
> I'm wanting to achieve an nice ramp up/down effect with the evo. How long are you running your supplementary lighting to achieve the ramp affect in conjunction with the vivagrow 24/7?


I'm growing out some tanks and the racks with my 24/7 lights so right now my goal is max growth. If I still wanted the 'sunrise' and 'sunset' I would run my primary lights 9am to 530 or 6pm. I like using my ramp timer that takes 15min to 'ramp up' and 'ramp down' so it gradually turns on and off which matches the 24/7 lighting well.

The 'sunrise' feature is really long on both the finnex and vivagrow they sloooooowly ramp up 6am to 11am then 100% power from 11am to 3pm before they gradually dim to a 'sunset' that lasts from 6pm to 730pm before fading to a 'moonlight' the rest of the night. (times are approximate)


It's up to you to find the balance between the effects of the 24/7 and plant growth provided by your evo quad. That's a pretty powerful light and you may find 6-8 hours a day will be sufficient. It really depends on your set up and the types of plants you have.


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## carnzayne (Jan 3, 2017)

I have been trying to decide between the Vivagrow and the Finnex. 

I have noticed that there is a newer version of the 24/7 called the Finnex 24/7 SE series.

The only difference (that i can find) between the Finnex 24/7+ and the SE version are a different mounting bracket, 660nm red LED and it now goes to total darkness between 2am and 5am instead of the blue moonlight all night. 

Does anyone have any experience with the new version at all?
Are there any other undocumented changes, Finnex really has terrible documentation about their products.


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## Venomgland (Dec 31, 2017)

I know this is a really old thread, but I purchased one of the Vivagrow and I'm trying to find out if anyone knows how to have all red, blue, and white lights on at the same time? 

The instructions on what to do and what actually happens is a nightmare....


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## S2G (Jul 5, 2016)

I'll check when I go downstairs later


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## Venomgland (Dec 31, 2017)

S2G said:


> I'll check when I go downstairs later


Any help would be awesome! I finally got the 24hr cycle working. How do you like yours so far? Do I need to add additional day time light? If I do, I'll probably just buy another light and put on a time to go off from 11am-3pm.


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## mmandajade (Feb 13, 2017)

Thank you guys so much for the info on these lights! You're awesome 

It's been 2 years since this thread was started, how is everyone liking their lights? Are they still working reliably this far out? 

I'm planning on getting some of these lights for my 60 Gallon (48L x 13D x 25T), given that 5+ inches will be spent on false bottom and substrate, will I need to purchase one 48" unit, or two for sufficient lighting for plants and frogs? Will I need to buy supplemental UVB light(s) or does this LED system cover all the needs for plants/frogs? I'm having a difficult time wrapping my head around the lighting jargon 

Cheers!
Amanda


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