Finnex FugeRay LED Aquarium Light with Moonlights - Energy Efficient Full Spectrum Lighting for Planted Tanks & Coral Reefs | Perfect for Freshwater & Saltwater Fish Tanks, Aquatic Plant Growth, and Nighttime Viewing

UPDATE: 12/16/16 - I have been using this LED lighting system for nearly three years now. Over the past several months moisture has gotten into the plexiglass which covers the LEDS corroding some of them. As a result a few have burned out and others LEDS have dimmed noticeably. However, most of the LEDS continue to work fine.The question is when will they corrode to the point of failing? This was a relatively inexpensive light, however,the larger more powerful versions have the same Achilles' Heel - poor insulation of the plexiglass, whichwill ultimately lead to a premature corrosion and failure of the LEDS.I have several Hagen GLO T-5 lightings that are between six and seven years old that continue to functionproperly, even though their bulbs are completely unprotected from the water in my aquariums. They workwell because the ballasts in these lights are properly insulated to avoid corrosion.Finnex must conquer this problem or their lighting systems will continue to fail prematurely.These are very nice lighting systems, so some attention to this problem would surely make them avery good value.Earlier UPDATE:I've been using this light for the past two years and it continues to function well. The real question that many aquarists who use LED lighting continue to wonder, given that this technology is still relatively new to the tropical fish hobby,is will these lights last?The manufacturer claims that the lights should last about ten years when used about 10 - 12 hours a day.While I doubt that the lights will last that long, even if they only last for three to four years, they will still representgood value for your dollar. The Finnex light is made of aluminum, so it is light. However, in spite of its light weight,it is well made.I purchased the 12" Fuge Ray model of this light for my Mr. Aqua 1.5 gallon bookshelf aquarium, and it works quite well.They continue to talk about par being more important that watts per gallon in regard to rating aquarium lighting, however, in this fish-keeper's experience, I have found that some LED lights that I own with a high par rating, just don't grow plants very well when their watts per gallon rating is under about 1.5.This little light fits perfectly atop the Mr. Aqua 1.5 and at about 3 watts of light per gallon of water, is doing an excellent job of growing dwarf hairgrass - which has recently completely carpeted the bottom of this little aquarium. I use DIY CO2,whose output tube I connect to a hole which I drilled into the chassis of my Tom Mini submersible aquarium filter. The mini works very well as both an internal filter and a CO2 regulator.Moreover, because there is so much dwarf hairgrass in this aquarium, which feeds on the nutrients in its water column before the algae can, the algae's growth is limited.This is a great little light at a reasonable price. Hopefully, it will stand up well over time.I will update my experiences with this light as time goes by.Thus far, highly recommended!Moreover, I have found thatUpdate:I've had a replacement light for about a week now. It's still working great.I've updated to 3 stars because the light is fantastic, while it's working. There are some reviews stating right around the month/30 days mark they've had problems, so I'll update after some more usage time about the longevity.I did follow the instructions/advice given by the Finnex rep in the comments to this review. I'm not sure if that fixed the potential problem, or if the replacement unit wasn't part of the bad batch.I'm waiting to purchase the 30" model for my 29 gal tank I'll be setting up in a couple of weeks. I'd like to make sure these things are dependable before I spend any more $$$ on them.Original 1 star review:I received this light yesterday evening. When I arrived home I unpacked it and installed it.It was AMAZING how bright it was and how much life it brought to my little 10 gal tank. The 'moonlights' where a fantastic touch. The water shimmering from the blue light reflected onto the ceiling to create a lovely effect.I didn't keep the light on over night, as the tank is in our 2 1/2 year old daughter's room. I wasn't sure if the moonlight would cause any problems with her sleeping. However, I did turn the white lights on this morning when she woke up. I came back into the room when she was playing, less than 2 hours after turning it on, and the light was flickering off and back on. I tested the blue lights, and they did the same thing. I tried re-inserting the electrical plug into the outlet, but the same problem occurred.I even tried a different outlet in a different room. The light flickered a couple of times and then just quit working all together.So now there is absolutely no light coming from this unit. I have read a couple of comments that Finnex representatives have stated that damage my occur in units not being shipped directly from them, although supposedly the problem has been remedied. Obviously I have either received a unit that was manufactured prior to the fix, or the fix does not actually work. Either way, I have requested an exchange through Amazon, which is a very simple process. I figure I will give this light a second chance before I search for something else.The features of this light do make it very attractive. As I stated, the white lights are VERY bright, and the blue moonlights look awesome at night. The install is very straight forward. Basically slide the mounts on the light, then secure them onto the tank with the mount screws, and plug the unit in. There are separate switches for the white and blue LEDs, on either respective end of the unit. It has a very low profile on top of the tank. It also has a very high claimed LED operating life, which was a huge draw to this model for me.I will update once the replacement unit arrives. Hopefully I just received a dud.I purchased this back in May of 2013 for my planted 40gal breeder tank and now more than a year later it is still working flawlessly. The reason I gave it a 4 out of 5 stars is because it is not quite adequate enough for plant growth in my tank. If you have it sit on the top of the tank in the middle, it will reach to the bottom and the plants directly under will be good but plants to the front or to the back of the tank do not get enough light. Also I have an open top tank (no glass or cover) and when I had it sit on top it would collect spray from the bubbles popping (from the air tubes in my tank) on the underside of the light, it did not cause damage but I was constantly having to wipe it down because I have hard water and I didn't want to get any build up. I have since raised it and have it hanging under a shelf I put up. With it being raised it distributes the light better throughout the whole tank (front, back and middle) but it does not seem to be powerful enough to maintain plant growth by photosynthesis (not a high enough PAR for my plants). The plants that were doing extremely well when the light was lower are now only doing only okay and the plants that were dying in the back are now only semi-dying. I have been supplementing my plants with fertilizer and it seems to help but I think I will be buying a second one to raise the PAR (the light output value).I am a huge Finnex fan now, and most of the reason for that is this set of lights. This is my second fixture by finnex, and they're unmatched in terms of build quality and performance. I plan to replace all of my aquarium lights with these; the power savings alone are worth it.My one gripe is that the cord is pretty short, but it's nothing an extension can't fix.It's very light and does not get very hot if left on for long time. I was a bit nervous if this LED light is good for my carpet dwarf baby tears for my 10 gallon but it's fantastic. I would buy one for my friends and family.