Finnex Planted+ 24/7 Light

[Neuf88]

Yea I have 5 small horned nerites and red cherries coming next week so I won't mind an algae surge if I decide to upgrade to these lights. Community tank stock plan

6 neon tetra currently but want 8-9
8-9 ember tetra
6-7 cory habrosus
5 nerites
Red cherry shrimp

Depending how it goes I may try to get 1 ram or honey gourami later if I'm not overstocked and the shrimp population is up so it won't be withered away. I'm just worried about my current lights and them not being sufficient for my plants. It was a stick aqueon led hood kit. All it says is "aqueon led econ 2.15 wattz." I have mostly lowlight I think but still may get this 24-7 finnex.

Plants are

Java moss
Dwarf sag
Floating water wisteria
Anubias Nana
Marimo moss balls
Not sure on my taller grass but maybe Cyprus helfiri?

Using no co2 but I do have eco complete and an air stone.

 

[Lchi87]

As promised:

 

[Neuf88]

As promised:

Awesome! I may have to go look for a standard glass top just like that, that would be perfect for me. I like where the hinge is on that one because it allows you to put the light directly in the center. I don't want a top with the hinge directly in the center.

 

[Lchi87]

This is the exact one I have if it helps!

 

[Neuf88]

This is the exact one I have if it helps!

thanks! i'm copying you.

 

[FishLoverJess]

I have both the Finnex planted plus and the Finnex planted plus 24/7 and NOTHING compare to the original. I bought the 24/7 because I liked the setting and the options to customize but let me say that the 24/7 is a huge gimmick and it promotes ALOT of algae!!! Yes it's cools but if your looking for something to grow plants Med/High I would go for the Finnex planted plus original it's the same price and grows plants very well! As for a hood/cover, All my aquariums are glass covered and I rest the light on top works great and has a feel like an open top

 

[Lchi87]

I have both the Finnex planted plus and the Finnex planted plus 24/7 and NOTHING compare to the original. I bought the 24/7 because I liked the setting and the options to customize but let me say that the 24/7 is a huge gimmick and it promotes ALOT of algae!!! Yes it's cools but if your looking for something to grow plants Med/High I would go for the Finnex planted plus original it's the same price and grows plants very well! As for a hood/cover, All my aquariums are glass covered and I rest the light on top works great and has a feel like an open top

I don't even use the 24/7 mode, but being able to customize the settings is nice!

 

[FishLoverJess]

I don't even use the 24/7 mode, but being able to customize the settings is nice!

I mostly use the light either on sunny or I costomize cools colours to use at night! It's defiantly a nice light but not so much to grow plants!

 

[Lchi87]

I mostly use the light either on sunny or I costomize cools colours to use at night! It's defiantly a nice light but not so much to grow plants!

I don't seem to have an issue growing anything with that light. I suppose tank depth will play into it as well, but I'm managing to get some dwarf baby tears carpeting with that light (when my cories aren't digging up my plants!).

EDIT: Do you see growth issues with all plants or just certain ones? I'm curious now!

 

[FishLoverJess]

Lol I guess each person gets different results! It seemed like I could only grow algae with it, but then again I was using the 24/7 mode and using pressurized Co2 :/ I hear now most people just leave it on max and a timer.

Cories cats are great and probably my fav fish but those little buds LOVE to dig up my Monte Carlo lol

 

[Lchi87]

I usually have mine set to max for most of the photo period but I do set it to "night" mode a few hours before I shut off the lights for the night so that when the light comes on in the morning the fish aren't immediately blinded first thing in the morning LOL.

Those silly cories...you should see what mine are doing to the moss I just tied to my driftwood. They really aren't appreciative of any aquascaping efforts.

 

[FishLoverJess]

I usually have mine set to max for most of the photo period but I do set it to "night" mode a few hours before I shut off the lights for the night so that when the light comes on in the morning the fish aren't immediately blinded first thing in the morning LOL.

Those silly cories...you should see what mine are doing to the moss I just tied to my driftwood. They really aren't appreciative of any aquascaping efforts.

nope those little guys don't care!! We spend hours planting and they spend hours digging!

 

[Neuf88]

Am I able to customize to regular lights during the day and then bluish moonlight in the evening and then completely off at night? As in, all those modes set to a timer? or only 24 mode? I'm not opposed to the 24/7 mode, I'm just curious. I would prefer to set it and never have to touch and instead of blasting out my fish at night with high light (9-11pm for example) Id rather have a moonlight or low light set that I wouldnt have to touch. If my shrimp and snails go as planned algae shouldn't be an issue. I already ordered the 24/7 but it comes Thursday, however won't be able to set it up until I get the glass cover which will probably take longer to come.

 

[Lchi87]

Am I able to customize to regular lights during the day and then bluish moonlight in the evening and then completely off at night? As in, all those modes set to a timer? or only 24 mode? I'm not opposed to the 24/7 mode, I'm just curious. I would prefer to set it and never have to touch and instead of blasting out my fish at night with high light (9-11pm for example) Id rather have a moonlight or low light set that I wouldnt have to touch. If my shrimp and snails go as planned algae shouldn't be an issue. I already ordered the 24/7 but it comes Thursday, however won't be able to set it up until I get the glass cover which will probably take longer to come.

To my knowledge only the 24/7 mode is timed but the lights don't completely shut off at night which is detrimental to the fish since they do need to sleep at some point. There are 3 buttons that you can store a specific setting though.

 

[FishLoverJess]

You can't set your own rotation of lights with the The Finnex 24/7. It's 24/7 mode or your selected choice of light colour which you can manually change only. And if you decide to use a timer you can choose which setting you want the timer to be on but it will turn on and off on that setting only.

if you could customize the timer itself and choose the light and intensity at different times it would be 100% better, just my opinion

 

[Florian Pellet]

What you can do though is leave it on 24/7 mode and use an external timer to turn it off at night. It automatically assumes that it's 6am when turned back on (if it was turned off while on 24/7 mode). So just set your external timer to turn on at 6am.

 

[FishLoverJess]

I'll just add that the 24/7 timed setting aren't at max all day they have different intensity, you get a nice sunrise in the morning and it slowly gets brighter towards the afternoon which is peeked from 12-3 then it slowly goes to a sunset evening to a starry night sky then to a very very dimmed blue from about 3am to 5 and the day begins again. If you choose to run it on 24/7 you will not have to touch the light unless you want to play with the colours.

 

[Neuf88]

Thanks guys, I'm excited. Thank you Florian pellet, I do have an external timer so I may just set it to turn off from midnight to 5am or something and rock the 24/7 once it kicks back on.

 

[Trippdj]

I just bought the 24/7 for my 55. What plants have you guys had the most success on with this light?

 

[Lchi87]

I just bought the 24/7 for my 55. What plants have you guys had the most success on with this light?

I have water sprite, dwarf sag, java fern, bacopa and trying to carpet dwarf baby tears. Everything is growing well and the dwarf baby tears is starting to carpet too, just not as quickly as I would have liked. I think my cories constantly digging them up is delaying the process a bit though.

 

[Trippdj]

Nice! Thanks

 

[Neuf88]

I'm loving the new light! I keep it on the 24/7 cycle but I also have the timer on so it goes lights out from 11pm-6am so they get some total darkness. Tank is coming along great, excited to start next cool in another week, I'll get pics tmrw.

 

[FishLoverJess]

Yay glad you love the light! It's really nice! Can't wait to see photos!

 

[Neuf88]

well strangly enough... my pictures from my phone that I usually post are now saying files are to large to upload on here, I'll have to work on it.

 

[Nellie75]

Just read the whole thread...I work crazy hours and I thought the 24/7 cycle mimicked a natural day. I work crazy hours and was about to get a timer but figured this light would be best because of the 24/7 option.

I've had this light for 5 days and was so excited about it I totally revamped the tank and put all natural plants, just Anubius Nanas and Java Fern Windledov.

So should I completely turn off the light at night? It's a 40 gal tall.

 

[Florian Pellet]

Just read the whole thread...I work crazy hours and I thought the 24/7 cycle mimicked a natural day. I work crazy hours and was about to get a timer but figured this light would be best because of the 24/7 option.

I've had this light for 5 days and was so excited about it I totally revamped the tank and put all natural plants, just Anubius Nanas and Java Fern Windledov.

So should I completely turn off the light at night? It's a 40 gal tall.

View attachment 203795

Yes I think it's better to turn it off at night. It helps your fish rest. And if you want to use a timer to do that, remember that when turning back on, it automatically thinks it's 6am. So if you turn your timer on at 6, it's on time.

 

[topramos]

Just read the article and was curious about the glass canopy under the light fixture? Is it necessary to have one or is it just a preferred thing? I just got the finnex running over my 32.1g tank, but I don't have the glass canopy. I like the open look of the tank especially running with a HOB filter.

 

[Florian Pellet]

Just read the article and was curious about the glass canopy under the light fixture? Is it necessary to have one or is it just a preferred thing? I just got the finnex running over my 32.1g tank, but I don't have the glass canopy. I like the open look of the tank especially running with a HOB filter.

Not it's not required. It's to prevent jumpy fish from escaping, water to evaporate, snails to climb out...

But I don't use one either. I don't have jumpy fish.

 

[topramos]

Not it's not required. It's to prevent jumpy fish from escaping, water to evaporate, snails to climb out...

But I don't use one either. I don't have jumpy fish.

Sweet! Thanks for the quick reply!

 

[abovo]

Thank you for the info everyone. I've had my planted plus 24/7 for a week and it's been great. I wanted to use a timer because I felt it stressed the fish. Finding out it starts the 24/7 cycle at 6am was great news.

I have a 30" model on my 54 gallon corner tank with a glass top.

 

[Vince00]

Great info, I read the whole thread. Thx for you all commenting on the detail etc.

I've setup a 75 gallon - 48" wide tank. Would (1) 48" fixture do what I need for a low - med tank or would I require (2) fixtures at some point with heavy growth?

Also, skipping the 24x7 fluff is this still the light you would recommend or is there another LED alternative that I would just run on a timer that is better suited?

 

[Jennywren]

NOTHING compare to the original...the 24/7 is a huge gimmick and it promotes ALOT of algae!!! l

Why do you think that is?? Is the 24/7 higher output or something?

Am I able to customize to regular lights during the day and then bluish moonlight in the evening and then completely off at night? As in, all those modes set to a timer? or only 24 mode? I'm not opposed to the 24/7 mode, I'm just curious.

No, the whole program is fixed. If you want a customizable 24hr program, get the Satelite Pro Plus. I just ordered one three days ago for this very reason. You can set the daylight color and intensity, moonlight color and intensity, and photoperiod. There is a 15 minute fade (ramp) sunrise from moonlight to daylight, and from daylight to moonlight, which you can set to almost blackness if you want. More info here:

if you could customize the timer itself and choose the light and intensity at different times it would be 100% better, just my opinion

The Current Satellite Plus Pro does that (for daylight and moonlight)! I just bought one!

 

[FishLoverJess]

Why do you think that is?? Is the 24/7 higher output or something?

If your looking to grow plants the original finnex planted+ (Not 24/7) is the way to go! That's from personal experience, I own both fixtures. The 24/7 is not programable meaning you have to use the 24/7 mode or leave it on max. I found that as soon as I added the 24/7 to my tank I had a huge algae bloom, the 24/7 mode Has light almost all day except from between 3am-6am. To much light! I bought it because of the 24/7 mode but after two weeks changed it to max and added a timer. With this light on max for 8hr vs the finnex planted + on a timer for 8hrs I got MUCHHH better growth with the planted+. I'm sure others will agree and disagree but if your looking to grow those harder to keep plants or say carpet plants the finnex planted + is a better buy. It's about the say price Only difference is with the 24/7 you can customize different colours. I did that for a week and was over it. It's like a new toy you get it and play with it for a few weeks, then leave it alone.

 

[Jennywren]

Just read the whole thread...I work crazy hours and I thought the 24/7 cycle mimicked a natural day. I work crazy hours and was about to get a timer but figured this light would be best because of the 24/7 option.

So should I completely turn off the light at night? It's a 40 gal tall.

View attachment 203795

Your tank looks really nice I like your volcano

I'm also really excited about automating a natural 24 hr cycle for my fish. This hobby is so fun!

For what it's worth, I've been messing with different light colors and observing my fish closely, and I can tell you mine sleep just fine with a little moonlight or ambient dusk colored light. not sure about the brightness of the moonlight setting for the 24/7 though! The timer solution is probably a good idea

 

[Jennywren]

the 24/7 mode Has light almost all day except from between 3am-6am. To much light! I bought it because of the 24/7 mode but after two weeks changed it to max and added a timer. With this light on max for 8hr vs the finnex planted + on a timer for 8hrs I got MUCHHH better growth with the planted+.

Very interesting! So the 24/7 mode has too long a photoperiod and also the MAX setting isn't as optimal a spectrum for plants (or something) as the Finned planted + in your experience! Good info!

Nothing I'm growing is especially tricky, and my tank is small so any of these would be more than adequate, I'm just gathering information!

 

[FishLoverJess]

I prob should have said this before, The 24/7 is good for lower light plants/aquarium. The finnex planted + would make the tank "high light" I ran both of these lights on a tank that had pressurized co2 and Ferts! So I'm sure the finnex planted 24/7 would do good on a low tech tank and you probably wouldn't run into algae problems.

 

[tonejac]

Am I able to customize to regular lights during the day and then bluish moonlight in the evening and then completely off at night? As in, all those modes set to a timer? or only 24 mode? I'm not opposed to the 24/7 mode, I'm just curious. I would prefer to set it and never have to touch and instead of blasting out my fish at night with high light (9-11pm for example) Id rather have a moonlight or low light set that I wouldnt have to touch. If my shrimp and snails go as planned algae shouldn't be an issue. I already ordered the 24/7 but it comes Thursday, however won't be able to set it up until I get the glass cover which will probably take longer to come.

I have the 24/7+ and it looks really sleek. I don't use the 24/7 mode. I do however set it the "3am" setting at night (which seems like a 5% blue only—barely on). It's actually less bright than the lowest blue level when you're doing custom color mixes. During the day I usually set it to full red, and full white, or just use the "max" button which is all colors full blast.

PROS:
• Sleek look, very thin, flat, and modern looking
• Very programmable, lots of variety

CONS:
• The remote takes some getting used to
• The color levels are only adjustable in increments of 10% (eg, off, 10%, 20%, 30% etc)
• There are two rows of white only LEDs and 1 row of RGB LEDs. I was expecting that all three rows would be adjustable RGBs.

The other light you see in the photo is the Monster Ray. It only does one thing, on or off. But it makes your fish colors jump to life. I think it's a special mix of 3-rows of RGB LEDs custom mixed to reflect your fish colors. I use that in combo with the 24/7+ and I'm pretty happy with it. I only wish it had the same flat sleek black look of the 24/7+.

View attachment IMG_3096.JPGView attachment IMG_3094.JPG

Just read the whole thread...I work crazy hours and I thought the 24/7 cycle mimicked a natural day. I work crazy hours and was about to get a timer but figured this light would be best because of the 24/7 option.

I've had this light for 5 days and was so excited about it I totally revamped the tank and put all natural plants, just Anubius Nanas and Java Fern Windledov.

So should I completely turn off the light at night? It's a 40 gal tall.

View attachment 203795

That's looking great! Nice work!

I prob should have said this before, The 24/7 is good for lower light plants/aquarium. The finnex planted + would make the tank "high light" I ran both of these lights on a tank that had pressurized co2 and Ferts! So I'm sure the finnex planted 24/7 would do good on a low tech tank and you probably wouldn't run into algae problems.

What setup do you use for your CO2? I don't know much of anything about it. Is it for helping the plants thrive? Or does it have benefits for the fish too?

I just bought the 24/7 for my 55. What plants have you guys had the most success on with this light?

I've got 1 Amazon Sword plant and 4 tufts of Cyperus HelferI grasses.

I just bought the 24/7 for my 55. What plants have you guys had the most success on with this light?

Have you planted anything yet in your 55?

 

[msujohn]

I just bought the 36" 24/7 planted + for my 40 gallon breeder. (just set up the tank last weekend). I'm not planning on injecting any Co2. What is the best way to run this light to minimize the algae?

- Should I just leave in on 24/7?
- Should I put it on 24/7 with a timer (to come on/off)?
- Should I use a timer and have light on max light?

I'm still new to planted tanks and don't want to start out with a ton of algae.

 

[Vince00]

Mine is on order as well, should be here Monday. 48" for a 75 gallon tank.

I'm planning on running it custom setting around 80% strength (lower than max setting) longer time per day on a timer after reading this whole thread.

I'll adjust it later as I get more plants growing.

 

[FishLoverJess]

What setup do you use for your CO2? I don't know much of anything about it. Is it for helping the plants thrive? Or does it have benefits for the fish too?

I have a high tech set up, meaning I run my Finnex planted (PLUS) for 8hrs a day along with pressurized co2 and daily addition of liquid fertilizer for my plants! Pressurized co2 is used to help aquarium plants photosynthesize. It doesn't help or hurt the fish in the correct amounts.

I also have the finnex planted 24/7 on a "low tech tank" I use this light on max setting for 8hrs a day. With this tank I don't inject co2 gas and instead I use a liquid form called excel which is basically co2 in a bottle.

Excel isn't as great as pressurized co2 but it adds it to the aquarium which plants need. In a low tech tank this is a great product to help plants grow! After all plants need three things good lighting, co2 & good nutrients In the water colum.

I just bought the 36" 24/7 planted + for my 40 gallon breeder. (just set up the tank last weekend). I'm not planning on injecting any Co2. What is the best way to run this light to minimize the algae?

- Should I just leave in on 24/7?
- Should I put it on 24/7 with a timer (to come on/off)?
- Should I use a timer and have light on max light?

I'm still new to planted tanks and don't want to start out with a ton of algae.

Is your tank cycled? Brown algae is the most common and in new set up you are likely to experience this with in the first couple months. Don't worry it's a good sign that your aquarium is cycling!

I think with lighting it's a trial and error phase. I would personally run the tank on max for 8hrs a day with a timer.

do you plan on adding liquid fertilizer?
what types of plants are you trying to grow?

I know you said your not interested in having pressurized co2 but do you plan on adding co2 in a liquid form?

 

[Vince00]

I also have the finnex planted 24/7 on a "low tech tank" I use this light on max setting for 8hrs a day. With this tank I don't inject co2 gas and instead I use a liquid form called excel which is basically co2 in a bottle.

This is where I will be at for next week... 24/7 on a timer, I'll go 8 hrs on High like you mention, and I'm going to order some Excel now. I have Prime on the way as well to add when I do a water change.

Anything else I may need. Great post btw this detail helps immensely when found in one place.

 

[msujohn]

Tank is not cycled yet - just set it up last week. Right now I have the light set to 24/7. But, based on what I've read I might go to set to max for 8 hours.

As far as plants are considered, I will start with java fern, moss, anubias, buce, crypt, cabomba purple, indica, etc.

I do also plan to dose excel and flourish.

Do I have the ability to add any med to high light plants into my tank with this light? Or do I need to stick to low light plants?

This is my first experience with a planted tank. Have years of experience with cichlid tanks and currently have a reef tank.

 

[FishLoverJess]

Tank is not cycled yet - just set it up last week. Right now I have the light set to 24/7. But, based on what I've read I might go to set to max for 8 hours.

As far as plants are considered, I will start with java fern, moss, anubias, buce, crypt, cabomba purple, indica, etc.

I do also plan to dose excel and flourish.

Do I have the ability to add any med to high light plants into my tank with this light? Or do I need to stick to low light plants?

This is my first experience with a planted tank. Have years of experience with cichlid tanks and currently have a reef tank.

You could try and add a couple medium light plants to see how they do with Excel and the light, and go from there, But for the plants that you mentioned you should be fine since they are all low light plants. I would also recommend liquid iron made by the same company. I use the whole seachem line in both my high tech and low tech tanks to help with growth and coloration specially with plants that turn red, iron really helps bring the red out! I would stay away from high light plant because those require high light and high co2 levels along with lots of micro nutrients.

Seachem has a dosing chart available online which tells you exactly how much to add of each fert each day, I follow this chart and have had great results. Just google (Seachem Dosing Chart) then figure out how much you will need for your size of tank.

 

[FishLoverJess]

This is where I will be at for next week... 24/7 on a timer, I'll go 8 hrs on High like you mention, and I'm going to order some Excel now. I have Prime on the way as well to add when I do a water change.

Anything else I may need. Great post btw this detail helps immensely when found in one place.

Prime is great! Yes it's a water conditioner but did you know it also detoxifies low amounts of ammonia? I sure didn't! I had a minI cycle after treating my tank for ick and prime helped keep all my fish alive!

with Excel I would also recommend buying flourish made by the same company this product covers some of your micro Nutrients your plants will need! And if you have red plants I would also invest in iron! Like the previous post Google (seachem dosing chart) this will show you how to dose your low tech tank! There are many different Ferts that your plants will need. I started with Excel,flourish & iron. As my plant grew I noticed different plant deficiencies and bought other bottles as I went!

Thanks for the kind words! I didn't start this post but I'm more then happy to share my personal experience with you all!

Any question you may have you can send me a personal message and I can help!

 

[msujohn]

You could try and add a couple medium light plants to see how they do with Excel and the light, and go from there, But for the plants that you mentioned you should be fine since they are all low light plants. I would also recommend liquid iron made by the same company. I use the whole seachem line in both my high tech and low tech tanks to help with growth and coloration specially with plants that turn red, iron really helps bring the red out! I would stay away from high light plant because those require high light and high co2 levels along with lots of micro nutrients.

Seachem has a dosing chart available online which tells you exactly how much to add of each fert each day, I follow this chart and have had great results. Just google (Seachem Dosing Chart) then figure out how much you will need for your size of tank.

Can you use a doser (like is used on reef tanks) or do you manually dose everyday?

 

[FishLoverJess]

Can you use a doser (like is used on reef tanks) or do you manually dose everyday?

I personally never heard of a doser so I wouldn't know I normally dose my tank manually each morning using a syringe that measures millilitres .

 

[tonejac]

Just read the article and was curious about the glass canopy under the light fixture? Is it necessary to have one or is it just a preferred thing? I just got the finnex running over my 32.1g tank, but I don't have the glass canopy. I like the open look of the tank especially running with a HOB filter.

Not necessary to have the glass canopy. It just helps minimize the evaporation of your tank water. Also, it helps prevent objects from falling into your tank, and prevents the fish from jumping out (if you have the type that occasionally jump out of the water).

I think the lidless look is much nicer, but the convenience and protection keeps me with the lid.

Is your tank cycled? Brown algae is the most common and in new set up you are likely to experience this with in the first couple months. Don't worry it's a good sign that your aquarium is cycling!

Yeah, I'm about 6 weeks in, and definitely got the brown algae growing in there. Glad to hear it's a good sign. I added 3 pleccos last week and they are cleaning it up nicely.

So, what is a typical duration of your tank cycling? (if I have a 72 gallon)

 

[FishLoverJess]

Yeah, I'm about 6 weeks in, and definitely got the brown algae growing in there. Glad to hear it's a good sign. I added 3 pleccos last week and they are cleaning it up nicely.

So, what is a typical duration of your tank cycling? (if I have a 72 gallon)

that really depend on how you started. Fish-in Cycle or Fishless Cycle??

typically it takes 6-8weeks if your starting with no added media, like an old filter pad from an established tank. If you do use old filter media then the cycle time is much shorter! I have had a tank cycle in 3weeks! But when I 1st started it took about 6 weeks! Are you testing your water?

 

[tonejac]

that really depend on how you started. Fish-in Cycle or Fishless Cycle??

typically it takes 6-8weeks if your starting with no added media, like an old filter pad from an established tank. If you do use old filter media then the cycle time is much shorter! I have had a tank cycle in 3weeks! But when I 1st started it took about 6 weeks! Are you testing your water?

Oh, good to know. I'm at 7 weeks now. Started fresh from scratch. I was about 3 weeks before adding fish. I picked up an API master kit and the GH/KH test too. My amonia, nitrates and nitrites are in great shape. My PH is a little high (7.6) and my GH/KH are at about 15˚ right now. I've been doing some RO water changes and also added some peat moss granule bags to my HOB filters. And have been getting the GH/KH to come down slowly. I've lost a few of my smaller fish over the last couple weeks, I suspect because of the high GH/KH and ph.

After about 2 months will the 'cycling' finish? And then the tank will be 'established'. How does all that work?

 

[FishLoverJess]

Oh, good to know. I'm at 7 weeks now. Started fresh from scratch. I was about 3 weeks before adding fish. I picked up an API master kit and the GH/KH test too. My amonia, nitrates and nitrites are in great shape. My PH is a little high (7.6) and my GH/KH are at about 15˚ right now. I've been doing some RO water changes and also added some peat moss granule bags to my HOB filters. And have been getting the GH/KH to come down slowly. I've lost a few of my smaller fish over the last couple weeks, I suspect because of the high GH/KH and ph.

After about 2 months will the 'cycling' finish? And then the tank will be 'established'. How does all that work?

The cycle will be finished when ammonia and nitrite reads 0 and you have 10-20ppms of nitrate! Once you see that I would then wait a week and re test to make sure! Then slowly add 2-3 fish after a week of introducing those fish I would then test the water again to make sure you get 0,0,5-20nitrates. Doing a water change the day before you test the water. If everything remains the same go ahead and add another 2-3 fish. Continue this until you have all your fish in your tank. I would say an established tank is 4-6months after you have fully stocked. This is to make sure your bio filter is stable. That's why we test the water so much in the beginning.

most fish will live comfortable in a ph of 7.5. I wouldn't try to adjust your water parameters unless you plan on keeping fish that require a low PH.