Fluval Plant 3.0 Scheduling and Programming

[SidneyE]

Hey y’all, I’d love your advice. Newly setup 65g flat back hex, 18” top to bottom, 4’ wide. Purchased one 48” 3.0 and set it to the standard Pro setting. No CO2. Fast forward a couple weeks and I’ve got Staghorn on some jungle Val, Java fern and Crypts. My other stem plants are doing great. Recently found this thread and lowered light intensity down to 35%. Anyone have a light schedule that you think would work? Prefer a long viewing window as possible. Thank you! 

[JoeQ]

I was just sharing the settings I use on another thread, so perfect timing lol im using Bentleys daysim (6am ~ 830pm) at certain percentage depending on plant height. Here they are, for staghorn you might want to see about adjusting your flow also. Good luck! 

[a tired fish keeper]

I am going to buy a fluval 3.0 for my 15 gallon what size should I get.

[JoeQ]

On 3/14/2022 at 7:33 AM, a tired fish keeper said:

I am going to buy a fluval 3.0 for my 15 gallon what size should I get.

The 3.0 will be way tooo strong for a 15, id look at the aquasky 

[Streetwise]

@a tired fish keeper, You can dial the brightness down to match the size of your tank. I have them on small tanks.

And a note to everyone: With daylight savings time, make sure to go into the app and touch each of your lights to update the time!

[JoeQ]

On 3/14/2022 at 8:40 AM, Streetwise said:

@a tired fish keeper, You can dial the brightness down to match the size of your tank. I have them on small tanks.

And a note to everyone: With daylight savings time, make sure to go into the app and touch each of your lights to update the time!

I originally bought mine for a 10gallon. That didn't turn out so well..... I bought the aquasky and im much happier 

[JoeQ]

Ive talked about uploading my DaySim reducer spreadsheet here before, but I had trouble hosting. For the time being I will be hosting it here.

 https://drive.protonmail.com/urls/5MEFTWXY38#vHWmo4MRg4nL

To be clear these are not my original settings, the Day Sim settings were created by Bentley Pascoe on YouTube, I simply made the spreadsheet that allows a user to easily ramp up or down the intensity. 

Edited March 23, 2022 by JoeQ

[TMartins]

Hello Everyone,

I have a 20 gallon high tank and would my current settings be considered medium or high light??  

[Kevin2022]

I’m running this light on:

red: 100

blue: 5

the whites: 100

and at 30cm height

However I find the light very yellow/greenish, is there a way to change this without changing to intensity ?

[Kirb]

I scrolled thru all the replies so I hope I didn't miss the answer. 

I just added the nano and co2 to my 4 gallon tank, about 9.5" tall,  yesterday. This is my first tank so trying to figure this all out. I'm trying to get an idea if my settings are to high or low. 

[nabokovfan87]

On 7/14/2020 at 5:33 PM, Streetwise said:

Fluval Nano Light Rimmed Tank Adapter by

Literally this one thing is worth it for just about everyone with a 10G tank.

SO glad it exists and now I know it exists.  Thanks!

 

For anyone who is curious here's the default settings that came on my 36" light.

Edited May 15, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/2/2022 at 1:45 PM, Kirb said:

I just added the nano and co2 to my 4 gallon tank, about 9.5" tall,  yesterday. This is my first tank so trying to figure this all out. I'm trying to get an idea if my settings are to high or low. 

Looks fine to me.  Your window is pretty short, but it might be fine given the load on the tank.  I would keep an eye on the grasses on the far left. If they don't continue to grow then you would need to increase the intensity slightly, or potentially moving the gooseneck left slightly.

Eventually, after the plants fill in, you'd increase it up 10-15% and probably settle around there.

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/5/2021 at 4:50 PM, pedrofisk said:

I'm struggling to get swords to grow in my 55. To be honest they grew better before I got the Fluval 3. 

I've got it pretty cranked down with a long photo period. I heard swords like a long day. Not sure. I also give root tabs once a month.

The amber and red are to give a more sunrise and sunset look. Any advice is appreciated.

Just an FYI for anyone who may be trying to "reduce algae" by running low blue numbers. You don't want to run the blue at 0.  It's an essential color range for the plants to grow in a certain fashion. Some plants might need that spectrum specifically to grow or to have all of the wavelengths needed to grow.
 

On 2/22/2022 at 7:17 AM, Kevin2022 said:

Hi all!

 

New user on this forum and with this light. I'm wandering, how important is the "warm white" setting ?

I like the more cool white than the yellowish tint. Also, i've got an aquatlantis fusion 100 aquarium.

The brace in the middle is from glass. Can I just lay down the led on this glass strip without it is getting to hot ?

This because I want to close the lid (hood). If not, it will be an open aquarium 🙂

The warm white is one of your three primary colors. warm = more reddish and yellow than a cooler white, which means it will support a bit less algae than the warmer color spectrum.  Both will grow algae if things aren't in balance, but I say that to simply illustrate that the two primary values for me are pure white, warm white, cool white (in that order).

I usually keep the warm at the same % or 5-10% lower than my pure white setting.

On 4/3/2022 at 5:11 PM, TMartins said:

I have a 20 gallon high tank and would my current settings be considered medium or high light??  

I see a ton of very low % schedules in this thread and a ton of beautiful tanks.  Bentley has one of his videos (I think his part 3 pro mode guide) where he specifically gives out tank sizes and specific % settings he recommends.

Keep in mind, the goal is to start low and eventually increase it as the plants fill in.

Your schedule right now, to me, looks like a "low light" setup.  Height of the tank in question is probably right on the cusp of being a "low-med" schedule. (think of it like medium-low on the stove)

--------------------------------
I posted this in my journal but I think it might help someone decide on a light to purchase when they are in-between sizes.  The premise for me was originally trying to save a bit of cost, but also to buy the "right size" for the tank.  I've come to realize that there's a few key issues (black hinges on lids) and a variety of things that made it seem like the 24" was the correct choice.  Now that I am trying to get a somewhat demanding plant to carpet I am finding that my light simply doesn't reach the depth of the tank I need.  Granted, the light isn't at 100% intensity, but I am also trying to get the plants to grow and very concerned with issues of dead spots in spots of the tank.

The solution for me was to try to focus on the "LED Strip" length and not the actual length of the light fixture itself. So when we say it's a 24" light, the actual LEDs are 20" in their strip.  On my 36" light, it's just at 30" length.  I can measure the 48" as well, but generally speaking there's about 2-2.5" of "fixture" on either side.  As long as you don't mind an overhang, this *might be* the critical dimension for sizing a light to a tank. (example being, a 30" tank might really need a 28" strip, who really knows)

My plan is to run the exact same profile on the new fixture and report back in a few weeks about any changes in the tank.  For reference, this is a 29G tank.

Disclaimer: I have been dealing with a severe algae issue in both of my tanks. I have focused on cleaning this one up and it's come a long way.  I have changed things up in a specific order and the before/after photos and full details are in my journal (Amano shrimp, lights, fertilizer).  For the most part, I'm probably going to see an algae spike as a result of this change. The question really is about whether or not the plants continue to out compete the algae in question.

Here is the comparison of the new vs. old light on the tank itself. 
24"


36"


You can see a pretty drastic difference in the PAR reaching the substrate if you focus on the lefthand seiryu stone next to the ziss filter.

This is the current profile I am running:

Edited May 15, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Torrey]

On 5/15/2022 at 12:46 AM, nabokovfan87 said:

The solution for me was to try to focus on the "LED Strip" length and not the actual length of the light fixture itself. So when we say it's a 24" light, the actual LEDs are 20" in their strip.  On my 36" light, it's just at 30" length.  I can measure the 48" as well, but generally speaking there's about 2-2.5" of "fixture" on either side.

This was actually the determining factor for me getting shoplights to grow plants, originally. When cost was factored in, it became a no-brainer for me now that I am living on disability. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my Fluval on my 10 gallon. 

*and*

To improve growth / reduce dead spots, I am adding the submersible lights I used on my Scapes from Scraps tank now that I have seen it doesn't produce algae faster than my snails & shrimp can eat it.

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/16/2022 at 10:37 AM, Torrey said:

This was actually the determining factor for me getting shoplights to grow plants, originally. When cost was factored in, it became a no-brainer for me now that I am living on disability. 

Don't get me wrong, I love my Fluval on my 10 gallon. 

*and*

To improve growth / reduce dead spots, I am adding the submersible lights I used on my Scapes from Scraps tank now that I have seen it doesn't produce algae faster than my snails & shrimp can eat it.

It's definitely a bit stronger light. After 24 hours I'm already seeing a lot of stuff popping new growth (mostly algae I mean).

I am going to have to dial it down slightly, but I just did a massive cleaning to give the tank the best chance of growth possible. I deep cleaned the substrate, glass, wood, rocks, and then I got angry and tore apart the filter and deep cleaned all the much out of that.  Flow should be greatly improved (never was an issue) and already seeing bypass.  Thanks Seachem.

Can't wait to get the new filter and glue a few holes and swap it out, tank looks lovely again! But man, it would be epic to see these plants take hold instead of keep melting.

Edit: I forgot to mention.  What it means also is that I can go ahead and swap off the Aquasky and put it back in the "things have broken and we need something" pile and then I have a nice 10G or 20L on my desk for *just* plants and it'll be so nice to have my 24" on that tank.  It'll last however long it's going to last and eventually be running the Co-op light when it does stop working.  The tank it's on now is BBA scape (only way to describe it) and I took Streetwise's guide and implemented the first tank I have with a siesta to really push back off the algae.  Only anubias in the tank with new growth.

Edited May 16, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Streetwise]

Thanks for helping curate this thread. I really wanted to give everyone the best starting info and FAQs, but I counted on the community to add details.

[Streetwise]

@nabokovfan87, have you tested those 3D-printed Nano mounts for rimmed tanks? I commissioned the design but still have not tried them.

@Kevin2022, I tested Nanos directly on glass, but added felt corner pads in past setups, just because. The Nanos are all aluminum, and basically diffusing heat sinks.

The long lights have more plastic, but I dropped one in water, and others have been sprayed by bubbles and/or splashing for years.

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/16/2022 at 5:33 PM, Streetwise said:

@nabokovfan87, have you tested those 3D-printed Nano mounts for rimmed tanks? I commissioned the design but still have not tried them.

I have not. I have eyes the nano lights about a dozen times and every time I find a need for one I always realize I can't mount it. I also don't have a 3DP machine currently, but that's less of an issue.

On 5/16/2022 at 5:33 PM, Streetwise said:

The long lights have more plastic, but I dropped one in water, and others have been sprayed by bubbles and/or splashing for years.

Cory has a vlog. He threw one in a pond for a few hours on at full power. The lights can handle being dropped in the tank accidentally as well as splashing and stuff. They definitely can "puff up" over time.

On 5/16/2022 at 5:33 PM, Streetwise said:

@Kevin2022, I tested Nanos directly on glass, but added felt corner pads in past setups, just because. The Nanos are all aluminum, and basically diffusing heat sinks.

The aquasky has a very similar metal back heatsink design. Just as an FYI. It's a great tip you had with the felt!

Another thing people can do is use VHB and find a "bump-on".  It's an industry term, but essentially it's a small acrylic or nylon riser used in a variety of industries. (Think of it as rubber feet you see on a variety of products).

The 3M VHB should also handle the heat and water but there's spec sheets and a few different part numbers they run to verify the correct version.

Edited May 17, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[TurtlePlant]

I wanted better control over the Plant 3.0 lights than what the phone app allows. So I sniffed some of the bluetooth traffic and recorded the commands the app was sending. Turns out Fluval or the BLE chip manufacturer uses some very basic encryption on the commands. A friend helped me out by writing a python script that will encrypt or decrypt the commands. From here you can write some code to directly control the lights without needing the app. This will allow for control using something like an ESP32 which would not only allow for unlimited light settings and timings but also get rid of the issue of the lights loosing the current time on reboot. 

This is the tutorial I used to start the process.

BLE Light Tutorial

Example command decoded:

Raw command captured over BLE from the Fluval App: 
545affc3af5454545454545454ab503c

Same command after being decrypted: 
6804ffffffffffffffff00fb97

0x68   - Header
0x04   - Change brightness control command
0xFFFF - Ignore Pink (0xFFFF is interpertperted by the light as No Change/Ignore)
0xFFFF - Ignore Blue
0xFFFF - Ignore Cold White
0xFFFF - Ignore Pure White
0x00fB - Set Warm White to 251 (Range is 0-1000 or 0x0000-0x03E8)
0x97   - Checksum 

Python script to decrypt/encrypt BLE messages:

#!/usr/bin/env python3
import sys

"""
API SPECIFICATION
There are a lot of commands defined in the decompiled APK; see CommUtil.java for the full list. But this is an exhaustive list that covers lots of different hardware. At the moment only on/off and brightness per-channel are implemented here.
COMMAND STRUCTURE
Every command message begins with a header (0x68), followed by a single command byte, then whatever arguments for that command, followed by a CRC byte. This is then encrypted per below before being sent over BLE.
BLE MESSAGE ENCRYPTION SCHEME
A random key (lrand48()) is generated with each message. Then that key is used to XOR the rest of the message. The random key is itself stored in a header, where it is XOR'd with a fixed value (0x54).
The wrapped, encrypted format is:
[IV] [Length] [Key] [byte1, byte2, ...]
Where IV is always 0x54, length is the number of bytes after the key XOR'd with the IV, and the key is a random number XOR'd with the IV.
When sending messages to the device, there's no need to generate a random if you don't want to. You can just use a fixed number like zero.
"""

def ble_encode(b):
  raw_len = len(b)
  rand = 0
  encoded_bytes = bytearray([0x54, (raw_len + 1) ^ 0x54, rand ^ 0x54])
  for byte in b:
    encoded_bytes.append(byte ^ rand)
  return encoded_bytes

def ble_decode(b):
  iv = b[0]
  length = b[1] ^ iv
  key = b[2] ^ iv
  decoded_bytes = bytearray()
  for i in range(3, len(b)):
    decoded_bytes.append(b[i] ^ key)
  return decoded_bytes

# The last byte of a message is a CRC value that is just every byte XOR'd in order.
def crc(cmd):
  check = 0
  for i in range(0, len(cmd)):
    check = check ^ cmd[i]
  return check

def buildMessage(raw_bytes):
  raw_msg = bytearray(raw_bytes)
  # Prepend message header (0x68), aka FRM_HDR in apk source code
  msg = bytearray([0x68])
  msg.extend(raw_msg)
  msg.append(crc(msg))
  print("Dec message: ", msg.hex())
  enc_msg = ble_encode(msg)
  print("Enc message: ", enc_msg.hex())
  return enc_msg

def getPowerOnMessage():
  # Power:
  #  CMD_SWITCH (0x03), [0|1]
  return buildMessage([0x03, 0x01])

def getPowerOffMessage():
  # Power:
  #  CMD_SWITCH (0x03), [0|1]
  return buildMessage([0x03, 0x00])

# Sets the brightness of one or more channels
# Level: 0-1000 (0x03E8) -- note this is two bytes and is big-endian
# Channels not specified will not be modified.

def getBrightnessMessage(red=False, blue=False, cwhite=False, pwhite=False, wwhite=False):
  # Channel brightness message format:
  #   CMD_CTRL (0x04), <16-bit red>, <16-bit blue>, <16-bit cwhite>, <16-bit pwhite>, <16-bit wwhite>
  # Notes: Values set to 0xFFFF will not modify anything.
  #        Legal range is 0x0000-0x03E8, big-endian.

    def consider(color):
    nop = b'\xff\xff'
    if color is False:
      return nop
    elif color < 0 or color > 1000:
      print("fatal: brightness values must be between 0-1000")
      sys.exit(1)
    else:
      return color.to_bytes(2, byteorder='big')
  cmd = bytearray([0x04])
  cmd.extend(consider(red))
  cmd.extend(consider(blue))
  cmd.extend(consider(cwhite))
  cmd.extend(consider(pwhite))
  cmd.extend(consider(wwhite))
  return buildMessage(cmd)

def main():
  # Examples:
  print("Power on")
  getPowerOnMessage()
  print("Power off")
  getPowerOffMessage()
  print("Blue to 950")
  getBrightnessMessage(blue=950)
  print("All off, red to 1000")
  getBrightnessMessage(red=1000, blue=0, wwhite=0, pwhite=0, cwhite=0)
  #for i in sys.stdin:
  #  print(ble_decode(bytes.fromhex(i)).hex())

if __name__ == '__main__':
  main()

 

Edited May 23, 2022 by TurtlePlant
Fixed formatting

[Streetwise]

@TurtlePlant, this is epic. Please keep sharing!

[nabokovfan87]

On 5/23/2022 at 12:42 PM, TurtlePlant said:

A friend helped me out by writing a python script that will encrypt or decrypt the commands. From here you can write some code to directly control the lights without needing the app.

I'm just guessing here... The code is going to be matrix based, something like what you see for FPGA/ASICs or Microcontroller codes. There's likely one variable type for each LED color, simply put you can turn each one off/on or vary some settings (a custom data class for each color).  In the "behind the scenes" of each class It's very likely a matrix of LEDs and it codes out what each one is by assigning each LED a location under each class.

 

 

On 5/16/2022 at 5:33 PM, Streetwise said:

@nabokovfan87, have you tested those 3D-printed Nano mounts for rimmed tanks? I commissioned the design but still have not tried them.

Might have a use for a nano soon. Just need to find a 3d printer.  I want to get a susswassertang nano tank.

 

 

On 5/16/2022 at 2:26 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

It's definitely a bit stronger light. After 24 hours I'm already seeing a lot of stuff popping new growth (mostly algae I mean).

I am going to have to dial it down slightly, but I just did a massive cleaning to give the tank the best chance of growth possible. I deep cleaned the substrate, glass, wood, rocks, and then I got angry and tore apart the filter and deep cleaned all the much out of that.  Flow should be greatly improved (never was an issue) and already seeing bypass.  Thanks Seachem.

Update on this.

I kept an eye out on the tank after the deep clean and needless to say it worked really well.  Flow increased slightly, but I've been fixing the HoB as well just out of necessity (bypass is dumb).

On topic though, NEW GROWTH IS HAPPENING and it's magical.  It's been a long time and I am so glad to see the larger light hitting the soil hard and the plants reacting to it.  The Dwarf Hairgrass is growing fine, outcompeting the algae right now.  I am still waiting to see new growth on the Staurogyne Repens.

I also verified. I did not adjust the light down. I left it at 90% on the pure white and didn't change anything.

Update #2: I posted some photos and video in my journal regarding growth regarding minor updates (Once I have final details I'll post here).  I did opt to drop the lights down from 90% to 80% about 2 weeks after the light was installed (5/14 --> 5/29).

Update #3: It's now 6/7 and I did opt to turn down the light another 10%.  Anubias is growing, but algae keeps re-growing on the roots.  Staurogyne repens is growing, but is showing signs of algae.  Hardscape was clean, but I am seeing the algae take hold again.  In Lieu of heavily dosing easy carbon, we'll see if lowering this light slightly gives a chance for the plants to catch up.

Update #4: 6/10.  I do see good growth, but the tank is not being fed heavily right now.  As soon as the Amanos eat the BBA/Staghorn it's back twice as dense.  Ultimately no change dropping it that additional 10%. I realized the issue though.  I meant to set the time for a specific "window" but I miscalculated and had the light on for 14+ hours a day.  I've gone ahead and adjusted it down in terms of time and I will report back once I have "good results".

Edited June 11, 2022 by nabokovfan87
fix store links

[SpacedCadette]

Hi folks! I was asked to document how I mounted my light in this thread. 

Nothing too crazy really. It was just a matter of figuring out what existing parts I could order that would work well enough together with a bit of fiddling. So, this isn’t a perfect solution but it works better for me than resting the light on the lid like I was before. I upgraded my main tank from a 20 gallon long to a 40 gallon and really didn’t want to buy the 36in Fluval if I didn’t have to since I already had the 24 inch and it was working just fine for my setup aside from the fact that I couldn’t rest it on the tank rim.

The pieces I used:

• Fluval Marine & Plant 3.0 LED Mounting Clips
• Current Dual Adjustable Aquarium Light Arm Mount Kit

Total cost: about $80. 

So, it’s not a cheap solution but it’s cheaper than buying a new light. 

My tank:

• Aqueon 40 gallon breeder
• 24in Fluval 3.0

First, I swapped the clips that came with the mount for the Fluval mounting clips. I unscrewed the nut and bolt from the Current clips and used them to attach the Fluval ones to the mount arms instead. It’s not perfect— the screw doesn’t get as snug as I’d like but it’s still pretty secure. I’m not worried about it going anywhere or jostling around. 

Next up was attaching the smallest of the two tank rim brackets provided in the kit to the mount arms. My tank has a plastic lip on it so once I attached the brackets to the arms and placed them approximately where I wanted them, I used the spacers provided in the kit to get the bracket as even as I could against the inside of the tank. 

There was still too big a gap between the arm bracket and the tank which meant the arms would be tip forward. To resolve this, I then padded out the remaining gap with air tubing that I wedged back between the spacer and the tank glass to get rid of the remaining gap and make sure the arms were tight and secure. Tighten bracket screws, clip the light in, and presto! Fluval light mounted! 

I also went ahead and cut the plastic part of my tank lid to make room for the brackets so the lid would still be flush with the back of the tank. 

Hope this was helpful! I didn’t take any process pictures because I wasn’t sure this was going to work. 😅

Edited May 26, 2022 by SpacedCadette

[TurtlePlant]

Spent some time organizing the area under my tank and ended up making a wall mount for the Plant 3.0 power brick. Posting it here in case anyone needs it.

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5396002

 

 

Edited May 27, 2022 by TurtlePlant

[nabokovfan87]

Nice work! I love the attention to detail to have that little area for the tie strap to rest in.

[Tara - fish mom]

I have two 40 gal breeders that are decently planted (no co2) and Fluval 3.0 plant on them. The hair algae is crazy in both. Would someone mind telling me what settings are working for you to control hair algae, yet keep plants and fish happy? Thank you in advance!