Recommendations on Fluval plant 3.0 light??

[Nanci B]

Anyone have the Fluval plant 3.0 light? I am looking for information about how good it really is. Setting up a 75, no CO2
 

would this be a good light for this tank? Due to the divided rim, I am considering getting a 48” since 2 24” cost more. 
 

TIA! 

[StevesFishTanks]

I think the 48" fluval 3.0 plant will be a good fit for that tank.

[Struggle]

I have one on a 75 and it puts out plenty of light for my swords, mosses and others.

[Nanci B]

Thank you @s1_ @Struggle! 

 

[FrozenFins]

The fluval 3.0s are my all time favorite lights! Since getting one I have tried to go back to some of the "budget" lights but I seem to get let down everytime.

I have the fluval 3.0 nano on my 10 gallon, and I love it. All though pricey, its defentley worth it. Here are my settings:

\

Heres a video series made by bentley pascoe on this light. A very informative few videos, that is a much watch for any future fluval 3.0 users.

 Also heres a thread made by @Streetwise, for forum members to show their experiance and settings with the light:

 

[Patrick_G]

On 9/28/2021 at 4:41 PM, Nanci B said:

Anyone have the Fluval plant 3.0 light? I am looking for information about how good it really is. Setting up a 75, no CO2
 

would this be a good light for this tank? Due to the divided rim, I am considering getting a 48” since 2 24” cost more. 
 

TIA! 

I love my Fluval 3.0 Nano and I think the 48” version would work on a 75, but you might have trouble growing plants at substrate level that require high light. For most every other plant I think it’ll be a great choice. 

[Mmiller2001]

I have 3 of them. Wish I had not bought them. If all that's important to you is an app, and you don't mind spending 220.00 on an app, then go for it. 

It's not an RGB light, which is going to leave you with a yellow overtone. They boast 71 PAR at 18inches, that's all channels at max. You will quickly realize that having the blue channel anywhere near 100% causes problems. Then there's 3 channels of varying whites. Why? So having all white channels at max is problematic. Thus, the light drops PAR pretty quickly. For low light plants, it's not a problem. However, if you want to try higher light plants, it kind of becomes a problem.

My best advice, do what makes you happy, but know that this light offers very little contrast and "pop".

Here's a photo of my 75 under Fluval, then taken with a true RBG light.

 

Notice the yellow overtone, you want true reds in your light and Fluval dose not offer that. I would really consider looking to other options. 

That said, it grows plants. 

I forgot to mention, Fluval has a good warranty. But for me, function first.

Edited September 29, 2021 by Mmiller2001

[B1gJ4k3]

I think the Fluval Plant lights are kind of overrated. I have a couple of the Plant Nanos and was never that impressed by them. I've had just as much success growing plants as with other "full spectrum" lights.

HOWEVER, having said that...I really fell in love with the app functionality. It's sooooooo nice to be able to schedule more than just on/off times and really precisely dial in the levels of light at certain times of the day. For that reason, I really love the Fluval Aquasky lights, which are basically the same thing as the Plant ones, just with red instead of pink, green, and only one white channel. I have them on all my tanks (with the exception of my nano tanks. They don't make an Aquasky nano, unfortunately). All my tanks have plants and all my plants seem to be doing well enough. On my main display tank, I keep the light really low during the morning and gradually ramp it up starting at noon so that it's full brightness at night. On my garage grow out and hospital tanks, I just keep it really low throughout the whole day so I can seem everybody but don't ever have to worry about algae. The fine-tuned control and the ability to experiment with different light levels is clutch.

I did have trouble updating the firmware on one of the lights, but Fluval customer service was surprisingly helpful and was able to help me fix the issue, even though I had bought the light secondhand.

For my money, the Aquasky ones are the way to go. You get the app control, spend a lot less money and still grow plants just fine.

[Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics]

On 9/28/2021 at 7:38 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

I have 3 of them. Wish I had not bought them. If all that's important to you is an app, and you don't mind spending 220.00 on an app, then go for it. 

It's not an RGB light, which is going to leave you with a yellow overtone. They boast 71 PAR at 18inches, that's all channels at max. You will quickly realize that having the blue channel anywhere near 100% causes problems. Then there's 3 channels of varying whites. Why? So having all white channels at max is problematic. Thus, the light drops PAR pretty quickly. For low light plants, it's not a problem. However, if you want to try higher light plants, it kind of becomes a problem.

My best advice, do what makes you happy, but know that this light offers very little contrast and "pop".

Here's a photo of my 75 under Fluval, then taken with a true RBG light.

 

Notice the yellow overtone, you want true reds in your light and Fluval dose not offer that. I would really consider looking to other options. 

That said, it grows plants. 

I forgot to mention, Fluval has a good warranty. But for me, function first.

What is the light in the second picture?

[Mmiller2001]

On 12/3/2022 at 11:47 AM, Jacob Hill-Legion Aquatics said:

What is the light in the second picture?

Chihiros RGB2 120

[MattF]

The Chihiros WRGB2 120 - I'm also considering this light for my 75g high-tech, and my tank is rimmed like yours.  Was there any issue or considerations with mounting on a rimmed tank?

On 12/3/2022 at 1:49 PM, Mmiller2001 said:

Chihiros RGB2 120

 

Edited December 14, 2022 by MattF
misspelling

[Mmiller2001]

On 12/14/2022 at 8:14 AM, MattF said:

The Chihiros WRGB2 120 - I'm also considering this light for my 75g high-tech, and my tank is rimmed like yours.  Was there any issue or considerations with mounting on a rimmed tank?

 

There was. I had to hang it above my 75 gallon. It just doesn't quite fit on the rim with the included brackets. Oddly, the model 90 fit on my 40 breeder just by reversing the bracket. 

Here's how I hung it.

[MattF]

Thank you, very helpful to know