Fluval 3.0 setting suggestions for 45 gallon tall

[Paul2426]

I have a 45 gallon tank with a couple of wisteria, jungle Val, and Anubis so far. No CO2. Any suggestion on how to set the Fluval 3.0 light so that the plants get sufficient light in a deep tank, but not enough to cause algae bloom?

Edited January 10, 2023 by Paul2426

[TheSwissAquarist]

I’ve found that light settings are really problematic because tanks are so variable: 

My suggestion is that you try a hit-or-miss strategy where you just put/keep it on relatively normal levels unless there’s large plant dieback or an algae bloom.

Keep us updated on how it goes!

[JoeQ]

This question will probably be better answered in the 3.0 thread.

as per my settings,  I use the Bentley Day sim. In my signature there is a link to download a spreadsheet that helps you reduce the output by percentages.

Edit; I'm 21" from substrate and use 35~38 percent power.  I started at 33 percent when my aquarium was lightly planted

Edited January 10, 2023 by JoeQ
Added edit info

[MattyM]

I keep my blues really low, like under 5%, and go for a longer time frame with lower intensity vs shorter with brighter intensity. I also just prefer that look, and the fish seem to come out more. Once I switched to that approach my staghorn woes pretty much went away 🤞

[nabokovfan87]

On 1/10/2023 at 3:50 AM, Paul2426 said:

Any suggestion on how to set the Fluval 3.0 light so that the plants get sufficient light in a deep tank, but not enough to cause algae bloom?

Definitely a question for the 3.0 thread, but just a quick offhand to get you started, I almost always start with:

Pure White: 45%

Warm White: 40%

Cool White: 30%

Red: 35-40%

Blue: 1-5%

Give the plants a week at least to get used to the tank and the water, then focus a bit more on how they are doing.