zpayne10 Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Title says it all - has anyone used the AI Blade FW yet and have an opinion? How does it compare to say, the Fluval Plant 3.0? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 (edited) I purchased one for my 29 to test (which previously had a plant 3.0 - here are some pictures); if you look at the substrate you will see the fluval is a bit yellow and the blade is more neutral (this of course can change based on light setting so it might be possible to make the 3.0 more neutral); the blade is quite a bit stronger on max - i estimate par 100 at 15 inches (which is one inch off the substrate in the 29) and around 520 at the very top. The blade only has a 1 year warranty and is not ip67 (don't let it fall in the aquarium; which has happen at least once with my fluval); the fluval has 3 year warranty. The blade is new product and no history on longevity the fluval 3.0 has a reputation of being pretty much problem free. I dislike the bright green led on the blade and how it sits on the aquarium but it is definitely an overall nicer light in terms of quality of the output and ease of obtaining neutral light. One odd thing about the blade is they do not have a suitable model for 36 inch aquarium (40B) but they do have a lot of interesting sizes for larger aquariums. I would definitely recommend the blade over the wrgb2 which has a bluish cast (the pro adds white led but it is extremely expensive relatively speaking). plant 3.0: blade: Edited March 12, 2023 by anewbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zpayne10 Posted March 12, 2023 Author Share Posted March 12, 2023 On 3/12/2023 at 9:22 AM, anewbie said: I purchased one for my 29 to test (which previously had a plant 3.0 - here are some pictures); if you look at the substrate you will see the fluval is a bit yellow and the blade is more neutral (this of course can change based on light setting so it might be possible to make the 3.0 more neutral); the blade is quite a bit stronger on max - i estimate par 100 at 15 inches (which is one inch off the substrate in the 29) and around 520 at the very top. The blade only has a 1 year warranty and is not ip67 (don't let it fall in the aquarium; which has happen at least once with my fluval); the fluval has 3 year warranty. The blade is new product and no history on longevity the fluval 3.0 has a reputation of being pretty much problem free. I dislike the bright green led on the blade and how it sits on the aquarium but it is definitely an overall nicer light in terms of quality of the output and ease of obtaining neutral light. One odd thing about the blade is they do not have a suitable model for 36 inch aquarium (40B) but they do have a lot of interesting sizes for larger aquariums. I would definitely recommend the blade over the wrgb2 which has a bluish cast (the pro adds white led but it is extremely expensive relatively speaking). plant 3.0: blade: This is great, thanks for the side-by-side comparison! How's the coverage between the two? The tank I'm looking at now is the Eden 40, which is 32L x 16W 21H. Curious if I'd want one or two light bars for best coverage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted March 12, 2023 Share Posted March 12, 2023 Well you will need the 30 inch unit which is modest strength (but stronger than the plant 3.0); they, AI, say the light has 2 feet coverage but there will be drop off - they don't have a hanging solution but it has two screw holes - I think they take m8 screws and you could connect wires or string to them to hang it. I'd start with one and then decide if you need a 2nd; my aquarium (29) is 12 wide and i don't see an issue with coverage but i haven't formally measure the drop off. If you put the light on a aquarium and have a lid the position of hte light will probably depend on where the hinge of the lid falls so you might not be able to center it. The wrgb2 - pro is a lot stronger but twice as much - but the coverage is going to be so so on the edge - i have a non pro wrgb2 on my 40b and the center par is quite strong but the drop off on the sides is pretty bad - but of course if you hang it you will get better coverage. A bit depends on what type of plants you are growing - for low tech it doesn't matter all of these lights are plenty strong - if you inject co2 and have a lot of 'high par' plants at 21 inch deep you might want to consider the wrgb-2 pro - don't get me wrong i think ai blade is great light and love the colour balance but if you want 150 par at 21 inch you will need a bit more umph. Of course you can do two blade. Neither the wrgb-2 nor the blade are water proof though the blade is a bit better in that department - i think ip68. wrgb-2 has a reputation of being unreliable - mostly with the blue-tooth module require to control it or reset it when the power fails/daylight savings et all. I have one that is pretty darn flaky but hasn't actually failed yet but the light is only 1.5 years old (the one that was on the other 29). In that regards I will say so far the blade and plant 3.0 just work but i haven't had the blade very long (and the ap sucks compared to plant3.0, wrgb2, and onf - i've not tried twinstar, kessel or ghl). So that is another negative of the blade - bad ap but it is easy enough to do something straight forward like set a ramp up; max intensity and duration - if you want a more complex schedule it is a bit more difficult. There is a 2nd ap that will work with it but i haven't tried it to see how it differs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zpayne10 Posted June 14, 2023 Author Share Posted June 14, 2023 Resurfacing this thread as life got in the way, and now back in the market for a setup. I'm still eyeing the Waterbox Eden, and as stated above the 40 gallon is 31" long. They make a kit that comes with the AI Blade, and a Sicce EKO 200 filter. I'm thinking of just buying the tank and the light separately, since a 21" light is going to leave a lot of drop off with the 40 gallon length... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 15, 2023 Share Posted June 15, 2023 confused by your comment; there is a 30 inch blade which would fit well on a 31 inch long aquarium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zpayne10 Posted June 15, 2023 Author Share Posted June 15, 2023 On 6/15/2023 at 12:23 PM, anewbie said: confused by your comment; there is a 30 inch blade which would fit well on a 31 inch long aquarium. My apologies, let me clarify: Waterbox Aquariums offers the Eden line of aquariums, and on their website you can buy either the tank itself, or a bundle which includes the tank + AI Blade + Sicce EKO 200. However, the 40 gallon kit which measures at 31" long comes with the 21" AI Blade in the bundle. My comment was instead of buying the bundle, I'll probably buy the tank separately so that I can get an adequately sized light for the tank. Sorry for that confusion 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 17, 2023 Share Posted June 17, 2023 Yea - the 30 inch blade is excellent but pricey. You can of course obtain an adequate light for less money. Btw it seems weird to me they offer the 21 inch blade - is it a freshwater model or one targeted at saltwater. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zpayne10 Posted June 18, 2023 Author Share Posted June 18, 2023 On 6/17/2023 at 7:30 AM, anewbie said: Yea - the 30 inch blade is excellent but pricey. You can of course obtain an adequate light for less money. Btw it seems weird to me they offer the 21 inch blade - is it a freshwater model or one targeted at saltwater. It's a freshwater setup. I agree that it's weird they include the 21" light vs the 30" in the kit, knowing it would fit better. There would be quite a bit of shading with a light 10" shorter than the tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 personally i wouldn't deal with that company. Providing a 21 inch light for a 30 inch aquarium is a red flag in my book unless they have a very good explanation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMosster Posted June 19, 2023 Share Posted June 19, 2023 On 6/17/2023 at 8:30 AM, anewbie said: Btw it seems weird to me they offer the 21 inch blade - is it a freshwater model or one targeted at saltwater. it would make sense to me if it was 1inch shorter; a 20in, for 10gallons, but i agree, i dont get why they have a 21inch light. do they sell a 20in too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zpayne10 Posted June 20, 2023 Author Share Posted June 20, 2023 On 6/19/2023 at 2:27 PM, anewbie said: personally i wouldn't deal with that company. Providing a 21 inch light for a 30 inch aquarium is a red flag in my book unless they have a very good explanation. Here is the response I received from their customer support: "The 21.1" light fits within the tank itself. The 30.1" size chord cannot fit under the glass lids all the way. This is why we recommend the 21.1" model." So basically a poor design on their behalf limits someone from adding a longer light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 Yea - i wouldn't buy it - a picture might explain what is going on but this aquarium doesn't seem like it is worth the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dork Fish Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 @anewbie Well I don't know much about aquarium plants yet, but I hope mine end up looking like yours LOL Do you use CO2 injection? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 20, 2023 Share Posted June 20, 2023 @Dork Fish In some aquariums yes but not the pictured aquarium. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dork Fish Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 @anewbie Wow any tips to growing plants like that without CO2? 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 4 hours ago, Dork Fish said: @anewbie Wow any tips to growing plants like that without CO2? 🙂 Sure - pick easy to grow plants like vals; hornworth; crypts; ... have decent water ... lots of patience - we aren't talking weeks - or even months but it can take a year or two to get a solid establishment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dork Fish Posted June 21, 2023 Share Posted June 21, 2023 @anewbie Thanks for the plant recommendations 🙂 I don't have my tank set up yet. I am still trying to decide whether to get 2 HoB filters or save for a canister filter, and what substrate to use LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted June 22, 2023 Share Posted June 22, 2023 For smaller tanks I'm a fan of matten or sponges; the one pictured has a large matten filter in the back corner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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