Crow Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 It's a planted tank with cO2. I have a fluval on it now, but it's not wide enough so the plants at the edges are doing the lean. Thanks 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 I really like the new freshwater ai blade; having said that a 20 long is pretty shallow and a lot of lights that are less expensive will do equally well with regards to plant growth. You could probably get away with the ultra cheap hygger, beamworks, or a dozen other lights in the $50-$70 range; the 30 inch blade would cost around $270. I've not used the co-op light; so i don't know how neutral the spectrum is to the eye but the fluval 3.0 which it seems to be based off of has a bit of a yellow tint - i don't find it that bad but others object to it (I have several plant 3.0); also the co-op version doesn't come on gradually it comes on at whatever setting you have so if you have sensitive fishes it can startled them pretty bad. - I'd not get anything stronger than the blade which is already overkill for a 12 inch tall aquarium. Chiros has a low end light but no clue how the spectrum compares; i know the plan wrgb 2 is not very neutral and while very strong i don't really like them much.  1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 Thank you. Looked it up and the freshwater ai blade seems to have great features. I really like that they have one that comes in the exact width I need. I'll have to keep that one in mind. And yeah, the lack of a proper ramp up/down is what's mostly making the co-op light a pass for me. Otherwise I don't really mind the yellow cast too much either. I have some spare nicrew controllers sitting around, but idk if they'll fit the co-op light. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 The Fluval Planted 3.0 is a good light. However, it doesn't have memory. So, if it loses power, you need to launch the app and connect to it. It's quick to connect, but still a bit of a pain.  1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crow Posted October 24, 2023 Author Share Posted October 24, 2023 On 10/23/2023 at 6:59 PM, Galabar said: The Fluval Planted 3.0 is a good light. However, it doesn't have memory. So, if it loses power, you need to launch the app and connect to it. It's quick to connect, but still a bit of a pain.  I love my fluval 3.0s! I actually have them on 3 out of my 4 tanks since they're so easy to find and buy and work great. So far my only problem with them is that they don't make a 30 inch and the 24 inch doesn't seem to put out a whole lot of light to the sides. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 On 10/23/2023 at 11:58 PM, Crow said: I love my fluval 3.0s! I actually have them on 3 out of my 4 tanks since they're so easy to find and buy and work great. So far my only problem with them is that they don't make a 30 inch and the 24 inch doesn't seem to put out a whole lot of light to the sides. Yes, covering a 29 gallon with the 24 - 30 inch light leaves a little to be desired. The Aquarium Co Op lights definitely win there by having "all" of the sizes, up to 48 inches. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 The plant 3.0 does a good job covering a 29; i have several on those aquarium; but at the price point the blade is stronger; and more neutral. The plant 3.0 offers good water proofing and 3 year warranty compared to the blade ip66 and 1 year warranty. - My oldest plant 3.0 is around 4 1/2 years while my oldest blade is around 8 months - here is my comparison picture: Â Same aquarium with plant 3.0; as with all such comparison the setting on the lights make a difference but still looking at the substrate esp the left front corner show the difference in colour balance; take this with a grain of salt since the camera is also adjusting white balance. Â Â 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted October 24, 2023 Share Posted October 24, 2023 (edited) For some perspective, here is the ACO light (on a 29 gallon): Here is the Fluval 3.0: They are both around the same wattage. The Fluval will leave some outer parts of the tank less lit than the center. Here's another perspective of the ACO light: Notice that the Fluval really compresses the LEDs towards the center: A "real" 30" version of the Fluval would be a killer. However, as it stands, it just doesn't quite do justice to 29 or 20 long aquariums. Edited October 24, 2023 by Galabar 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anewbie Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 On 10/24/2023 at 3:56 PM, Galabar said: For some perspective, here is the ACO light (on a 29 gallon): Here is the Fluval 3.0: They are both around the same wattage. The Fluval will leave some outer parts of the tank less lit than the center. Here's another perspective of the ACO light: Notice that the Fluval really compresses the LEDs towards the center: A "real" 30" version of the Fluval would be a killer. However, as it stands, it just doesn't quite do justice to 29 or 20 long aquariums. As noted earlier in this thread the problem is that the co-op light misses one 'critical' feature and that is ramp up in the morning. The value of this feature really depends on the fishes you keep but there are quite a few species that get quite stress/startled with the sudden turning on of a bright light. Not sure i fully understand why this feature was removed as the light intensity can be set so having a feature that step through the intensity at startup for the first hour would not be horribly expensive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Galabar Posted October 25, 2023 Share Posted October 25, 2023 On 10/25/2023 at 7:40 AM, anewbie said: As noted earlier in this thread the problem is that the co-op light misses one 'critical' feature and that is ramp up in the morning. The value of this feature really depends on the fishes you keep but there are quite a few species that get quite stress/startled with the sudden turning on of a bright light. Not sure i fully understand why this feature was removed as the light intensity can be set so having a feature that step through the intensity at startup for the first hour would not be horribly expensive. The ACO light does have a ramp up feature. It's not instant on, but only ramps up within a few seconds (so, not as good as the Fluval in that respect). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now