AI blade vs Fluval marine 2.0?

[Thumbster]

Setting up a 40 breeder with some zoas, clove polyps or something similar and was looking at a light bar to put on top. I have no plans for SPS or other super high light corals.
My last tank had VHO lights. I’ve been away from this for a while. Lol
Anyway I’m not looking to spend a fortune and will probably only ever have one 36” light bar across the top of the tank.
I’ve looked at the par numbers for the Ai grow and the Fluval marine and they look similar, unless I’m mistaken.
Just wondering which light would look and work the best for some low light corals and a couple clown fish. Thanks

 

[Thumbster]

It should read marine 3.0. Must have fat fingered it.

 

[Hooz]

The Fluval can be tuned to a nice wide blue spectrum. But, since half the diodes in the light are "white", and you'll probably turn them way down, you will probably need multiple strips to meet PAR goals for SPS. Considering your needs, one might be enough, but you may have to run more white than you'd like to get the PAR you need. They got a lot of things right with the Fluval lights, though.

A single Blade would probably do fine, but you lose out on a lot running only one Grow. The Grow has a narrow blue spectrum and really should at least be paired with a Glow to widen it.

If it was me, for a single strip I'd probably pick the Fluval. Turn all the blue/violet/cyan channels to 100% and then see how much white you have to add to hit your PAR numbers.

If you knew out of the gate that you were going to run 2 (or more) strips, then it becomes a more complicated decision, and a lot would boil down to personal preferences.

 

[HappyOne]

For what its worth I run a Fluval Marine on my 30 gal mixed reef and have been very happy with it. It's been on this tank for about 5 months now and the growth and health of all has been good. I do use white and red light in my settings, although at a reduced level from the blue/violet/cyn.

 

[Thumbster]

Okay thanks. It’s hard for me to decide without actually seeing the lights in person.
Im guessing the that I can adjust the color more on the fluval since it has more/different LED’s? I don’t particularly want the deep blue actinic color all the time. I’d like a nice compromise between showing off the fish and showing off the corals.

 

[One Reefing Boi]

Okay thanks. It’s hard for me to decide without actually seeing the lights in person.
Im guessing the that I can adjust the color more on the fluval since it has more/different LED’s? I don’t particularly want the deep blue actinic color all the time. I’d like a nice compromise between showing off the fish and showing off the corals.

To be the other side of this, I have 2 blades over my 50gal and love them. At 50% they put out just under 300 par on top of my rocks (prob 5” below surface). I run mine more white during the day and more atinic at night. Growing in mixed reef and the tank loves them! These frags are only ~3 months old!

 

[JoJosReef]

The fluval marine LEDs are highly dependent on turning up the white channel. If you don't want the whites up high, one bar won't produce very much PAR. I used 2x 21ledUSA reefpro bars as a replacement and everything did better, softies and LPS. And the two bars + controller were less than the Fluval LED. no experience with the blades.

The one area that the Fluval LEDs excel over others is illuminating the whole tank, leaving no shaded areas. So that makes the fish and scape look nicer. And the app is very good.

 

[Thumbster]

Well I ended up getting TWO of the 36” Fluval Marine 3.0’s for my 40 breeder.
I found them used and in excellent condition for $175. I thought that was an awesome price and I couldn’t pass it up.
My first impressions are that these lights are pretty white when all colors are turned up. I didn’t want an actinic looking tank and I definitely won’t have to worry about that with these!
I’ll probably only turn the whites up to 25% max during the day and the blue, cyan and purple 100%.
Soooo in a nutshell, I think with two of these lights I should be good with zoa’s and soft corals. Maybe some light hungry corals, I’m not sure.
They do have a “wide blue band” of light ranging from 400 to 480 nm but 112 of the 252 LED’s are 10k white. The phone app is pretty easy to use and I’m happy with the colors although I do have to dial the white down.

 

[LPS Bum]

I’ve run a Fluval Marine 3.0 on my daughter’s softy reef for years. Fantastic option for lower light systems (softies and LPS).

Good spectrum, easy to control via the app and very reliable. I’d go with the Fluval.

 

[JoJosReef]

Well I ended up getting TWO of the 36” Fluval Marine 3.0’s for my 40 breeder.
I found them used and in excellent condition for $175. I thought that was an awesome price and I couldn’t pass it up.
My first impressions are that these lights are pretty white when all colors are turned up. I didn’t want an actinic looking tank and I definitely won’t have to worry about that with these!
I’ll probably only turn the whites up to 25% max during the day and the blue, cyan and purple 100%.
Soooo in a nutshell, I think with two of these lights I should be good with zoa’s and soft corals. Maybe some light hungry corals, I’m not sure.
They do have a “wide blue band” of light ranging from 400 to 480 nm but 112 of the 252 LED’s are 10k white. The phone app is pretty easy to use and I’m happy with the colors although I do have to dial the white down.

Think that'll work great for the corals you've chosen. You might be able to grow some happy LPS like blastos, favias and chalices. Maybe some alveopora/gonis for movement? Having two of them should really expand your options. Also, enjoy having your entire tank lit up!

 

[Hooz]

Well I ended up getting TWO of the 36” Fluval Marine 3.0’s for my 40 breeder.
I found them used and in excellent condition for $175. I thought that was an awesome price and I couldn’t pass it up.
My first impressions are that these lights are pretty white when all colors are turned up. I didn’t want an actinic looking tank and I definitely won’t have to worry about that with these!
I’ll probably only turn the whites up to 25% max during the day and the blue, cyan and purple 100%.
Soooo in a nutshell, I think with two of these lights I should be good with zoa’s and soft corals. Maybe some light hungry corals, I’m not sure.
They do have a “wide blue band” of light ranging from 400 to 480 nm but 112 of the 252 LED’s are 10k white. The phone app is pretty easy to use and I’m happy with the colors although I do have to dial the white down.

I'd get a PAR meter and set all the blue/purple/cyan channels to max on both lights, then add as much white as you need to hit your PAR goals for what you plan to keep.

If you're going softies only, or even LPS, I'd adjust it so that you get about 70 PAR on the sandbed and call it good. The whole tank should be in softie/LPS range then. If just the blues are too much PAR and you still want more white, just decrease the purple/blue/cyan by 5-10% each and increase the whites until you find the balance you like, all while staying within the par range you need.

I would use the "pink" channel too, though. I'd ramp it up and down with the whites at whatever levels you land on for the white channel. If you run whites at 25%, then run pink at 25%. It'll help "warm up" the white a bit and make the colors of your fish more natural.

 

[JoJosReef]

I'd get a PAR meter and set all the blue/purple/cyan channels to max on both lights, then add as much white as you need to hit your PAR goals for what you plan to keep.

If you're going softies only, or even LPS, I'd adjust it so that you get about 70 PAR on the sandbed and call it good. The whole tank should be in softie/LPS range then. If just the blues are too much PAR and you still want more white, just decrease the purple/blue/cyan by 5-10% each and increase the whites until you find the balance you like, all while staying within the par range you need.

I would use the "pink" channel too, though. I'd ramp it up and down with the whites at whatever levels you land on for the white channel. If you run whites at 25%, then run pink at 25%. It'll help "warm up" the white a bit and make the colors of your fish more natural.

Second everything Hooz says here! And then we want pictures!

 

[Thumbster]

Well I got the tank filled with water yesterday….more on that in a minute.

I have been watching the BRS videos on various lights and their par measurements. You may have seen them already. Anyway they tested them setting on top of a 2x2 cube filled with water. They took 128ish measurements at various places in the tank and at different depths. In a nutshell, they found that strip lights like T5’s, AI blades, Marine 3.0 etc test better over an aquarium of water than in the open air (where most lights are tested). The puck lights test high because they shine straight down (for the most part) and right into the par meter. The strip lights send out a wide cone of light and, when over an aquarium, the light gets reflected back into the tank off the glass and they test higher than expected.

Anyway, I sent Fluval an email asking them how they tested their lights and they said they tested in air and not on an aquarium. Sooo these lights may be putting out more usable light than even Fluval is reporting.

Don’t get me wrong, the 3.0’s are probably not a powerhouse but they may be a little better than people think. I wish BRS had tested the 3.0 in their video but they didn’t. They did the blades and T5’s along with a bunch of other lights.

Back to the tank. Here’s a pic of it with both of the 3.0’s at 100%. The pic looks a lot bluer than in real life.

 

[Thumbster]

Finally rented a par meter and tested the lights. Hope you can make out the pic.

I tested two 36” fluval 3.0 Marine lights over a 40 breeder.

I kept the blue, cyan and purple at 100% and tested with the red (pink) and white at 15%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. I used an Apogee MQ-510 par meter.

The lights are 3” above the water and I tested at 6”, 12” and 17” below the lights.

Hope this helps someone.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

Finally rented a par meter and tested the lights. Hope you can make out the pic.

I tested two 36” fluval 3.0 Marine lights over a 40 breeder.

I kept the blue, cyan and purple at 100% and tested with the red (pink) and white at 15%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. I used an Apogee MQ-510 par meter.

The lights are 3” above the water and I tested at 6”, 12” and 17” below the lights.

Hope this helps someone.

nice work, I like the fluval marine 3.0. I had one on my 75 gallon for a year, before I got 2 noopsyche 140w. I still might add it (when I get motivated) as a supplement to remove some shadowing from my cross bracing.

 

[Thumbster]

nice work, I like the fluval marine 3.0. I had one on my 75 gallon for a year, before I got 2 noopsyche 140w. I still might add it (when I get motivated) as a supplement to remove some shadowing from my cross bracing.

I bought two noops also. I kept the fluvals for fill lights.

The noops are the first single point lights that I’ve ever had and the shadows didn’t look right to me. I might take the fluvals out one day if I get used to the shadows.

 

[paragrouper]

I had two Fluval marine 3.0 on my 32 gallon Flex. They were more than sufficient for soft corals and LPS. I kept blue & violet at 80%, cyan around 60% and red & white <10%.