Fluval 3.0 vs AI blade glow

[ehull71]

So I'm trying to decide between the fluval 3.0 or AI blade for my 13.5 evo I see that both will fit existing hood with some help and just not sure which one to go with
Any suggestions the tank will have LPS and softies and a few fish not much just enough for my 10 year old to learn
Just don't like the stock light lack of control

 

[SnazzyUrchin792]

Get the blade.

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

I've been going back and forth on the same lights. Have you decided yet?

 

[Royal_pudding]

Ive had both. Depending on the height of the tank the fluval might not be powerful enough even for LPS. That being said, spectrum wise the fluval has way more options.
Also, the Blade glow does not have any white diodes, the Blade grow does.

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

Ive had both. Depending on the height of the tank the fluval might not be powerful enough even for LPS. That being said, spectrum wise the fluval has way more options.
Also, the Blade glow does not have any white diodes, the Blade grow does.

I currently have the Fluval nano on my evo 13.5, since my stock light went out, and I was in a pinch. I really like the quality of the spectrum it's putting out. I can only assume the 3.0 is the same type of diodes this one has. Quick and intuitive app to make changes too.

Unfortunately, the nano lights spread is not wide enough. This would be perfect for a square tank. It is pretty bright and if the rock work was done right, would get close to corner to corner coverage in a smaller square tank.

I'm not stuck on brand recognition either. I also don't necessarily want the stock lid back on it either.

Any other lights you think would be a good choice?

 

[Sleeping Giant]

get a @noopsyche 90w
@Zach B

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

get a @noopsyche 90w
@Zach B

I hadn't considered those. I'll look it up.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I hadn't considered those. I'll look it up.

great light, I have one on my 20 gallon

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

great light, I have one on my 20 gallon

My concern would be a narrow coverage. Also, you mentioned 90w, but I'm only seeing a 60w and the big brother version for larger tanks.

 

[liddojunior]

Ai blade for sure

Don’t get the noopsyche lights. They are just black box lights, you get what you pay for..sure they work but you won’t get the support like you would from Ai

 

[Sleeping Giant]

My concern would be a narrow coverage. Also, you mentioned 90w, but I'm only seeing a 60w and the big brother version for larger tanks.

very strange, I do have the 90w over my 20 gallon. I didn't know they don't have them. Maybe @Zach B can help you out. And I don't think they are like the black box lights on Amazon or Alibaba, very far from it to be honest.

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

So I'm trying to decide between the fluval 3.0 or AI blade for my 13.5 evo I see that both will fit existing hood with some help and just not sure which one to go with
Any suggestions the tank will have LPS and softies and a few fish not much just enough for my 10 year old to learn
Just don't like the stock light lack of control

What did you end up deciding on? I also didn't mean to hijack your thread.

 

[Zach B]

Ai blade for sure

Don’t get the noopsyche lights. They are just black box lights, you get what you pay for..sure they work but you won’t get the support like you would from Ai

We have a 2 year warranty & I've always offered refunds or exchanges to everyone if they encounter an issue. We are working on better tech support as well. Just wanted that part to be clear

 

[shrimpnreefdude]

We have a 2 year warranty & I've always offered refunds or exchanges to everyone if they encounter an issue. We are working on better tech support as well. Just wanted that part to be clear

Does the arm for 60w light, extend far enough for a longer tank like the 13.5gal? Or is it designed more for a square style tank?

 

[lil sumpin]

big fan of noops but for the evo I think the AI blade would offer the best spread and cover

 

[Zach B]

Does the arm for 60w light, extend far enough for a longer tank like the 13.5gal? Or is it designed more for a square style tank?

From what I've seen it doesn't go out too far but I don't run any minis. Maybe someone can answer this better

 

[Hooz]

So, with the Blade (Grow). you get 3 colors of LEDs in the fixture. The Fluval 3.0 has 7 different colors of LEDs in the fixture. So, just from a color/spectrum standpoint, the Fluval light is "better", has a wider blue band and is more tunable. If you add in a second Blade (Glow), the spectrum gets wider, but the cost grows exponentially as well.

The Blade probably does win on output (PAR/wattage). The Fluval strips have a LOT of white diodes that most people will only use a fraction of, so there's a lot of power "left on the table". Now, in a small tank, you might not need it anyway, but it's important to note.

Spread is probably the same-ish. Both advertise 120 degrees of coverage.

I ran a Nano 3.0 on a small tank for quite a while, and I actually liked it a lot. I only switched from it because I needed more PAR and I didn't have the option of adding a second light on that tank. I did like it so much that I'm considering running the strips on a new, different tank, and just adding multiples if I can't meet my PAR goals with a single one.