Fluval 3.0 Marine Light Wi Fi Capable with ramping and Timer

[ash9965]

Any thoughts on the new Fluval 3.0 would it work good enough fo growing corals in a mixed reef tank. Here is a email I received from Dr. Fosters and smith along with their video breaking it down . I would love to here everyone's thoughts and reactions . Thanks in advance

Thank you for your online question. According to the manufacturer listed below are the par levels for item#107963 the Fluval SEA Marine & Reef 3.0 Spectrum LED Light Fixture.
3 inches= 376 PAR
6 inches= 222 PAR
12 inches= 90 PAR
18 inches= 47 PAR

 

[Montiman]

I have used the old 2.0 but haven’t had much experience with the 3.0 yet. I would say it is roughly equivalent to 2 t5 bulbs. With that being said it isn’t that much light but you could likely keep some softies and maybe LPS under a single light I would use 2 for a mixed reef and 3 or more for all SPS

 

[ash9965]

I have used the old 2.0 but haven’t had much experience with the 3.0 yet. I would say it is roughly equivalent to 2 t5 bulbs. With that being said it isn’t that much light but you could likely keep some softies and maybe LPS under a single light I would use 2 for a mixed reef and 3 or more for all SPS

Seems like this is a vast improvement over the 2.0 correct ?

 

[Montiman]

The 2.0 needed a dedicated external controller while the 3.0 can be controlled directly. Both are water proof and have similar output. The main reason for needing multiple is that these PAR values are on a very narrow tank. Much of the PAR is lost towards the front and back.

 

[ash9965]

that makes sense but the ramp features seem to be pretty cool

 

[ash9965]

,

 

[art926]

I just bought it and really like it. All corals open up. Near UV light (they call it purple in settings) works great. The only thing I'm missing there - an internal battery to run clocks in case of electricity disconnection. Right now it remember the program, but timer jumps to midnight until you synchronize it with your phone.

 

[Justin4real]

Hi all, anyone got a schedule there willing to share as I’ve just took the plunge on one of these and may look into a second one for this tank, I’m looking at getting a 6x2x2 with closed glass lid in the future but that’s when I have a few thousand for hydras but that’s a couple of years off.

So if you could help me with a profile or schedule it would be a great help. Had fish only for 7 months now. So looking at getting going with softies and zoas an alike.

Justin

 

[wowatracy]

Did you end up finding a schedule that worked for you with this light?

 

[art926]

I'm running 2 lights like these (for even more even coverage) for 10-11 hours a day.
Channel levels:
Pink: 0% (probably useful color, but I'm afraid it can promote algae growth and I prefer colder hue for the reef tank)
Cyan: 40% (useless for photosynthesis, but I love the color, makes it look very natural)
Blue: 30%
Purple: 40% (that's a lot, actually, even though not so visible)
Cold White: 10%

At these levels the lamps stay cold and the light is strong enough to grow SPS.

 

[wowatracy]

Awesome thank you, I'll give those settings a try

 

[AoD]

Awesome thank you, I'll give those settings a try

I have this light as well. Love it
My tank is only 13” deep so it has plenty of light. I might even be running the settings too high.

5% pink
40% cyan
50% Blue
50% purple
15% white
11 hours total
2 hr sunrise and 2 hr sunset
Has been working well but the only thing its missing is a moonlight phase to run a few hours after sunset. Would be nice just for viewing reasons.

 

[wowatracy]

Thanks, I'll give those settings a try also. I know what you mean about the moonlight setting. I tried the blue at 1% all night for a few weeks but I think it was too bright. I'm currently running purple at 2% which is way softer and makes a few of my corals pop but I'm thinking I should just have the light go completely off to give everything in the tank a break.

 

[AoD]

Thanks, I'll give those settings a try also. I know what you mean about the moonlight setting. I tried the blue at 1% all night for a few weeks but I think it was too bright. I'm currently running purple at 2% which is way softer and makes a few of my corals pop but I'm thinking I should just have the light go completely off to give everything in the tank a break.

I left the purple on for a few nights as well at 1% but I think it’s too much. I decided to go dark all night. I’m no expert though. I’m pretty much a noob. Haha

 

[art926]

I wouldn't use any light channel for the whole night, especially violet (it's violet in fact, not purple as they called it in settings). The problem is - it can disturb normal reproduction of photosynthetic cells. They need the dark period to multiply correctly, otherwise this process takes more time for them and causes mutations.
You could try to run cyan at 1%, that color replicates the moonlight water better and causes minimum photosynthesis (if any), but even 1% from this lamp is sort of too strong to run for the whole night.

 

[art926]

Btw, "2% which is way softer" - is only to your eyes. Violet is the strongest light there, but our eyes barely see it, because it's near UV. It's easy to burn your corals by overusing the channel. You can tell how strong it is by observing fluorescence of your corals. And it's most effective for photosynthesis, so most dangerous to run at night (+ unnatural).

 

[sonnyteee]

I have this light as well. Love it
My tank is only 13” deep so it has plenty of light. I might even be running the settings too high.

5% pink
40% cyan
50% Blue
50% purple
15% white
11 hours total
2 hr sunrise and 2 hr sunset
Has been working well but the only thing its missing is a moonlight phase to run a few hours after sunset. Would be nice just for viewing reasons.

How are your corals growing? I'm curious because I have the same light with similar settings

 

[AoD]

How are your corals growing? I'm curious because I have the same light with similar settings

I have since turned up the blue and purple to 75%. My corals are doing pretty well all and all. Anything softie is growing but I have an orange setosa that hasn’t done much, but I know they’re kinda slow growers. I’m sort of a noob so it’s hard to tell what all the grow factors are because one has to consider lighting as well as flow, placement, feeding and water parameters. I also run just the blues and purples at times for the fluorescent “pop”. I still like the light

 

[sonnyteee]

I have since turned up the blue and purple to 75%. My corals are doing pretty well all and all. Anything softie is growing but I have an orange setosa that hasn’t done much, but I know they’re kinda slow growers. I’m sort of a noob so it’s hard to tell what all the grow factors are because one has to consider lighting as well as flow, placement, feeding and water parameters. I also run just the blues and purples at times for the fluorescent “pop”. I still like the light

Thanks man. Yeah I was feeling like I got hosed at the LFS because I was reading a lot of things online and people were saying this light.doesnt grow corals well. And other people say it does.

 

[sonnyteee]

Thanks man. Yeah I was feeling like I got hosed at the LFS because I was reading a lot of things online and people were saying this light.doesnt grow corals well. And other people say it does.

What size tank do you have? I mean where I placed my corals the par for that area is between 150-250 so it's not horrible but I think.once you through this light on a smaller tank the light penetration toward the bottom gets weak