# Fluval 3.0 alternatives



## Ash J (20 Jan 2022)

Hi all,

I've been running the Fuval 3.0 on my Fluval Roma 125 for the last couple of months and although I'm pretty happy with the growth of the plants, there's something I just don't like about this light. I'm not a fan of the "warm light" and have turned this almost completely off and feel the colours of the plants just look a bit washed out compared to other lights I've seen in other scapes. Now that I've added Co2 into the tank I'm looking to create a more high tech setup and not sure the Fluval is the best choice for this, however I do like the app functionality. 

I've got a budget of about £200 for an upgrade. I've been looking into the Chihiros WRGB II as this also has app functionality and wondered if this is likely going to be the best bang for my buck? Does anybody have any experience of using both the Fluval 3.0 and Chihiros? I have looked also into Twinstar but there's so many model variations I'm not quite sure which would be the better option plus it lacking app function is off putting.

Any comments are greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Ash


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## Wookii (20 Jan 2022)

Ash J said:


> Does anybody have any experience of using both the Fluval 3.0 and Chihiros?



Yeah, I’ve lived with both. I ran the Fluval for about a year, and I agree it’s a very yellow light and washes out most of the other colours. It’s also a very narrow light and caused me issues with not fully illuminating the front and rear of the tank. The app is good though, and pretty polished.

The Chihiros light is in another league in terms of colour rendition, but the app takes a bit more getting used to. It would be my pick in your budget. You may have to modify your Roma hood though, as the WRGB II does get quite warm and needs decent airflow around its upper heat sink.


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## Ash J (22 Feb 2022)

Just received this today after a month wait with the initial one getting lost on the way from China! 





If anyone has any recommendations for settings/intensity that would be awesome. 

Cheers

Ash


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## Wookii (22 Feb 2022)

Ash J said:


> Just received this today after a month wait with the initial one getting lost on the way from China!
> View attachment 183218
> 
> If anyone has any recommendations for settings/intensity that would be awesome.
> ...



They're quite a bit brighter than the Fluval unit, so don't go 100% straight off the bat. maybe start at 60-70% and see how you go.

As for the colour setting, the world in your oyster with these. Download the app and try some of the standard presets - the 'Buce' setting has always been my preferred of those, or try the colour temperature slider and see what you prefer.

In the end for me, I found the greens a little overcooked if left at the same level as blue and red, I also like a slightly cooler colour temp than a warmer one, so I ended up with Red @ 60%, Green @ 50% and Blue @ 70% or something close to that.


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## Ash J (22 Feb 2022)

Thanks Wookii!

And woooooow!!! What a difference this light is compared to the Fluval. The colours are popping so much more and even my fish look 10x better, the reds and blues on them are now so prominent. 

I quite like both the Shrimp and Buce settings so have saved less intense versions of those and will test both out over the coming days


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## Djoko Sauza (22 Feb 2022)

Do you have a before and after pic? Would be great to be able to compare the Fluval with the WRGB.


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## Wookii (22 Feb 2022)

Djoko Sauza said:


> Do you have a before and after pic? Would be great to be able to compare the Fluval with the WRGB.



There’s one in this thread below - I can’t vouch for how accurate the images are or how much the camera has changed things etc, but it looks fairly representative to me:









						Chihiros WRGB 2 vs Fluval 3.0 Side by Side Color Comparison
					

I just purchased the Chihiros WRGB 2 and man do I love this light.  I was running the Fluval 3.0 for almost a year and wasn’t in love with the spread or the way it grew plants...especially the red plants.  Here’s a comparison of the two.  I’ve had the Chihiros for 5 days and the difference in...




					www.plantedtank.net


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## Laurencek (19 Mar 2022)

Ash J said:


> Hi all,
> 
> I've been running the Fuval 3.0 on my Fluval Roma 125 for the last couple of months and although I'm pretty happy with the growth of the plants, there's something I just don't like about this light. I'm not a fan of the "warm light" and have turned this almost completely off and feel the colours of the plants just look a bit washed out compared to other lights I've seen in other scapes. Now that I've added Co2 into the tank I'm looking to create a more high tech setup and not sure the Fluval is the best choice for this, however I do like the app functionality.
> 
> ...


Which one did you opt for the 60cm? Did it fit ok for the fluval 125?


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## Ash J (21 Mar 2022)

Laurencek said:


> Which one did you opt for the 60cm? Did it fit ok for the fluval 125?


Hi Laurence, 

Yep opted for the 60cm. Fits quite well, although the extending arms aren't fully extended, I wouldn't feel comfortable if they were extended any further for stability reasons.  You'll need to remove the hood completely off the tank so that the arms on the light fitting fit over the grooves where the hood would sit. If you want to see how it fits over the tank, let me know and I'll upload a pic 😊


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## Laurencek (21 Mar 2022)

Yes, that would really appreciated. Any photos of the item in situ, was curious to see how lit up the tank is. Was a little nervous how the edges of the tank would be lit up.


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## Ash J (22 Mar 2022)

It sits quite nicely on the top and provides complete coverage on the Roma 125. Bear in mind I'm only running this at 40% atm so it's not so bright. At 100% it's ridiculously bright even at substrate level.



Tbh I think I got lucky with the light as managed to get it off Amazon for £188, albeit took a few weeks to arrive.


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## Laurencek (22 Mar 2022)

Great, thanks. Very much appreciated


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## Kevin2016 (29 Apr 2022)

How is going with the new light ?

I have a Fluval 3.0 and also experience the yellow/greenish color. 

I’m looking for a chihiros wrgb 2 or something similar but less pricey.


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## Ash J (29 Apr 2022)

It's going great! 

Check out my journal "A fresh start" to see it in action. They've recently updated the Chihiros app which makes it alot more user friendly when setting up an autoschedule.


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## Cavalier_Steve (29 Apr 2022)

This is a very helpful thread!
I have the same Fluval light in my Shaker 252 and agree with what you say the plants look washed out but your before and after pictures, wow, what a difference! Your Fluval looks like it’s producing the same colour temperature  as mine so you picture is definitely painting a good real life representation. I’m going to look into this light and see if I can find one for mine, I better save some money first though 😁


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## Buggy (29 Apr 2022)

Ash J said:


> It's going great!
> 
> Check out my journal "A fresh start" to see it in action. They've recently updated the Chihiros app which makes it alot more user friendly when setting up an autoschedule.


Are they only available via import from China?


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## tigertim (29 Apr 2022)

I don't understand all this hate for the Fluval plant 3.0, i have one of thier 1st gen lights, the different shades of green i get off my crypts are deep, the red and orange hues on my Rotala Macranda are spot on, sometimes we chase things in this hobby and the grass isn't always greener, literally.


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## Hufsa (29 Apr 2022)

I agree that the Fluval gets a lot of flak.
In the comparison above, the Fluval casts a yellow light, but the greens shown under Chihiros are blue toned and the previously white wall is now purple. The comparison post doesn't seem to say which channels were running on each light, both can be tweaked, Fluval for less yellow and Chihiros for less blurple.
That people's yellow shrimps are orange under Chihiros is a major drawback in my opinion.


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## John q (29 Apr 2022)

tigertim said:


> I don't understand all this hate for the Fluval plant 3.0, i, sometimes we chase things in this hobby and the grass isn't always greener, literally.


Lol, folks with plant issues tend to look for excuses, the haters probably have issues...  the fluval plant 3 will grow plants, and that's a fact, colour rendition Is obviously marmite territory. 😶‍🌫️


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## Kevin2016 (30 Apr 2022)

Personally, I don’t hate the Fluval. It can be tweaked many ways. I just don’t like the yellow/green tone. Is it a problem if I lower the Warm White setting without any problems for the plants ? I think this will reduce the yellowish tone.

It is now running on:

Red 100 / blue 5 / Cold, Pure and Warm white at 100%


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## tigertim (30 Apr 2022)

Kevin2016 said:


> Personally, I don’t hate the Fluval. It can be tweaked many ways. I just don’t like the yellow/green tone. Is it a problem if I lower the Warm White setting without any problems for the plants ? I think this will reduce the yellowish tone.
> 
> It is now running on:
> 
> Red 100 / blue 5 / Cold, Pure and Warm white at 100%


Fluval's run at 6500 kelvin which is daylight spectrum, anything else will show/accunuate a artificial colour, a greenish tone might come from the glass your tank is made of unless your have a optiwhite glass made tank of course.


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## Hufsa (30 Apr 2022)

Kevin2016 said:


> Is it a problem if I lower the Warm White setting without any problems for the plants ? I think this will reduce the yellowish tone.


Reducing that channel should help the yellow cast. 
It will probably reduce the total output of the light by some as the warm white leds make up a decent portion of the overall leds.
Unless you are running your light at really low percentages (which you dont seem to be), I dont think it will be a problem.
Knock down the warm white until you think it looks a bit better and maybe bump up the blue a smidge 



tigertim said:


> Fluval's run at 6500 kelvin which is daylight spectrum


From what I understand kelvin is a very... wishy washy term that doesnt really translate well to modern day lights.
Ive seen all manner of lights sold as "6500 kelvin" and they have looked entirely different.
I dont think kelvin is a very useful number any more for our purposes.


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## Kevin2016 (3 May 2022)

Welp, I did it… I bought the chihiros wrgb 2 90cm. Man what a difference!!! Colors are great and love the “buce” preset. No regret at all!


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## plantnoobdude (3 May 2022)

Kevin2016 said:


> Welp, I did it… I bought the chihiros wrgb 2 90cm. Man what a difference!!! Colors are great and love the “buce” preset. No regret at all!


if you're happy with the light spectrum that's all that matters


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## Cavalier_Steve (12 May 2022)

Morning all, 
Personally, I don’t hate the Fluval light on the country, I love the how the app interacts with the light it makes it quite customisable,  mine is the non plant version I think this makes a difference?? it came with the tank model number is A13247, like I said I’m not sure if that makes a difference, I’m considering getting a Fluval plant to run alongside my original or get another model that’s the same as mine or go as @Kevin2016 has done and try something different such as the chihiros wrgb 2. I’m currently moving the light between the back and front occasionally as the spread if light isn’t suitable for the plants and some are struggling because of that. 
The light is great for starting up a planted tank or using with a non planted tank this is just my opinion, and it may be the case of a bad workmen always blames his tools on my behalf 😆😁
Cheers 
Steve.


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## oreo57 (12 May 2022)

Cavalier_Steve said:


> Morning all,
> Personally, I don’t hate the Fluval light on the country, I love the how the app interacts with the light it makes it quite customisable,  mine is the non plant version I think this makes a difference?? it came with the tank model number is A13247, like I said I’m not sure if that makes a difference, I’m considering getting a Fluval plant to run alongside my original or get another model that’s the same as mine or go as @Kevin2016 has done and try something different such as the chihiros wrgb 2. I’m currently moving the light between the back and front occasionally as the spread if light isn’t suitable for the plants and some are struggling because of that.
> The light is great for starting up a planted tank or using with a non planted tank this is just my opinion, and it may be the case of a bad workmen always blames his tools on my behalf 😆😁
> Cheers
> 1Steve.



36" fluval plant is 2x that power, 46watts.
More like an "Aquasky".
Your light:








						Fluval Aquasky LED with Bluetooth - for Shaker 66.5 US gallon Set A13247 "NEW"
					

Operated exclusively via the FluvalSmart App on your mobile device, Fluval Aquasky allows you to control the light output of red, green blue and super bright 6500K white LEDs for infinite color blends. Programmable, gradual 24-hour light cycle settings (sunrise, mid day, sunset and night)...




					philspets.ca


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## Cavalier_Steve (12 May 2022)

oreo57 said:


> 36" fluval plant is 2x that power, 46watts.
> More like an "Aquasky".
> Your light:
> 
> ...


That’s the one! I couldn’t remember the name of the light. Thanks for that.


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## Gorillastomp (12 May 2022)

Usually when your light is in the 4000k range, it will looks more yellow and green when your water has a tint from tanins. Its a bit less apparent in the 6000k plus range. Any range of color in the hobby's light will grow plants just fine. It only depends on how the owner/looker will perceive/prefer the color.


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## oreo57 (12 May 2022)

Cavalier_Steve said:


> That’s the one! I couldn’t remember the name of the light. Thanks for that.


Not sure it is exactly the same as an Aquasky. Specs are 1W off.. LOL.
The model  number looks to be a Hagen # not a Fluval number.
Why??? 
Don't know.
Best guess is that is because theyt are "built in models"...


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## Cavalier_Steve (13 May 2022)

oreo57 said:


> Not sure it is exactly the same as an Aquasky. Specs are 1W off.. LOL.
> The model  number looks to be a Hagen # not a Fluval number.
> Why???
> Don't know.
> Best guess is that is because theyt are "built in models"...


I think that your guess could well be right, I suppose it’s what costs the cheapest to manufacture.
I’m going to look into the lighting a bit more to run one alongside my original should I need it, I like the idea of the Fluval plant as I like the app based system but spending that sort of money on a light I would like something that’s going to suit the tank long term, so I’m not going to rush into it just yet.


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## Kevin2016 (13 May 2022)

Cavalier_Steve said:


> I think that your guess could well be right, I suppose it’s what costs the cheapest to manufacture.
> I’m going to look into the lighting a bit more to run one alongside my original should I need it, I like the idea of the Fluval plant as I like the app based system but spending that sort of money on a light I would like something that’s going to suit the tank long term, so I’m not going to rush into it just yet.


Still rocking the chihiros here !


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## Cavalier_Steve (14 May 2022)

Kevin2016 said:


> Still rocking the chihiros here !


Hi Kevin, how are you finding the light? Can I be cheeky and ask if you have any before and after photos? I know it’s early days but have you noticed any difference in plant growth?
You sound very happy with the light it’s one of my contenders. 
I have hight against my setup this is how mine is currently mounted



Sadly I don’t have much room to play with. 
Cheers


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## Kevin2016 (14 May 2022)

Cavalier_Steve said:


> Hi Kevin, how are you finding the light? Can I be cheeky and ask if you have any before and after photos? I know it’s early days but have you noticed any difference in plant growth?
> You sound very happy with the light it’s one of my contenders.
> I have hight against my setup this is how mine is currently mounted
> View attachment 188539
> ...


I love it! Great colors of the plants a fishes.

It’s now day in my country, to much reflection.  Tonight I will create a video for you.


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## Kevin2016 (14 May 2022)

Allright did my best to snap my tank with both lights. 

Fluval Plants 3.0 46 watt 100% all leds:
Video: 
Pics: 








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Chihiros wrgb 2 90cm
Video buce preset:


Pics buce preset:








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Video green preset:


Pics green preset:








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My phone is a little buggy on the moment.
I hope this will help you. In real life the colors are much much better than in my video and pictures.If you can get the chihiros light perhaps with a return policy, you know what a mean.

The chihiros has some preset based on fish/shrimp/green plants/red plants and my favorite buce preset and you can change the light manually. I didn’t record the light on 100% of all lights.

With the Fluval my fishes and shrimp are orange or faded, with the chihiros  fire red.

The plants responds very well. I don’t have have advanced plants. Some ferns, Bolbitis, bucephalandra, Monte Carlo, japonica Blyxa.
And since last week in the background rotala orange juice and H’ra.  They need to transfer from emersed to submersed.

I don’t have any chihiros stocks 
Let me know if you need more information, videos or pictures.

Kevin


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## Cavalier_Steve (16 May 2022)

Kevin2016 said:


> Allright did my best to snap my tank with both lights.
> 
> Fluval Plants 3.0 46 watt 100% all leds:
> Video:
> ...



Hi Kevin, thank you very much for taking the time to photograph and take the videos they are very much appreciated, I can definitely see why your very happy with the light, your plants looks like they are pearling beautifully, this is something mine doesn’t do even with a lime green drop checker. I’m definitely going to invest in another light, I’m sure my plants and fish will benefit from a secondary light. The chihiros looks like a great choice!
Thank you very much again for the effort you put into this for me.
Kind regards, Steve.


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## jaypeecee (16 May 2022)

Hufsa said:


> Ive seen all manner of lights sold as "6500 kelvin" and they have looked entirely different.


Hi @Hufsa 

Only if manufacturers publish the spectrum (from 400 nm to 700 nm) of the lighting fixture will you be able to get an idea of the resulting lighting colour. Disappointing, isn't it?

JPC


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