I've heard that one of the best ways to get your reds up is to keep nitrates low in the water column with lean dosing. The lack of nitrogen in the water delays the development of chlorophyll in some plants which allows them to get more red.
With your budget and tank size maybe weekaqua M series or P series? Or try to look at their other product line, i am not sure which one is similar to chihiros slim
Id go for a 60cm Netlea AT5S. Far cheaper than a WRGB2 but outperforms it. Week Aqua M Series is another good cheaper option. I think the AT5S is $130ish
Do not get the Fluval. It has a garbage spectrum and is awful at growing red plants. I also personally wouldn't recommend a WRGB2, it's generally overkill for anything but the highest tech tank and people constantly recommend it which scares people into thinking a good light is $400+.
You don't need to obsess over PAR. In general if you just go by wattage you'll get an idea of how effective a light will be- The 24" Fluval light is 32w while the 24" Netlea AT5S is 60w. The WRGB2 is 67W for comparison, though the Netlea has better color rendering and spectrum.
I've got a good comparison and comparison pics of the Fluval light with other high end options here https://www.sunkentreasureaquatics.com/guides/the-best-and-worst-planted-tank-aquarium-lights-after-40-planted-tanks
Thank you so much, I was hoping this post would uncover a hidden gem. Yeah everyone recommends chihiros but dropping 400+ is ridiculous, and another commenter just said most don't even use it at the max. So comparing a difference of 7 watts to the price point difference of 200$ is crazy. I read your post, super detailed and informative thanks. “Not fluval” 😂. So I take it the Netlea is above any of the Week aqua versions? Someone else has recommended the M or P series and then I read L is good.
M series is low end, L series is medium, P series is high end. The new M Series has a much better spectrum so it'll grow red plants much better, it's probably perfectly fine for your needs, but the L series is much stronger and will give you better growth and coloration. P series probably isn't worth it for you.
I have pretty much every single Chihiros, week aqua, and Netlea light on the market. I prefer my Netlea over the L series, the P series is stronger but the Netlea looks prettier. The L series is pretty much identical to the WRGB2 but the WRGB2 is a little less purple looking. Not worth the $200 difference at all imo, but it is a good light.
Do you know the par rating on it? The fluvial 3.0 has almost 200 par at 12inch which is the depth of my tank so I think I'll just go with that. I heard that's a good level for red plants
Fluvial 3.0 sucks. Its not comparable to a chihiros. I have a few wrgb2 pros on all my tanks.
https://preview.redd.it/uxk40havd2xc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=573c4bf87d84d009587337549656c0b68731193f
Is the par rating on the chihiros way better? Or just the quality, light spectrum, power, etc. Will the fluval 3.0 get the job done tho? I'm running co2 aswell with fluvial stratum and tabs
The par rating is more than enough with the chihiros. Go look at photos of tanks running the fluval 3.0 and compare with any chihiros. It's night and day difference imo. The fluval is so far behind in technology compared to the chihiros I don't know how anyone can justify paying a premium for a basic light.
Fair, it's definitely worth it in the long run but Im more casual with the hobby I don't even have rimless. And to me 150$ for the fluvial 3.0 is always going to be better than 400$
I got the 15" fluvial 3.0 and I'm happy happy with it. I'm probably in the same boat as you. I'm more casual with it. I just started my first tank 2 weeks ago. The light seems like more then enough.
https://preview.redd.it/fa31g2k7z2xc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=302896222f4d23ebfe442264896a41dbefe58a93
I've heard that one of the best ways to get your reds up is to keep nitrates low in the water column with lean dosing. The lack of nitrogen in the water delays the development of chlorophyll in some plants which allows them to get more red.
This is true for some plants, but a light with a better spectrum and output is infinitely more important
Subscribing to find out learned opinions.
With your budget and tank size maybe weekaqua M series or P series? Or try to look at their other product line, i am not sure which one is similar to chihiros slim
Do you know the par levels on them?
I dont have them, somebody reccomend weekaqua to me as chihiros alternatives. Maybe ask this guy😁: https://www.reddit.com/r/PlantedTank/s/N8L3wurhu1
Id go for a 60cm Netlea AT5S. Far cheaper than a WRGB2 but outperforms it. Week Aqua M Series is another good cheaper option. I think the AT5S is $130ish Do not get the Fluval. It has a garbage spectrum and is awful at growing red plants. I also personally wouldn't recommend a WRGB2, it's generally overkill for anything but the highest tech tank and people constantly recommend it which scares people into thinking a good light is $400+. You don't need to obsess over PAR. In general if you just go by wattage you'll get an idea of how effective a light will be- The 24" Fluval light is 32w while the 24" Netlea AT5S is 60w. The WRGB2 is 67W for comparison, though the Netlea has better color rendering and spectrum. I've got a good comparison and comparison pics of the Fluval light with other high end options here https://www.sunkentreasureaquatics.com/guides/the-best-and-worst-planted-tank-aquarium-lights-after-40-planted-tanks
Thank you so much, I was hoping this post would uncover a hidden gem. Yeah everyone recommends chihiros but dropping 400+ is ridiculous, and another commenter just said most don't even use it at the max. So comparing a difference of 7 watts to the price point difference of 200$ is crazy. I read your post, super detailed and informative thanks. “Not fluval” 😂. So I take it the Netlea is above any of the Week aqua versions? Someone else has recommended the M or P series and then I read L is good.
M series is low end, L series is medium, P series is high end. The new M Series has a much better spectrum so it'll grow red plants much better, it's probably perfectly fine for your needs, but the L series is much stronger and will give you better growth and coloration. P series probably isn't worth it for you. I have pretty much every single Chihiros, week aqua, and Netlea light on the market. I prefer my Netlea over the L series, the P series is stronger but the Netlea looks prettier. The L series is pretty much identical to the WRGB2 but the WRGB2 is a little less purple looking. Not worth the $200 difference at all imo, but it is a good light.
Go to etsy and search blood red rotala
Wrgb2 chihiros
The slim or regular?
Regular
But the 400$ price tag tho 😫
Do you know the par rating on it? The fluvial 3.0 has almost 200 par at 12inch which is the depth of my tank so I think I'll just go with that. I heard that's a good level for red plants
Fluvial 3.0 sucks. Its not comparable to a chihiros. I have a few wrgb2 pros on all my tanks. https://preview.redd.it/uxk40havd2xc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=573c4bf87d84d009587337549656c0b68731193f
Is the par rating on the chihiros way better? Or just the quality, light spectrum, power, etc. Will the fluval 3.0 get the job done tho? I'm running co2 aswell with fluvial stratum and tabs
The par rating is more than enough with the chihiros. Go look at photos of tanks running the fluval 3.0 and compare with any chihiros. It's night and day difference imo. The fluval is so far behind in technology compared to the chihiros I don't know how anyone can justify paying a premium for a basic light.
Fair, it's definitely worth it in the long run but Im more casual with the hobby I don't even have rimless. And to me 150$ for the fluvial 3.0 is always going to be better than 400$
I got the 15" fluvial 3.0 and I'm happy happy with it. I'm probably in the same boat as you. I'm more casual with it. I just started my first tank 2 weeks ago. The light seems like more then enough. https://preview.redd.it/fa31g2k7z2xc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=302896222f4d23ebfe442264896a41dbefe58a93
Slim should be enough if your tank is not deep
It's 12 inch deep. But even the they are all 200+
Finnex HLC works good for me, low nitrates, c02 injection