[fozard]

I'm a noob when it comes to lighting..... I want to get something that will allow me to grow easy-medium plants. I will likely be running co2.

My rimless tank size is:

900mm long X 500mm X 500mm
which equates to roughly ~35.5" long X 19.5" X 19.5"

I was looking at the Fluval 3.0, however was hoping I could get a few recommendations to look into from this group. Nice to have's would be: built in timer, and aesthetically pleasing. I am not able to hang anything from the ceiling.

Thanks!

Foz

 

[EmotionalFescue]

You'll probably get as many different suggestions as you do people responding to this... That said, I like twinstar lights.

Spectrum is not adjustable, but it's really good out of the box. No built in dimmer/timer, but you can get a programmable one that goes between the power supply and the light for like $25 US. Pretty sleek look too.

The S series is their most powerful, but that might be overkill for you. The 900E or 900EA (fixed and adjustable height models, respectively) might be right though.

 

[minorhero]

If looking for a lightbar that has a built in app controls then fluval is an easy goto for low light plants on a 19 inch deep tank. Maybe as high as the lower end of medium.

Chihiros WRGB is a brighter option with similar controls for around the same money, but you will probably have to order it from china and get it shipped in, so it will take a few weeks to get it (not sure if there is a distributor in Canada, we just got a distributor in the USA).

Other options that are more expensive include 2 AI Prime lights or 2 Kessil lights.

For a light with built in timer options but no app controls you could look at Finnex Planted Plus or Sbreeflight freshwater. There are other really good lights out there but they don't have a built in timer. Things like the Twinstar lights can produce nice colors but they have no built in controls so you would need to add a timer (which is cheap) and/or a dimmer (also not very expensive). But they won't do a sunrise/sunset mode.

 

[EmotionalFescue]

Things like the Twinstar lights can produce nice colors but they have no built in controls so you would need to add a timer (which is cheap) and/or a dimmer (also not very expensive). But they won't do a sunrise/sunset mode.

There's actually a cheap inline controller for twinstar that does a full program with ramping. It's this guy

I use it on three separate lights. Works great.