10 Best Aquarium LED Lighting in 2022 – Top Rated Lights Compared!
When designing your aquarium or fish tank lighting system, you should keep in mind the fact that the quality of life in your aquarium is directly related to the quality of light. Another important point to note is that your lighting system should duplicate natural conditions. If the right intensity and spectrum of light is not provided in your aquarium, then the survival rate of your invertebrates or plants or whatever, will be poor.
How do you design your lighting to mimic natural conditions though for the aquatic life in my aquarium to thrive?
Due to recent technological advancements, this is an easy task. A task made even easier with this review since I do all the hard work for you by narrowing down your options with a list of the best aquarium LED lighting.
Table of Contents
- 10 Best Aquarium LED Lightings - Comparisons
- 10 Best Aquarium LED Lightings in 2020 - Reviews
- 1. Current USA Fixture Orbit Marine Pro LED Light
- 2. RECORDCENT LED Aquarium Light,
- 3. Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light
- 4. Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light
- 5. VIPARSPECTRA Timer Control Dimmable 165W 300W LED Aquarium Light Full Spectrum
- 6. MarsAqua Dimmable 165W 300W LED Aquarium Light Coral Reef Light Full Spectrum for Fish Freshwater and Saltwater Coral Tank Blue and White LPS/SPS
- 7. Lightimetunnel WiFi LED Aquarium Light， 165W WiFi + Dimmable Fish Tank Light
- 8. Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Plus Light
- 9. Koval Aquarium Lighting Fish Tank Light Hood with Extendable Brackets
- 10. Beamworks Beamswork DA 6500K 0.50W Series LED Pent Aquarium Light Freshwater Plant Discus
- Things to Consider when Buying Best Aquarium LED Light in 2020
- Final Words
10 Best Aquarium LED Lightings - Comparisons
Picture | Product Name | Size(Inch) | Wattage | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
  | 18-24" | 21W | ||
  | 16" | 120W | ||
  | 48" | 35.6W | ||
  | 24" - 36" | 23W | ||
  | 24" | 165W | ||
  | 24" | 165W | ||
  | 24" | 165W | ||
  | 24"-36" | 18W | ||
  | 40"-50" | 19W | ||
  | 60cm-24" | 30W |
10 Best Aquarium LED Lightings in 2020 - Reviews
1. Current USA Fixture Orbit Marine Pro LED Light
The Current USA Fixture Orbit Marine Pro LED Light can upgrade your saltwater aquarium and keep it looking great even over time.
This model has high powered LED chips that deliver great amazing spectrum lighting. Such spectrum is important to give the right wavelength your marine life needs to be healthy and thriving.
The dome optics on this model enables it to spread light evenly through the entire aquarium. This ensures the marine life in there gets the light that is much needed for their growth.
It is easily programmable, and you can schedule on and off hours. It can also simulate any time of the day you choose such as moonlight for nighttime and sunrise or sunset. The diverse, dynamic effects allow you to choose the effect that will provide the look you are going for. Switching from one effect to another is easy, depending on your preference.
Pros
- High output LEDs, spectrum specific for SPS and LPS corals
- Includes wireless 24 hours LED controller and timer
- Dome optics enable the light to spread evenly through the aquarium
- Easily programmable
- Ability to simulate any time of the day
- Water resistant and easy to install
Cons
- Reef tanks need a minimum of two lights
- Some preset features like the thunderstorm feature can scare the fish
This LED is one of the most popular LEDs of its kind. It comes with screws and fixtures that make installation on your aquarium ceiling quick and easy. It is also easy to maintain on a daily basis.
It is especially designed for coral tanks, and it is 16 inches in size. Its light weight makes it convenient to handle. The LCD has touch control which makes it more special.
55-minute LEDs attached to it give it its broad structure. It can be operated in wireless mode too using a remote, further enhancing convenience.
It features 90-degree optic lenses that make this LED even more powerful. Its coverage area is 28 square inches which is quite huge compared to typical aquariums. This package also comes with a hanging kit and fixture that is easy to handle, fix and adjust.
Pros
- Easy to maintain
- Lightweight and convenient to handle
- Touch control
- Can be operated in wireless mode with remotes
- 90-degree optic lenses
- Coverage of 28 square inches
- Independent blue and white controls
Cons
- Programming cannot be done on two lights at a time, and if power goes out, they lose their programming
- Some lights don't dim as well as others
The Finnex FugeRay Planted+ Aquarium LED Light has a slim design, taking the shape of a long, narrow bar and it can illuminate even the largest aquariums.
The LED bulbs on this fixture are of top notch quality and can last at least 40,000 hours of constant lighting. This fixture is made with a series of light bulbs that promote marine growth and refugium.
The circuit boards are of high-quality aluminum to aid in cooling the lights down, which will make the bulbs last longer. The bulbs are arranged in an evenly spaced manner; hence the light covers the aquarium more evenly, with an intensity that is not too strong.
This fixture is also a full spectrum. It has a wide range of color LEDs to ensure growth and health of your aqua plants and fish in the tank. It comes with two lighting modes, daylight, and moonlight. The moonlight feature is turned on from a separate switch for you to set the moonlight setting for your aquarium at night.
Pros
- LEDs promote marine refugium and freshwater growth
- Evenly spaced LEDs for refugium purposes
- Daylight and Moonlight modes
- Moisture resistant PC splash guard
- Has incorporated 660nm red LEDs that have efficient wavelengths for photosynthesis
- Bulbs last 40,000+ hours
- Aluminum circuit boards extend bulb longevity
Cons
- Gets hot
- Has power supply problems
This LED light's exceptional performance got it on this list of the best aquarium LED lighting.
The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light allows you to take the best care of your plant by manipulating different intensities of light and figuring out different growth phases for plants, hence creating the perfect environment.
The LED size varies from 18 inches to 60 inches, and it is easy to handle. This LED also provides a color adjustment feature, to a minimum and maximum intensity (0-100%) for convenience. It is designed to illuminate a whole standard sized aquarium easily.
This LED also does not produce heat, so you don't need to worry about it increasing the temperature inside the aquarium. It has adjustable moonlight color, adjustable brightness, and duration
Pros
- Min and max color intensity adjustment
- Adjustable moonlight color, duration, and brightness
- 24 hour on/off time, run up and dim down duration
- Easy to handle
- Can illuminate a whole standard sized aquarium
- Doesn't produce heat
Cons
- Not a good reef light
This is a specially designed full spectrum light. The different color lights are arranged in a crisscross manner among the white bulbs.
The design may seem random, but the manufacturers assure that the layout idea is contributed by research from thousands of Reef Central members to maximize the growth and health of coral reefs and aqua plants.
The full spectrum of lights that provide many different light waves makes this fixture suitable and healthy for all photosynthetic corals, to promote growth and maintenance of a vibrant color.
The light bulbs are arranged in different channels, and each can be fully programmed. There are in-built timers in each channel that allow you to program intensity an on/off time for each separate light channel. This feature makes this fixture customizable.
Because a different type of fish requires different amounts of light and intensities at various times of the day, the programmable timer function does all that work for you.
Pros
- Lights of different colors are arranged in a crisscross manner among white bulbs to maximize growth and health of aquatic life
- Full spectrum of lights with different light waves
- Light bulbs are grouped into different channels, and each can be fully programmed
- Programmable time to increase convenience
- Suitable for all photosynthetic corals
- Adjustable hanging kit made of a unique lock assembly to make mounting secure. It ensures the unit is positioned properly over your aquarium
Cons
- Very bright fixture that can accidentally burn due to the light intensity being too much
- Poor manual completion
The MarsAqua Dimmable 165W LED Aquarium Light is an all LED grow light from China, from one of the biggest manufacturers with years of experience.
Those many years of experience should guarantee that they are experts in everything about the spectrum for flowering or vegetation.
This LED light is efficient, as one 165w aquarium light can be used for a 24"x 24" x 24" fish coral tank. It is suitable for reef, coral and so on for plants that grow in water. It has two power cords, two dimmers and two on/off switches that control blue and white light separately.
It has optimized output for PAR, sufficient lights spectrum and super light penetration. Also with this light, you can add another light when you get a bigger tank. A lot of people love the blue for this light is bright even at the lowest setting.
Pros
- Two power cords
- Two dimmers
- Two on-off switches to control the white and blue light separately
- Optimized output for PAR
- Super light penetration and sufficient light spectrum
Cons
- Not a light fixture for a planted freshwater aquarium
This aquarium LED light covers the 120 degree LEDs with top notch acrylic lens to ensure high light efficiency. Proper spectrum makes the fish or plants or corals or reefs enjoy healthy growth.
White light from this fixture promote photosynthesis of aquatic plants and make the water look clear.
Red light promotes the growth of fish and makes them look more colorful. Blue lighting makes the water look vivid and as clear as seawater for the growth of coral and et cetera.
Blue lighting also helps in the production of vitamin D3 that promotes absorption of calcium for coral to make them look brighter in color. The LED lights are grouped into 2 channels, and there are 2 dimmers, 2 power cords and two on-off switches to control the two channels independently.
Pros
- Covers the 120 degree LEDs with top quality acrylic lenses
- Superior ambient light efficiency and remarkable color uniformity
- High resolution with low power consumption
- Safe to use over open water and perfect for marine or freshwater environments
- Efficient light spectrum for healthy growth of plants, reef, coral or fish
- Eye catching wavelengths give the aquarium a modern look
- Dimmable with 2 channels for setting lighting to simulate daytime and moonlight
- Has fans and a heat conducting plate that protects lamps from heat increasing longevity
Cons
- The fan rattles sometimes, and it can get annoying
- Light looks powerful for the nano it hangs over and may cause accidents
Also Read: Best Aquarium Heaters – Tested & Reviewed!
This is the industry's first freshwater-optimized RGB + white LED fixture. Full spectrum RGB LEDs are paired with super bright 6500K white LEDs to offer every color under the sun.
It has low, 12V DC IP65 rated LEDs that are 100% safe for aquarium use. A 120-degree dispersion angle allows for optimal spread and color blending.
All these colors are controlled by a single 32-key customizable remote, so you can change the color of your aquatic environment without altering your body. The Satellite LED features effects, and each color is individually adjustable for endless custom color blends.
The features include 6 freshwater optimized color presets, 12 dynamic effects including cloud cover, storm, lightning, fading lunar, dusk and more.
It also has 4 memory buttons for saving custom color blends, and you can play or pause each mode on demand. It features sliding docking legs that allow easy and quick adjustments for a variety of installations. It makes adding multiple fixtures a breeze.
Pros
- Wireless LED remote control
- 2 adjustable docking mounts
- Colors are individually adjustable for custom blends
- Dynamic effects
- 4 memory buttons for saving custom blends
- Sliding docking legs allow for easy and quick adjustments of many installations
Cons
- Moisture buildup inside causes failure after a while
- Not compatible with an add-on timer
This light has a narrow and long shape that makes it easy to fit into any aquarium. It also has an extendable bracket that makes it fit into different sizes of aquariums.
As long as the extendable bracket can reach the sides of the tank, the lights can cover most of the parts that the bracket can extend to.
A great and unique feature of this fixture is that when one LED light is broken, the rest are unaffected and will continue to work normally, unlike other LED fixtures. These highly efficient LED bulbs are low energy so that when you need to turn the aquarium lights on all the time, this feature will save you a few bucks when it comes to your electric bill.
This fixture features a full spectrum light, which is suitable for any aqua plant, fish and coral reefs. The aquarium light comes with 3 optional control modes for the lights; all lights on, only blue LEDs on and all lights off.
The all light options are for daytime while the blue LEDs are for night time to give a moonlight effect on the water.
Pros
- 156 bright LEDs with 5 colors
- Full spectrum LEDs that make phycophyta look vivid
- 3 optional control modes
- Extendable bracket that makes it easy for it to fit in aquariums of different sizes
- If one LED is not working, the others will keep working as usual
- High efficiency but low energy consumption to save cost
- High-quality LEDs that can be used at least 50,000 hours
Cons
- Extendable end brackets are flimsy and move when turning on the light
This model is guaranteed to make your aquarium lively and attractive, just like you like it.
It is made to help you achieve an appealing-looking aquarium, and the best part about it is that you don't even need to break the bank for it. Aside from attractive and appealing lighting, this light can also help keep your energy bill low.
The LED lights used in this model are of low energy consumption levels. With this light, you can make your aquarium look better, just got cheaper.
It has a sleek and contemporary design, and it fits easily in a wide variety of aquarium sizes. The LEDs are also long-lasting, a plus on longevity since you don't have to worry about replacing different bulbs every few months.
Pros
- Energy-efficient light fixture
- Long lasting and the bulbs will not need replacement for a long time
- Fixture is pre-wired for use
- Timer module that program on and off times
- 6500K spectrum LEDs
Cons
- Encourage algae growth in some cases
- Causes evaporation hence water levels drop and have to be added
Things to Consider when Buying Best Aquarium LED Light in 2020
To make sure that you do not end up with the wrong LED light for your aquarium, here are some considerations to think about.
Needless to say, the wrong light might do a multitude of negative things for your aquarium, from promoting the growth of unwanted algae to making your plants and fish stunted in growth. So let's dive in.
Size of Your Aquarium
This is one of the most top crucial things to consider when selecting a suitable LED light for you. Based on the aquarium size, they all vary. For larger aquariums, more light is needed since you will need more space lit up. So you should be looking for an LED light whose coverage is vast, and its intensity is widespread.
For smaller aquariums, an LED with more light might be too bright and might do more harm than good, so you need to be looking for one that is size-appropriate.
Plants in Your Aquarium
Different kinds of plants have different light requirements, and there are different LED systems to cater for each. Also, plants and corals in their growing phase need a different level of light intensities, so you need to choose one that is appropriate for the kind of aquatic life and plants in your aquarium.
Research
If you are just beginning, you need to do lots of research. I cannot stress this enough. Making blind decisions when choosing the kind of lighting for your aquarium might result in tragic consequences. Depending on specific factors of your aquarium and what you have in it, you need to do lots of research on what is suitable before you take home an LED light.
Research helps you make decisions from an educated point of view, instead of spending money on the wrong thing, then realizing that later when it's too late.
Intensity and Light Spectrum You Want
From this review, and even as you explore other options, you will realize that different aquarium LED systems to have different colored spectrums and different, wide ranges of intensities to pick from.
This will come in handy especially when you require providing optimum lighting levels for a wide range of plants while catering for all of them in different growth phases and ideal living conditions.
Features and Budget
With a lot of models in the market, anyone can find an aquarium light that is within your budget. All the lights have a different set of features, and you can choose one with features that serve your needs best, as there is no need to pay an arm and a leg for an expensive light with features you won't need.
LED lights are supposed to provide efficient functionality for your aquarium at a price you will find affordable. The price range and features makes this product easily available to anyone, even with their varying needs and budgets.
Final Words
If you are like most of us and you love your pet, then you most certainly want the best for it. A lot of people have aquariums and for different reasons too. However, one thing is for sure, you want the best for life in there, and good lighting is a good way to give them that.
In this review, I have listed some of the best aquarium LED lighting, tried, tested and approved then reviewed. Along with a brief list of things to consider before you take the ideal one home, this review guides you a few steps closer to your next aquarium LED light.
Remember to do lots of research and read lots of reviews available online, from previous and current users after your options have been narrowed down for honest testimonials.
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