Best Aquarium Lighting for Fish Color In 2023
Let’s be real, one of the main reasons you got interested in keeping fish is because of the aesthetics.
When properly illuminated and with a nice variety of fish or some solid aquascaping, fish tanks can be really beautiful.
They can even be a realm feature of any room.
However, for this to be true you need proper illumination, to enhance the appearance and really show off your fish’s colors. In many circumstances, this is only possible by using artificial light.
That’s why I’ve pulled together a guide to what you really need to look for to find the best aquarium lighting for fish color, and some examples of the best products available on the market right now.
Aquarium lighting is a rapidly growing market as more and more people become aware of the benefits of it.
Finding the best aquarium lighting for fish color is not easy, but by investing in a good lighting set up, you need never worry about your fish’s color fading again!
So, what are you waiting for!
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Table of Contents
Fluval Aquasky LED Strip Light
[amazon box=”B07BBSRDPL”]
This is a very convenient option, and is suitable for a huge range of tanks.
Not only does the Fluval Aquasky come in two possible sizes (either 36 inches or 60 inches in maximum length), but the strips lights are extendable, so they can be easily adjusted to suit your own personal setup.
What’s more, this product is easily installed so it is suitable for even beginners to use.
One of the most important features of the best aquarium lighting for fish color, is the availability of full spectrum light.
This product incorporates this feature at the core. For example, it hosts white LEDs and tri colored red, green and blue LEDs.
This gives the user a massive range of flexibility, allowing them to replicate any environment.
For example, you could recreate cloud cover conditions, or even storm and lighting effects! The possibilities are endless.
This means you can use these lights to enhance whatever fish you own, possibly even mimicking their native environments.
All these features are very conveniently controlled by a remote control, which even allows you to select from 11 preset sky effects and a huge range of color selections.
This can even be controlled from your smartphone!
This product really gives you the freedom to make your setup exactly what you always wanted it to be!
- Very handy remote control with a host of preset lighting option
- Full spectrum lighting capacity
- 120-degree light dispersion allows for uniform lighting
- Has IP67 waterproof rating
- Premium product comes with a premium price tag
- More powerful versions are available
Check Price and Reviews on Amazon
Video: “Fluval AquaSky LED demo”
NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light
[amazon box=”B01ID3OK3S”]
This is another great option to light up your aquarium. The Nicrew ClassicLED is very easily installed on most rectangular tanks, within a range of sizes.
It slots easily over the top of the tanks, and the super energy efficient LEDs simply project their light down into the tank.
Unlike the previous product, this offering does not feature full spectrum capacity as it only included white and blue LEDs.
Nevertheless, this can still give rise to a host of lighting conditions, beneficial bot for tank aesthetics and your fish’s health.
This product features 90 white LEDs and 18 blue LEDs, and there are two lighting modes available. In the daytime mode, all LEDs (blue and white) are turned on, while at night only the 18 blue LEDs are turned on.
This can give your tank a nice shimmer during the day, while at night the dull blue provides a somber and soothing mood light.
One of the other benefits of this product is that it can be helpful for growing aquatic plants.
Obviously, to grow, aquatic plants need carefully controlled amounts of light, and the 920 lumens that this product provides is enough to grow plenty of small or medium sized aquatic plants at a reasonable rate.
- Easily installed on most tanks
- Sturdy materials and high-quality build
- Offers daytime and nighttime modes
- No red or green LEDs
- Only two lighting modes available, other products offer greater flexibility
Check Price and Reviews on Amazon
Video: “BEST NEW BUDGET LIGHT? Nicrew Classic LED Light Review with PAR Test”
Koval Aquarium Lighting
[amazon box=”B01DQ6PDSS”]
Unlike many other products, this high-quality offering from Koval presents true full spectrum lighting coverage.
In fact, this may be the best aquarium lighting for color available on the market right now.
This easily installed lighting fixture boasts 78 LEDs, and the biggest draw for this product is that it includes 5 colors of LED.
For instance, there are white, blue, green, pink and red LEDs. This means your tank will be illuminated in colors from right across the spectrum, which is sure to enhance the colors of any roaming fish in your tank.
Unfortunately, this abundance if color does not come with as much flexibility as you might like. Even with so much long-lasting power, there are only three settings available, unlike the first item on this list.
On the plus side, the LEDs used are long lasting bulbs, which should last for over 50000 hours of use.
This will help save you on running costs, while still helping to present your beautiful tropical fish and aquatic plants in the best possible light.
- Easily installed on most tanks
- 5 colors of LED used means real full color spectrum coverage
- Long lasting LEDs help to keep your running costs down
- Premium product comes at a price
- Only three lighting modes available, other products offer greater flexibility
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Video: “Koval Inc. – LED Aquarium Light”
MLJ LED Aquarium Light
[amazon box=”B07PYQBSGG”]
If you want something a little more high-tech, then this is a great option.
Unlike some of the other products featured here, this lighting is fully submersible, with fully sealed rubber ends to prevent any air, water or debris entering into the working compartment.
This can make for much more enriching lighting set ups than out of water lights.
Also, this product featured full RGB spectrum color thanks to the great multitude of color LEDs. This is all incorporated into a very fancy setup, featuring a 24-button remote control.
This handy external remote control allows you to select the light color (which includes many secondary colors made by combining the RGB colors) and also the display mood.
You can choose from strobe, fade or smooth depending on your preference and the mood you want to create.
Also, this product comes in a huge range of sizes, from 18 cm to 112 cm, so you’re sure to find one to suit your own aquarium.
- Available in a large range of sizes, all the way up to 112 cm in length
- Remote control allows you to choose color and display mode
- Full color spectrum coverage
- Waterproof, submersible design
- Not the most durable aquarium light
- Controls can be difficult to figure out at first
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Hygger Full Spectrum Aquarium Light
[amazon box=”B07X9TDN27″]
One of the major draws of this product is the design. It is made for durable and sturdy aluminum, and has an eye-catching matt black finish.
It is also available in a range of sizes, from an 18-inch design to a 52 inches design.
The largest of these models has 32 W of power, which should be enough to illuminate even the largest of tanks.
This model is on the fancier end of the spectrum, and enables good color rendering of most fish.
What this means is that it will help enhance and bring out the natural colors of any tropical fish in your tank, as well as throwing light on the aquatic plants and overall aquascape.
It achieves this by using white, red, green and blue LEDs.
This product offers the user a lot of control. For example, there are three modes to select from; white only LEDs, all LEDs or white, red and blue LEDS.
These settings are specially designed to mimic natural light conditions, create soft light to not strain your eyes, and show your fish in the best possible conditions.
You can also manually adjust the light brightness, and this model even includes a timer so you can set the light to turn on and off for periods of 3, 6 or 12 hours.
This is extremely important for the busy aquarium owner.
- Available in a large range of sizes, all the way up to 52 inches in length
- Remote control allows you to choose color and brightness level
- Full color spectrum coverage
- Lots of convenient features including a timer
- Some products offer slightly more user control
Check Price and Reviews on Amazon
Video: “Hygger Full Spectrum Aquarium LED Light”
Choosing the Best Aquarium Lighting for Fish Color
The products featured above are the best aquarium lighting for fish color, but you may wonder, why do you even need good aquarium lighting?
Well, aquarium lighting helps accentuate the color of your fish, making them look as splendid as possible!
This is obviously enjoyable for you as an observer, but also, when fish display bright colors, they tend to be less stressed and healthier in general.
Another side benefit of good aquarium lighting is that it can help any aquatic plants in your tank to survive and even thrive.
Thus, the choice of aquarium lighting is an important one with lots of potential benefits, and drawbacks if you make a rash decision.
Things to Consider
There are number of things for you to consider. First of all, you should generally look for energy efficient devices.
Not only will this help reduce your carbon footprint, but it will also lower your monthly running costs.
This is a win-win!
LEDs tend to be very energy efficient, and the device you choose should display an energy efficiency rating. Many LEDs are also very long lasting, so this saves you the hassle of having to go out to replace bulbs very often.
Another important consideration is whether the device has full spectrum capacity. Many of the devices listed here do, because they incorporate white and RGB LEDs.
The ability to change the color of your lighting allows you to experiment and see which setting shows up the color of your fish best.
For example, white light tends to help lighter fish stand out, but may not be best for vibrantly colored Cichlids for example.
Finally, flexibility and convenience are key. Remote controls can be extremely practicable and allow you to freely experiment with your light settings.
Some devices are much more limited than others in this regard. While some only feature two or three possible lighting modes, many of the products feature here offer virtually endless lighting possibilities.
Of course, you must weigh all these features against the price you are willing to pay, and the continued running costs of the device!
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Conclusion
Choosing the best aquarium lighting for fish color is one of the most important decisions you have to make as a fish owner.
By making an informed decision, and going through the particular pros and cons of each product, you can be sure that you are helping to really present your fish in the best light.
Good lighting setups are an investment that really do pay of over time, as you can get hours of enjoyable fish watching!
The products presented here vary from some very basic models, to advanced models with features like full spectrum capacity, remote control and even app-based control!
This can really take your aquarium to the next level, and make all your fish enthusiast friends very jealous!