Lighting is an essential component of a reef tank. Choosing the right type of lighting is an important aspect of choosing a tank setup. Doing it helps create a healthy environment for fish and corals. It also helps keep plants alive, boosting the aesthetic appeal of your setup.
Overview of Reef Lights
The lighting present in the reef tank or simply put, reef lights, are blue illuminating lights that are responsible to aid the growth of corals. While the color of the reef lights may differ, it is the emitted blue spectrum from the reef lighting that allows the healthy growth of plants and corals.
Since corals are adapted to photosynthesize in the abundance of blue light in the oceans, reef lighting and the blue spectrum that it emits, allows for the corals and plants to grow properly and stimulate their life.
The key is to invest in a reef light that provides and emits the right amount of blue spectrum optimal for the stimulation of plants and corals inside a fish tank.
Why Reef Lighting is Important for Your Fish Tank?
As mentioned in the overview, reef lighting is important for the corals in your fish tank to grow and get their desired blue light spectrum that is responsible for their longevity and stimulation.
Reef lights should have the right amount of blue spectrum along with the right level of brightness to hit that sweet spot and make the coral reefs adapt to the aquatic life as they would in the ocean.
How to Measure Reef Tank’s Light Levels?
If you were looking to invest in reef lighting for your aquarium or fish tank, then you need to ensure and measure the right amount of lighting for your fish tank.
The best method to do this is to use a par meter that is designed to measure the radiation that is photosynthetically active and available. The par meter will provide a reading indicating the reef lighting of your tank, with zero being dark and 500 being extremely bright. Again, you need to find that sweet spot.
What Reef Lighting Level to Set?
While you need to strive for the sweet spot when it comes to reef lighting. Once you get a reading from the par meter, you may want to consider what types of coral reefs you have present in your fish tank.
For example, low-light corals like mushrooms can tolerate between 50 to 60 reef lighting levels. But if you have highly demanding corals, then you need bright lighting as they love bright lights, like Acropora requires reef lighting levels up to 250.
Therefore, we’d recommend that you invest in either low-lighting corals or high-lighting corals so that you don’t have to worry about extreme or low blue light spectrum issues and have the right amount of lighting emitted to your coral reefs.
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1. NICREW N14804
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Ranking at the very top, this reef tank lighting is an all-in-one solution for all your aquarium needs. It comes with RGB LEDs and a higher ratio of actinic blue spectrum LEDs that are balanced with a full spectrum which can help you change the entire look of your underwater world. It comes with a dual channel timer to adjust the lighting and comprises a gradual sunrise and sunset via adjustment of light intensity too.
Key features:
- RGB LEDs with a higher ratio of the actinic blue spectrum with adjustment of light intensity to create sunrise and sunset
- Comes with a marine LED light that will support the rocks and corals
- Can accommodate rimless and framed aquariums
- It is suitable for glass and acrylic canopy
2. PopBloom S16
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Featuring an option that you won’t be able to resist, this robust LED lighting for the reef tank is ideal to create a colorful environment that will facilitate optimal coral growth and enhance their vibrance within the aquarium. Furthermore, it comes with a channel color setting and dedicated moonlights, along with easy dimming, day and night settings, and a lot more.
Key features:
- LED lights facilitate optimal coral growth and coloration.
- Channel color setting with moonlights.
- Sunrise and sunset settings, along with day and night settings.
- Comes with a smart remote to adjust the settings with ease and convenience.
- Can be easily mounted.
3. Corals Chat CC-018
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Another great option in terms of reef tank lighting would be this one. This lighting comes with an energy-efficient LED spectrum which can promote optimal coral growth and vibrant coloration. Furthermore, two dimmable LED channels are included with touch control to offer you seamless operation of the lighting. It also comes with a smart fan for light temperature control that ensures ideal lamp working conditions as well.
Key features:
- Comes with two dimmable LED channels, along with touch control
- Comes with a smart fan for light temperature control that enables ideal lamp working conditions
- Has two roller silent fans which make less noise
- You can easily mount it on the rimmed or rimless tank which saves time and effort
4. Phlizon
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Presenting you with another high-end option that comprises a plethora of colors that facilitate ideal plant growth. It comes with UV blue, red, purple, green, and white light. All the UV lights allow coral reef growth, facilitate fish growth, and make your aquarium appear attractive. Moreover, it comes with a unique design that will make your aquatic plants look beautiful as well.
Key features:
- Comes with a full spectrum including UV blue, green, white, and many other lights
- Unique and sleek design which will be healthy for your aquatic plant’s growth.
- Suitable for both freshwater and saltwater.
- Comes with two dimmer models for adjusting lights.
5. Lominie Leite20
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
A great option for all those who love getting the best things for their aquarium. This LED lighting for reef tank consists of COB integrated chips with custom-made optical lenses, along with equally distributed illumination and a lot more. This lighting comprises of an efficient cooling system with less noise and silent operation. It also comes with a remote controller with four dim channels to customize the look of your fish tank.
Key features:
- Facilitates high brightness – custom-made optical lens with equally distributed illumination.
- Full spectrum with UV to red light.
- Comes with a remote controller and dim four channels to customize the look of your fish tank.
- Comes with upgraded technology which is optimal for your aquatic plants and fishes.
6. ARKNOAH AQU165
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Featuring another convenient option for you to explore if you’re an aquarium enthusiast. This lighting is great for reef tanks as it can promote the production of vitamins that are ideal for coral reef growth. Besides that, the lighting will make the corals appear colorful and vibrant. Also, the lights are dimmable and adjustable, hence you can customize it however you want.
Key features:
- Promotes production of vitamins that are ideal for corals’ growth.
- Enhances the color of coral reefs which can make your aquarium look more attractive.
- Adjustable and dimmable with switches control.
- Wide application – can be used in coral reef tanks, aquarium gardens, and a lot more.
7. SMATFARM SMATFARM-G5-AQUARIUM LIGHT
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Presenting you with another great option which is a keeper. This lighting comes with professional features, along with a timer and dimmer. It has G5 smart reef light that allows sunrise and sunset moonlight too. Besides that, the lighting can be dimmed and customized for a better look and as per requirement. Moreover, it has a remote and touch control system that facilitates easy operation.
Key features:
- Professional and feature-packed with G5 smart reef light, sunrise and sunset adjustment, and a lot more.
- Higher efficiency with remote and touch control to create more convenience.
- It comes with better heat dissipation and silent operation.
- Comes with flexible aluminum stands with an anti-rust design which makes it durable.
8. VIPARSPECTRA
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Featuring yet another powerful tool that can enhance the look of your fish tank and is surely a keeper. This lighting for the reef tank comes with timer control series that is designed to keep the balance of coverage and PAR output. It also has a full spectrum and is suitable for all photosynthesis corals. You can adjust the light intensity to create a sunrise and sunset flow in your fish tank to make it look beautiful.
Key features:
- Timer control with balance of the PAR output and coverage
- Adjustable lighting with dimmable features that make it easy to create sunrise and sunset look
- Suitable for all photosynthesis corals as you can adjust the light intensity with ease
- Full spectrum for optimal growth of the aquatic plants and corals
9. Aquatic Life 420345
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
If you’re still not impressed with any one of the picks mentioned above, then this is sure to impress you with its robust technology. This lighting comes with wireless technology that is ideal for healthy coral reef growth. It enables the vivid colors of the reefs to become visible. Furthermore, it comes with a full spectrum of colors and it is waterproof as well. It is sure to last you a long time.
Key features:
- Ideal for healthy coral reef growth with a full spectrum of colors.
- Waterproof design and it is easy to operate
- Can easily mount in the aquarium frames
- Comes with app-controlled smart light that creates more convenience for you
10. Current USA 4227
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Available in: Australia, Canada, UK and US
Last, but not least, this pick is the ultimate go-to for all the aquarium enthusiasts. It comes with a full spectrum, of eye-popping colors, along with realistic effects of dimming sunset and sunrise, along with moonlight. It also has built-in lighting programs that help you create a 24-hour natural biorhythmic lighting cycle. Moreover, it comes with a built-in wave pump controller which is ideal for all types of tanks.
Key features:
- Comes with a full spectrum and eye-popping colors which can make your fish tank stand out from the rest
- Realistic effects of sunrise and sunset z moonlight, daylight and many others
- Built-in lighting programs that can enable a natural 24-hour lighting cycle
- Comes with built-in wave pump controller which means that the colors will be vivid and natural
Conclusion
All in all, it can be said that lighting is a must for all reef tanks, but getting the ideal one becomes a task. To pick the best lighting for your reef tank, you must ensure that it has a full spectrum of colors which can make your tank appear more attractive and can facilitate vibrant colors of the coral reefs too. Not just that, but the ideal lighting will allow the reefs to grow in a healthy way.
Moreover, having a reef tank in your home is like having your own personal look at the underwater world. It has the power to instantly put you at ease and help you relax. Besides that, you’d see an ordinary aquarium everywhere, but a reef aquarium would stand out from the crowd, owing to the beautiful and irresistible coral reefs and the kind of vibrance that they create in your fish tank. Having said that, it’s safe to say that you should be owning one too! We hope this article helped you out in making your picks effectively. Good luck with your hunt!
