10 Best 72-inch Aquarium Lights [2025]
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Finding the best 72-inch aquarium lights for your setup can be a daunting task, given the multitude of options available on the market. With various features, specifications, and price points to consider, it can be overwhelming to narrow down the choices on your own. To simplify this process, we have carefully shortlisted 10 top products that cater to different needs and preferences. Our curated list not only saves you time but also alleviates the hassle of searching, ensuring you make an informed choice for your aquatic environment.
Top 10 72-inch Aquarium Lights In The Market
72-inch Aquarium Lights Review
- Full spectrum LEDs aquarium light, bring more natural light to your animal and plant
- 3 OPTIONAL CONTROL MODES: All LEDs On / Only Blue LEDs On / Close
- Super bright 5730SMD. High-quality LEDs for low energy dissipation. Aluminum case for faster cooling to keep long service life
- SUITABLE TANK LENGTH: 150cm/ 60 inch- 180cm/ 72 inch. With extendable bracket to fits your tank. Color temperature(K) : 8000. Lumen :2040. Power: 40W.
- This light is not waterproof, please don't put it into the water
- UPGRADED: This Upgraded Full spectrum LED aquarium light, bring more natural light to your fish and plant. Not only helps plants to grow more luxuriant, but also create vivid color on your fish tank animals, increase the ornamental value of your aquariums
- 5730SMD: High-quality LEDs for low energy dissipation. Aluminum case for faster cooling to keep long service life. Color temperature(K) : 8000. Lumen :2350. Power: 43W
- 3 OPTIONAL CONTROL MODES: All LEDs On / Only Blue LEDs On / Close
- SUITABLE TANK LENGTH: 180cm/ 72 inch- 210cm/ 84 inch. With extendable bracket to fits your tank.
- INCLUDE: 1x LED Aquarium Light, 2x Extendable Brackets, 1 x Power Supply. We will check the packaging carefully before shipping, to avoid the damage to the light during transit. This light is not waterproof, please don't put it into the water
- Powerful LEDs - equipped with an upgraded 5730 chip that is brighter while still energy efficient. 66W @ 8000 lumen. Super bright 10000K LEDs with 460nm Blue, 660 nm red, and green brilliantly shimmers through your aquarium.
- Timer and Modes - Three timer modes for auto shut off. 4 / 8 / 12 hour. Press the timer button on the controller until the desired count down timer to shut off. Simple to operate rather than taking hours to program a ramp module. 3 Modes - the controller allows users to select the three available modes. Mode 1 is full power / all on. Mode 2 is white, red, and green. Mode 3 is blue only for night viewing.
- Dimmable LEDs - Different environments require different moods. Users have five dimming levels to adjust for the intensity and output from the LEDs. Press the plus minus button to adjust for desired brightness.
- Future Upgrade Ready - all fixtures are contructed of aluminum housing that is pre-wired for all future upgrades. Beamswork offer other controller modules for specific functions from timer, dimmer, and ramp. Brackets are clear plastic that will not rust over time or get stuck from calcium deposits. 60 and 72 inch light kits will include two connecting fixtures and two brackets. KEEP LIGHT AWAY FROM SPLASHING WATER.
- DA 180 FSPEC - 200x 5730 LEDS (132x 10000K, 32x 460nm Blue, 18x 660nm Red, 18x Green). Body dimensions: 72.00 x 5.25 x 1.25 inches. Brackets add 1.00 inch in height. 72 inch fixtures are a combination of two 36 inch fixtures.
- FULL SPECTRUM- Producing eye-popping color and amazing color rendition, full spectrum control allows you to create the perfect color spectra for your reef. A powerful blend of Dual Actinic blue 445nm/460nm, Dual Daylight white 6,700K/10,000K and RGB LEDs combined with 90° spherical optical lenses delivers the perfect blend of light for strong coral growth and amazing fluorescence.
- NEW TECHNOLOGY- The new Orbit Marine IC LED brings your aquarium to life in an entirely new way. Delivering brilliant color and brightness, it’s capable of things never seen before in an aquarium light. From watching clouds gently roll across your reef to producing surging water currents and pulsing waves, it completely changes your aquarium experience.
- MULTIPLE MODES- With modes that dim periodically to create cloud cover effects, storm modes that will blow you away complete with lightning strikes and innovative evening modes that include lunar and dusk – it’s sure to add excitement and intrigue to any aquarium.
- EASY INSTALLATION- Extendable brakets allows this LED light to fit most aquairum fish tanks 18-24 inches wide.
- REALISTIC EFFECTS- From start-up to sundown, the Orbit Marine gradually mimics the effect of a slow sunrise, bright daylight, dimming sunset and moonlight. Built-in lighting programs create a 24-hour natural biorhythmic lighting cycle, while on-demand dynamic weather effects gently roll clouds across your reef.
- The Lifegard Aquatics 72" Full Spectrum Aquarium LED Light provides excellent general purpose lighting for freshwater and saltwater aquariums.
- The 9000K LEDs deliver full spectrum light intensity ideal for aquatic plants and saltwater aquariums. Features two-mode ON/OFF switch (full spectrum, lunar blue and off positions), so you can manually transition from full spectrum to lunar lighting. The entire length of LED board is protected by a clear poly-carbonate sheet that protects LEDs from moisture damage.
- 72" X 3.38" X 0.65". Metal legs extend to 76".
- 45 watts. LED colors: 72 x White; 12 x Red; 16 x Blue; 12x Green; 16 x Pink. Color Temperature: 9000K. LUX: 2810. Lumens: 2249.
- Lifegard Part No. R800055
- 【Full Spectrum Marine Aquarium Light】Full-spectrum lighting is helpful for the growth of marine fish. 2PCS Hertz 75 is suitable for 150-210cm saltwater aquarium, support low-to-mid light level reef coral growth.
- 【High-quality aluminum Shell, Better Heat Dissipation】The widened and thickened aluminum shell is more beautiful and durable. Wider surface makes the heat dissipation effect of the light better.
- 【Fanless Design & Zero Noise】This aquarium reef light uses quality aluminum heatsink to transfer heat, passive cooling without noisy fan, you can rest assured to put this light in bedroom. And no fan means lower failure rate.
- 【Real Daisy Chain & Group Control】Hertz 75 is 2024 New Upgrade, all lights are linked together and controlled simultaneously by one smart-APP system, max 10pcs lights.
- 【Simple Built-in Control】All Hertz 54 Reef Lights include smart control standard. Download "SmartLife" APP to easily set up or program.
- Our aquarium light features 6 rows of top-quality LED chips (2 rows of 5054 + 4 rows of 2835), offering a superior lighting experience compared to other programmable aquarium lights. These LEDs provide vibrant and consistent illumination, ensuring your aquarium looks stunning day and night
- Easily manage your aquarium lighting with a touch controller and clear LCD screen. The built-in clock supports a 24-hour timer for automatic scheduling. The display shows current time, mode, start/end times, color, and brightness. 6 simple buttons make customization quick and effortless
- Equipped with three programmable modes. DIY mode includes 8 customizable segments in a 24-hour cycle, allowing you to adjust start/end times, colors, and brightness. Daytime mode offers WRGB brightness control with 20 levels from 0% to 100%. Nighttime mode lets you select from colors like Full Spectrum, Red, Green, and Blue. Additionally, there’s a 5-segment preset cycle featuring sunrise, daylight, sunset, and moonlight, with flexible time settings
- Designed with a dual-layer aluminum body and multi-channel heat dissipation, this led aquarium light is built to handle high-performance tasks while efficiently dissipating heat. This advanced design extends the fish tank light’s lifespan, making it a reliable choice for long-term use. With 2 extendable brackets (Installation min length: 48"; max length: up to 55 Inch)
- The planted aquarium led light system includes 9 built-in color settings—Full Spectrum, Red, Green, Blue, Purple, Orange, Cyan, Yellow, and White—plus a dynamic cycle mode for varied visuals. Simulate natural weather with 4 modes: sunrise, sunset, cloudy, and lightning. These weather effects can be easily integrated into any of the 8 DIY segments, bringing a natural touch to your aquarium
- ★[DIY MODE]: Time, Colour and Brightness 3 setting choose. Timing (Timer control key): 3 choices timer running for 6 hours, or 10 hours, or 12 hours; Brightness/On-Off key: 10 level brightness and Switch function. Colour(W/B key): 3 colour modes choose, All lights on, White/Red/Green/Pink, Only Blue
- ★[Full Spectrum Aquarium Light]: With full spectrum lighting, which is helpful fish and aquatic plants growth, suitable for all fresh water tanks. The controller is very simple and no complicated operations. Suitable for all starters to experienced fish tank lovers to use
- ★[High-quality Led& High CRI]: Using high-quality SMD2835 led chips. 6500k white light, red light, pink light, green light and blue light, the light is very soft and beautiful, and the colour rendering index is up to 89%, which is similar to natural light
- ★[5 columns of Led Chips, Extendable Metal Bracket]: Compared with other tank lights, up to 5 columns of led chips, they are more compact and beautiful. Good heat dissipation of the ABS shell. Use the stable and durable metal bracket, adjustable extendable bracket fit for most gallon tanks
- ★[Application Size & Memory function]: The aquarium light fit for 48 inch-54 inch tank. In case of power failure, the setting remains the same as before, and the start time will restart counting after the power is turned on. PS: The light rises slowly in 15 minutes and gradually decreases in the last 15 minutes. It is very friendly to fish. You can easily to install this led fish tank light on most of glass or acrylic aquarium tanks, with transparent hood/lid or no, with rims or rimless
- DEFAULT MODE(24/7 Natural Mode): Gradient Orange light (sunrise) from 6 am to 8 am; Gradient White light from 8 am to 6 pm; Gradient Blue light (moonlight) from 6 pm to 10:50 pm; The 24/7 lighting aquarium lights are off in other time periods. The overall default time period can be delayed or advanced
- DIY MODE: Full spectrum aquarium light also can change the time + brightness + color. Setting time(TIMER key): 3 kinds of time, 6h, or 10h, or 12h; Brightness(up/down key): 5 kinds of brightness. Color(ON-OFF/ M key): White, Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Cyan, Cycle Color (no brightness selection)
- NEW UPGRADE: Clip style bracket( tank walls less than 0.9in thick), easy to install, aquarium LED light can be used for different thickness of glass, the body of the fish tank light can be taken off and installed horizontally or vertically. The separable adapter, even if it is damaged, no need to replace the whole light to avoid waste. Thicken aluminum to increase heat dissipation efficiency
- USEFUL FISH LIGHT: The hygger aquarium light is soft, the color rendering index is close to natural light, up to 85%, protecting eyes and fish, to refuse the discomfort caused by stroboscopic for fish and viewers. Using high-quality 2835 + 5050 model lamp beads, long service life, at least 50,000 hours. Easy to maintain
- 14W PRODUCT PARAMETERS: Power:14W; Led QTY:68PCS(White:32PCS/BLUE:12PCS/ RED:7PCS/GREE:3PCS/ RGB:14PCS); CRI:85; Application(for Fish Tnak long):12’’-20’’ ; Power Cord: 4.9ft+2.3ft; Input Votage:AC100-240V; Output Votage:DC20V; Kelvin: White 6500K, Blue 455nm, Red 620nm, Green 560nm; Lumens:817
- 4 LIGHTING MODES：Sun: Full spectrum white light. Fishlight : Full spectrum brightening white light. Nightlight: Full spectrum blue and white light. WRGB Cycle: White / Red and white / Green and white / Blue and white / Purple and red / Yellow and white / Pink and white / Color looping
- NEW 24/7 TIMER: 4 total time periods 3H or 6H or 9H or 12H can be selected, each time period can run 24/7 light gradient process. Just select a total time you need. Not the traditional single time and mode change axis
- 3 HOURS MOONLIGHT MODE：There is an additional 3 hours of blue moonlight, which can be used with the 4 main modes. After the above modes are running, it will light up the blue light for another 3 hours. Can also turn off this function if don't want to use it
- 2835+5054 LAMP BEADS: 2835 lamp beads have soft light effect, high luminous efficiency, low consumption, low heat generation, and are suitable for long-term work needs. 5054RGB lamp beads can mix light of various colors and color temperatures to meet diverse lighting needs
- 22W PRODUCT PARAMETERS：Power 22W; Application(for Fish Tnak long):18in~27in; Kelvin(RGBW) 8500~10000K; Lumens 955; CRI(RGBW):57.6; PAR average:16.226 W/㎡; PPFD Average:72.341 umol/㎡/s; LED QTY:51 PCS(RGB:6/RED:9/GREE:9/BLUE:9/White:18); Power Cord:57.09in+58.46in+17.72in; Input Votage:AC100-240V 50/60Hz; Output Votage:DC 24V
Our Review Process
To ensure you get reliable product recommendations, we follow a detailed review methodology that includes:
- Market Research: Scanning best-selling and trending products in this category.
- User Feedback: Reviewing customer reviews, star ratings, and complaints.
- Hands-On Testing: Trying select products ourselves when feasible.
- Feature Comparison: Evaluating specs, durability, pricing, and safety.
- Expert Opinions: Consulting with niche experts or credible reviewers.
We independently select the top 10 options based on value, quality, and usability. To learn more, visit our detailed review process.
Key Considerations Before Buying 72-Inch Aquarium Lights
1. Type of Lighting
Understanding the different types of aquarium lights available is essential. Common options include LED, fluorescent, and metal halide lighting. LED lights are popular due to their energy efficiency and longevity, while fluorescent lights provide a good spectrum for plant growth. Metal halide lights are powerful but can generate significant heat, which may require additional cooling solutions.
2. Light Spectrum
The light spectrum is crucial for the health of both freshwater and saltwater aquariums. Different aquatic plants and corals thrive under different light spectrums. Look for lights that offer a full spectrum, including blue and red wavelengths, which promote photosynthesis and enhance the color of fish and corals.
3. Intensity and Coverage
The intensity of the light should match the needs of your aquarium’s inhabitants. Consider the depth of your tank and the types of plants or corals you’re keeping. A 72-inch light should provide adequate coverage for larger tanks, but check the lumen output to ensure sufficient intensity across the entire aquarium.
4. Heat Production
Heat output is an important factor when selecting aquarium lights. Excessive heat can raise the water temperature, which may stress fish and plants. LED lights generally produce less heat compared to other types. If you opt for a heat-generating option like metal halides, ensure your aquarium has adequate cooling systems in place.
5. Energy Efficiency
Consider the energy consumption of the lighting system. LED lights are typically the most energy-efficient, resulting in lower electricity bills over time. Evaluate the wattage of the light fixture and its expected lifespan to determine the long-term costs associated with operating the lights.
6. Mounting Options
How the lights will be mounted over the aquarium is another consideration. Some lights come with adjustable mounting brackets, while others may require additional hardware. Ensure that the mounting system suits your aquarium setup and provides the necessary height and angle for optimal light penetration.
7. Budget
Setting a budget is crucial before making a purchase. Prices for 72-inch aquarium lights can vary significantly based on the type, brand, and features. While it might be tempting to go for cheaper options, investing in high-quality lighting can lead to better long-term results for your aquarium.
8. Brand Reputation and Warranty
Research the brands available on the market. Established brands often provide better customer support and warranty options. A good warranty can offer peace of mind, especially when investing in more expensive lighting solutions.
FAQs
What types of 72-inch aquarium lights are available?
There are several types of 72-inch aquarium lights available, including LED lights, fluorescent lights, metal halide lights, and T5HO (high output) lights. Each type offers different benefits in terms of energy efficiency, brightness, and spectrum of light suitable for various aquatic life.
What is the best type of lighting for a 72-inch freshwater aquarium?
For freshwater aquariums, LED lights are often considered the best option due to their energy efficiency, long lifespan, and ability to produce a full spectrum of light that promotes plant growth while enhancing the colors of the fish. T5HO lights are also popular for planted tanks, providing high output and a wide range of color options.
How much power do 72-inch aquarium lights consume?
The power consumption of 72-inch aquarium lights varies based on the type and model. LED lights typically consume between 100 to 300 watts, while fluorescent and metal halide lights may use more, often exceeding 400 watts. It’s essential to check the specifications of the specific light you are considering to determine its power usage.
How do I install 72-inch aquarium lights?
Installing 72-inch aquarium lights generally involves mounting the light fixture above the aquarium using hanging hardware or placing it directly on the tank if designed for that. Ensure that the lights are securely fastened and positioned to provide even coverage across the tank. Always follow the manufacturer’s instructions for installation to avoid any issues.
What color temperature should I look for in 72-inch aquarium lights?
The color temperature for aquarium lights is typically measured in Kelvin (K). For freshwater tanks, lights in the range of 5000K to 7000K are ideal for plant growth and providing a natural appearance. Reef aquariums often benefit from a higher color temperature, around 10000K to 14000K, to enhance coral colors and growth.
Do 72-inch aquarium lights need a timer?
Using a timer for your 72-inch aquarium lights is highly recommended. A timer helps maintain a consistent lighting schedule, which is crucial for the health of both plants and fish. Typically, a lighting period of 8 to 12 hours per day is ideal, mimicking natural daylight cycles.
Can I use dimmable 72-inch aquarium lights?
Yes, many modern 72-inch aquarium lights come with dimmable features, allowing you to adjust the brightness according to the needs of your aquatic inhabitants. Dimming can reduce stress on fish and help with algae control in planted tanks. However, ensure that any dimmer used is compatible with your specific lighting type.
How often should I replace my 72-inch aquarium lights?
The lifespan of 72-inch aquarium lights varies by type. LED lights can last up to 50,000 hours, while fluorescent bulbs typically last around 10,000 hours and metal halide bulbs around 12,000 hours. It’s essential to monitor the output and quality of light regularly and replace them as needed to ensure optimal growth for plants and health for fish.
Are 72-inch aquarium lights safe for all types of fish?
In general, 72-inch aquarium lights are safe for most types of fish; however, it is crucial to choose the right type of lighting and intensity based on the species you have. Some fish may prefer dimmer lighting, while others thrive in brighter conditions. Always research the needs of your specific fish and adjust the lighting accordingly.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, selecting the right lighting for your 72-inch aquarium is crucial for the health of your aquatic life and the aesthetic appeal of your setup. We carefully curated this list of the top 10 aquarium lights based on several key factors, including brightness, energy efficiency, ease of installation, and user reviews. Each product was evaluated on its ability to enhance the growth of aquatic plants, support coral reefs, and illuminate your aquarium beautifully while ensuring that it meets the needs of both novice and experienced aquarium enthusiasts.
By following our recommendations, you can confidently choose a lighting solution that complements your aquarium’s environment and promotes a thriving ecosystem. Investing in one of these high-quality aquarium lights will not only improve the visual impact of your tank but also contribute to the overall well-being of its inhabitants. Whether you’re setting up a freshwater or saltwater aquarium, our top picks will guide you in creating a stunning underwater world that you can enjoy for years to come.
