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Plant / Aquarium / Fish Tank Light Bulbs Customer Reviews

  1. Sylvania 40 watt 48" T12 Bi-Pin Base 3400K Grow Light


    Birmingham, AL
    Love these gro lux fluorescent light bulbs. It has become very difficult to find them. My African violets do much better under fluorescent bulbs than the Led. I have referred my violet friends to LightBulbs.com so they can also purchase.
    Bulbrite 60 watt 120 volt T10 Medium Screw Base Clear


    Colorado Springs, CO
    Great price and I find them to last a lot longer than others.
    GE 15 watt 18" T8 Bi-Pin Base 4000K Freshwater Aquarium


    Ashtabula, OH
    Perfect fit for a very old fish tank hood. Just what we needed.
Our selection of plant and aquarium bulbs are perfect for a variety of plant and animal needs. They can be used in aquariums and terrariums to keep your aquatic, reptilian and amphibian friends healthy and happy. If you are looking to grow food for your family, produce some beautiful blooms to look at in your living room, or simply try your hand at sprouting some seedlings, we have the grow lights you need.

What's the Purpose of Fish Tank Lighting?

Aquarium lighting not only brings out the colors of your fish for better viewing, it has benefits necessary to the plants and fish inside.

Different fish have different vision capabilities, largely depending on their natural habitat. A fish that would naturally be found on the seafloor is accustomed to less light than a fish found closer to the surface. Whatever their visual abilities, fish are able to see (or in some cases use other senses) well enough to navigate in the wild.

Since fish can see or sense their surroundings, aquarium lighting may seem unnecessary. However, because the lights in our homes are different than the natural light from the sun and moon, aquarium lighting is important for many fish.

Studies have shown that fish tank lighting influences the behavior and physiology of the fish inside, making proper lighting vital to the ecosystem’s well-being. For aquariums that house photosynthetic organisms - such as plants, anemones and coral - these lights provide the necessary energy for photosynthetic plants to survive.

What is the Best Lighting for a Fish Tank?

There are aquarium lights available in several shapes and lighting technologies, so can be tailored to the needs of each environment. Fluorescents have the most research and are the majority of what we offer, though we do have a few selections in other technologies.

Since LED is the newest lighting technology, not much is known about using it in aquariums.

When it comes to choosing between tubes, standard bulbs, or flood bulbs, that depends on what the tank will accomodate. Some tanks come with the lights already built-in. If that is the case, simply look at what style of lights in use and replace those as needed.

How Long Should You Leave the Fish Tank Light On?

The important thing with using your aquarium lights is turning them on and off to simulate day and night. Just like humans, fish need the sense of a day and night to function properly. A darker environment than during the day is necessary for fish to sleep, and leaving the light on all night can stress the fish out.

Do Fish Tank Lights Cause Algae?

The presence of algae in any fish tank is natural, especially when the tank is new. Algae does become a problem when there is too much of it. This is not caused by aquarium lighting, though leaving lights on 24 hours a day does make the environment more susceptible to overgrowth.

In addition to turning your aquarium lights off at night, add plants to your aquarium. Once established, these plants will compete with the algae for nutrients, decreasing the algae. Aquarium plants often rely on aquarium lighting as well.

Types of Aquarium Lights

One common type of aquarium light is a long tube or tubes that are installed directly above the fish tank. Standard shapes or flood lighting bulbs can also be used. The type to use depends on what your tank will accomodate.

What's the Purpose of Plant Lighting?

Plant lights (also called grow lights, or horticultural fixtures) are used in greenhouses or really anywhere uncommon houseplants are being grown indoors. All plants need light, and some require specialized light that without plant lighting could not be grown indoors.

What is the Best Lighting for Plants?

Since plants are used to sunlight, full spectrum lighting is important for plant growth. Full spectrum means the light represents the entire visible light spectrum, which is as close as we can come to mimicking the sun’s rays.

We offer grow lights mostly in fluorescent and LED technologies. As LED technology has become more developed, LED grow lights have been shown as more effective for plant growth, particularly high output LED.

How Long Should You Leave Plant Lights On?

In their natural habitats, all plants live in some balance of sunlight and darkness, so no grow light should be left on all the time. How long the light stays on depends on the type of plant. When it comes to preferred daylight exposure, botanists divide plants into three types: short-day, long-day, and day-neutral plants.

Short-day plants are certain flowers, and they do best with 12 hours of light. Long-day plants are mostly vegetable seedlings, which prefer 14-18 hours of light. Day-neutral plants include foliage-style plants and thrive in 8-12 hours of light.

Types of Plant Lights

Products defined as grow lights are also full spectrum, since this is vital to plant life. When choosing between fluorescent and LED options, LED is becoming a more popular choice. The benefits of LED grow lights are the same as benefits to other LED bulbs.

Choosing the style of bulb or light fixture for your plants depends on the size of your growing venture. For many plants or a greenhouse setting, a fixture or LED tube could be a good choice. When growing a few plants with a grow light, a traditional shaped bulb could work for your needs.