Best budget friendly plant lights!!

[Lori2219]

I have a 55 gallon planted tank I’m looking into getting a new light for and wanted to know everyone’s favorites!! Would love to see pics also! 

[FLFishChik]

You can look into Nicrew. I use a couple of them and I’m very happy with the plant growth in those tanks

NICREW ClassicLED Gen 2 Aquarium Light, 32 Watts, Dimmable LED Fish Tank Light with 2-Channel Control, White and Blue LEDs, Size 36 to 48 Inch https://a.co/d/fjiyPYR

NICREW Full Spectrum Planted LED Aquarium Light, with Timer, for Freshwater Fish Tank, 36-48 Inch, 25 Watts https://a.co/d/8pEKOgS

Edited October 6, 2023 by FLFishChik

[Sarina]

I know ACO lights aren't the most "budget" out there, but they are excellent. I'm slowly replacing all of my lights with Easy Plant LEDs because they are just all around fantastic, and it's the closest I've seen an LED light get to natural sunlight. Cory has dunked an Easy Plant LED for several hours and it still worked perfectly, and they don't get nearly as hot as some other lights on the market. I also really love the brackets, they sit nice and snug on the tank rim and the light projection is excellent for how slim the frame is. 

I do also like these, but they are meant for terrestrial plants so they are not waterproof and you will need to take extra care to avoid getting them wet. I will note that several of the "water resistant" budget lights will also fry if you get them wet. The Barrinas are also not dimmable and do not have a bracket, but will sit nicely on top of a glass lid. You want the yellow ones, trust me. The others have too much blue in the spectrum, which causes algae. They're what I used to use for racks because they can be wired in series for fewer plugs and they're really inexpensive. 

I have to be honest, I have tried so many of the budget lights made for aquariums and all of them have one or two features that drive me bonkers, and all of them have too much blue in the spectrum, which means you end up with algae if you turn the lights up high enough to have high light requirement plants. Lights are one area where I will either buy something not made for aquariums at all, or get something like the Easy Plant LED that is actually of good quality with a good warranty. It's worth the investment, in my opinion, especially if you are a plant enthusiast. 

[Biotope Biologist]

I got the ACO one for $79 it is fantastic. I know I got a small discount for beta testing but they are still the cheapest best light out there.

 

My emergent plants have flowered 5 times this year so I think they are definitely happy! 
 

I have it over a 50 gallon ‘lowboy’ so it has great coverage too

Edited October 6, 2023 by Biotope Biologist