Do saltwater tanks need a different kind of light?

Once you've committed to a saltwater aquarium and purchased a beginner fish tank or other type of aquarium for saltwater fish, it's time to think about your fish tank lights.

If you're shifting from a freshwater tank to a saltwater tank, you might want to use the equipment you already own. But you need to make sure you have an LED light that will best suit the needs of your sea life.

Here's what to keep in mind about aquarium lights for saltwater tanks, especially if you have coral.

Why use different lights for saltwater aquariums?

The main reason you may need a different tank light for a saltwater aquarium is because of corals. Most corals require a high amount of blue wavelength light to photosynthesize properly, and LED lighting is recommended. Stony or hard coral need high-intensity bright lighting, while many soft corals can flourish in lower lights.

Best Lights for Saltwater Tanks

When you shop for the best aquarium light for your saltwater tank, you need to keep a few factors in mind, such as the size of your aquarium (including the length and depth) and what you plan to keep in the tank. 

You also want to consider the energy efficiency of the aquarium light, how much heat it produces, the color spectrum, shimmer, light distribution and spread, controls, the size and weight of the light, the mounting options, and cost.

A marine reef aquarium or saltwater aquarium with fish, corals, live rock, or invertebrates should be lit with LED, power compact, T5 high output fluorescent, or metal halide lights.

Coralife LED Lights for Saltwater Aquariums

You can create a fascinating underwater show and aesthetically pleasing experience with these aquarium lights. Coralife Seascape Smart LED Light and Coralife Marine Clip-On LED Light are suitable lights for saltwater aquariums.

Being mindful of which lights for saltwater tanks are the best reef lights for coral will help you maintain a healthy tank that's also beautiful to look at.

Coralife Seascape Smart LED Light

This app-controlled, bright white, blue moon glow, and RGB LED full-spectrum light allows for full customization with an app. It's ideal for both freshwater and saltwater tanks and strong enough to grow many types of corals.

You can set a 24-hour timer for each color and adjust the color intensity in 1% increments. You can also initiate sunrise/sunset and moonrise/moonset settings, which create the feel of a more natural habitat. Control the light's settings with our new app, Aqueon BlueIQ.

This slim-profile, Bluetooth- or wifi-connective LED light is available in three sizes. This smart fish tank light provides full spectrum lighting for freshwater or saltwater fish, medium light levels for plants, and low lighting for corals. You can have the RGB LEDs on during the day and switch to a soft blue glow LED accent for nighttime.

Aqueon BlueIQ App

Use the Aqueon BlueIQ app to monitor your aquarium, control equipment, and schedule maintenance. You can also get quick tips on how to improve your aquarium.

The app allows you to:

  • Customize the saltwater tank light using available presets or your preferred custom settings.

  • Create a 24-hour schedule.

  • Control the color option.

  • Adjust the light intensity with 1% increments.

  • Add in lightning and cloud modes for interest and fun.

  • Turn the LED light on or off.

  • Create and monitor your aquarium setups.

Create a Thriving Tank That's Pleasing to Watch

Mimicking the ocean experience will help your finned friends and sea creatures thrive.

Aquatic corals do best with 8 to 10 hours of light per day. Using the right LED lighting for those hours will help them grow and stay healthy.

Play around with the Aqueon BlueIQ app to learn how to best care for your aquarium and stay up to date on caring for your fish. It'll make programming your LED lights easy and fun to experiment with while also ensuring that your tank's inhabitants get the correct amount of light they need.

Using the app will also give you access to exclusive offers, news, and more from Aqueon and Coralife.

*The Aqueon BlueIQ app is available in the Apple App and Google Play stores.