20 Inch Aquarium Lights
20 inch aquarium lights are perfect for 10 gallon tanks. These tanks are 20 inches long and 10 inches wide. It is also possible to use a 20 inch aquarium light for a 25 gallon (high) fish tank. Just bear in mind that the light will be more spread out in the larger tank.
Aquarium lights are a great addition to any fish tank. 20 inch aquarium lights help to illuminate the inhabitants of the tank, making them visible and showcasing many of the bright colors of the fish. In addition, proper aquarium lighting provides vital light to photosynthetic plants and even coral in your aquarium.
The choice of lighting is dependent on a range of factors. It is important to balance your plant’s requirement for light, with the visual display desired and importantly also mirror the natural environment of your fish as closely as possible.
There are a range of 20 inch aquarium lights available on the market today. These vary in quality, type and functionality. To help you narrow down your search we have highlighted our favorite pieces for your consideration:
20 Inch Aquarium Light – Reviews
Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The Finnex planted+ 24/7 HLC LED 20 inch aquarium light has a 24/7 mode as you would expect. This is fully customizable and includes sunrise & sunset. The HLC range includes 4 different types of light, with 64 LEDs in total:
- 8000K Daylight
- Red
- Green
- Blue
This version also includes:
- Remote control and built in sensor
- Customization of lighting cycle over 24 hour period
- 120° optic angle to increase coverage and dissipate heat
Finnex Planted+ 24/7 LED KLC Aquarium LED Light, Automated Full Spectrum Fish Tank Light, 20 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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The Finnex Planted+ 24/7 KLC, 20 inch Aquarium LED Light has a 24/7 feature. This transitions the color schemes from a warm sunrise, to full daylight, then to a peaceful sunset finally to a starry moonlight. It is also possible to have either sunrise and sunset light on top of the aquarium! And to save in-tank lighting to go along with the light display.
This 20 inch aquarium light version includes:
- 4 customizable color schemes
- Weather modes
- Built in LED sensor and wireless remote control
The system runs at 17 Watts and has 48 LEDs in total:
- 32 7K white LEDs
- 16 RGB LEDs
Although Finnex have added a moisture resistant LED coating, the light itself is not fully waterproof. Then again, most aquarium lights are not waterproof!
Finnex Stingray 2 Aquarium LED Light, Blue Fish Moonlights, 20″
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The Finnex FL-20 Stingray 2 20 inch Aquarium LED Light is really good at what it does. It is far from the most expensive 20 inch aquarium light on the market. And it is not as customizable as the higher quality Current models. But delivers on what it promises. It is moisture resistant and is set up with:
- 44 8500K White LEDs
- 8 620 Nm Red LEDs
- 8 420 Nm Blue LEDs
The light has 3 modes:
- Max
- Moonlight
- Off
As mentioned, it is not the most customizable 20 inch aquarium light on the market, but for those looking for a value choice it is a viable option. And it (version 2) is significantly better than the original Stingray.
Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light, 18 to 24-Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light is a top of the range product. This particular version is usable on aquariums from 18 inches to 24 inches in length so will work perfectly as a 20 inch aquarium light.
The aquarium comes with a huge range of customization for those aquarists who will only accept the best. It comes in a sleek design, with functionality which includes:
- 6 different weather effects, including electrical storms!
- 24 hour lighting cycle, mimicking the different stages of natural daylight including sunrise, full daylight, sunset and moonlight
- Wireless remote control, allowing you to control both the 18 inch aquarium lights and up to 3 wave pumps should you wish to add them to your LOOP system
The color spectrum has been enhanced to help ensure that your corals and fish look at their best. The system runs at 18 Watts and used a 12V power supply. It has 82 LEDs in total:
- 19 6500K white LEDs
- 19 445NM blue LEDs
- 20 460NM blue LEDs
- 14 8000K white LEDs
- 10 RGB LEDs
Beamswork DA FSPEC LED Aquarium Light Pent Freshwater 0.50W 20 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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This Beamswork 20 Inch Aquarium Light lacks the functionality of many of its rival lights. It does, however, do what it sets out to do and at a reasonable price. There are 40 LEDs, each putting out 0.5 Watts. It is set up in the following configuration:
- 24 x 100000K White LEDs
- 8 x Actinic LEDs
- 4 x 620 Nm Red LEDs
- 4 x 520 Nm Green LEDs
Although not included, the light is set up to add an optional timer to your lighting system and has a day/night mode.
AQUANEAT LED Aquarium 20 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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This model, produced by Aquaneat, is a mixed bag. We like the fact that it provides a range of LEDS. There are 42 in total:
- 30, 6500K white LEDs
- 6, blue LEDs
- 3 pink LEDs
- 3 green LEDs
From a display perspective this is great as it helps to accentuate the range of colors present in your tank.
The aquarium light itself is approximately 17 inches by 3 inches. It comes adjustable brackets allowing you to attach it onto an aquarium with length ranging from 18 inches to 24 inches. So it will also fit on your 20 gallon tank if you ever decide to upgrade!
Although there are several upsides to this product, we feel there are two main detractors:
- There is no night mode. The lights either need to be turned on or turned off. While this may be acceptable for many people, we feel the night mode assists with aesthetics and with ensuring that your fish are not subjected to bright light all of the time.
- Some users have reported reliability issues. Either through having blinking lights, or the lights breaking altogether
Overall we feel that the 20 Inch LED Aquarium Light by Aquaneat is better than many lights that come as standard with tanks. However, for the price, we feel that there are more suitable options on the market such as the NICREW:
NICREW LED Aquarium Light, 20 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 5/5
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The 20 Inch LED Aquarium Light by NICREW is a winner. The light is bright but is also energy efficient. The light fixture itself is approximately 16 inches by 4 inches. It has adjustable metal brackets to help you fit it on an aquarium with length ranging from 18 inches to 24 inches. So it will also fit on your 20 gallon tank if you ever decide to upgrade!
The aquarium light has two modes:
- White and Blue LEDs for daytime
- Blue LEDs for nighttime
Overall, we love this product. It is simple, efficient and provides great value for money.
Aqueon 20 Inch LED Aquarium Light Fixture
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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The Aqueon 20 Inch LED Aquarium Light Fixture has a modular design. It comes with a white LED (for daytime). It has the ability to easily add two additional LED lamps. This is particularly useful if you want to add blue / green / pink lighting in addition to the white.
The LED light is more energy efficient than standard T8 Fluorescent lighting. It comes preinstalled with adjustable mounting legs and three-position power switch. The 3 available positions are day, night and moon glow. The plug and play connections are moisture-resistant
We found that the strength of this fixture was also its weakness. It can be easily customized by adding up to 3 different LEDs. But it cannot be customized further, and cannot be controlled by remote or pre-programmed to auto-change colours.
Overall a good quality product that offers sufficient customization for most users. For those looking for even more control it is worth considering other options.
If you need something a little larger there are a range of 24 inch aquarium lights available.
All Glass Aquarium Light, 20-Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 3.5/5
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The all glass 20 inch aquarium light is used with Versa-Tops for proper aquarium lighting. They are significantly better than those that come with many hoods. The lights help to light up your aquarium and create a dazzling visual display (in conjunction with your fish of course!)
However, we don’t feel this tank deserves greater than 3.5 stars. Many users have found that the light is not as durable as one would expect. After a period up to one year they find it flickering and then stopping working altogether.
Overall, this tank is economical and creates great lighting in your tank. Be prepared, however, for it to not last as long as you might have hoped.
Conclusion
Hopefully our review gave you a good idea as to the best options for 20 inch aquarium lights on the market today. All the best for finding the perfect 20 inch aquarium light for your 10 gallon fish tank (or other 20 inch tank)!