24 Inch Aquarium Lights
24 inch aquarium lights are perfect for 20 gallon tanks. These tanks are 24 inches long and 12 inches wide. It is also possible to use a 24 inch aquarium light for a 25 gallon fish tank as well as a 15 gallon tank.
Aquarium lights are a great addition to any fish tank. 24 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 24 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:
24 Inch Aquarium Light – Reviews
Koval 78 LED Aquarium Light Hood with Extendable Brackets, 24-Inch to 30-Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The Koval 24 Inch Aquarium Light Hood has extendable brackets making it suitable for aquariums up to 30 inches in length. The 5 color range will help your plants to growth and ensure that your other aquarium inhabitants and looking at their best. There are 80 LEDs in total:
- 62 x 8000 K white LEDS
- 6 x 460 Nm Blue LEDs
- 4 x 465 Nm Pink LEDs
- 4 x 625 Nm Red LEDs
- 2 x 500 Nm Green LEDs
This Koval 24 inch aquarium light is not as customizible option on the market. It does, however, have 3 different modes:
- All LEDs on
- Only Blue LEDs on
- All LEDs off
Current USA Orbit Marine Aquarium LED Light, 18 to 24-Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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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 24 inches to 36 inches in length.
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 24 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 27 Watts and used a 12V power supply. It has 104 LEDs in total:
- 25 6500K white LEDs
- 25 445NM blue LEDs
- 24 460NM blue LEDs
- 17 8000K white LEDs
- 13 RGB LEDs
BeamsWork EA Timer FSPEC LED Aquarium Light Freshwwater Plant Extendable – 24 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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This Beamswork 24 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 27 LEDs, each putting out 0.5 Watts. It is set up in the following configuration:
- 16 x 10000K White LEDs
- 6 x 460 Nm Actinic LEDs
- 3 x 620 Nm Red LEDs
- 2 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.
Finnex Planted+ 24/7 CRV Aquarium LED Light, Automated Full Spectrum 660Nm Deep Red Fish Tank Light, 24 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The Finnex planted+ 24/7 CRV LED 24 inch aquarium light has a 24/7 mode as you would expect. This is fully customizable and includes sunrise & sunset. The CRV range includes True 660nm deep red LEDs. This spectrum maximizes photosynthesis – perfect for your planted aquarium!
This 36 inch aquarium light version also includes:
- 4 customizable memory slots
- 4 different weather modes including sunset and thunderstrom
- Built in LED sensor and remote control
Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED Light for Aquarium, 18 to 24-Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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The Current USA Satellite Freshwater LED 18-24 inch aquarium light is similar in many ways to the LED Plus version. It is adjustable and suitable for freshwater aquariums up to 24 inches in length.
It has a sleek design, with functionality that includes:
- 3 fade modes for cloud cover effects
- On/Off/Dimming of white and blue LEDs together or independently
- 2 lunar light modes
- 2 storm modes with lightning and cloud cover effects
- Dusk mode for evening viewing
The system runs at 7.5 Watts and used a 12V power supply. It has 64 LEDs in total:
- 48 white LEDs
- 28 blue LEDs
If you’d prefer a slightly bigger option for your 36 inch tank, you could also consider the larger, 24-36 inch version of the same model.
Finnex Planted+ 24/7 HLC Aquarium LED Light, Automated Full Spectrum Fish Tank Light, 24 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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The Finnex planted+ 24/7 HLC LED 24 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 80 LEDs in total:
- 8000K Daylight
- Red
- Green
- Blue
This 24 inch aquarium light 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 Stingray 2 Aquarium LED – 24 Inch
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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The Finnex FL-24 Stingray 2 24 inch Aquarium LED Light is really good at what it does. It is far from the most expensive 24 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:
- 56 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 24 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.
BeamsWork DA 0.50W Series LED
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Lumen: 3100 LEDs: 60x 0.50 watt Config: 42x 10000K, 8x Actinic 460nm, 5x Red 620nm, 5x Green 520nm Timer Ready, 2 Modes: All on / 16x only Suitable for FOWLR, freshwater, cichlid We don’t have much experience…?
KZKR Upgraded Aquarium Light LED Full Spectrum 24-32 inch Hood Lighting
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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This KZKR 24 inch light can be extended to work on tanks up to 32 inches in length. It has 3 modes:
- All LEDs on
- All LEDs off
- Only Blue LEDs on
Unfortunately it is not possible to adjust the intensity of the lights. The system runs at 24 Watts and has 78 LEDs in total:
- 45 White LEDs
- 23 Blue LEDs
- 6 Red LEDs
- 4 Green LEDs
Similar to other lights, this KZKR model is not fully waterproof. One nice component is that all of the LEDs are independent – if one stops working it will not affect the rest.
Aqueon 24 Inch Fluorescent Deluxe Aquarium Hood
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Aqueon’s 24 Fluorescent Deluxe Aquarium Hood has dimensions 23.8″ x 9.6″ x 3.3″. It is perfect for 20 gallon tanks, but will also work with 15 and 25 gallon tanks. At just under the tanks 24 by 12 inches, the hood is designed to rest on the inside edge of the aquarium. This helps to reduce the evaporation from your tank – less overall maintenance for you!
The T8 lamp works silently and importantly comes with a splash guard included. The lamp works well, although is not as energy efficient as some other models on the market today. Regardless, Aqueon’s 24 fluorescent deluxe aquarium hood is well made and can be considered good value for money.
NICREW 24 Inch LED Aquarium Light
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 5/5
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This 18-24 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 if you ever decide to move from you 20 gallon tank to a 10 gallon tank your light will still fit!
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.
Hygger 24 Inch Full Spectrum Aquarium Light
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 5/5
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Hygger’s 24 inch, full spectrum, aquarium light is a brilliant product. The light itself is 22 inches long and 3.2 inches wide. It comes with adjustable brackets that allow you use the light on tanks from 24 inches to 30 inches in length. This covers everything from your 20 gallon tank all the way up to 20 gallon long and 29 gallon tanks.
This Hygger aquarium light comes with 42 LEDs:
- 30 white LEDs
- 8 blue LEDs
- 4 red LEDs
These LEDs are incredibly illuminating and help to showcase the colors in your aquarium. Importantly, they also:
- Can be easily changed between colors, offering you different views of your aquarium.
- Can be adjusted for brightness. From 100% all the way down to 10%. This allows you to adjust depending on your plants and the natural environment of your fish.
In contrast to some other aquarium lights, Hygger also focus on longevity. Their high quality LED lights can last up to 20,000 hours of use. In addition they offer a 1 year warranty for the light itself.
It is safe to say that the Hygger 24 inch aquarium light exceeds even the loftiest of expectations.
Note: this 24 inch aquarium light is not suitable for saltwater aquariums. Use in freshwater fish tanks only.
Finnex Planted+ 24 Inch KLC Aquarium LED Light
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4.5/5
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The Finnex Planted+ 24 inch aquarium light is a high quality product. It contains daylight, red, green and blue LEDs ensuring that the vibrant colors in your aquarium really stand out. It comes with a remote and inbuilt sensor and suitable for everything from your 20 gallon tank all the way up to 20 gallon long and 29 gallon tanks.
The Finnex aquarium light is one of the most customizable lights on the market. It as a sunrise and sunset modes as well as a day/ night setting. It comes with a preset 24 hours cycle, although this can be customized to your preferred settings if desired.
Overall a sleek and high quality product that we are very comfortable recommending. Especially to those who want optimal control over the color settings and timings in their fish tanks.
If you need something a little bigger check out the best 30 inch aquarium lights.
Tetra 24 Inch LED Aquarium Hood
A Little Bit Fishy Score: 4/5
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Tetra’s 24 Inch LED aquarium hood has a sleek, low profile design. It is designed to fit aquariums that are 24 inches by 12 inches. I.e. 15, 20 and 25 gallon fish tanks.
The aquarium light has energy efficient (LED) lights. It does a good job of lighting up a 20 gallon aquarium and producing an nice visual effect. The design includes cut-out holes in the back to enable filters to be connected.
Overall the product works well. It is not top of the line, but is good value for what you pay.
If you need something a little smaller, what about a 20 inch aquarium light instead?
Conclusion
Hopefully our review gave you a good idea as to the best options for 24 inch aquarium lights on the market today. All the best for finding the perfect 24 inch aquarium light for your 20 gallon fish tank (or other 24 inch tank)!