Need a basic tank light with no timer or sunrise/sunset features

[TwoTankAmin]

I do not want any of the fancy new type lights which have a built in timer or which simulate sunrise and sunset. I am willing to use LEDs, T-5s or even T-8s. I am having trouble fining these. I have a ox full of timers and prefer simpler more basic lighting fixtures rather than the latest in lighting technology. I follow the KISS theory. When it comes to the equipment I use for tanks the last thing I want is anything digital.

Any suggestions for the brands I should be looking for are greatly appreciated.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

I've had pretty good luck with various simple, cheap LED fixtures off amazon. Seaora and Aquaneat are decent, and the price is right. Just check the reviews; I usually won't order anything that has more than about 7-8% one-star reviews.

 

[Magnum Man]

I Love these, I bought a set of 4... will see how long they last... ( you'll have to install the cord ) I wanted 4, so I bought this... they also sell them in singles or 2 packs...

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B07V6VZ9GN?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[Uberhoust]

I have had good luck with Nicrew lights, I mostly have used the G2 Classic model, I have 2 of the G2s and both are over 5 years old now. I use them with the Nicrew pro ramp timer, but with a very short ramp interval. I also have one of their RGB versions, but I don't like it as much. The fancy lights are all fine and good, but eventually you get tired playing with your settings. The G2s seem for me to work ok for tanks 20" tall and less but I find they don't get enough light down to the substrate level in the 24" or taller tanks. Tall tanks are a pain to illuminate effectively in any case.

 

[fishorama]

I have Nicrews too, I'll have to look at which 1s (maybe LED Sky+). Cass recommended them to me. They "can" do some stuff but I just use the factory settings & old mechanical timers with the up/down tabs. Ours can do "blue" light (maybe other options) but we both hated it!! My low-medium light plants grow fine & the fish look good. That's what I wanted.

They are (or were) pretty inexpensive. 48 inch were ~$69 on Amazon. I think your tanks have glass covers, Nicrews (& most LEDs) don't like to be over open top tanks. I can't remember how long I've had mine 3-5+ years maybe.

Skip the T-5, power compacts, etc, the replacement bulbs are expensive now, hard to find & ballasts may die making them moot.

 

[ghyti]

Depends on what size you need. A four foot shop light from Walmart works great for a 4 foot tank like a 55 gal. They are about $16 if I remember right. Work great for plants too.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

With the fluors I usually want builds with 2 features.The first is a CRI rating over 90. The second is that they be full spectrum. It is difficlut to get a high CRI without full spectrum.

Color Rendering Index (CRI) measures a light source's ability to reveal the true colors of objects compared to natural light (sunlight), on a scale from 0 to 100. A CRI of 90+ is considered excellent for vibrant, accurate colors, while 80-90 is good for general use. High CRI is critical in retail, art, and home design.

The above means the plants thrive and the fish colors usually "pop." Even with the less vibrantly colored species the fish looks like it would in the wild were it there.

I am one of those people who hates paying for features I do not want and will never use. I have several of the older Nicrews which have the basic style which minimal controls. All of my tank lights are on timers. The cost of having built-in timers and sunrise/sunset features I do not want raises the price of the light by more than the timer I add does.

I have had multiple planted tanks for about 23 years now. I have used T-12, T-8 and T-5 fluors and, I have used power compacts. I have retrofitted T-5s and Power compacts in older fluor light holders. I have a shelf full of the Zoo Med high CRI bulbs in multiple sizes.

T8 Ultra Sun® Super Daylight

The Ultra Sun is a 6500K high intensity trichromatic full spectrum daylight lamp. With a CRI rating of 98, it provides excellent color reduction for optimum viewing of your freshwater or marine fish and live corals with a balanced full spectrum of visible light and UVA. Promotes photosynthetic processes in plants and marine algae. Ideal for all freshwater and marine fish as well as reef tanks. Zoo Med’s line of fluorescent aquarium lamps are made in Europe for ultra high quality, color, and longer burn life. Our energy saving T8 sizes can save you up to $30.00 per year in electricity over the thicker T12 size lamps! Effective up to 10,000 hours.

Note that the trichomatic feature matters as much as the CRI and full spectrum, imo.

 

[gimme30]

You might be stuck having to buy a light with unwanted features. I need high CRI lights in my studio and it's darn near impossible to find a fixture or bulbs rated over 85 unless you want to spend big bucks at a photography shop. Cheapest route is one or more of the old-style round shop light/chicken coop heater fixtures that have a standard Edison or E26 base-Home Depot sells high CRI screw in bulbs.

For an actual aquarium light I'll have to 2nd (or 3rd, 4th etc) the cheapo Nicrews, specifically the C10 24/7. Full spectrum, 90 CRI. It has all the features you don't want, including a remote of all things, but you can ignore all the tech....it's got a power button so you can turn it on or off like a standard no-frills unit.

 

[anewbie]

https://amazon.com/LUXRITE-Equivalent-Dimmable-Lumens-Listed/dp/B0DQDZ44XZ

(there are many more options)

 

[TwoTankAmin]

The issue I have with light with a bunch of features I do not want or need is that I still have to pay a lot more for them anyhow. Plus, the more features included means the more things that can break, and they do so all the time.

 

[anewbie]

The issue I have with light with a bunch of features I do not want or need is that I still have to pay a lot more for them anyhow. Plus, the more features included means the more things that can break, and they do so all the time.

With lights this is not exactly true - as it is more or less a single chip controlling things. It isn't like a car for example where each independent gadget can break. Having said that i do not know if it is more or less stressful on the electronics to ramp up.

 

[GaryE]

If they don't keep adding they can't be marketed as new and improved. There are so many things I've bought with features I'll never use, but there really is no choice in many products. It seems one person's gadget is another's dream innovation. And if it isn't especially useful to anyone, it's sold as a wonder.

 

[anewbie]

If they don't keep adding they can't be marketed as new and improved. There are so many things I've bought with features I'll never use, but there really is no choice in many products. It seems one person's gadget is another's dream innovation. And if it isn't especially useful to anyone, it's sold as a wonder.

Sometime that is true and sometime it is false - that is for example the chirios 2 pro is definitely an improvement over the chiros 2 and plant 4.0 is a signficant upgrade over the plant 3.0. Now do you need those improvement - probably not you but some people will benefit from them.

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I do not object to what other folks choose to use. But, I prefer to stick with the the KISS approach- "Keep It Simple Stupid"

Today my favorite lights are still basic fluors and a timer. I use a few T-8s, a few T-5s and I am still using a few power compacts on a couple of tanks. The T-5s are retrofitted into the same strip light housing which originally came with a T-12 or T-8 set-up.

One more observation. I am an analogue guy at heart. Over the years as more and more things became digital and more complex, I discovered that, when such things broke, 9/10 times it was something digital that broke not the analogue parts.

I have several Eheim canisters I have had for a very long time. There is nothing digital on/in them. The current Eheim canisters tend to be digital. I will never use one of these even if it was given to me free. My oldest Eheim Pro II 2026 has been running now for about 22 years. For the first 10 years it doubled as the diffuser for my pressurized CO2. It is as quiet today as it was the first day it ran. I have not had to replace many parts iover years. Mostly it has been a gasket or O-ring that wore out

I will confess I do use digital temperature controllers on some of my takks and, when I ran the Altum angel tank where I changed my tap parameters to accomodfate them, I used a digital monitor for the tank and for batching changing water to get the needed parameters for that.

I hate paying for features that I do not use and do not want especially since it is likely to be those features which failk down the road.

 

[gimme30]

You'd have to have some place to clamp it, or DIY a riser stand to attach them to, but this inexpensive fixture might work: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Woods-6...rk-Light-with-5-5-in-Reflector-0160/204667690

Put these (or similar) into it/them: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Feit-El...-4000K-5000K-4-Pack-OM60DM-5CCTCA-4/336098517

I don't think you can get a T8 or T5 with better than 80 CRI