THE BEST PLANTED TANK LED LIGHTS (Cheap & Expensive) 

Here are the links to all the lights mentioned in the video! They are all affiliate links 😃 Twinstar B-line US bit.ly/3D8AoLB EU bit.ly/3PUIniC Chihiros A series US bit.ly/3LSzu8u Use Code ''MJAMSTERDAM'' for 10% off EU bit.ly/3RdJE4s Twinstar C-line US bit.ly/3S2WxjC EU bit.ly/3z6R16F Chihiros AII series US bit.ly/3dVYmPQ Use Code ''MJAMSTERDAM'' for 10% off EU bit.ly/3D7RAB1 Chihiros WRGB2 Slim US amzn.to/3LW5bxG EU bit.ly/3JxJQJs Twinstar E-line US bit.ly/3mJ2rYH EU bit.ly/3qm8VhU Chihiros WRGB2 US amzn.to/3RntiWW EU bit.ly/3rbHcAU Twinstar S-line US bit.ly/3RqYEwc EU bit.ly/3CSFc7D

I like your channel. You know what your talking about. For many ppl it can help not to quit this beautiful hobby so this is really important. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.

Thanks for the summary. I’ve been debating with myself on upgrading my lighting. I believe I know in which direction I will take. 😎

Thank you for the information and your objective opinion. Well even the cheapest light will do the trick. But as I already discovered that the more mid-range/high range will be better as display light were the fish will pop out. I am using the budget lights for most of my tank and they are doing great. It's all about how you will display your tank and throw money at it. :) The downside of the budget ones, that you don't have an app. Apps are greater and more versatile then standaard light,. Thanks again for the video :)

This was helpful, thanks. I have two lights including an Fluval aquasky on my Ultum 60P as just one wasn't cranking for the carpeting plants. I like the Fluval app, but I wanted a more powerful single light to have a gradual on/off dimmer, and the ability of the chihiros AII to angle in a different way is awesome- I am getting it. When I was buying my first tank the LFS guy tried to sell me a $450 Kessel spot! Ever since I have been shocked at the cost of lighting, as LED's are so inexpensive fundamentally. One thing you might consider talking about in future is more detail is wattage per gallon, optimal lumen ranges, and the way the different color spectrums affect plant and fish growth and coloration, which are all things I am kind of intimidated about learning as a relatively new scaper. After watching another of your videos I bought a cheaper version of the CO2 reactor you highlighted! It was scary to start up but wow, what a simple and effective way to get CO2. I bought a kit for $105 that came with everything except the Citric acid and baking powder and have been cranking out CO2 at 1 bubble per 1,5 seconds for the last few weeks. Finally got my carpeting plants the light and CO2 they need to start spreading out. Java ferns and Ludwigia are pearling nicely. My PH went down which was alarming but appears stable. I really appreciate all of your informative videos. Thanks again!

Got the Chihiros A series with the bluetooth dimmer. It is just awesome. Excellent price to performance ratio.

I have a 140 l high tech co2 tank with the twinstar 600e and have been struggled with green spot algae and staghorn algae for a long time. After tips from one of your previous fight algae videos i turned the light from 8h a day to 6 hours a day. Now i can finally enjoy a beautiful and algae free tank. Thank you.

this is really helpful! thanks for combining it all in one. :)) also love your experiment videos !

This is great , thanks for this video. I have a Fluval flex 15 Gallon tank and am looking at making it open top and changing too a WRGBII Chihiros light. I hope its enough for this tank with stem plants as its a bit deeper then some other tanks and i struggle at the moment with Monte Carlo carpeting.

Thank you so much, I have been looking for a video like this.

Coming from the marine hobby all of these are budget lights. I love freshwater planted tanks !

Thank you for a great comparison guide!

Greeting From South Africa keep up the amazing content let’s get some builds going for the next iaplc 🤜🏼

Thank you for this MJ!

As usual very good material 👌👍

Just purchased the Chihiros A series 2 120 for my new project. I'll have wood out of the water and love the pivot on the light. Also not planning on Co2 so figured I didn't need to jump into the Wrgb line. Love the acrylic and slim build as I'm about as minimalist as possible

Great video. What is the plant growing out of the tank in the first tank? It looks awesome

Loving your videos 👍binge watching this weekend ! I also adore your shelving system where did you purchase it ?

Loved it, thank you.

I find that Fluval, Twinstar and Chihiros are the leaders of the market when it comes to high tech aquarium lighting. One point I want to make from my experience is that I don't feel like the customizable RGB feature in some of these lights is something that matters ultimately for plant growth. From all the customized RGB programs on Fluval and Chihiros I have seen, I did not notice any significant results. In general you want to keep all spectrums ballanced except blue, for which there is some (minimal) evidence that it might promote algae growth. I think the whole RGB customizable thing is more of a gimmick for ambient, when you have guests coming over or when you want to take super professional photos of your tank and want to play with the light settings. Other than that, Twinstar offers you no RGB customization and it offer the best plant growth (like you pointed out) because they basically already have the LED configured for the most optimal results.

I found really cool pieces of rosebuse and I'm thinking can i use Rosebushes in an aquarium.

Great video Mark!

I got an old chihiros A series 40 cm for my 40 cm tank (the same as in the video) Good price/power ratio. I bought a WRGB 60 cm for my larger 70 cm tank, and I liked it so much I bought another one for my 60 cm tank. I have bought a new Chihiros AII series, it is more expensive than the old A series, not as expensive as the WRGB. people at green aqua told me that it is as strong as the WRGB, and in my opinion it has currently the best price/power ratio.

Thank you very much for this great overview. I was wondering what happened with the Skylight AQI-intense you owned. Also a decent light.

Just brought Povi light.. quiet powerful for low budget lights

Great lights explanation

Hartelijk dank weer! Zou je in het kort nog kunnen omschrijven hoe de verschillen in licht en kleur ogen tussen de WRGB2 slim en de twinstar E-line? Het is lastig wanneer je ze niet in levende lijve kunt aanschouwen.Ik twijfel heel erg om verschillende redenen.Hopenlijk gaat je antwoord me op het juiste spoor gaat zetten.

Hello, Very nice video as always! I have a question. I think the Chihiros WRGB2 SLIM30 looks the best. But are the colors also very nice? I am hesitating between the Chihiros WRGB2 SLIM30 or the Twinstar S. Is the difference in color big or is it not so bad?

If you truly consider all factors such as power, price, color rendition, and adjustability, Chihiros is clearly the best light on the market. Twinstar is great but only the C can be adjusted. ONF makes great products but they are massively expensive. Chihiros checks every box.

Hi MJ. I am about to set up my first aquascape tank and have come across your channel in an effort to do some research. I must say from all the videos I have watched on this subject, for me yours are the most interesting and informative. I would like your advise on my ideas on the hardware set-up. the tank is 80*35*40 (112) ltrs. The rest I'm still considering. Filter Sunsun 3000 l/h adjustable with a UV filter that can be turned off, lighting 42W 24/7 Full Spectrum LED Brand: XESEGEIP programmable, I like the idea of mimicking dawn, day and evening. CO2 will be DIY to start. Substrate amount and type and initial plants/amount would be appreciated. Thank you

Hi, after few years of break, I'm considering to come back to planted aquariums. In this time the tech go much futher so i have to catch up on knowledge specialy about led ligtnig. I'm about to start aquarium 50 x 30 x 30 cm on ada amazonia aqua soil, with co2 and such plants for example as glossostigma, blyxa japonica, micranthemum Monte Carlo or Eleocharis Acicularis. Do you think, that Chihiros A II LED A-501 would be a good choice for that setup? Thank you for your answer.

Best explanation of using which type of light for which aquarium size. Very useful content!😃👍 Soon maybe, what is best filter Type (price/performance) for which aquarium size?

Top reviews, i love your Aquarium Stand on your backright! Can i know the size and the brand?

Hi MJ, do u have any recommendation for fish only tank to show off their red, blue and yellow color? And its desktop type similar to fluval nano light? I will really appreciate ur help. Thank u. Enjoy ur long vacation :)

Any of those suitable for a reef tank? Soft corals and maybe later lps.

Another nice video mate ... id like to see a comparison/test of an aquatic light vs a standard LED light from a hardware store if possible? Cheers

Hi Mj,I have noticed that my red cherry (too many in my tank)shrimp are disturbing my Monte Carlo carpet ever morning few of plants are uprooted or cut So please suggest me how to control this. ( very less algae in my aquarium)

Hi, What LED light would you recommend for tank 60x40x38cm 90ltrs? For the moment I have plants easy to medium, but in the future if I learn properly nutrients balance I might wanted some more advanced plants. I am considering fluval plant 3.0 or if could get anything else to have spare power for the future? Thank you, Kind Regards

Hi there - Any thought on the Chihiros Vivid Mini? It is very sleek, with central support (instead of braces on both sides), very powerful, it is RGB and it seems to be quite the right size for a 60cm (2ft) tank... And it is not that expensive.

we have kandila brand here and its just 5 USD for 40cm 18 watt, its perform well for growth but make fish and plant color wash out, but cheap one in europe like that twinstar maybe better

Hello just saw vid most of your videos are great now question is I have a 60gal cube I'm getting ready to plant do I actually need 60cm or maybe 2 45cm tank is 24x24 kinda deep thinking of chihiros lights but I also heard ledstar is just as good you could prob get it free I can't I'd like to hear your take on ledstar

when you made this video did they have the Twinstar ea iv out . if so what do you think of it? What light would you recommend on a 75 gallon tank?

Are Netlea lights any good (for mid tech)? Looking to get 560s for my 80cm tank

Great video 👍🏻

For wrgb slim, how strong is it that you are having on your tanks?

Hey Mark, I have a 80cm x 40cm x 40cm was thinking chihiros wrgb 2 but 60cm as it can adjust to 80cm do you think it will have enough spread length wise or do you have another recommendation? Thanks

Which one is the most powerful light for a 20 gallon tank

Do they have ring lights like that? I bought a 9 gallon bubble tank.

Hi outside Chihiros which light would be equivalent to the Twinstar S but with an app? The store I go to doesn’t sell Chihiros, sells many others brands and I want something like the Twinstar SP but ideally with an app. Any recommendations please?

Would you say the Twinstar is a better light than a fluval light?

Hey, Im interested in getting one of the Twinstar IV 300EA's and Im really struggling to find information about it as I am in a awkward position due to my Aquarium being 29cm. However I notice on alot of the Twinstar models the brackets sit slightly inwards more than the light itself does. I know its a long shot but do you know if a 30cm Twinstar would fit on a 29cm tank due to the fixing brackets being slightly shorter in width? As I would rather get more surface area with the 300EA than the 200EA. Thanks alot, I am really hoping this makes sense.

ben dus op zoek naar een lamp voor een 60 cm tank en het gaat mij vooral om een tapijt (monte carlo) te kunnen realiseren. Soort van een Iwagumi maar ook met stengelplanten. Welke Chihiros (ja wil ook een app) zou je mij aanraden? Kan het met de A max serie? Of is de RGB slim dan en betere keuze?

Hey mj I have a 30cm wrgb2 slim on a 30T and I have it on 50% but I’m not sure if it’s enough what do you have ur 30cm tank on?

Ik zou graag de chihiros a2 willen kopen voor een 1 meter aquarium maar welke moet je daar dan voor hallen

...and for people who find even the cheapest light from this video expensive, like me, just use flood lights, they work very very well.

Can you use these lights on rim aquariums??

Thx very helpful

Greetings, I am setting up a 29g Bowfront rimless (24" x 24" x 14.5") I ordered the Aqamai LFM 100w (this is the Freshwater version), do you think this is a good light? or should I have ordered the Aqamai LRS 50w (this is the Reef Model that has more blue, but can be controlled each of 6 channels indv.)? I want to do a South American aquascape (low tech) for smaller fish like the Dwarf Electric Blue Ram cichlids and other peaceful south American fish. (btw this will be my first live planted tank) "Maybe you could try one of the Hydor/Aqamai lights on a tank setup in the future, I would love to see a setup with that light..."

So you consider Twinstar S better than WRGB2 Pro?

Can B line 30b fit a 10 gallon rectangle?

nice vid..how about week aqua?😁

I cant find the twinstar SA 600 anywhere , all the stores online are sold out. Where can i buy one online that will ship to the USA?

I'd highly recommend you try out the Chihiros Vivid II RGB. It's a fantastic light. I've owned twinstar B/E/S and Chihiros WRGB II and the Vivid is just so much nicer. With that said, I'm currently trying out WIO Bamboo 70 lights and so far I'm enjoying their colour rendition

Try and review weekaqua m pro and v series light

I wish I would have watched this last week! I just bought a fluval 3.0 for my first “high tech” tank, now I think I’d be better off investing my funds in a chihiro.

Which shelf is that ?

Twinstar c line 900c can grow red aquatic plants

Wiat do you think would be the best option for 35x35x35 cube? Currently I am using Chihiros AII series 35 cm - it is great but when it is set in center I see that stem plantacji are not growing straight up but are moving to the center od the tank. I am thinking about adding additional 35 cm Chihiros AII, the second option is to replace my current light and buy Chihiros WRGB 30 cm regular version. What would you recommend? Thank you! ❤😊

Thanks!!! For nano iwagumi and neocaridinas, which you recomended? ❤️

It is pricess to find a NL based creator when looking for purchase advices.

Do all those lights work with a smart plug iv noticed not all lights work with timers or smart plugs

After using Chihiros lights for a couple years, I don't think I could ever go back to a light that isn't app controlled.

I have a lot of spiderwood fungus. How long does it takes to go away?

How about cheap brands like Lominie?

Can I grow red plants with the Chihiros A2? I have a 6 gallon tank that is about 29cm in height, I wanted the slim but I keep hearing about the colors looking very artificial and I feel like the WRGB II is too powerful for my little tank.

hi MJ.. Would it be an idea to just make a video about light settings, and by that I mean color settings and intensity of the light, and to show some examples of your apps from, for example, Chihiros app for various scapes and facilities, I think a lot of aquarists still struggle with that zou het een idee zijn om enkelt eens een keer een video te maken over instellingen van het licht, en dan bedoel ik met kleur instellingen en intensiteit van het licht, en om daar een aantal voorbeelden van te laten zien van jou apps van bijvoorbeeld de chihiros app bij diversen scape's en inrichtingen, ik denk dat een hoop aquaristen daar nog wel eens mee vechten greetings/ met vriendelijke groet mike straver

Hi what intensity and duration would you recommend for a twinstar s line on 45p running co2 and growing monte carlo and r Hra?

I have a 5 foot, 600 litre tank that is 2 and a half foot tall. Would the chihiros wrgb 2 pro be ok for this tank in a low tech set up (no co2)?

Ik heb ook de twinstar b line op mijn 30 cm bakken maar ook een dimmer erop. Zijn te koop in Nederland maar (sorry) heb ze van Ali (goedkoop) en werken prima. Zelfs op telefoon in te stellen. Zeer tevreden

what about the Vivids????

Is the twinstar 60-b suitable for a low tech aquarium 60x45x45cm?

What are your dimmer settings for the Twinstar S-Line?

Hey MJ. I recently moved to The Netherlands, and I really want to get into aquascaping. Where can I get "cheap" setups to get started? I was thinking of doing a beta 50L tank as a start.

I use a 30 dollar nicrew light from Amazon. It works alright for low light to medium light plants, on my 20 gallon high. Tip on lights that don't have a dimmer ,is to put black electrical tape on parts of the LEDs. Space them out evenly until you like the amount of light. 👍Do they sell these lights in the video ,on Amazon?

Is the slim powerful enough to grow high light demanding plants in a tank that’s only 9 inches deep? I have a 5 gallon high tech tank and I would like a better light

Yo, one question.. My thank is 40 cm, therefore any 45 cm light wont fit. If I go with the 30-45 cm (expanding the legs) wouldn't that be too low if I want to grow high demanding plants?. I'm considering the chihiros wrgb II, the II Slim and twinstar lll S. Thanks for all your content!

probably wont hear this but with the light without a dimmer you can use electrical tape to dim the light

Zijn een van deze lichtbronnen ook voor een Juwel Trigon 190L te gebruiken?

Kind of surprised not to see any Hygger or Nicrew examples. You and MD all about the Chihiros…

Lightning is by far the most stressful part of the hobby for me, many of the options are not available in my country and if I want to get any of the high end option I have to pay a bunch more in import taxes, can't afford them as of right now BUT I found out that grow lights (the ones intended to grow plants indoors) works pretty good growing aquarium plants, but you don't get any of the cool features sush a dimmer or color selection.

you forgot to mention T5 fluorescent lighting. Still all the pros use T5 lights on their competition dutch tanks for a reason.

Do we ever get hosed here in Canada the twinstar c line is over 240 euro and b line 100 euro

Is it okay to ues 60 cm light to a 80 cm tank?

Awesome video man! I believe though, that the ADA Aquasky RGB is the best light... Not that I have one 🤣just seen them in action! The Twinstar is incredible though. I currently have 2 Twinstar S and am super happy!

your vids stopped showing in my feed i just hit the bell tho

Iv been trying to find a 40cm light without having to extend the arm's.

Ik ben opzoek naar een lamp voor de oase highline 300. Dus hij moet in een dicht aquarium en moet passen. Heb jij misschien suggesties?

Thw Chihiros app works very very well? a xa xa

I love the fact he spending tons of dollars for tank lights and use the cheapest solo-bulb light for the room :)))

hi, why U didnt metchioned skylight? isnt worth it?