10 Best T8 Aquarium Lighting
Updated on: December 2023
Best T8 Aquarium Lighting in 2023
Zilla Reptile Slimline Reptile Lighting Fixture with UVB Lamp, 18-Inches
GE 16466 Basic 18 Inch Fluorescent Under Cabinet Light Fixture, Plug in, Warm White, Plastic Housing, 5 Foot Cord, Perfect for Kitchen, Office, Garage, Flourescent

- 18-Inch warm white fluorescent under cabinet light fixture
- Ideal for kitchen, utility room, basement, workshop and garage
- Energy saving, provides no hum, flicker free, instant on operation due to electronic ballast system
- Fully assembled and ready to install, comes with a 5 foot cord and on/off rocker switch
- Standard issue design. UL listed with a 1-year limited fixture .
Zilla Slimline Reptile Fluorescent Lighting Fixture with 3-Percent UVB Lamp, 18-Inch

- High quality fluorescent lighting for tropical habitats
- Includes a Tropical 25 watt UVB T8 bulb ideal for desert dwelling reptiles
- Full spectrum lighting enhances natural colors of the animal and environment
- Provides UVB light rays which are required for many reptiles to metabolize essential calcium
- The Zilla Slimline Tropical Fixture measures approximately 22 by 4 by 2 inches with an 18 inch bulb length
MingDak LED Aquarium Light Kit for Fish Tank,Underwater Submersible Crystal Glass Lights Suitable for Saltwater and Freshwater,42 LEDs,14.5-inch,Lighting Color White

- Great for night viewing,Great night light and tank illuminator,cool White LEDs add a shimmering effect to your reef
- Mingdak's fish tank litht bar brings the light to the inside of your aquarium. The in-frame mounting allows you to see the light without seeing the fixture
- All are fully submersible and come with suction cups to give you endless possibilities on how to use these systems.Super water resistant
- Safe and low voltage:LED lights is 20% brighter and is designed for reliable, long-term performance
- Adjustable mounting legs allow for flexibility in fitting aquariums widths of 17-23 inches
NICREW SkyLED Aquarium Light for Planted Tanks, Full Spectrum Freshwater Fish Tank Light, 12 to 18-Inch, 12-Watt

- 6500K white LEDs and full spectrum RGB LEDs promote and support low-to-mid light level plant growth
- Improved in-line switch to reduce light damage by preventing moisture
- Extendable mounting brackets allow easy installation on a variety of aquarium widths
- LED strip light with independent White and RGB LED control
- A glass or acrylic canopy is highly recommended to extend the life of the unit by preventing moisture from affecting it
Aqueon Aquarium AAG25936 Fluorescent Strip Light, 36-Inch

- Aqueon Strip-Lights are used with Versa-Tops for proper aquarium lighting
- These are exact strip-light replacements for Full Hoods
- 36-Inch Black
Fulight Ballast-Bypass F25T8/CW LED Tube Light- T8 3FT 14W (30W Equivalent), Daylight 5000K, Double-End Powered, Frosted Cover, Works from 85-265VAC - Fluorescent Replacement Bulbs

- ***Please DON'T buy if you don't expect to modify your light fixture***: MUST be directly wired to the 120V AC Power! Please disconnect Ballast (& Starter if there is any) before plugging in the bulb. Installation Manual is attached as the 2nd photo at the left upper corner of this product page!
- Comfortable Daylight White 5000K with Color Rendering Index >80% (Works from 85-265VAC!)
- Thick Aluminum Spine Design for SUPERIOR Heat Dissipation Capability: to guarantee safety and long lifetime.
- GREEN ECO FRIENDLY + SIGNIFICANT ENERGY SAVING: no flickering, no UV light, no buzzing ballast, no hazardous materials + Saving ~50% electricity
- Lifetime>50,000hrs; 3-Year Warranty.
NICREW ClassicLED Aquarium Light, Fish Tank Light with Extendable Brackets, White and Blue LEDs, Size 30 to 36 Inch, 18 Watts

- Super bright, energy efficient and long lasting LEDs to produce amazing shimmer to your aquarium
- Adjustable metal brackets to fit aquarium tank from 30 inches to 36 inches
- Light Fixture: 28.5 in L x 4 in W, Hood w/ Brackets Extend: 36 in L x 4 in W
- Two lighting modes: White & Blue LEDs for daylight and Blue LEDs for nightlight
- This product is recommended for use over panel or glass-covered aquariums
Glo Aqua-Glo T8 Fluorescent Aquarium Bulb, 30-Watt, 36-Inch

- The Aqua-Glo T8 is a linear fluorescent 30-watt and 900 lumen aquarium bulb
- This normal output bulb with a color temperature of 18000K fits all suitable standard and electronic ballasts
- Generates an ideal fish color-enhancing spectrum and delivers a strong photosynthetic range of light very capable of stimulating vigorous plant growth
- Measures 36-inch length
- This product weighs 0.40-pound
(2 Pack) Aqueon Fish Aquarium Lights T8 Lamp, Daylight, 18-inch, 15 Watt

- 2 18-inch Daylight T8 Fluorescent bulbs
- Daylight bulbs are all purpose, everyday aquarium lights
- Bring out the true colors of fish and decor inside your aquarium
- Bulbs that enhance the appearance of tropical fish and live plants
- Compatible with Aqueon Fluorescent Full Hoods and Strip Lights, these lamps will also work with most other T8 fluorescent lighting systems
Using Gels to Add Color Backgrounds to Studio Photographs
If you are starting a photo studio in your home, a good way to get different backgrounds is to use a background light with colored gels. You can make the same background look like many different backgrounds with a little lighting magic.
Click through the two sets of photos of the young man in graduation garb on the right and tell me what they have in common.
Probably one thing you won't say is they use the exact same background paper, yet they do. All three were shot with the dark gray background paper that you see in the top image. The color backgrounds on the other two are a result of some lighting magic.
Here's a quick lesson on how to add some color to your backgrounds without spending a lot of money on different color background paper.
The basic studio layout for the shot is below. A dark gray long roll of paper is hung on the studio wall. In the first shot, there is no background light, making the paper look slightly darker than it is. The main light is a medium softbox to camera right, will fill from umbrella to camera left.
I decided to write this lesson after I started a gallery at www.istockphoto.com for the best studio shots of people shot in studio with a color background. I've really found very few to add to the collection, yet it's easy and inexpensive to get color backgrounds. It can add great variety to a studio session with a model.
I used one background light for these shots. The light is directly behind the subject. The light is a Novatron studio light, with a barndoor attachment and 30 degree grid with gel taped over the grid. The barndoor attachment keeps the light from spilling back toward the subject, and the grid feathers the color so that it's more of a graduated color rather than a solid color. Notice how the color is brightest close to the head, but is darker near the shoulders. This is the light falloff caused by the grid.
Don't worry if you don't have a barndoor attachment or a grid. You can just tape a color gel over the end of the metal reflector of your light (it will even work on a flash).
You'll never see the color with your naked eye. The studio flash is too quick to see it - you'll have to check the LCD screen of your camera to see what it looks like.
Color gels are inexpensive. A set of basic colors can be bought for less than $10.
I found a set of gels at Calument Photo's web site that has 10 colors for $35.00 But a tip I got from the owner of my local camera store is to go to a theater lighting store. A store in Fort Worth, Texas, sells a lot of theater stuff, from costumes to lights and disco balls. It also keeps about 100 different color gels in stock to using with theater lights. The same thing works for photo lights. I bought a set of 4 basic colors (red, blue, yellow and green) for $6.
The color gels work best with a black or dark grey background, although you can use them with any color or type of background to change the look and color of the background. The gels work with white backgrounds, but are not as saturated.
One thing to watch out for is to turn off the modeling light for your monolight or studio light you put the gel on. These plastic gels will melt from the heat generated from a modeling light.
The third image on the right is the Lighting Diagram for the shots of the young man.