Hi there! Welcome to my review of the Asta 20 LED aquarium lights. I am using this lamp for my small aquarium in which I am housing blue shrimp and snails. This aquarium is providing money because I’m selling the shrimp back to my local fish store.
The aquarium came with built in lights but I wanted to upgrade and look for an affordable LED light solution. I found exactly that when I tried the Asta 20 LED light, which I have been using for months, thoroughly testing it.
If you are interested in this light, you can find it here for sale on Amazon.
But before you make this decision, let me explain to you why I think you will not be disappointed by this LED light.
Quick statistics rundown
- Solid aluminum housing
- Manual dial to dim the intensity, easy operation
- Bendable rustproof goose-neck
- 1.5 meter of cable
- 12 – 16 Watts
- 12 months warranty
General First Impression
When I first received the light, I was pleased by the packaging etc etc etc. Personally when I read reviews I could not care less of the packaging, so I’m not going to try and convince you here.
The lamp feels sturdy and heavy. I love it. It feels like quality to me.
When I attached the light to the side of my aquarium, I was a little hesitant. You see, this is a picture of the way it is fixed to the side of the tank.
You have to screw it firmly to the side of the tank. In my case, there is a plastic ledge where previously the lid was attached. With this, the weight is leaning on the glass. But it is super steady and nothing to worry about.
Using the flexible part of the light, you can aim the light however you please. But as a tip: position the light in the desired position before fixating it to the tank, to prevent unnecessary force on the glass side of the aquarium. This is especially useful so it can fit on different sized aquariums.
When attached the lamp looks like this, look at how bright the lamp is and the way it lights the tank.
The lamp has been serving me very well in the past couple of months. I would definitely recommend getting this lamp for similar sized aquariums.
Lighting Quality
Using a turning wheel you are able to adjust the light intensity of the Asta 20 LED light. I have it set as bright as possible, but I love the fact that you can adjust this. This is especially useful as you can adjust the light for your tank size and plants. If you have a shallow tank, you can lower the brightness.
Some plants require high lighting where other plants do not do well under high lighting. Plants like java fern and crypts (both are popular and easy plants) require medium to low lighting and do well in darker areas of the aquarium.
When is a light suitable for a planted aquarium
This light is perfect for live plants to grow in your aquarium, but why is that? As you might know, growing plants in an aquarium is a triangle. You need nutrients for the plant, sufficient dissolved CO2 and the right amount of lighting. A proper light solves one third of the plant triangle.
A light used for growing live plants should resemble the sun as good as possible. It does this in two ways, brightness and light temperature.
Light temperature
Light temperature is expressed in degrees Kelvin or °K. If you have ever bought lights for your house in the store, you will have seen this before. To resemble daylight, the aquarium light has to be as close to 6500 °K.
The Asta 20 is within the right range to resemble sunlight. The company also has lights suitable for saltwater aquariums, which require a higher colour temperature (>8000 °K) which gives off a blue-ish tint.
When you have a lower light temperature (<4000 °K) the light will give off a more yellowish tint.
Intensity
The other important factor is the brightness. As already discussed earlier in the article different plants do well under different light brightness. It is important that you first research your plants to find out what brightness they like. It can be high lighting, medium lighting or low lighting.
You can also ask your local fish store, they will tell you what your plants need.
Its great that you can adjust the brightness on this lamp.
Downside/Negative
After all these positive points I will have to come to the one negative I have found. The lights gets really hot. Now I know this is the case with a lot of other lamps, but I just wanted you to know this beforehand.
Where to get the lamp?
If you are thinking about getting this lamp, I think you will not be disappointed. It is of great quality for the price.
Check out the price here on Amazon. Remember that the light has a one year warranty and a 30 years 100% money back guarantee when you are not satisfied.
