Pet Supplies · Head-to-head
Fluval Plant 4.0 LED vs Chihiros WRGB II Pro LED Light
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Aquarium Lights: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The Fluval Plant 4.0 LED gives most freshwater keepers everything that matters: enough spectrum-correct light for low and medium plants, full 24-hour app scheduling, IP67 sealing and brackets that fit the tank you already own. Step up to the Chihiros WRGB II Pro if you run CO2, want carpeting plants to fill in, or care about how red stems actually look.
Fluval Plant 4.0 LED
Buy itThe best all-round balance of plant-usable output, scheduling and build for a normal home aquarium.
- 7500K full spectrum with a 90 CRI rating, so plants get useful light and fish colors look natural rather than washed out
- FluvalConnect app programs a full 24-hour cycle with sunrise, sunset, moonlight and per-channel color mixing, no wall timer needed
- IP67 rated, which is the strongest splash and moisture protection in this group
- Extendable brackets plus riser brackets are in the box, so one size covers a range of tank widths and both rimmed and rimless tanks
- Output sits below a dedicated aquascaping fixture, so very deep tanks or demanding carpet plants will want more
- App-only scheduling means the phone is the remote: there is no full control panel on the unit itself
- Suspension kit is a separate purchase
Chihiros WRGB II Pro LED Light
Buy itThe output and color rendering serious planted tanks need, with app control that lets you dial the intensity back down.
- Genuine high-output fixture: the 60 cm model draws 74W and the 90 cm model 110W, enough to drive carpeting plants and stem plants at depth
- Separate white, red, green and blue channels render reds and greens far more convincingly than a white-plus-blue strip
- MyChihiros Bluetooth app handles ramping, custom curves and per-channel intensity, so you can run it at 40 or 50 percent while a tank matures
- Matte black aluminum unibody sheds heat well and feels built to last
- Only IP43 rated, so it tolerates splashes but is not built to be dunked or run under a dripping lid
- Easy to over-light a tank with: run it near full power on a new setup and algae arrives quickly
- Legs and hanging kits are often sold separately depending on the seller
Side by side
| Fluval Plant 4.0 LED | Chihiros WRGB II Pro LED Light | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Most freshwater keepers running low to medium light plants who want set-and-forget scheduling and a fixture that survives a wet lid. | High-tech or CO2-injected planted tanks and aquascapes where color rendition and reaching the substrate actually matter. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $$$ · premium |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the Fluval Plant 4.0 LED - The best all-round balance of plant-usable output, scheduling and build for a normal home aquarium. Choose the Chihiros WRGB II Pro LED Light instead if high-tech or CO2-injected planted tanks and aquascapes where color rendition and reaching the substrate actually matter.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Aquarium Lights: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).