ReefBay data · Most used reef equipment brands
What lighting, salt and dosing brands do reefers use most?
Updated November 2, 2026 · Sample: 4,588 tanks · Recomputed weekly
Reefers record their lights, salt, additives and food in their ReefBay tank profile. This page ranks the brands by how many live saltwater tanks list them. Spelling variants are merged (for example AI, Aqua Illumination and AI Prime count as one brand).
Key findings
The most used reef lighting brand in ReefBay tank profiles is Aqua Illumination (AI), listed by 20.1% of the 3,663 tanks that record their lighting. Red Sea (7.9%) and Ecotech Marine (Radion) (6.7%) follow.
The most used reef salt mix brand in ReefBay tank profiles is Instant Ocean, listed by 29.9% of the 2,901 tanks that record their salt mix. Red Sea (26%) and Tropic Marin (12%) follow.
The most used dosing or additive brand in ReefBay tank profiles is Tropic Marin, listed by 14.1% of the 1,711 tanks that record their dosing and additives. Red Sea (10.5%) and Brightwell Aquatics (6.3%) follow.
The most used reef food brand in ReefBay tank profiles is Hikari, listed by 13.2% of the 855 tanks that record their food. Ocean Nutrition (5%) and Reef Nutrition (4.4%) follow.
Most used lighting brands
Share of brand mentions across the 3,663 tanks that record their lighting. The number in brackets is how many tanks list the brand.
- Aqua Illumination (AI) 35% (738)
- Red Sea 13% (288)
- Ecotech Marine (Radion) 11% (244)
- Nicrew 9.6% (205)
- Fluval 7.1% (152)
- Kessil 6.5% (139)
- Popbloom 6.5% (138)
- Other brands 11% (235)
Most used salt mix brands
Share of brand mentions across the 2,901 tanks that record their salt mix. The number in brackets is how many tanks list the brand.
- Instant Ocean 34% (868)
- Red Sea 30% (754)
- Tropic Marin 14% (348)
- Aquaforest 13% (342)
- Fritz Aquatics 3.5% (89)
- Nyos 3.1% (78)
- Fauna Marin 0.9% (24)
- Other brands 2.0% (52)
Most used dosing and additives brands
Share of brand mentions across the 1,711 tanks that record their dosing and additives. The number in brackets is how many tanks list the brand.
- Tropic Marin 32% (241)
- Red Sea 23% (179)
- Brightwell Aquatics 14% (107)
- Seachem 10% (78)
- Aquaforest 5.6% (43)
- BRS (Bulk Reef Supply) 5.0% (38)
- All-For-Reef (Tropic Marin) 2.5% (19)
- Other brands 7.5% (57)
Most used food brands
Share of brand mentions across the 855 tanks that record their food. The number in brackets is how many tanks list the brand.
- Hikari 32% (113)
- Ocean Nutrition 12% (43)
- Reef Nutrition 11% (38)
- New Life Spectrum 8.1% (29)
- Red Sea 6.2% (22)
- Omega One 5.6% (20)
- Vitalis 5.3% (19)
- Other brands 20% (73)
Method
- Source: tank profiles and logs created by ReefBay app users. ReefBay is a reef aquarium app for iOS and Android.
- Excluded: deleted tanks, deleted accounts, ReefBay staff and test accounts.
- Counted: saltwater tanks with at least one equipment entry of that type. A brand counts once per tank.
- Spelling variants are merged by a fixed list (for example AI, Aqua Illumination and AI Prime). Unmatched names are shown as typed.
Cite this page
You may reuse these numbers and charts with a link to this page (CC BY 4.0). Suggested citation:
ReefBay. "What lighting, salt and dosing brands do reefers use most?" November 2026. https://reefbay.com/stats/equipment-brands
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