A jellyfish lamp is a special kind of lamp that contains water and artificial but highly realistic-looking jellyfish. The jellyfish in the lamp are illuminated and float around realistically due to movements generated by the water.
The lamp consists of LED lights that are located in the tank’s top. These lights rotate, creating different color and light sensations. There are different sized jellyfish lamps. Most of them come with two to three fish.
What Makes the LED Jellyfish Lamp So Special?
The LED jellyfish lamp is a new phenomenon that supposedly started in asia. The combination of the lights, colors, water and realistic jellyfish movements creates a calming and relaxing sensation.
Some users have reported that the lamps help to reduce stress and anxiety. Due to the LED lights, the lamp is best used at night or in the dark. As a night lamp, it can help you or someone you know wind down in the evening before going to bed.
Many LED lamps have a feature that turns them off automatically after a few hours. This way you can turn on the light during bed time, knowing that it will turn off automatically once you sleep. We believe the lamp makes an especially great gift for children.
Which child doesn’t like the combination of realistic-looking, exotic jellyfish with colorful light sensations in the dark? There is something fascinating, special and unique about it.
The jellyfish lamp is a new trend so chances are most people don’t have one yet.
5 Best Jellyfish Lamps Available on Amazon & Etsy In 2022
You’re probably already sold on why getting one of these lamps for yourself or for someone you know is a unique and special gift. But what’s the best jellyfish lamp? Next up, we’ll compare and rank some of the most popular options so you can confidently buy the best jellyfish lamp for your use case.
1. COLORLIFE Jellyfish Lamp ($29.99)
The COLORLIFE Jellyfish Lamp can be found on Amazon and it’s one of the best and most popular jellyfish lamps overall. It’s comparably cheap and comes with two artificial jellyfish.
The product has over 3,700 ratings and most of them are positive.
Features
- One year warranty
- Quiet motor pump that creates water movements
- 2 jellyfish
- Realistic looking and moving tendrils
- On/off button
- Switch to change mood lights
- Automatically turns off after 4 hours
- Extra long power cord
- Width: 4.5 inches
- Height: 9.1 inches
2. SensoryMoon Jellyfish Lamp ($59.95)
The SensoryMoon Jellyfish lamp can be found on Amazon as well and is quite a bit bigger than the COLORLIFE lamp. It also has a round shape, making it look slightly more aesthetic than the cheaper option above.
This lamp comes with a total of three jellyfish instead of two. If you’re willing to spend a bit more and want a bigger, more premium looking lamp that has more jellyfish, SensoryMoon’s lamp is best.
Features
- 3 month warranty
- 3 jellyfish
- Realistic looking and moving tendrils
- On/off button
- 16 different colors
- Flash, strobe, smooth and fade light options
- LED projector option to create aquatic light effects on ceiling
- Automatically turns off after 4 hours
- Width: 5.5 inches
- Height: 14 inches
3. Egifty Jellyfish Lamp ($49.99)
The Egifty lamp is almost as big as the SensoryMoon lamp but slightly cheaper. It also comes with three jellyfish. It has a quiet water pump and comes with 7 different colors to choose from.
Features
- Quiet motor pump that creates water movements
- 3 jellyfish
- Realistic looking and moving tendrils
- On/off button
- 7 different colors
- Automatically turns off after 4 hours or 8 hours
- Extra long power cord
- Width: 5.5 inches
- Height: 13.8 inches
FASJELLYE Jellyfish Lamp ($78.59)
The FASJELLYE Jellyfish Lamp is the biggest lamp on our list so far. It has a round design and is slightly bigger than the Egifty and SensoryMoon lamps.
One feature that makes this lamp stand out is that it only has two jellyfish but they are bigger than the others. The bigger jellyfish make them appear more impressive and the manufacturers were able to pay more attention to detail.
While a bit more expensive, it will likely be the most impressive LED lamps in this price range.
Features
- Quiet motor pump that creates water movements
- 2 jellyfish
- Realistic looking and moving tendrils
- On/off button
- 18 different LED lights
- Automatically turns off after a while
- Width: 6 inches
- Height: 17.25 inches
Handmade Manta Lamp ($155)
If you’re looking for something handmade and without water, you might like this lamp. Instead of using a water tank it contains mantas and jellyfish inside a crystal-like glass.
When the lamp is turned on, the mantas and jellyfish light up in different colors. This creates a similar atmosphere in the room but without the live motion. This lamp is perfect if you don’t want to deal with water.
Features
- Purely handmade
- Epoxy and wood used as materials
- White LED light to illuminate
- USB wired cable
- Width: 9 inches
- Height: 15 inches
Hanging Jellyfish Lamp
There is also another type of lamp: The hanging lamp. This is not a water tank but rather a special type of decorative lamp best used for parties or children’s rooms.
The number of hanging jellyfish lights is far lower than lava lamps. While there are a few hanging lamps on Etsy, Amazon and Aliexpress, the quality appears to be significantly lower.
We found one on Amazon with good ratings though.
Here’s another type of hanging lamp which is more solid and better suited for permanent setups. This one is available on Aliexpress. However, keep in mind that quality can vary and shipping might take longer than usual.
Overall, the hanging type of lamp doesn’t seem to captivate as much as the water tank version. If you’re looking for a lamp for your child’s bedroom, your office or even a party, consider the floor jellyfish lamps with realistic, floating jellyfish.
For a party, how about getting 2-5 different LED lamps and setting them up at different places in the environment. If you place the lamps strategically to enhance the atmosphere of the venue, you can create a really unique and special vibe with these lamps.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Lamps
Now that you’ve seen some of our top picks, let’s answer some common questions regarding the lamps that people frequently ask.
After all, these lamps are a relatively new trend and pretty unique. So it’s only normal that you have some questions about how these special lamps work.
Is the jellyfish lamp real?
The lamp itself is of course real but the jellyfish inside it are not. Although the lamp uses a water tank the jellyfish inside it are made of plastic. It’s not an aquarium with real fish but rather an aquarium-like lamp.
It creates the sensation of movement and can make you feel like there are real jellyfish in the lamp, but you don’t have to worry about feeding them or taking care of them.
If you’re looking for real fish, or even jellyfish, you need to buy a small aquarium.
How does the jellyfish lamp work?
The lamp can be opened at the top. You pour in water (follow the instructions that come with the product) and then add the artificial jellyfish. Once you’ve closed the top again, you plug in the lamp and turn it on.
Once turned on, a small motor pump creates motion in the water. These motors are small and electrical and usually don’t make that much noise. The motion in the water results in the jellyfish moving around realistically inside of the lamp.
The jellyfish themselves are made in a special, transparent and color-enhancing way, often with realistic tendrils that move around. At the top of the lamp there is a small LED panel that illuminates the water tank and the jellyfish moving inside of it.
Most lamps come with a button that lets you change colors. Some lamps also have a small remote control to change the ambient of the room from afar.
Do you put water in a jellyfish lamp?
Yes, once you get your jellyfish lamp you have to follow the instruction manual that comes with it. Most likely, you’ll have to add distilled or drinking water without any bubbles or air. And you might have to add the jellyfish into a detergent before adding them to the water.
All of this is done to make sure that the jellyfish float around and move freely and realistically and don’t float to the top of the tank due to bubbles and trapped air.
Summary
Getting yourself or someone you know one of these lamps is a unique and special gift. It can create a mesmerizing atmosphere in your office, bedroom or child’s bedroom. The ability of the light to turn off automatically after some time makes it the perfect night light.
Our top picks are:
They all have great reviews and are bigger than some of the other, cheaper options.
